On the Bed Rug, one advantage to the tailgate portion of your Bed Rug is that now with the topper, (and this would apply to the bed lid too) it helps seal the bed from outside air, bugs, debris, and anything else that is outside of your bed that is trying to get in. If you remove the tailgate extension the gap will be open to anything and everything.
😊The Bed Rug is the easy on the knees when climbing around in back, use that Velcro - gray industrial strength extreme to fasten the Bed Rug to the tailgate, it works great.
When I had a cap on my old truck I really loved it and the things it gave us the ability to do but it did severely limit visibility. No big deal when pulling the trailer which was already taking away visibility but was a bit of an issue during daily driving. Never heard them called truck topper before, we always called them truck caps.
I have owned 3 Trucks and all of them have had Toppers on them. They really are a lifesaver when you are towing. For us it's scooters, the grandkids are really into them so it's great to know they are protected. Also the amount of space you have doubles while I would never pack It full when towing our Rig, when we're not towing I do pack everything but our cooler in the bed. On my F-150 I do have a sprayed on liner and it's very nice. So yes I completely agree that they can be indispensable . Great video.
The topper was a major factor in TT over 5er for me. I don’t have the drawer so I can get road bike in with sear on. It is nice carrying your “garage” with you at all times. Keeps bikes and tools safer and dry.
We’ve ended up with an EXTREMELY similar rig - except with the taller truck topper. I love it except for one unforeseen thing - I can no longer go through an automatic car wash because it’s over 7 feet tall. Something to consider. How similar? 2020 f350 super duty, 7.3 bed, high rise cap, full extension (1500 lb) bed slide, spray in liner, 27’ 2011 Airstream classic w 600 watts solar, 600 AH, multiplus 3000. We’ve been heavily influenced by KYD and LOLOHO - and we’re really happy with the choices we’ve made. Thanks for that.
You won't regret having a canopy/topper/cap, etc. I've had them on previous trucks - the same canopy worked on two of my trucks. I kept it when I sold the first truck because it pretty much fit my next truck. I wanted one anyway, so it didn't make sense to spend the money all over again. My HD truck doesn't have one because I haul a truck camper style RV. My small truck, a Chevy Colorado does have one. It's a LEER, which are really nice units. I bought the truck pre-owned and it came on the truck, which was part of what made me buy that truck. CONGRATS!
“As we drive through Canada down to Nebraska” sounds like a teaser for next season’s trip. I think the topper might help with towing as it makes the truck and trailer more aerodynamic. Thank you for sharing and have a great day.
It really was the next logical step! We love our Smartcap and wouldn’t go back now. Hope ya’ll had a good Easter and are enjoying all the wilderness of Lando. We’ll be there next week. 🤙🏼
Before we bought our latest vehicle, we debated the pickup with cap vs. buying a SUV. Crawling in the back, plus the amount of grime that can build up between the back window of the truck and the front window of the cap, were the biggest factors that pushed us to buy the SUV. We have not looked back, other than through the rear view mirror. It helps that we rarely carry anything that needs to be outside (the occasional propane tank but with windows down). It's what works for us right now.
I have a cap on my Super Duty too. I had one on my F150 that I had when I bought my “half ton” trailer. When I replaced it with my F250, I put on a BakFlip cover because the lead time on the cap was 12 weeks. Finally replaced it with an ARE cap with contractor doors for east side access. I need the extra storage space because my SolarFlex equipment eats up about 60% of my pass through storage. I was able to thin out my cargo in order to compensate for the net increase of the cap weight over the BakFlip. The cap is well worth the investment. I would recommend it to travel trailer owners.
😂 We LITERALLY just went through this with our new Ford. The oldest kid got married and not two weeks later, the hubby gets a grandpa top (im gonna steal “pap-cap” now, cuz that’s hilarious).
Great episode, Papa!😂 That was funny and so true! Ya get to a certain age and you get a cap for your pickup! I’m trying to think if I ever saw a young guy with a cap🤔 😃 Tell Caleb he was excellent in this Ep as well! 👍
An ARE topper was one of the first things I purchased for my truck. Mine has the windoors on the sides to help with access. I like having weatherproof storage.
