Anyone have a camper top on a 26 SD?

My local Leer dealer who is super lame claims they cannot and will not order a camper top for a 26 SD because Leer has not approved the fitment.

The next closest dealer that looks legit to me is about 90 miles away.

I am planning a September trip to Mt Rushmore and I would really like to have the top on. It's a 6-8 week lead for color matching, so I need to order now.

I called Leers 1-877 number and got some sleepy chick that is obviously working from home and she was zero help.

 

I got an ARE topper for my '26. Fits great and got it 4 weeks to the day after I ordered.

 

Which model of ARE did you get? Their website is not much into specifics.

 

I got the CX Series. I believe they're made in the US, Leer is Mexico. The website isn't very good, just need to find a dealer.

 

ARE

ARE Shell
Took about 6 weeks, $3800

 

I just got a quote this morning from a local outfit for a Century topper for the '26 I have on order and he did not mention any issues with possible fitment problems. He did say it was about a six week lead time.

 

I purchased an ARE. I am not as happy with it as I was with Snug Top shells I bought years ago before they got bought out. The new shell carpet was absolutely covered in fiberglass dust. I had to brush and vacuum it out so when I sleep in it I won't get choked out. One of the side windows is leaking water and I am waiting for a replacement window under warranty. I wish they made it with about 1/4" more overhang on the bed rails. I think that would make it look better. A very small point, but towards their quality, one of their company logos on the side of the shell is not straight. My dealer installed it and it has some minor leaking under the edge. The dealer stepped up right away and fixed that. It originally had only 4 clamps. I added two more on each side for my own piece of mind. The color match is pretty good and it did come with extra touch up paint. As people are discussing elsewhere extra keys are a must for me. I tried 5 locksmiths in town to get a copy of the shell keys and nobody succeeded in making one that worked, so I bought extra keys from ARE. They work fine.

 

Just to present an alternate viewpoint: I wouldn't buy another shell.

I've had multiple trucks with shells from Century, Leer, and ARE. With my current truck, instead of a shell I went with a rolling aluminum tonneau cover. Yes, it takes up 10" of space in the front of the bed for the top half of the 10". You can still slide materials, etc, under the box. The main reason why I went this direction was because I was tired of the limitations of a shell. Shells are difficult to remove, especially by yourself. Shells limit your vertical space. Shells require you to generally be on your knees or hunched over and frankly, shells are shells and not the most visually appealing product. My last shell was beautiful, carpet lined (the shell portion) and had multiple rows of LED lights so it was lit-up and provided all the light you could possibly want. However, with the rolling tonneau cover, I can put 500+ lbs on top of it, should I want to. I can have a secure, dry storage space whenever needed. And I can roll it up (it's powered so it's just a matter of pushing a button) as far or as little as I want to, to use the rest of the bed without vertical limitations. As it is motorized, I can stop it at any position and it stays put. I often pull a gooseneck trailer and I will leave the bed covered up to about 8" away from the gooseneck. This allows me to keep a fair amount of stuff in the truck bed, covered and protected, while also using the hitch. When it comes to using a truck for truck stuff, I believe this is the ultimate way to gain the best of both worlds. I do have a long bed, which allows plenty of space for the tonneau box. Below are several photos:

This is my last truck with a shell:


This is my current truck and former truck side by side:


This is how I daily drive the truck:


This is how I use it with the gooseneck attached:


My purpose isn't to trash shells nor claim they don't have a role or purpose. My hope is that the information above simply highlights an alternative that for my use case performs better. It wasn't a cheaper option. It cost the same amount for the motorized rolling tonneau cover as my previous Leer shell. This tonneau cover is a Pace Edwards product which is a sister (or subsidiary) company of Leer.

 

Got a Leer 122 on my 2024. Your b

ed should be the same.

 

12 weeks for our leer back in Oct. from what I was told, they were moving back to USA manufacturing, we are quite happy with the fit and finish.