Softtopper

[justintyme01]

I see a few of you have a softopper. How do you like it? Does it keep everything in the bed dry? Would you recommend it? I have a white quad cab and am thinking about ordering one this summer. TIA.

 

[JayLeonard]

I had a Lund tri-fold on my 05 for 12 years and it was a great cover. It kept the bed dry for about 8 years, then it shrunk a bit, but kept mostly dry.
Now I have another tri-fold on my 17. Not easy to find one that fits Ramboxes. It's a "rugged cover". Hopefully it will hold up well.

 

[justintyme01]

Thanks I’m looking for the softopper, it’s like a cap
But canvas. I was gonna get another tonneau cover but I use the bed quite a bit for large items and firewood. I’d also like to
Put my dogs kennel back there for hunting season. There’s just not enough room in a quad cab once his kennel is in the back seat.

 

[TomB 1269]

I have this:
https://gatorcovers.com/p/gator-sfx...MIxJDJ3_Ck5wIVAeiGCh1GVw1HEAAYASAAEgLNKvD_BwE
Bought on Amazon( about $30 cheaper). It does a good job of keeping 98% of bed dry. Going thru car wash water will get in around the tailgate end, but it stays dry from about 3 to 4 inch forward of the tailgate to the cab even when going thru car wash. In addition my driveway has an up slope to the garage and I back in, in short the "wing" on our tailgates hold water against the cover and it keeps out even the heavy rain sitting in the driveway that way.

The only issue I have had is winter. I hand been keeping mine clamped tightly at the rear. It was making a very firm seal on top of tailgate, to the point it was freeze the cover to it. I solved this by adding a 1/4 thick piece of the gray high density foam under the covers corner supports and loosing my clamps a little. The bed still stays dry enough for me. Just a s a bit of side infor, I keep folding traffic cones with leds in them in a canvas bag right at the tailgate, as well as a small tote with a canvas bag of rope and also one with my tow strap and d-ring. Both stay dry.

If you are wanting a bone dry bed front to rear then you will need a tailgate seal for the bottom of the bed and a solid one piece hard cover at a minimum. My Ford had a hard cover and it stayed bone dry except for right at the tailgate as I did not have a seal across the lower section of the tailgate so road spray / car wash undercarriage spray would get the last couple of inches wet. In comparison to the hardcover the soft only gets damp 2 or 3 inches further in at most from car wash spray and due to the tail get will get a slight amount of water forced in from the top as well, particularly this time of year as I leave the clamps a little looser so as not to freeze cover to the top of the tailgate.

 

[TomB 1269]

Just an FYI, there are 1 or 2 guys here at my work with the soft topper that they leave in place all the time. I am not sure what if any moisture issue they have or have had, but I can tell you from my point of view they do not weather well. They look old and faded as canvas does as it ages. If you want a cap, I would suggest in getting a full cap. You can get most of them now with side windows that open, i.e. swing up like the rear, along the whole side so as to make reaching in easy.

Additionally, having owned a old canvas top convertible, ridden in older canvas top jeeps, the soft toppers do not look as sturdy as either of them so I would assume you get a lot of wind noise and movement. Not sure how used to riding in the bed your dog is but he will definitely hear and feel a lot more movement of the top then he'd be used to if he has always ridden in the cab.

 

[justintyme01]

Thanks TomB 1269. That’s what I was looking for. There’s not a ton online about them. I’d go with a regular cap but they are generally pretty expensive

 

[crash68]

Are you looking for one like this:
https://www.softopper.com/

 

[averageguy]

Just to put it out there, I've had several caps fiberglass caps over the years. When I had something too tall I just use a small utility trailer. I know it will cost more for the fiberglass cap and a trailer but when the soft topper deteriorates its no good. The glass cap will last the life of the truck and the trailer even longer. Craigslist and Facebook marketplace have used caps often.

