Always had them. My current truck I tried to go without for better visibility and use of the bed and failed—one trip in the rain cured me of that crap, and I’m back to having a cap. I find when I want a cap I REALLY, REALLY want the cap. High-rise (“gramps style”?

) is a must, so much more room. I have a homemade drawer/platform that sits on the wheel wells and I can still sit up comfortably and crawl around without hitting my back on the door (ouch!) even though Im 6’3. My 6 1/2’ bed silverado is BARELY long enough for me to lie down straight with feet solidly touching the end—sleeping well is either diagonal or tailgate open for me, short bed or a taco would be 100% no-go as far as sleeping in it.
front window so you can clean your windows. Some caps have solid fiberglass in front with a small window—I dont like this it really reduces visibility driving for me. My newer caps have had full glass front window With only a thin strip of fiberglass around the edge.
side windoors with screens. I will NEVER buy another cap without windoors. Makes loading and unloading easy, access to stuff easy, etc. my drawer platform has wing doors that lift up near the cab as a toolbox, which I love. Keeps stuff out of sight, plus the deterrent of a locked cap, someone has to be awfully motivated to mess with your stuff.
carpet-lined cap is quiet, a little warmer in cool weather, and the hook-side of velcro sticks to it—great for stuff like bug netting while camping in it in hot weather.
my are caps I think have been better construction than the leer caps Ive had, but I’m not sure it matters. I ended up having to replace a lot of door handle-locks on the leers from road salt corrosion, have not had that in the ARes.
man they are getting expensive. Would love to have found one used. North of $2k now.
