Advice from year round campers?!

i am looking for advice / recommendations for hard shells for all year camping. Eliminating the hassle of wet tents during rain. I really just don’t know where to begin my research. Initially I didn’t like the look of the hard shells but they are growing on me.
What should I expect as far as heat retention and cold transfer during cold rain/snow weather?
What are some important factors I should look into when trying to decide brands and functionality?

Any input would be appreciated
Thank you

 

Don't have a topper on my new truck yet, but have slept in them in old ones in Canadian summers, and winters.

With a topper, tent rules still apply, ventilation is a MUST. Consider how you're going to keep some air moving through. This is probably more important in the cold than the summer even. A damp -10c is far colder than a dry -25c. Be positive you have ventilation. All brands offer some sort of opening windows.

Heat retention is better than a tent I feel, especially if you spring for a little insulation: reflectix, headliner, bed rug, those sorts of things. If you can get something like that built in, even better.

Keep it sealed! You want to be able to control the airflow and prevent moisture ingress. Make sure the installer uses decent sealing material around the bed.

 

I camp in my topper during all seasons, using it mostly for ski accommodations. I cover the side windows in refletix, but have the rest of the topper as just regular fiberglass. Generally I vent the sliding cab window at my head for some airflow and to allow condensation to escape. It's important to have good insulation under your body as well as on top. I have a 2" memory foam and a thermarest that I use paired with either a 15 or 0 degree bag (depends on temp). I've never been uncomfortably cold in my topper. The ceiling can accumulate some condensation from your breath but with a window open it hasn't been any sort of major issue.

You can also preheat using a Mr. Buddy propane heater, but remember that those generate moisture. I also have rigged up an Espar diesel heater for use when necessary, to preheat, and/or dry off ski gear.

 

Get the carpet liner installed when you order the shell, it helps with insulation a little but also cuts down on noise and moisture; bare fiberglass has a tendency for moisture to build up over your face (your breath). All of the glass acts like heat sinks and sucks heat out, cover it or better yet, the entire interior with additional insulation such as reflectix. The plastic bed is almost as bad an insulator as the metal beds, cover it as well including the front and sides, especially by your head. You need some ventilation, so plan on cracking a window. I've never had the seal on my rear window freeze but I suppose anything's possible; if you're worried about it a little spray of silicon should prevent it.

Insulation for you, above and below. The great thing about having the truck is you can carry all of it you want including down comforters, wool blankets, etc. Close cell foam under you insulates, won't absorb spills and it insulates well.

If you plan to spend a lot of time back there a high top makes a lot of sense but they're not as stylish as a cab high. When it's really cold I use a small propane heater (Coleman catalytic) to warm up the back, toss a Nalgene bottle of hot water in the foot of my sleeping bag, then cut off the heater and go to sleep. I cut the heater on again in the morning before getting out of my bag. Have a pee bottle so you don't have to get out of the truck in the middle of the night and lose your heat.

 

Thank you to everyone for the great advice! Much appreciated!

 

For you guys running fiberglass shells- is there any flex in the 6 ft beds enough to cause problems (cracking) with the fiberglass while offroading? I am thinking about trying to track down a shell. The Flippacs look really cool, but I really can't justify the $8,600. Hell, that's half the price of the truck when I picked it up in 04.

20 years ago, I had a raised shell on my '97 Ranger with a carpet kit it in. It was awesome for camping as it would easily and cleanly hold all my gear, then provide excellent protection from the elements & critters by sleeping inside it (with the lower carpet piece raised up to be level across the back)

 

There is a used Flippac for sale in the Yosemite area, $3500.
http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/topic/15542-flippac-for-6-ft-toyota-tacoma/
not sure if he still has it.

 

I'm on my 2nd cap. The 1st one was a Leer that I found for a great deal and had it color matched to my truck. Then I found an ARE Z-series that I really wanted. Sold the Leer to someone on here and picked up the ARE. I love the lines of the ARE Z-series, but the Leer had better side windows for camping (the ARE pop out, not slide).

