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I've got a 2017 F450 that I'm thinking I want to put a canopy on. I see the major players are ARE, Leer and Snugtop. Is there any real difference between these 3? Are there any other brands I should consider? And what features/options should I consider? Looking forward to hearing opinions about this and experiences in buying your canopy.
Anyway… I had a Leer years ago and the t”roof started to sag causing quite a bit of water to gather when it rained. Also the rear glass door you lift up developed large, 1” or more, gaps allowing water intrusion. So my last two, on two different year trucks, have been ARE however my current one is a Covid model and the inside fit & finish is not great but the structural parts have been solid. No leaks or cracks and you can fold down from the inside of the shell the split window between the shell and truck. This is a great feature so you can clean the windows between the shell and truck.
These things are quite expensive and I want to make the right decision. Even the low end units are well over $3k. My initial idea was to have something I could take on and off real easy and not have it on all the time, but now I'm thinking if I get one, I'll just leave it on permanently. @Mike Bartlett how old was this topper? Was it in the last 5 or 10 years? Not a good thing for a Leer to fail like that.
One day I would like to move to a topper. The one I have my eye on is the SmartCap. These are likely a little more expensive than the ones mentioned above, but I love the way that these can be customized and add bins on each side.
Last edited by chadstickpoindexter; May 27, 2026 at 04:20 PM.
These things are quite expensive and I want to make the right decision. Even the low end units are well over $3k. My initial idea was to have something I could take on and off real easy and not have it on all the time, but now I'm thinking if I get one, I'll just leave it on permanently. @Mike Bartlett how old was this topper? Was it in the last 5 or 10 years? Not a good thing for a Leer to fail like that.
The Leer I had was much older it was on my 1995 Dually. I ordered it brand new painted to match and wasn’t cheap. At the time not a lot of manufacturers and Leer was at the top, so I thought. The first one I had within a few years the rear lift up door started having a larger gap around the frame which caused water intrusion. After a lot of fighting with Leer they finally replaced it. The new one I got didn’t have the door problem but within about 5 yrs the roof started sagging in, like a tarp full of rain water. When I got my 2006 PSD I avoided Leer and bought the ARE which was damn near perfect but then my truck was stolen along with the camper shell. I now have a 2019 with a matching ARE and other than fit/finish of the inside, carpeted head liner around the front window is wrinkled and looks like crap, everything else is fine.
They are very handy for locking items in your truck bed and keeping them out of the weather. Also the dog can be back there in truck luxury
One day I would like to move to a topper. The one I have my eye on is the SmartCap. These are likely a little more expensive than the ones mentioned above, but I love the way that these can be customized and add bins on each side.
I looked at these, but they don't make an 8 footer...yet.
I spent a lot of time looking at toppers recently. It seems there are good and bad reviews on all of them. I am leaning towards a Smart Cap, but $4,900 is a lot for something you have to assemble yourself or pay to have done. A friend had one before someone ran a red light and totaled his truck. He had nothing but good things to say about it and will be buying another one. I'm still considering an ARE ot Leer, so it's interesting to hear other people's experiences.
Have an ARE on my 450 right now…got the cab high only becuase of the stock looking frameless glass.
if the mid height had frameless glass I probally would have bought mid height.
cab height is fine if you don’t put drawers on the floor and don’t put a cap pak drawer on the roof underside.
my prior truck had mid height cap on it and I moved my son out of his 1 bed room with it on one load. His bed fit on an angle.
these caps are targeted for certain years by model and tail gate step or not makes a difference.
also, I had mine installed by a cap dealer. I asked for the seal tape to only be stuck to the cap and not the bed rail which they said they could do….makes it easy to remove the cap …but 4 of us tried to remove my cap and couldn’t break the seal…so if I ever do this again same request about sticking to the cap only but would also put some lanolin coating on the bed rails so the cap can be removed.
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