2014 RAM 1500 Express Crew Cab

ram1500rsm · Feb 3, 2019

revitupmoto33 said:
I’d sell you my current set of sliders for 400. Paint is in rough shape so could use a fresh coat of bed liner

i'll take them, PM me the info, thanks a lot buddy.

revitupmoto33 · Feb 3, 2019

Pm sent. You’re welcome

bruiserRAM · Feb 4, 2019

Congrats on the Softopper! That's what I have and I love it. Some obvious cons, but the pros far outweigh them! Enjoy.

Also...if you don't like his sliders...I'll take em! Ha

hodge-xj · Feb 4, 2019

Post up pics of these soft toppers! I'm intrigued

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bruiserRAM · Feb 4, 2019

hodge-xj · Feb 4, 2019

Thank you! Those things look great! How does it do with weather?

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ram1500rsm · Feb 4, 2019

Victor Lawson said:
Congrats on the Softopper! That's what I have and I love it. Some obvious cons, but the pros far outweigh them! Enjoy.

Also...if you don't like his sliders...I'll take em! Ha

I know it won't be as secure as a camper shell, but that's ok with me i have a soft tonneau currently so i'm used to it, all my tools are inside the truck underneath the rear seat, so the only thing i'll have in the bed will be the spare just like i have now. I fill up the bed with camping gear for family trips or when i'm by my own with the offroad group, so this thing will come very handy.

I've never worked with wood before, but i'll try to do something super simple with plywood to cover the spare and have a little space to organize stuff in the back, maybe even accomodate a thing to sleep in and use the Softoper for cover. i'd like to get into an RTT but i'll need two of them for a family of 5 , so something like this and the Coleman family tent will do for now

ram1500rsm · Feb 4, 2019

hodge-xj said:
Thank you! Those things look great! How does it do with weather?

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They seem hold up great Hodge, never had one but i've spent at least 2 weeks reading about them online, i'll let Victor add the details since he has one and there is a lot of snow in the Cali Sierras where he is.

Here is install/look, not on a RAM but the concept should be the same as it's a full size pickup

And a demo showing it's features, again, not a hard cap, but for me it'll be damn handy as it fits everything i need from it.

bruiserRAM · Feb 4, 2019

I have the 6.25' bed and the GF and I sleep under the Softopper when camping pretty comfortably. We put the guest futon mattress in the bed, fold it in half and strap it down and pack the camping gear next to it. When it's time to sleep we unfold the mattress. When I'm not camping or hunting or storing stuff in it that needs to stay dry, I keep it folded down, which it most of the time. While the topper looks cool, I think an open truck bed looks a little cooler, plus there are no windows in it so changing lanes and backing is a bit harder with it up. One con is the mounting rails prevent one from sitting on the bed rails when tailgaiting or hanging out on a bird hunt, or after a hike or whatever.

I've slept in it a few times in heavy rain and did not get wet. That said, the little straps that hold the side panels when they are rolled up, do wick water if they are not heavily seam sealed. USE GEARAID SEAMGRIP (formally McNett Seamgrip) TO SEAL THE SEAMS! The crap they give you is weaksauce. I spread the topper inside out on the floor and sealed it and left it for a day. You may need two tubes, but I made it work with one, barely. I haven't had any other issues in wet weather except for straps wicking little drips of water. The topper has not seen any snow (the snow likes to stay in the mountains, not down in the Owen's Valley).

The rails like to move/bend inward a bit when the cover is on and tightened down. This smooshes the foam weather stripping around and mine is off center and doesn't look great. Minor gripe. I can always replace with better stuff.

Buy the optional cover for storage! When it's folded up and still on the truck it can get pretty dusty, and will hold rain in the folds and get real nasty. The cover is great.

I elected not to stick the velcro to the tailgate and just let the back window hang. The soft velcro on the window panel has made rub marks in the paint there, from moving against the tailgate. This is right above the handle. I don't mind so much, and I think it's better than sticky velcro strips, but it could be a concern. I have been meaning to sew in magnets to the bottom of the window panel to keep it in place better, but haven't gotten to it.

The biggest gripe for me, which is a problem in my area due to the soft poofter dust on many of our dirt roads, is dust in the bed! When the topper is fully deployed and all snapped and zipped down, there are still little gaps at the corners that allow dust to come up and in the bed. Since there is no air flow into the bed, the dust/sand just settles on our futon or whatever and it can get pretty thick. I think rolling up the sides and back window when driving in soft dirt would allow the dust to blow through, but I haven't tested that yet.

Otherwise it's the BEST solution for a person like me who wants a truck for truck stuff like tailgating and hauling brush and wood and recycling and furniture, but also bed camps and lounges under the canopy for naps when fishing, etc. Awesome, versatile product overall and at a good price.