The caps are nice, if I was pulling a TT no doubt I’d have one. Actually did have one on my 250 a Leer. It was super nice carpeted roof and sides, waterproof, lockable it was nice! Problem was if you had to haul anything that was taller, you were SOL. But it’s few and far between
I have run a canopy/cap/topper on my truck for many, many years. The big/tough decision for me was to put a slide in my bed. That was a game changer. For those how may be new to truck canopies/caps/toppers and you are thinking about carrying stuff on a rack on the canopy/cap/topper, be aware most fiberglass canopies have a low rating for things carried on top. I actually “upgraded” to a RLD Design canopy which has a 700 pound dynamic load rating for the roof. There are other options (RSI Smartcap, Alucab, etc.) that make canopies that can carry good load on the roof if you need that.
Hey guys. I have a F350 dually with a top on it. Would not trade it for the world. Love the security and extra storage space. Take a thin tip paint pen and mark your seat height on the seat stem. Add a quick release seat post clamp. This way you can lower the seat for loading and unloading or if the seat post drops in the frame, and set it back to the correct height. Also add aVelcro strap to the pull out trey to go through the rear wheel to keep the rear of the bike from bouncing.
Thank you for going through all your iterations of bike hauling solutions. Returning to RV's as an avid MTB'er I'm working through this dilemma myself. I can't submit to the tall shell for the same reasons as you... papa. I've got a Softopper and am likely to build a low- pro, light weight slide for the bikes.
I've owned truck's since i was around 17 and when i bought one at 20 it came with a shell and my friends called me grandpa. But nothing ever got wet and i actually slept in it while they were pitching tents.
Love the opening with the suburban dad starter kit shoes. But, as you now know, a truck cap is the way to go. I don't have a bed slide but just a 2x12 board with the fork locks mounted. If you stagger the fork locks, one perhaps 6" back from the other, you can get the bikes really tight together (its a little puzzle to get them out) and save space. Also, even with a cab level topper, I can put my bikes in without taking the wheels off, but I had to put on dropper seat posts on the bikes because it was only the seat that would not fit vertical (I'm 6'2' so my bikes are big and seat posts are up high.) I suspect with a bed slide you lose enough vertical space that even a dropper seat post would not help. Added bonus of the cap, when Charlie decides to get really muddy on a day hike, he has a place to ride back to the rig to get cleaned off. Your videos are top notch. Thank you.
Scribe a mark lightly all the way around the seat post so you can return it to the exact height each time you put the bike in and out of your topper. I've don it for years works great
I put a topper on our F250 principally to keep our Trek e-bikes in a dry secure environment. I built a homemade fork mount platform to hold them upright while in the bed.
Nice setup, I have mountain bikes from the 1900's and they work just fine for me on a bike rack. Yup, they have rust on them, nope they don't go super fast. But they get me where I need to go, I have fun using them and I get exercise using them.
Trish, my dad build a bunk bed across the rails out of 2x4 and plywood and me and my sister rode/slept back there from NC to Michigan back in the late 70s! He even put in a 12v roof vent for air circulation…great memories while on vacation!
You probably know this by now, but just in case they make canopies that are a little taller than the truck cab, which would work great for your bikes. Of course you'd want to make sure you wait until you know if your keeping that truck or not, but once you know that, that is a good solution, gives you more space especially with the bed drawer. They also have options for side windows that you can open to access front of the bed without having to crawl in. I wish I had done that with my canopy but definitely love having the canopy for the added dry cargo space.
Maybe it's because my beard is getting grayer too but I think the bed cover is awesome!!! Traveling full time really helps you to think about storage and even your vehicles differently! I'd definitely have one if I wasn't towing a 5th wheel!
If you are an avid cyclist and transport bikes often in your truck. Sell your camper shell and get a Softopper instead. It will make life much easier. You can easily roll up the Softopper to accommodate your bicycles. Once bikes are placed and secured, roll down the Softopper. Done. No more struggling nor bending down. Softoppers look great too. People would say, but they are not secured. Well, a camper shell is not either, thieves would just smash the window and unlock it.
We travel with a couple of folding Brompton bikes with our travel trailer. At first, I was negs on a folding bike. But these fold nicely in thirds. Very compact. As for riding them, they are awesome. They aren’t typical road bikes but they are very ride-able. There are people that tour them around the world. I have been in century rides where people travel with them just for the ride in particular cities. Very packable fun bikes. And you can fold them down and roll them into the restaurant. They fit under the table. Public transportation, no problem. Grocery shopping, they turn into carts. Get the idea? Perfect travel companion.