 

[justintyme01]

Crash68, yes that’s exactly what I was looking at.

averageguy, I am tempted to get a fiberglass or aluminum cap and trailer but that is very expensive. I guess I could Just continue to save up

 

[averageguy]

I found a couple using the search engine searchtempest that will search craigslist near you or nation wide, as far as you choose. Neither was white though, one was 600 and one 800, for short box. Paint would cost so much you would be back to new price. If you look a lot and wait you can find a lot of stuff used. I Found this cap for my daily driver the right color and all paid 150 bucks

 

[billyw]

There are minor gaps at the corners, but contents stay dry. It's stretched quite tight, so I doubt there's much fabric noise. It has less movement in the wind than my Extang tri-fold cover. It is neat that you can roll up the sides and remove the front and back panels as needed. My front and back panels will need to be replaced soon. I bought mine used and the previous owner maybe abused it a little. The clear plastic has yellowed some, but is still serviceable. I'll see if I can find a pic with it installed.

Another plus is how light it is and how compact it is when not in use.

I'll be honest though and say I would prefer a real topper. I'll probably be in the market for a fiberglass one in the near future.

 

[Kid's HEMI! !!]

It does ok only time I use it is for the dogs or when I go out of town bc I can hold more crap to stay dry
Otherwise I have a retrax on all the time I use the truck as a truck

 

[ram1500rsm]

I have had a softopper for one year now. My truck sleeps outside the garage and it's exposed to the sun daily, the softopper looks the same as it did when new, just more dirty of course cause i offroad the truck most weekends.

2020-01-04_03-39-28 by RAM RSM, on Flickr

2020-01-01_02-31-55 by RAM RSM, on Flickr


In regards of keeping your goods dry when it rains i have had no issues whatsover, fact the Softopper is better in that regards that my tonneau-pro soft bed cover. the tonneau pro wasn't 100% water proof mostly cause the way it sits in the rear wall and sidewalls. Nor is the softopper, but the topper keeps the water away a lot better. The seams don't leak but because the way the topper corners sit on the bed frontwall there is a little water that can find its way inside. For me that has been very little drips so i'm not worried at all about anything inside getting wet or things getting damaged because of it.
You can see the 2 openings here, right on the corner between the bed rearwall and sidewall, clearer on the passenger side, you can cover that up if you wanted with anything but i assure you the amount of water that gets through there in my case at least, is nothing. Experiences may vary.
Untitled by RAM RSM, on Flickr

This is how it sits looking from the outside on the corner (this is the driver side front wall)
Make sure to cap your bed stakes if they're open
2019-03-22_08-01-23 by RAM RSM, on Flickr

And at the back at the rear wall, i can get some water as well form there, but in my case they're just drips, my cargo doesn't get affected in any way unless i had something sitting directly underneath that path. Otherwise anything inside is well protected from normal elements.
2019-03-22_08-02-17 by RAM RSM, on Flickr

i've done 95mph with the truck and the topper, zero issues. Funny how the dude in post#5 can badmouth the thing without even having one simply based on looks ? Lol WTF ? it's not a hard cap sure, but it's sturdy enough to hold to anything unless a tree falls on it or a thief wants to get inside in your truck bed or steal anything from back there

The front window is secure like this from inside , not needed if you didn't want it but i drilled 3 holes in the frontwall and put the 3 snapping bottoms or whatever they're called in there.

Untitled by RAM RSM, on Flickr


The back window is secured like this
Untitled by RAM RSM, on Flickr

You can also add some velcro tape to the paint and the back of the topper (the whole portion underneath the softopper label). in cross winds situations it'll come handy. but i'd think even without that extra velcro the thing will remain in place. i added velcro in there to prevent that portion of the window from flapping in windy situations. Works well and nobody sees the velcro.
Untitled by RAM RSM, on Flickr

Mine is on 24x7, i've had it in cross winds, snow, rain, 20F, 118F days. Don't touch the window when its freezing outsise like wanting to remove ice/snow standing in the window cause it's plastic and it turns hard and brittle when frozen , other than that the thing weights only like 40-50lbs. You can fold it and leave it in the truck in about 2-3 min, extra one min to remove it completely from the truck, all by yourself without having to bother a family member or have a hoist and it doesn't take space at all in your garage.

