Truck caps, so many options, A.R.E and LEER

Just starting to look at caps. So many different options. I would need something bare bones, cheap, but at least it should look good.

The feature I would value most is being lightweight. Say two people could remove it and put it back on.

The opening side windoors are pretty neat too. Tinted windows are a plus to protect cargo.

Other than that, I dont need much else. Any ideas? Thanks guys.

 

Both companies are really great, Century and Snugtop are other brands too. Personally I check craigslist daily in my area hoping for a good used one, hopefully one pops up in my price range!

Use the search function here too, there are multiple threads with great reviews from all companies!

 

ARE has like 8 different series for their caps. Which one do most people get for Tacomas?

The ones that look like they could work are Z, X, CX & V. But how are they really different? Where can I see the weight of these caps?

 

im in the same boat man

 

If you patient look on craigslist. They don't pop up often, especially certain colors, but they do. Got my snugtop extra vision with sliding tinted windows, carpeted and a Yakima sliding roof rack for $550. would have been close to $2500 new after tax. Took 6 months to find, I wasn't in a hurry. If you want light look into a Bestop or similar soft top. They look great and come off pretty easy with out taking up a bunch of room in the garage. loved mine but needed top load capability. My snugtop isn't light but manageable w 2. If your looking for new prob depends on what dealers are in your area.

 

Whats the diffs between the mini and the mid/full?

 

I also just looked at LEER's lineup. Both these companies are a clusterfck marketing wise. They should provide the consumer with a table with all the different specs in once place.

It looks like the caps that can work are the 100XQ, 100XL, 100XR and 100R. What the diffs is, well WTF knows haha!

 

check out this thread:

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/258264-snugtop-vs-leer-vs-r-e-verdict.html

 

FYi, if you want the window that open upwards (called Windoors) and you have a 4 door Tacoma with the short bed, you almost have to get an A.R.E.

The side windows on both lines are recessed into the top. The problem is the Leer's windoor's don't match the recession while the A.R.E.'s do. This is only on the 4 door short bed.

Here is the Leer:

 

Also, if you buy new, be sure to go to the respective website and sign up for the free upgrades.

 

Where are you located? Snugtop rebel does windoors for the shortbed too. Snugtops aren't really available in the east though. Mine wasn't too heavy, my wife and I used to install and uninstall on our own.

 

Leer has the best options if you have dogs.

Love the removable back window with slider. I keep mine out all summer.

 

The windoors on my LEER fit the recess just fine - from what I understand the LEER's made on the east coast get their windoors from a different supplier




I went with the 100RCC specifically to get the sturdier roof.

 

I dont have any real pictures of just the shell.





wait, I do actually.

 

Good morning Campers. I've just joined to share my Leer experience. It was disappointing, and I'd recommend a very thorough look before you buy. Talk to others in the area with Leer caps to see how the dealer treated them. I sent a long letter (below) to both Leer and Leonard, the franchise that installed the cap, and received a fairly useless reply from Leer telling me to take the truck back to the sub-standard dealer. Buyer beware. I had never heard about A.R.E. caps, but I wish I had before I bought the Leer. Anyway, here's what I wrote, and here's the reply I received. Do your research...

P.S. Something I didn't discover in time to be included in the letter below - the LED interior dome light only works when either the parking lights or the headlights are on. Stupid, unacceptable wiring in the harness.)

First conversation, sent on the Leer website, on 2 Jun 2015:

I know your company only has so much influence with dealers, but I had a bad experience yesterday with the Leonard store in Asheville where we purchased our 100XR for my 2013 Toyota Tacoma. The purchasing part was easy - the owner of that franchise, Kevin - was attentive and assured us the cap would be a perfect fit, without any issues.

He talked us into the carpet on the interior when we mentioned we'd be transporting a dog back there, and that would be great, except after a single rain, the interior carpet is wet in about a 2' section, and I can't figure out where the moisture came from. The bolts holding the cap to the bed stick down nearly 2" below the aluminum blocks that attach the cap to the bed, where they will surely injure a dog or human in the back, or tear anything that is placed inside. The wiring harness for the lighting is loose and if I don't attach that somehow to the side, it will tear out quickly. And finally, the installation took nearly 3 hours because (according to Kevin) the cap wasn't a perfect fit. While we waited he took a grinder and ground off fiberglass so the truck tailgate would actually close with the cap in place, leaving bare fiberglass that he tried to cover up with a piece of rubber that didn't stay attached on our initial drive home. Finally, the truck cap was turned over to us with the cap being absolutely filthy. I have photos if you're interested, but I fear this might simply be what you expect from your dealers.

Overall I'm very disappointed in Leonard of Asheville, and disappointed that your cap didn't fit correctly without nearly 2 hours of grinding fiberglass. And by the way, whomever installed the passenger-side side window cranked down a couple of the bolts tight enough to visibly deform the metal frame. I'd be very interested in your thoughts. Is my experience the norm for your product or did I have a right to expect better? If I replace the extra-long bolts with ones that do not hang 2" below the rail, will I be voiding any warranty? Since I now have bare fiberglass in two places on the back of the cap, should I expect delamination in those areas due to moisture intrusion? Will the installed carpet mold and mildew because of water intrusion? (I know the cap is not waterproof, but this carpet is soaked, )and it doesn't seem like the area below the window and above the wet carpet is wet, leading me to believe it's not coming in from the front window). Why did I pay nearly $1,800 for this if I would have had the same problems with cheaper caps? I hope to hear from you.

The response I received from Leer Customer Service on 9 Jun 2015:

Sorry that you Leer cap experience wasn’t what you expected. I can assure you that the Ashville store is a top notch dealer, with that being said some time minor adjustments need to be made at installation time due to variances in truck boxes, if you are unhappy with your cap, I would recommend that you take it back to the dealer and they can send it back to be examined for leaks and to fix any of your other concerns.

So, am I expecting too much? Was I wrong to not settle for what I see as shoddy work? Just wanted to share this experience from my point of view...

bruce

 

Go to your local dealers and get brochures, information, and feel them out to see if they're good to work with. I ended up with a Leer 100xr from my local Leonard franchise and am very happy with the cap and the dealer.

That sucks that you had a bad experience. I bought a Leer 100xr from the Leonard branch in Virginia Beach and am very happy with the cap and dealer. I went to the A.R.E. dealer near me and just didn't have a good feel about the place. Especially when I knew more about their products than the sales rep. did, and that was only from my online research.

 

Love my Leer

 

Wait... what the heck... a DC with a 6' bed? Didn't know those even existed! Never seen one before... Wow, sweet!