The white New Balances and striped socks were classic! Unfortunately, we learned the cons of certain bike racks the hard way last year when we borrowed a cradle style rack for a 2-week trip. We didn't know the hold-down hooks had come loose due to the constant bouncing, and completely lost one bike and had been dragging one for a while before someone pulled up and let us know. Now we always add redundant systems to keep bikes in place.
We love a good truck topper. A lot of us in the custom van industry use swiveling fork mounts so you dont have to have them mounted opposing each other. You woudnt need to go into the cap each time to get the bike. Just an idea.
There are pros and cons to both set ups. I did a hard tonneau cover on my last truck no bed rug. It was great for hauling things easy to get off…but hard to go anywhere and have enough room with bikes. I went back to a camper shell and bed rug on this truck and find it much more versatile and just more room. I’ll rent a trailer if I need to haul something.
Marc, don't feel bad. I put one on my 1st pickup when I was 20. My 2nd year in the Navy and I did alot of camping. So it was great to put all my gear in the back and head out to the woods or mountains on the weekends. It was blue with red shag carpeting on the bed floor. Carpet remnants from a carpet store!! When your a E-3, you don't have much disposable income!!!! especially in 1979!!
Good info. Put camper on my F150 first thing when I got it. Love storing stuff in back of my truck. Nice to have extra space to store stuff while on road. (dry and safe)
Us cyclist go to great lengths to protect our bikes. I roll with the Thule T2 which is similar to yours. Because I have a truckcamper I run an extension into a reducer and between all connections I have every form of anti rattle and lock in play.
Charlie looks resigned when being poured into his traveller ❤️. Love this episode. We have a küat rack and love it to death. The best bike rack we could find and relatively inexpensive. Way to go Papa!!
16:09 I'm with you on the tall door style truck caps/canopies. While they are AWESOME for functionality, and a lot easier to jump in the bed of the truck (like Caleb did earlier in the video) such as to get gear at the front, they definitely have more of the "I'm on old, old guy" appearance to them. My Colorado has a cab height canopy, but my previous canopies/toppers have always been the tall door style with a sloped roof that ramps up at the back to accommodate a tall door.
Secure clean storage under a cap is entirely worthwhile. A Bed Rug without a heavy, space inefficient slide is so nice on the knees. I also built over the wheel-well shelves that vastly increased storage and convenience.
Hi, Mark! Great video! I couldn’t help but notice your bike in the middle ring-you may already do this, but just an fyi- when you park your bikes, it is best to put the chain in the smallest gears by using the front and rear derailleurs-(1 on the front and 7 or 8 or 9 on the rear.). This leaves the cables in the most relaxed position, allowing them to only be stretched when you ride. They should last longer that way. 😊
I love truck caps... We had an ARE MX for years. Our truck is a little loaded down so we did opt to swap out for a Bak FLip MX4, but the next truck will have a topper once again.
I have a topper on my truck and I blackened out the windows with plasti dip so nobody can see in but when you sell the truck you can peal off the plasti dip off. I also got a digital rear view mirror from Wolf box that works great but you need to put a camera on the back of the topper. I am also going to make a rack on the top of the topper with one slide out to go over the cab with 2 solar pannels so I can plug in the truck to the airstream.
I knew a topper was mandatory even before my truck delivered, pulling a TT screams storage, storage, storage. Too many things not allowed inside the coach, too many bulky items. The A.R.E. 8ft topper was pricey, but absolutely necessary. I have the Supercab F350, so from an appearance standpoint, the long topper looks great! Pro tip: knee pads. I've purged and reorganized the back of that truck a dozen times!! Euro Scooters rule out the possibility of a bed slide. looking forward to your next mod
I'm building a setup for 4 bikes and 2 kayaks rack to hitch receiver on the back of A Class RV. Might have to add brake lights, backup camera and license plate holder to the build if needed.
A possible solution for the seat post hitting. With the seat post at the height your want, use a paint pen and paint/draw a circle around the post/tube, let dry and you can "pull" the seat post off and put back on "exactly" where you left it ! We love your channel and watching you play Euchre !! My wife and I are originally from the Midwest and would love to play Euchre someday with you !!!!
Mark, mark the seat post for when you need to lower or raise the seat. Wife and I share an ebike and I mark where hers and mine seat post go w/ a white marker. Thanks for your video!