Here's my current setup. I have a sleeping platform I built out of some plywood, 2x6's and 2x12. There's a spot on the right where I can remove a piece of the platform for my SnoMaster fridge. I just built this piece to fit over that area when I remove the fridge. My dog loves it back there. It's a bit cramped, but it's solid with no setup or tear down. This was great when I drove across the country in May to attend Overland Expo West in Flagstaff, AZ.

It does get cold as I have not used the reflectix over the windows. I've been looking at my side windows and I can't figure out how I would get that stuff to stick to the windows of the Z-series. But it's not any colder than a tent. I keep my sleeping pad, blanket, comforter, and a sleeping bag in my truck all the time. So it's pretty easy to cover up and stay dry.

I'm thinking about getting a Mr. Heater Buddy to use to help take the chill off.

 

I was able to just cut my refletix to be slightly larger than the window and it fits in there pretty well via tension. You could also just put velcro on it and around the inside frame of the window.

 

I've done lots of winter camping in truck caps. All the advice above is good. Seal the air gaps, allow for ventilation that you can control, insulate using carpet and foam on the floor and reflectix on the glass. The living space is so small that it's really not very hard to keep warm as long as it's well insulated and you have a heater. If you will have access to 120 V A/C power, get an electric space heater. If not, get a propane fired heater like the "buddy" series heaters. Make sure you have a CO detector ($20 from Home Depot) if you're using propane in the canopy. Or, just get a warm sleeping bag and a dog.

 

Worth nothing that electric heaters are super inefficient and will kill a car battery very quickly. You could easily run one off of a generator or shore power, though. I've installed an Espar diesel heater in my cap that runs off of my aux 100aH battery. Great option (thought requires some $$ to get it setup) and doesn't provide heat + moisture like a Mr. Buddy would.

 

Yeah, If I couldn't run an electric heater off shore power, I wouldn't bother. I wasn't suggesting running it off the battery. A diesel heater sounds interesting.

 

Yea - it's a similar setup to what RVs and camper vans run - might be overkill for a topper but I value low-effort warmth

 

How and what did you use to line the cap with Carpet? I am wanting to do this to mine, but can’t seem to find what I’m looking for. I have a Leonard camper shell (do they still make those?!) on my truck and want to line the inside like yours is done, fiberglass is icky on the inside.

 

Both caps I have bought came carpeted. There's another post on here where someone asked the same question as you.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/fiberglass-topper-needs-carpet.362755/

 

Oh, thanks! I searched but no avail.

 

There are a couple kinds of products available that would work. One option is the material that's marketed as speaker/subwoofer box covering. It's a felt-like material. It's easy to put on using spray adhesive. I've never used it on fiberglass, but I don't see why it wouldn't work. Another option is the material used for automotive trunk carpet. It's thicker than the speaker carpet. I think it's similar to what cap manufacturers use. It can be applied the same way. Both types of material are sold by the linear foot online. Pretty cheap.

 

Just placed an order for an ARE cx cap. Thanks for all the info in here! Definitely going to look into reflectix and a mr buddy heater.

 

I've been watching Primal Outdoors on YouTube for a while now. He offers all kinds of tips and tricks. He's mainly in a RTT now. But this videos shows the Mr. Buddy Heater in use in his tent. He uses canvas to sit it on, but in another video (that I can't find), he updates that he's now using a simple cookie sheet to set his heater on. That gives it a firm surface in the tent and is much more fire resistant if the heater would topple over. Sorry if I'm getting off topic.



There's the Little Buddy Heater too. While I prefer the size of the Little Buddy Heater, it doesn't seem as stable as the Mr Buddy Heater.

 

I’m surprised that the fellow’s YouTube video didn’t recommend having a CO detector with the heater. A metal cookie sheet is the way to go underneath the heater too.

I just recently upgraded to a Mr. Buddy from a little buddy. The little buddy was terribly unstable and the lighting process was tough to do, especially when you’re in your sleeping bag and want to get the place warmed up before you emerge.

I have also purchased a fitting to refill the disposable 1lb containers from my home barbecue tank.

The other key for me is to use an adjustable shower curtain rod to hang clothing to dry out.