It's you don't need a hard shell this is thing is better than your typical bed cover in many ways, you can double your bed volume cargo space, sleep inside, and take it off/on in minutes (first time it'll take you about 1 hour to set), while keeping your things protectected from the elements, plus i love the expedition ready look.

If you need the security aspect of things being more secured inside then a hard shell or a hard bed cover will benefit you the most in that regards.

Have fun and i hope it helps.

 

[justintyme01]

I have had a softopper for one year now. My truck sleeps outside the garage and it's exposed to the sun daily, the softopper looks the same as it did when new, just more dirty of course cause i offroad the truck most weekends.

2020-01-04_03-39-28 by RAM RSM, on Flickr

2020-01-01_02-31-55 by RAM RSM, on Flickr


In regards of keeping your goods dry when it rains i have had no issues whatsover, fact the Softopper is better in that regards that my tonneau-pro soft bed cover. the tonneau pro wasn't 100% water proof mostly cause the way it sits in the rear wall and sidewalls. Nor is the softopper, but the topper keeps the water away a lot better. The seams don't leak but because the way the topper corners sit on the bed frontwall there is a little water that can find its way inside. For me that has been very little drips so i'm not worried at all about anything inside getting wet or things getting damaged because of it.
You can see the 2 openings here, right on the corner between the bed rearwall and sidewall, clearer on the passenger side, you can cover that up if you wanted with anything but i assure you the amount of water that gets through there in my case at least, is nothing. Experiences may vary.
Untitled by RAM RSM, on Flickr

This is how it sits looking from the outside on the corner (this is the driver side front wall)
Make sure to cap your bed stakes if they're open
2019-03-22_08-01-23 by RAM RSM, on Flickr

And at the back at the rear wall, i can get some water as well form there, but in my case they're just drips, my cargo doesn't get affected in any way unless i had something sitting directly underneath that path. Otherwise anything inside is well protected from normal elements.
2019-03-22_08-02-17 by RAM RSM, on Flickr

i've done 95mph with the truck and the topper, zero issues. Funny how the dude in post#5 can badmouth the thing without even having one simply based on looks ? Lol WTF ? it's not a hard cap sure, but it's sturdy enough to hold to anything unless a tree falls on it or a thief wants to get inside in your truck bed or steal anything from back there

The front window is secure like this from inside , not needed if you didn't want it but i drilled 3 holes in the frontwall and put the 3 snapping bottoms or whatever they're called in there.

Untitled by RAM RSM, on Flickr


The back window is secured like this
Untitled by RAM RSM, on Flickr

You can also add some velcro tape to the paint and the back of the topper (the whole portion underneath the softopper label). in cross winds situations it'll come handy. but i'd think even without that extra velcro the thing will remain in place. i added velcro in there to prevent that portion of the window from flapping in windy situations. Works well and nobody sees the velcro.
Untitled by RAM RSM, on Flickr

Mine is on 24x7, i've had it in cross winds, snow, rain, 20F, 118F days. Don't touch the window when its freezing outsise like wanting to remove ice/snow standing in the window cause it's plastic and it turns hard and brittle when frozen , other than that the thing weights only like 40-50lbs. You can fold it and leave it in the truck in about 2-3 min, extra one min to remove it completely from the truck, all by yourself without having to bother a family member or have a hoist and it doesn't take space at all in your garage.

It's you don't need a hard shell this is thing is better than your typical bed cover in many ways, you can double your bed volume cargo space, sleep inside, and take it off/on in minutes (first time it'll take you about 1 hour to set), while keeping your things protectected from the elements, plus i love the expedition ready look.