Just use a sharpie on your seat post to mark the height and the orientation then you can lower it down and put it inside easy. When you pull it back out just put the marks back where they were
I put down the seat of my bike all the time when storing it. I simply drew a tiny sharpy line where the seat post meet the frame. This way, it is easy to put it back at the correct height.
Love the look of the truck with the topper on it. It matches the body lines and styling well. Currently running a roll up hard tonneau on my 20 f250. If these toppers weren’t so dang much I’d prob switch. Love watching you guys… stay safe!
I have a single axle geo pro small 20ft trailer. We added a hitch specifically for a bike rack.and that was a big mistake. I have a kuat transfer 2 with 2 mountain bikes. It totally destabilizes the trailer at highway speed. Keep in mind my trailer is around 3200 pounds dry so that extra weight on the back is not insignificant in the total weight. I love the rack.but I can't use it on the trailer. I imagine a larger 2 axle trailer would have a lot less issues. We got a jackit rack for over the tongue. I absolutely hate that rack but it does not destabilize the trailer and it does work. Did I mention I hate the rack, it is extremely painful to load and unload.
Cap looks awesome! I bought one for our F150, after waiting for 6 weeks it came in with a crack and have to wait another 5 - 6 weeks. We want it to keep our generator looked up in the bed when camping.
When I had my truck and wanted a topper for it, we found one for sale used directly from the owner. I didn't care if it matched perfectly or not. Turns out we get there, and the guy had had it custom painted to match his truck, which just so happened to have been exactly like our truck. He had since sold the truck and didn't bother to sell the topper with it. We got it for $150.00 and it was custom to my truck.
just use a little sharpie or whiteout pen on the seat post so you know where it needs to go back to every time and pop that qr to drop the seats. I think that would end up being less of a hassle than having to not extend the bed slide out and angle the bikes over to get them out. You had mentioned this same issue with the KUAT rack earlier in the video, if its not easily accessible you wont get out on the bikes as often.
Take permanent marker and make a mark all the way around the base of your seat post stem. You can precisely take the seat back to the exact position with the quick release.
The topper looks like part of the truck. Great choice Marc. We still haven't gotten ours yet. Wife wasn't too sure about it till she saw others. Now it's a go. :-)
For the bike seats, couldn't you mark the ideal height on the seat stem and then use something like a lathe to mark a line around the outside and maybe paint the part below so when you do the quick release to drop the seat to clear the bed slide, you can easily put the seat back to your ideal height
When I bought my 2015 250 I told my wife the topper was the first thing to go, a year and a half later and I still have the topper on the truck, and my grey hairs seem to have doubled since having a truck with a topper
LOL! I asked the same question to a coworker of mine. She was always calling the boys Pappi, or Pappa. It's a Latino thing. So funny that you had the same question. Thanks for the video. So much to learn.
if you attach a permanent "bicycle seat post clamp", you could remove the seat and then when it is time to ride, it will save the exact position the seat should be in. This would make it easier to store and retrieve the bikes each time.
I had a bolt on hitch receiver, and I bolted it to the bumper of my TT, I put a storage deck with dog xpens on the receiver about 130 pounds plus deck and it bent the bumper, I noticed one day the deck was hanging a little lower and realized the bump bent away from the trailer, so now I only put one bike in the receiver the pens go inside the trailer, I also noticed when the pens were on the back I had allot of sway.
A solution for your seat post annoyance when sliding the bed out, is to take a piece of black tape, such as electrical tape or duct tape, and wrap that around the seat post where it meets the frame, then you can remove the seat post and have an exact spot when you put the seat post back on.
I always wondered why you never got a topper when you got the Airstream. I was able to keep 4 mountain bikes in our topper when we towed our travel trailer. When we switched to a fifth wheel, I really missed being able to carry our bikes in the "garage" protected from the elements. We use a bike cover on our 1Up-USA Super Duty rack while traveling with 2 bikes and keep 2 bikes inside the fifth wheel. This year I just got a Softopper for the truck for transporting our bikes while on location. Out of site, out of mind is the idea.
Nice work on the truck topper. I really like it. When we go camping, I usually have one of my motorcycles in the bed of the truck. Wish they made a truck topper to accommodate a motorcycle. Thanks for another great episode!
New Balance and socks were a nice touch! Caps are super useful no matter your age. Your truck changes to accommodate your needs! And hold up, you're selling in August? What's the plan?
