Trying to decide on a canopy for my truck. Besides quality of course, a big con

cern of mine is how well it looks actually on the truck. Anyone with photos, preferably side view, and thoughts? What you bought, what options you’d like or wish you didn’t pay for? It’ll be going on a 2019 Sport in Magma.

 

I didn’t go the canopy route on this truck so no photos to share, but i’ve them on my trucks for the better part of the last decade and am happy to share my experiences with them. If you plan to camp in them, or have something like the decked system which effectively raises the bed floor, I would look at a mid rise or high rise cap for the head room. Looks-wise, they can look a little goofy but they are functional. I would also go for the carpeted interior if you plan to sleep in there, keeps condensation down.

otherwise, I would get the fold down front window so you can clean the truck’s back window, the better interior lights unless you have the bed light option in the truck (my last trucks did not) and the windows completely depend on your intended use. If you keep dogs in the bed, the sliding windows with the pet screens is a good choice, otherwise, the tilt out windows are nice because you can tilt them open and things still stay dry inside.

When looking at a new cap, pay attention to how they deal with the ‘lip’ on the tailgate. Some manufacturers have found better solutions than others. It’s a tough shape to mask and you end up with this sort of shelf thing behind the canopy glass.

One of the caps I do like the looks of on the new Super Duty is the ARE CX series. If I went with a cap, that’s what I had my eye on. My uses changed a bit and I ended up goi g with a Diamondback bed cover instead for this truck.

 

"G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S" Truck... love that color!

 

I’ve had canopies on my last three trucks (2012 F150, 2016 F150 and my current 2019 F350). We take our dog almost everywhere with us and he’s not allowed in the cab unless it’s an emergency, so the canopy gives him a nice dry place to ride. The covered space is great for traveling during inclement weather although there are times when it’s restrictive for hauling large items.

I’ve had both A.R.E. and Leer shells. I currently have a Leer 100XR (flush rear hatch glass). I really like the looks of the flush mount tilt-out side windows, but went with sliders to get better air flow for the hound in warm weather. This is the first cab-high model I’ve had. The previous ones were mid-rise. I like both looks but went with cab-high this time around to keep the overall height down. The construction and paint quality of all the shells have been top-notch with no issues. The drop-down front window is a must for me so I can clean that glass and the truck back window glass.

 

Thank you for all the good insight. As of now I’m leaning towards the ARE CX, but have seen quite a few complaints online about fit and finish. The other cap I recently seen on a truck and like the looks of is the LEER 100XR. Very similar to the CX, but seem to have better reviews? Hoping people can share more insight as this is a pretty big purchase for me, and my first one on any truck I’ve owned.

 

Exactly one of the reasons I’m looking at a cap! We do quite a bit of outdoor things, and with two dogs I’m over spending hours cleaning a truck from the pooches riding with us. I love the look of your cap, and am actually waiting for someone from the local Leer dealer back home to reach out to me. Did you do the interior lights? How do the screens hold up to the dog noses poking around? Can I ask what your total was and what all options you did?

 

Thank you! I fell in love with the color as soon as I saw it. I looked around for quite a bit, and looked at some very nice trucks, but when I randomly found this one by searching for “brown” I was sold. Only thing it didn’t have I wanted was the upfitter switches. I’ll post some pictures of what I’ve done to it in the other thread when I get back home.

 

I had 2 ARE caps, one was the MX series which is mid-rise and the other was a CX series. The CX series I bought second hand off Craigslist but the price and, surprisingly, the color was right so I couldn’t pass it up. The CX has the slam latch where as my previous MX had the standard latch with the single center handle. I had to buy all new hardware for the slam latch, it had become tired over the years. My standard latch on the MX was older but still functioned perfectly. Otherwise, the windows and screens held up well in both caps.

They make heavier duty pet screens if you have a concern with your dog trying to poke his nose out. My dog was fine in the bed with the normal screens but every pup is different.

i would drive to or call your local cap dealer and see what they sell and how they respond. My local dealer sells both ARE and Leer but they were pushing me towards the ARE, saying they were seeing less issues with them (they’re in sales mode so who knows if that was true or ARE just had a higher profit margin). I think as long as you go with a reputable manufacturer, you’ll be fine. There’s a place near me that sells Century and Ranch brand caps, they’re less expensive but the reviews are very hit or miss about the paint initially matching and holding up over time. We can’t get them out east, but if you can find a snug top, i’ve always heard great things about their build quality.

 

Leer 122. It’s huge and not fancy, but exactly what I need. We’ve had 3 Leers recently and have no complaints.

 

To 4everford asking about the leer price, I purchased a leer 100xr with the fold down front window and tracks for a roof rack as options. The price was a touch over $1700 out the door installed and wired. This was for the short bed.

 

Wow, that’s a crazy good deal! Where are you located? I’m in NW WA state and the best price I could find put me back $2,700 installed including 8.7% sales tax. Standard interior light, gray liner.

 

If I recall correctly, I was quoted close to 1,800 for a basic, no frills cap, solid front glass, no tracks on the roof, battery light, no head liner. That's around the Boston area. The Ranch brand caps I mentioned earlier were around 1,400 for the basic model. I don't know if I would have been closer to 2,700 with the higher end models, not sure the range of them and ended up going a different route.

 

I live about an hour from a leer plant in PA. They have a small corner of the building as a retail space to sell caps. They were significantly cheaper than any dealer I called. They sold a base cap with no options for $1200.

 

I have an ARE and have a couple of observations. The fit coming down to the tailgate is very poor. Water runs off the back window channel, down onto the top of the tailgate then down into the truck bed. Rains enough here in the pacific NW that will end up with water clear up to the front of the bed. Secondly the color while close is not an exact match. From a distance fine, but as you get closer it just doesn’t have the depth as the truck and is dull looking. Snug top while expensive does have a good reputation for their color match. Like mentioned above I too got the drop down front window. I also got the tilt up windoors on the sides of the canopy. They also have a slider built in so you can open up for ventilation for your dog. I use the side access a lot, just have a collapsible step stool that I get on to reach inside. I do wish that I had gone with a mid-rise canopy for the extra room. Have had the back stuffed with hunting and camping gear more than once.


Side “windoor”

Left canopy to tailgate fit showing gap

Right canopy to tailgate fit

 

Did you happen to do a review video? I watched it if that was you that did. If that was you, thank you very much for taking the time. Not many out there online showing the goods and bads. I’ll be having this done while I’m out, and the wife will be quality control on it, so trying to get as much good feedback as possible.