If you need the security aspect of things being more secured inside then a hard shell or a hard bed cover will benefit you the most in that regards.

Have fun and i hope it helps.

thanks, that’s a lot of useful information. If it holds up well for a few years I’d be happy. I could probably buy 2-3 of those softoppers for the price of a Fiberglas cap. I called about aluminum around here and they were about 1500 with fiberglass being around 2k I believe. I like the versatility and the idea of the softopper but I was worried about longevity.

 

[ram1500rsm]

thanks, that’s a lot of useful information. If it holds up well for a few years I’d be happy. I could probably buy 2-3 of those softoppers for the price of a Fiberglas cap. I called about aluminum around here and they were about 1500 with fiberglass being around 2k I believe. I like the versatility and the idea of the softopper but I was worried about longevity.

I can assure this guys know what they're doing when it comes to the fabric they use and it'll hold well to the elements. Softoppers are made in Colorado and they have been in bussiness for a nice while. it's not a cheapy Jeep bikiny top. I have friends using softoppers in their Tacos for the past 5 years and they're still in good shape. Sure the black won't be as vivid in 5 years as it was new but again they hold well to mothers nature elements.
This thread started in 2013, and it's still going Jan 27,2020 check it out

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/lets-see-some-softoppers.277644/

i only used 4 little stripes of velcro, have never replaced them in a year so that gives you an idea of how well the whole thing can hold. also did the same in the front window, behind the rear frontwall. again not really needed but i choose doing so based on ideas posted on that link above for the just in case. I've had zero issues with the whole install and operation and it has been literally set it and forget it. Zero regrets.

2020-01-29_04-02-42 by RAM RSM, on Flickr

 

[justintyme01]

I can assure this guys know what they're doing when it comes to the fabric they use and it'll hold well to the elements. Softoppers are made in Colorado and they have been in bussiness for a nice while. it's not a cheapy Jeep bikiny top. I have friends using softoppers in their Tacos for the past 5 years and they're still in good shape. Sure the black won't be as vivid in 5 years as it was new but again they hold well to mothers nature elements.
This thread started in 2013, and it's still going Jan 27,2020 check it out

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/lets-see-some-softoppers.277644/

i only used 4 little stripes of velcro, have never replaced them in a year so that gives you an idea of how well the whole thing can hold. also did the same in the front window, behind the rear frontwall. again not really needed but i choose doing so based on ideas posted on that link above for the just in case. I've had zero issues with the whole install and operation and it has been literally set it and forget it. Zero regrets.

2020-01-29_04-02-42 by RAM RSM, on Flickr

thanks, I just opened the thread you posted and will start reading it

 

[ram1500rsm]

thanks, I just opened the thread you posted and will start reading it

Np Bro.
Just more examples of its versatility:

Untitled by RAM RSM, on Flickr

Untitled by RAM RSM, on Flickr

Untitled by RAM RSM, on Flickr

 

[Ingue86]

I have a soft topper in TX and I haven't seen any problems with the sun yet. I bought it used and it's been over a year I've had it on. I have noticed some mildew on the exterior likely since I never clean it. Interior stays dry (better than a bakflip cover) and I do not get any buffeting with the wind at 75 mph. I also do not have the front panel attached to the bed or the rear panel velcroed to the tailgate, and I don't notice any buffeting. The frame is pulled tight and the snaps on the canvas are also tight. It's great for versatility and being able to "go away" very quickly, but I'll admit the looks are lacking. No complaints as it suits my needs. I have a place for the dog out of the sun and with the sides partially or completely open, I'm not worried about ventilation

 

[justintyme01]

I’m most likely going to pick up a softopper some time this summer. Thanks for all the info and reviews guys. Now I just have to decide what color goes best with a white quad cab ram. Black or tan?

 

[billyw]

Tan would be kind of unique and still look good on a white truck.