Nice roper but with the. Factory window tint you can still see inside. I had the rear doors of the truck, and all three windows of the topper limo tinted. So dark you can’t see inside.👍🏼
Topper looks great! You know there's a whole other category of camping out of the back of your truck... I was impressed when you got Trish to go for the teardrop but you can unlock ultimate level if you record an off season episode camping out of the topper!
One mod for the topper. I put LED lights in my topper on a switch that is activated when the glass opens. I spent about $30 total and was very glad I did it. Took about an hour to install.
If you don’t have them, make sure you stop by a bike shop and get the shipping shim for the hydraulic brake calipers. If someone bumps a brake lever you run the risk of the brake pads clamping together and you can’t get the disc in when mounting the wheel. If you need more info on it or a pic, let me know and I can get you a pic somehow.
We got a fiberglass top just like yours when we got out new Super Duty in 2021. Love it. Keeps stuff clean and dry. Better aerodynamics, all pluses. You did good! PS - Eight days till we leave to pick up our camper. First camper in over 25 years! Woohoo!
On the Bed Rug, one advantage to the tailgate portion of your Bed Rug is that now with the topper, (and this would apply to the bed lid too) it helps seal the bed from outside air, bugs, debris, and anything else that is outside of your bed that is trying to get in. If you remove the tailgate extension the gap will be open to anything and everything.
The white new balance sneakers and white socks. Small subtle things that really stand out. Well played Marc!!
To be a real old grey man, he needed to wear sandals with those socks. 😂
😊The Bed Rug is the easy on the knees when climbing around in back, use that Velcro - gray industrial strength extreme to fasten the Bed Rug to the tailgate, it works great.
I like Trish's voice when she does the narration. She's good.👍🇺🇲
When I had a cap on my old truck I really loved it and the things it gave us the ability to do but it did severely limit visibility. No big deal when pulling the trailer which was already taking away visibility but was a bit of an issue during daily driving. Never heard them called truck topper before, we always called them truck caps.
Love the topper and how slick it makes your truck look. It has added room and protection for your things. Enjoy and be safe
You will not regret the cap! So much more room than a tonneau cover!
I have owned 3 Trucks and all of them have had Toppers on them. They really are a lifesaver when you are towing. For us it's scooters, the grandkids are really into them so it's great to know they are protected. Also the amount of space you have doubles while I would never pack It full when towing our Rig, when we're not towing I do pack everything but our cooler in the bed. On my F-150 I do have a sprayed on liner and it's very nice. So yes I completely agree that they can be indispensable . Great video.
We used to use c clamps with 1×4 blocks to lock down shells. Never had a problem and quick to remove.
The topper was a major factor in TT over 5er for me. I don’t have the drawer so I can get road bike in with sear on. It is nice carrying your “garage” with you at all times. Keeps bikes and tools safer and dry.
We’ve ended up with an EXTREMELY similar rig - except with the taller truck topper. I love it except for one unforeseen thing - I can no longer go through an automatic car wash because it’s over 7 feet tall. Something to consider.
How similar? 2020 f350 super duty, 7.3 bed, high rise cap, full extension (1500 lb) bed slide, spray in liner, 27’ 2011 Airstream classic w 600 watts solar, 600 AH, multiplus 3000.
We’ve been heavily influenced by KYD and LOLOHO - and we’re really happy with the choices we’ve made. Thanks for that.
You won't regret having a canopy/topper/cap, etc. I've had them on previous trucks - the same canopy worked on two of my trucks. I kept it when I sold the first truck because it pretty much fit my next truck. I wanted one anyway, so it didn't make sense to spend the money all over again.
My HD truck doesn't have one because I haul a truck camper style RV.
My small truck, a Chevy Colorado does have one. It's a LEER, which are really nice units.
I bought the truck pre-owned and it came on the truck, which was part of what made me buy that truck.
CONGRATS!
“As we drive through Canada down to Nebraska” sounds like a teaser for next season’s trip. I think the topper might help with towing as it makes the truck and trailer more aerodynamic. Thank you for sharing and have a great day.
It really was the next logical step! We love our Smartcap and wouldn’t go back now. Hope ya’ll had a good Easter and are enjoying all the wilderness of Lando. We’ll be there next week. 🤙🏼
Before we bought our latest vehicle, we debated the pickup with cap vs. buying a SUV. Crawling in the back, plus the amount of grime that can build up between the back window of the truck and the front window of the cap, were the biggest factors that pushed us to buy the SUV. We have not looked back, other than through the rear view mirror. It helps that we rarely carry anything that needs to be outside (the occasional propane tank but with windows down). It's what works for us right now.
