Camper Shell?

[Kapt]

I have a 2016 Laramie Ecodiesel, crew cab with the really short bed. I've been toying with the idea of a camper shell. The problem is that none of the sites give a price and ask me to contact them. Has anyone bought one? What did it cost?

 

[Ludville1]

I bought my Ram last July, and it came with An ARE fiberglass cap. At first I didn't like the looks of it, and was going to remove it. It's grown on me, and I like it now...comes in handy. Sorry that I can't help with the price.

 

[sbarron]

I bought a Lund, painted to match, model just below the top model think... (front and side sliders, carpet lined, interior LED, single lock tied in with truck power locks), no other options... it was ~$2800 out the door here in Alaska. I imagine you could do easily $500 cheaper stateside.

 

[Mike Flea]

They ask you to call them because a shell from ARE may be different than one from Leer or Century, and depending on whether you want one with windows, aluminum or fiberglass, side opening windows or sliders, front slider, or solid glass, or none at all in front, can change the price by hundreds of dollars.

I've got a Leer on my 2010, but I can't give you a price, because it was on the truck when I bought it used. I can tell you that when I bought my '96 RCSB new, I wanted a fiberglass top, color matched to the truck, but at a $1000, it was out of my budget, that was back in '96. I settled for a Century aluminum cap, with sliding side and front windows, for $300 installed.

Personally, I think Leer has the best fitting fiberglass cap for a Dodge truck, but looking at Ludville1's cap above, that ARE doesn't look bad either. The roofline of the cap matches the roofline of the truck as good as the Leer.

 

[ram1500rsm]

You're prob looking at $1500-$1800 for a basic hard shell, price goes up from there with options.

 

[Kapt]

You're prob looking at $1500-$1800 for a basic hard shell, price goes up from there with options.

That's about what I was figuring

 

[averageguy]

For what its worth, fold down front window is great for accessing the truck and cap windows for cleaning, and opening side windows are very handy for loading and unloading with out climbing in. I also had a cap with the latch handles on both sides of the back glass and it was junk, they were always out of adjustment.

 

[17Delmonico]

My Leer 180 model on my quad cab with the 6.4' bed. With tax and everything, it was about $2100. The color matched Delmonico Red paint was an extra $200. I have the sliding front window, but essentially a very basic cap. I wanted the slightly raised roofline because I can fit 6 or so mountain bikes standing upright with the extra height. With my 2000 Dakota, I had an ARE TW Series. With the smaller truck, I needed the full height cap. 18 years ago, I think it was around $1500 or so for the bigger cap on the smaller truck, also on the 6.4' bed.

From the two caps I had, I really can't tell much difference between the ARE and the LEER. They are both very nice caps, fit well, color match was perfect, and they do exactly what I need them to do.

View media item 26336View media item 26233

 

[avantiguy]

Z series ARE on my 14 Sport. Mine is the third truck it's been on as I bought it off craigslist a while back. Quality cap with no cracks after several owners. I had to paint it to match.

The two options I'd recommend is the hinged front window for cleaning and the electric door lock that ties into the tailgate lock and locks the cap when the truck locks.

I'd guess $2500 or so new but I found mine on craigslist for $500.



Really nice interior also

 

[lonestar21]

I purchased a leer XR shell like new conditon used on Craigslist for $380. Sometimes you might find good steals if you search for them

 

[Ludville1]

I bought my Ram last July, and it came with An ARE fiberglass cap. At first I didn't like the looks of it, and was going to remove it. It's grown on me, and i like it now...comes in handy. Sorry that I can't help with the price.View attachment 150135

After reading these posts, i went out and looked at my ARE cap a little closer. It does have the fold down sliding front window, crank out side windows, and is carpeted inside. I guess that I lucked out, lol!

 

[Pull Ya]

I've had a couple of shells, a Leer and a Snug Top. Both were decent shells, both painted to match the truck, both had the fold down front window and had carpet. The problem with both is that the windows leaked. They can be very useful if you haul a lot of stuff you want to keep dry and secure. A lot of the guys on here laugh at the shells and think you have to be at least 60 years old to consider one--although I disagree. If you get a name brand , all decked out your going to be somewhere between $2000 and $2500 I think. They may be a bit more now.
Jay

 

[OC455]

I had a Snug Top on my old GMC. It was good, only issue I had was the push in handle/lock broke after awhile.

 

[Ludville1]

I've had a couple of shells, a Leer and a Snug Top. Both were decent shells, both painted to match the truck, both had the fold down front window and had carpet. The problem with both is that the windows leaked. They can be very useful if you haul a lot of stuff you want to keep dry and secure. A lot of the guys on here laugh at the shells and think you have to be at least 60 years old to consider one--although I disagree. If you get a name brand , all decked out your going to be somewhere between $2000 and $2500 I think. They may be a bit more now.
Jay

Jay, I'm 62 but still didn't care for the look of caps on pick up trucks, makes them look"old man looking", lol! But the looks have grown on me, and they definitely have a practical side. I'm a deer hunter and it worked out well for hauling all of my gear, keeping it clean and dry.

 

[sbarron]

My mistake.... not the best view of it but mine is a Leer 100XR and looking back on my receipt, I was about $2800 installed. Zero issues after ~2 years.


i love it, especially in the winter

 

[TXCOMT]

My mistake.... not the best view of it but mine is a Leer 100XR and looking back on my receipt, I was about $2800 installed. Zero issues after ~2 years.


i love it, especially in the winter

View attachment 150190

That, as well as the others pictured in this thread, is a good-looking truck, S! While caps aren't my cup of tea now (I did have one on my Ranger awhile back), I'm liking the look of 'em on our Rams. Sadly, my Reb isn't a good candidate as it has RamBoxes and I don't think I'll ever own a truck without 'em if I can help it!

TXCOMT

 

[markusaf81]

Are you guys removing the plastic topper that sits on top of the bed rails? In the pictures it looks like the piece is removed


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[avantiguy]

Are you guys removing the plastic topper that sits on top of the bed rails? In the pictures it looks like the piece is removed


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My bed rails remain in-place just as they were assembled by Ram. My ARE Z-series top just has a flange that covers them. The bed in mine stays dry except by the tailgate as I haven't gasketed the tailgate opening but it is such a small leakage that I'm not going to bother.

 

[BruceMorgan]

I like the look of a flat cap (same height as the truck roofline). The tall ones scream “old man truck”. My father bought one like that when he was 72.

I had a fiberglass cap that came installed on my Nissan 20 years ago. I didn’t like how it killed visibility when backing or changing lanes. And very hard to remove, a two person job at least. For me the usability was slightly outweighed by the hassle factor. I’ve had three trucks since that Nissan, and while I still toy with the idea of a cap ultimately I go with a tonneau cover instead.

 

[sbarron]

I like the look of a flat cap (same height as the truck roofline). The tall ones scream “old man truck”. My father bought one like that when he was 72.

I had a fiberglass cap that came installed on my Nissan 20 years ago. I didn’t like how it killed visibility when backing or changing lanes. And very hard to remove, a two person job at least. For me the usability was slightly outweighed by the hassle factor. I’ve had three trucks since that Nissan, and while I still toy with the idea of a cap ultimately I go with a tonneau cover instead.

I had two different tonneaus on this truck and didnt LOVE any of them before I went with the shell.