I am looking to buy a camper shell for my 2005 KR short bed soon and was wondering if anybody had any opinions on the Leer vs. the Snugtop....or any other brands....Somebody told me that the Snugtop were the premiere "top of the line" camper shell and Leer and A.R.E. were in second place. Is that true? Thanks in advance for any info...

Jack

 

??? Snug top was the first with a well snug fitting top but that does not make them the best. I am not saying they are or are not but rather go and look. Ask for how thick the glass is, look at the wiring how well is it done. How does it mount to the bed, which do you like better. How is it outfitted inside, once you see them in person you can make an informed decision other than that you will get oppinions and well you know what those are worth at times.

 

I had an ARE on my 01. I put a Leer on my current truck. 04 F250 PSD CC. I have a couple of pictures in my gallery. The Leer is WAY better than the ARE. More $ but worth it. The ARE leaked whenever it rained??? Never could find out were. The last 2 hurricanes that came through Atlanta. The Leer kept my Bed dry. I also went with the Browning package. It's an extra $600. Worth every penny! The lockable storage box on the inside and Yakima rack are getting used much more than I had thought they would. Very Happy with Leer. I have never seen a Snug Top? Good luck

 

On the topic of caps, does any other manufacturer have a similar walk-in door to ARE's on their CX & MX? I'm tempted to get one of those with the door when my truck comes in, but after hearing about leaks, I'm not so sure...

-mike

 

I have the Leer with the side glass that mimics the shape of the door dip on the Superdutys. Fit is good, glass is solid, and I believe the warranty is better than the Snugtop.

 

I just bought a Leer top 6 weeks ago from my new '04 F250. I spent some time looking for the best top for my truck.

I first looked at SnugTop. I had bought one for my old truck 10 years ago. The old Snug was very well built, paint held up great, but the door hardware starting showing it's age a few years ago. Like my old truck, the Snug was getting worn out, and was time to get a new rig and top. The local dealer here wanted $2000 for a sport SnugTop for my new F250, before any options added on. I'm glad I decided to shop around.

I went to the local Leer dealer in my area. $1250 base for a XL100, and after all options (headliner, pop-out sliding window, Yakima racks, wiring and hook-up) the price was $1816 out the door. What sold me on the Leer was the roof racks, 'cause SnugTop didn't have those at any price.

After comparing my old SnugTop to my new Leer, I have to say the SnugTop was a higher quaility top. The roof was thicker, and the Snug seemed more 'solid', and the overall paint was better. The new Leer has a few paint flaws (nothing I lose sleep over), and the roof has alot more 'flex' to it. If I have the back sliding window open, the roof has a 'drum' effect evertime I go over a decent sized bump. Other than that, the Leer fits great and looks good. So, if I had to choose all over again, I'd still get the Leer. SnugTops are well made, but it would've cost me over $500 more than the Leer for not that much difference. I have a couple pics in the gallery showing the Leer. Hope this helps.

BS

 

I have a SnugTop on my 1995 F150 that has held up very well and still looks good. I now have a 2005 F250 SC SB due to arrive in a couple weeks and have also been considering the Leer or another Snugtop. At this point I agree with BS that the Snugtop is a good cap but probably not worth $500 more than the Leer. I think the Leer mounting system is a bit more solid than the SnugTop "J" hooks also. From what I understand the same Yakima Rack system will work on either cap but if the Leer is thinner material it may not handle as much weight.
Maybe something to check.

 

Wow you guys have been a wealth of information...so fat it seems like the consensus is that both the Leer and the Snug Top are very good bed caps with the Snug Top having a slight edge in quality and materials used but not worth the premium in price....I will look into it more...Lashlaroo mentioned the Browning package and that sounds interesting....I am not a hunter but it sounds like a good package to get because of the locking box in the bed....Thanks guys.

 

You can get the locking box without the Browning package. You just have to get the headliner option also.

Ordered a Leer 122 last week with the headliner option didn't get the locking box. They say it will be in town around the middle of November.
Long shipping delays ..... Takes awhile for those dog sleds to deliver stuff up here.

 

Any of these users still on that could let us know how any of these toppers have held up?

 

I was planning on buying a Leer or a Snugtop but the 2 that I am going yo look at are different in the front. The snugtop has the rubber weather strip and the leer doesn't. Instead the Leer has a window in the front with a small sliding window. What I am worried about is the Snugtop rubber rubbing up against my cab and leaving that mark that you see on some truck that had the camper shell removed. What do you guys know about that?

 

You can get some cab protector material which is basically a clear sticker that you apply onto your paint around the back window where the shell might be touching.

I had this on one of my old trucks and it did a great job at protecting the original paint.

My Leer that I put on last year has the removable sliding window so I don't have to worry about rubbing. But it makes it a pain to see out of my rear window because of having the extra window to have to look through and the fact that dirt and water is constantly building up on the windows between the cab and shell. But since I don't leave the shell on permanently I am ok with it having the window!

Here is my Leer:

 

Wow, this is an old thread that got dug up. I would suggest ebay or craigs list for a used cap. I scored one a few years ago for $400. The best part, when I whent to get it, perfect color match. Mine was purchased through ebay from a used truck dealer. The guy likes to go to auctions, but trucks, clean them up, remove all of the accessories, sell the trucks and sell the accessories seperately.