I have a cap on my Super Duty too. I had one on my F150 that I had when I bought my “half ton” trailer. When I replaced it with my F250, I put on a BakFlip cover because the lead time on the cap was 12 weeks. Finally replaced it with an ARE cap with contractor doors for east side access. I need the extra storage space because my SolarFlex equipment eats up about 60% of my pass through storage. I was able to thin out my cargo in order to compensate for the net increase of the cap weight over the BakFlip. The cap is well worth the investment. I would recommend it to travel trailer owners.
So does that pap-cap come with an AARP discount for the first year? All jokes aside, hope you enjoy it.
If pap-caps had an AARP discount, they might as well just lower the price ;)
We love our cap! Was that a little tease about possibly selling your truck in August???
😂 We LITERALLY just went through this with our new Ford. The oldest kid got married and not two weeks later, the hubby gets a grandpa top (im gonna steal “pap-cap” now, cuz that’s hilarious).
Great episode, Papa!😂
That was funny and so true! Ya get to a certain age and you get a cap for your pickup! I’m trying to think if I ever saw a young guy with a cap🤔 😃
Tell Caleb he was excellent in this Ep as well! 👍
You’ve been called Papa? Wait ‘till someone calls you Gramps… It hit really hard in my case, my tummy churned a few times.
An ARE topper was one of the first things I purchased for my truck. Mine has the windoors on the sides to help with access. I like having weatherproof storage.
Makes it seem like a new excursion
The caps are nice, if I was pulling a TT no doubt I’d have one. Actually did have one on my 250 a Leer. It was super nice carpeted roof and sides, waterproof, lockable it was nice! Problem was if you had to haul anything that was taller, you were SOL. But it’s few and far between
I have run a canopy/cap/topper on my truck for many, many years. The big/tough decision for me was to put a slide in my bed. That was a game changer. For those how may be new to truck canopies/caps/toppers and you are thinking about carrying stuff on a rack on the canopy/cap/topper, be aware most fiberglass canopies have a low rating for things carried on top. I actually “upgraded” to a RLD Design canopy which has a 700 pound dynamic load rating for the roof. There are other options (RSI Smartcap, Alucab, etc.) that make canopies that can carry good load on the roof if you need that.
Hey guys. I have a F350 dually with a top on it. Would not trade it for the world. Love the security and extra storage space. Take a thin tip paint pen and mark your seat height on the seat stem. Add a quick release seat post clamp. This way you can lower the seat for loading and unloading or if the seat post drops in the frame, and set it back to the correct height. Also add aVelcro strap to the pull out trey to go through the rear wheel to keep the rear of the bike from bouncing.
And i have to admit,I'm almost 60 and the New balance with Velcro looks very enticing !!!
Missed ya'll last week. Looking forward to this episode. Happy Easter! He is Risen!
Thank you for going through all your iterations of bike hauling solutions. Returning to RV's as an avid MTB'er I'm working through this dilemma myself. I can't submit to the tall shell for the same reasons as you... papa. I've got a Softopper and am likely to build a low- pro, light weight slide for the bikes.
I've owned truck's since i was around 17 and when i bought one at 20 it came with a shell and my friends called me grandpa. But nothing ever got wet and i actually slept in it while they were pitching tents.
Love the opening with the suburban dad starter kit shoes. But, as you now know, a truck cap is the way to go. I don't have a bed slide but just a 2x12 board with the fork locks mounted. If you stagger the fork locks, one perhaps 6" back from the other, you can get the bikes really tight together (its a little puzzle to get them out) and save space. Also, even with a cab level topper, I can put my bikes in without taking the wheels off, but I had to put on dropper seat posts on the bikes because it was only the seat that would not fit vertical (I'm 6'2' so my bikes are big and seat posts are up high.) I suspect with a bed slide you lose enough vertical space that even a dropper seat post would not help. Added bonus of the cap, when Charlie decides to get really muddy on a day hike, he has a place to ride back to the rig to get cleaned off. Your videos are top notch. Thank you.
Hey Papa ! You need a members only jacket, to go with the white NB shoes....congrats to Caleb on the school choice !
Scribe a mark lightly all the way around the seat post so you can return it to the exact height each time you put the bike in and out of your topper. I've don it for years works great
I put a topper on our F250 principally to keep our Trek e-bikes in a dry secure environment. I built a homemade fork mount platform to hold them upright while in the bed.
