Canopy vs tonneau+rack and theft/vandalism reference.

I currently have a hard rolling canopy and Yakima overhaulHD but am concerned that makes my vehicle stand out too much and become a target for thieves when I'm forced to park in the city.

I'm considering possibly getting an ibex + panel kit, smartcap or an ARE tonneau.

This vehicle is my daily which I occasionally take off road so I'm hoping to land on something functional while not leaving me worried a tweaker will smash windows and rummage through the vehicle.

I'm currently taking the Yakima off as needed but that's kind of a pain. The primary reason I'm considering the ibex and panels as I can partially disassemble it, leaving the front and sides in place if I need to transport tall items.

 

how does a roll up tonneau and a ladder rack make a more attractive theft attraction than a really expensive "blacked-out box of mystery" over the same cavity of space?

i think any hard top is much more of a theft attractant than any roll-up, but it really sounds like you're just trying to justify getting something new/different than what you have.

 

The line of thought is that the Yakima rack makes the vehicle stand out more compared to others whereas a canopy more or less blends in.
I really like how the Yakima looks and can pretty easily remove the crossbars if I need to haul something tall. I just worry that the Yakima rack makes the vehicle stand out more and more likely to be a target for theft of I had to park somewhere sketchy.

I'm definitely not trying to justify changing my current setup, as I would take a substantial loss selling the cover and rack.

 

I have an Outpost mounted on a RetraxOneXR, and I get your concerns. I'm more concerned about somebody removing the rack than breaking into the bed, since it's secured with six regular nuts and two security nuts (which have a lock covering them, but aren't particularly thick). I'm considering having a circular guard welded or epoxied around the bolt holes, and then replacing the OEM nuts with WEW security nuts (since I already use them for the RTT itself). It would take a hell of a lot more effort to get the rack off at that point.

 

I'm less worried about physical theft of the rack, unless I were to be parking somewhere SUPER Sketchy. My worry is rather someone seeing the rack and assuming that I would have gear or stuff worth stealing and break the windows out to look behind the seat, into glove box, etc and the hassle of cleaning that up, especially if it was raining and soaked the interior.

I'm not really sure what thieves and tweakers look for when targeting vehicles and am making the assumption that it standing out aesthetically with obviously aftermarket, name branded equipment would drastically increase that possibility?

(An aftermarket alarm with tilt and glass break sensor is already on my to-do list immediately after Xmas but those only do so much)

I'm also having reservations about going all in on overlanding equipment such as bumpers roof rack and lighting for this reason. Rather sticking to things less blatantly obvious like a stealth light bar or things I can easily remove when not in use.

 

idk man

I've had tonneau, shell, softopper
none ever messed with
Never parked in SF.

I don't leave nice stuff inside. The windows are tinted you can't tell if a window you're about to break has a person behind it.
Roof rack doesn't suggest I carry a flatscreen TV new in box inside at all times

regardless of the shell there's still a cab. with windows.

 

I would never park in SF, although Portland and Seattle which I frequent are slowly getting to be as bad.

 

there is some folks that may not mess with the truck simply off of if it looks cool
or tint

I don' think tweaker activity is predictable and entirely preventable
but there is insurance, and more so, wiring up a dash cam that kicks on during events like this
to further support your case in the event of an insurance claim to cover valuables stolen

not sure what the best for that is or falls under
such as auto insurance, renter's policy for personal belongings (vehicle is viewed as extension of your home in certain states), etc.

knew a guy with a tasteful car. Nothing flashy. Tint no that dark. Easy to see nothing of value inside. Tweaker broke in and damaged the interior starting to (but failed to finish) ripping it apart. Had to replace a trim piece from broken tabs that hold it on.

otherwise, storage components
or even belongings themselves, often times can be locked up/secure if kept inside
like locking fridge to the truck

 

generally, theft occurs because they know/believe something to be of value within the cavity.

the best theft prevention is to make the cavity exposed to 'prove' there's nothing within it.

many times, it simply means putting loose change and more valuable things like sunglasses or car chargers into the console instead of leaving them visible from the exterior.

 

So I have done a lot of physical security and I told people all the time that the most effective thing you can do is put stuff away and keep the interior relatively clean. Secure phone chargers and loose change, throw your trash away, as those "tell" people that there maybe something else in there worth taking a chance on.

As far as the bed of the truck, if you have a hard cover, your about as secure as your going to get as long as you secure the tailgate. Your truck will stand out in either scenario you're considering. A cap simply says you may have more stuff to steal and may attract more attention. If you're worried about it and you have nothing to hide in the bed of the truck, leave the bed open. Remove any doubt. Aside from that, park under lights and where there is a lot of potential foot and vehicle traffic as that tends to reduce opportunity and likelihood of the offender getting caught in the act.