RSI Smart Cap Issues

I've had my RSI Smart Cap for a few months now and overall I wouldn't recommend it. I see a lot of hype around the Smart Cap on Tacoma World and I wanted to share my experience.

I'll start with the positives and mention that it's a good looking cap/camper shell. The lines of the cap work well with the Tacoma and I get a lot of compliments on the appearance. The gullwing doors are great and the sliding windows are nice to have.

The negatives would be negligible if it wasn't for the price point. At close to $4,000 plus shipping you should expect to have a working product out of the box. The overall construction and install isn't complicated and with a few buddies, you should have it installed in a few hours.

Issues I've experienced:

- The cap I received had a broken latch/locking mechanism on arrival. I reached out to the retailer and RSI to get a replacement lock and I received a fix within 5-7 business days. This was frustrating to have the cap taking up a majority of my garage with nothing I could do until I received the lock. The primary issue is that I wasn't sent one lock to replace the inoperable one. I was sent 6 new locks and had to change each one individually due to the key type sent. RSI has a few different key/lock codes and rather than sending the code I had, they sent 6 with a different code. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem as the swap is basically just one screw. However, the locks I received had a different bracket and hardware than what initially came on my Smart Cap. The cutouts in the doors are not all the same sizes and the rear window bracket was raised due to the thickness of the door and the screw was not long enough to reach the lock. I had to bend the bracket and compress the lockwasher to get the threads to go into the threaded hole. Was this difficult, no, but again I expect better for a "premium product"

- The cap leaks in rainy conditions. There are other posts that talk about ways to mitigate moisture intrusion, but its annoying to deal with. This is more of a Tacoma design than an RSI Smart Cap design as the back rail closest to the cab has some vertical holes along the bed rail. As it relates to RSI's design, the Smart Cap should be designed to have some overhang on the edges that would cause rain to run down past the bed rails. You see this design on fiberglass camper shells like Leer/ARE. If you purchase the OEM bed mat for your truck, it will keep you gear dry as the water intrusion will go under the mat, but the added moisture will leave your windows fogged up after any rain.

- The keyed lock can be annoying as the keys don't always want to slide into their holes easily. Expect to do a lot of forcing/jiggling to lock/unlock your latches

- The torque spec provided with the installation manual will bend the metal on your cap. I followed the installation manual closely and the torque spec provided is just too much for the thickness of metal that contacts the bed rails. If RSI releases an updated version, it would make sense to add a thicker gauge metal in these areas.

Maybe I'm being picky, but ultimately I expect to have a positive experience with a major purchase. This is what I've noted in the first few months of ownership. I'll update if any additional problems arise.

 

Nice write up! Really want a smart cap but was able to get a leer canopy for cheap. We’ll see how that goes.

 

Bubble sealant for cap worked for me.

 

I think SmartCap has by far the best looking cap out there. I think if they ever make a solid shell version, without all the seams, I'd buy one.

 

where exactly did you use it?

 

Just about the same. Installed cap late in 2023. All locks were good to go. ... but man does this cap leak - all seams. Also, can't get the sliding window off the cab to stay shut. Disappointed with the purchase, working with them now for a replacement and/or refund. Polite/helpful customer service. Just seems for this cost I expected more. I know they opened a new manufacturing facility in TX (as opposed to I assume South Africa) - not sure the same quality standards carried over to the Texas site.

 

Interesting. I've been looking at this and the GFC topper. Anyone have any comparison info?

 

I’ve had my RSI smart cap since early 2022, and it’s been great overall. Keeping water out early on was mostly the design of the bed on the Tacoma, holes everywhere. But once that was taken care of I didn’t have any major leaks from the seams. Last week I noticed my first considerable leak and believe it’s coming from the rear tail light. I will probably get black sealant and work it around the light to seal it off.