Sorry to spam your thread with pictures of my truck! This if YOUR build thread, not mine and I'm happy to delete them!!

hodge-xj · Feb 4, 2019

That's awesome. I've seen them before but not once had it crossed my mind to look into one of these for our trucks. Till now. Plus should help keep the weight down out back a good bit

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ram1500rsm · Feb 4, 2019

Victor Lawson said:
I have the 6.25' bed and the GF and I sleep under the Softopper when camping pretty comfortably. We put the guest futon mattress in the bed, fold it in half and strap it down and pack the camping gear next to it. When it's time to sleep we unfold the mattress. When I'm not camping or hunting or storing stuff in it that needs to stay dry, I keep it folded down, which it most of the time. While the topper looks cool, I think an open truck bed looks a little cooler, plus there are no windows in it so changing lanes and backing is a bit harder with it up. One con is the mounting rails prevent one from sitting on the bed rails when tailgaiting or hanging out on a bird hunt, or after a hike or whatever.

I've slept in it a few times in heavy rain and did not get wet. That said, the little straps that hold the side panels when they are rolled up, do wick water if they are not heavily seam sealed. USE GEARAID SEAMGRIP (formally McNett Seamgrip) TO SEAL THE SEAMS! The crap they give you is weaksauce. I spread the topper inside out on the floor and sealed it and left it for a day. You may need two tubes, but I made it work with one, barely. I haven't had any other issues in wet weather except for straps wicking little drips of water. The topper has not seen any snow (the snow likes to stay in the mountains, not down in the Owen's Valley).

The rails like to move/bend inward a bit when the cover is on and tightened down. This smooshes the foam weather stripping around and mine is off center and doesn't look great. Minor gripe. I can always replace with better stuff.

Buy the optional cover for storage! When it's folded up and still on the truck it can get pretty dusty, and will hold rain in the folds and get real nasty. The cover is great.

I elected not to stick the velcro to the tailgate and just let the back window hang. The soft velcro on the window panel has made rub marks in the paint there, from moving against the tailgate. This is right above the handle. I don't mind so much, and I think it's better than sticky velcro strips, but it could be a concern. I have been meaning to sew in magnets to the bottom of the window panel to keep it in place better, but haven't gotten to it.

The biggest gripe for me, which is a problem in my area due to the soft poofter dust on many of our dirt roads, is dust in the bed! When the topper is fully deployed and all snapped and zipped down, there are still little gaps at the corners that allow dust to come up and in the bed. Since there is no air flow into the bed, the dust/sand just settles on our futon or whatever and it can get pretty thick. I think rolling up the sides and back window when driving in soft dirt would allow the dust to blow through, but I haven't tested that yet.

Otherwise it's the BEST solution for a person like me who wants a truck for truck stuff like tailgating and hauling brush and wood and recycling and furniture, but also bed camps and lounges under the canopy for naps when fishing, etc. Awesome, versatile product overall and at a good price.

Sorry to spam your thread with pictures of my truck! This if YOUR build thread, not mine and I'm happy to delete them!!

Excellent review Victor, it gives me a better perspective on where to look at when i get the thing installed. i want to use magnets to hold the tailgate down. I've seeing a lot of ideas in one of the Taco forums as they have pages dedicated to the Softoper and i'm ok with all of it. My truck bed is always dusty so some more or there will be fine, i think this will do a better job of keeping the stuff under there dry as my current Tonneau pro so i'm actually upgrading in that regards

And no need to delete any of your pics, it's all welcome, it's actually a better way for me to draw ideas and see what others are doing and see what else i can do next, so thanks a lot for sharing.

ram1500rsm · Feb 4, 2019

hodge-xj said:
That's awesome. I've seen them before but not once had it crossed my mind to look into one of these for our trucks. Till now. Plus should help keep the weight down out back a good bit

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oh yeah they're only like 30lbs or so i think.

hodge-xj · Feb 4, 2019

ram1500rsm said:
oh yeah they're only like 30lbs or so i think.

That's a home run, especially with how much these things sag with any weight in the bed. As anything we do or touch, a few modifications to it and you'll have a sweet setup!

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RHTX · Feb 5, 2019

I bought mine about a month ago for my 8 ft. Bed

ram1500rsm · Feb 5, 2019

RHTX said:
I bought mine about a month ago for my 8 ft. BedView attachment 154469 View attachment 154470

The tan version looks great on the white trucks, ty for sharing.

ram1500rsm · Feb 8, 2019

Brown truck showed up today with my Softoper package.
Also many thanks to Revit for the rock sliders, i'll freshen up the paint and attempt to drill the holes myself in the frame, the problem is that the drills i have are all damn big to fit the frames on the sides so i'll prob visit Lowes on Saturday and buy a smaller drill along with some primer and black rusteoloum.

hodge-xj · Feb 8, 2019

ram1500rsm said:
Brown truck showed up today with my Softoper package.
Also many thanks to Revit for the rock sliders, i'll freshen up the paint and attempt to drill the holes myself in the frame, the problem is that the drills i have are all damn big to fit the frames on the sides so i'll prob visit Lowes on Saturday and buy a smaller drill along with some primer and black rusteoloum.

If you get a chance can you post up some pics of those sliders? I really think I wanna make a set, but since rev already has the dimensions laid out id like to steal his dimensions if possible.

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ram1500rsm · Feb 8, 2019

Sure i'll take some pics for you.

ram1500rsm · Feb 8, 2019

Got the softoper installed, for now i'm not using any velcro to hold the portion that goes in the tailgate, came out great.