Nice setup, I have mountain bikes from the 1900's and they work just fine for me on a bike rack. Yup, they have rust on them, nope they don't go super fast. But they get me where I need to go, I have fun using them and I get exercise using them.
Well, Papa! Excellent investment Marc! Hope to see y'all on the road!
Trish, my dad build a bunk bed across the rails out of 2x4 and plywood and me and my sister rode/slept back there from NC to Michigan back in the late 70s! He even put in a 12v roof vent for air circulation…great memories while on vacation!
You probably know this by now, but just in case they make canopies that are a little taller than the truck cab, which would work great for your bikes. Of course you'd want to make sure you wait until you know if your keeping that truck or not, but once you know that, that is a good solution, gives you more space especially with the bed drawer. They also have options for side windows that you can open to access front of the bed without having to crawl in. I wish I had done that with my canopy but definitely love having the canopy for the added dry cargo space.
Maybe it's because my beard is getting grayer too but I think the bed cover is awesome!!! Traveling full time really helps you to think about storage and even your vehicles differently! I'd definitely have one if I wasn't towing a 5th wheel!
I've trained bjj with the owner and national sales manager of kuat bike racks. Genuinely good people!!
The taller truck cap also saves fuel on the aerodynamics of less drag on the trailer.... less drag equals less buffeting, shaking and easier drive.
If you are an avid cyclist and transport bikes often in your truck. Sell your camper shell and get a Softopper instead. It will make life much easier. You can easily roll up the Softopper to accommodate your bicycles. Once bikes are placed and secured, roll down the Softopper. Done. No more struggling nor bending down. Softoppers look great too. People would say, but they are not secured. Well, a camper shell is not either, thieves would just smash the window and unlock it.
We travel with a couple of folding Brompton bikes with our travel trailer. At first, I was negs on a folding bike. But these fold nicely in thirds. Very compact. As for riding them, they are awesome. They aren’t typical road bikes but they are very ride-able. There are people that tour them around the world. I have been in century rides where people travel with them just for the ride in particular cities. Very packable fun bikes. And you can fold them down and roll them into the restaurant. They fit under the table. Public transportation, no problem. Grocery shopping, they turn into carts. Get the idea? Perfect travel companion.
The white New Balances and striped socks were classic! Unfortunately, we learned the cons of certain bike racks the hard way last year when we borrowed a cradle style rack for a 2-week trip. We didn't know the hold-down hooks had come loose due to the constant bouncing, and completely lost one bike and had been dragging one for a while before someone pulled up and let us know. Now we always add redundant systems to keep bikes in place.
We love a good truck topper. A lot of us in the custom van industry use swiveling fork mounts so you dont have to have them mounted opposing each other. You woudnt need to go into the cap each time to get the bike. Just an idea.
There are pros and cons to both set ups. I did a hard tonneau cover on my last truck no bed rug. It was great for hauling things easy to get off…but hard to go anywhere and have enough room with bikes. I went back to a camper shell and bed rug on this truck and find it much more versatile and just more room. I’ll rent a trailer if I need to haul something.
Marc, don't feel bad. I put one on my 1st pickup when I was 20. My 2nd year in the Navy and I did alot of camping. So it was great to put all my gear in the back and head out to the woods or mountains on the weekends. It was blue with red shag carpeting on the bed floor. Carpet remnants from a carpet store!! When your a E-3, you don't have much disposable income!!!! especially in 1979!!
Good info. Put camper on my F150 first thing when I got it. Love storing stuff in back of my truck. Nice to have extra space to store stuff while on road. (dry and safe)
I love toppers so much. If it wasn't for our goosebox and 5th wheel towing I've have on in a heart beat! Great fit and catch on finding that used top!
Us cyclist go to great lengths to protect our bikes. I roll with the Thule T2 which is similar to yours. Because I have a truckcamper I run an extension into a reducer and between all connections I have every form of anti rattle and lock in play.
We’ve had truck toppers on 4 of our trucks. We’ve loved them, are essential for camping and just sold one of our older ones for very cheap.
Charlie looks resigned when being poured into his traveller ❤️.
Love this episode. We have a küat rack and love it to death. The best bike rack we could find and relatively inexpensive.
Way to go Papa!!
16:09 I'm with you on the tall door style truck caps/canopies. While they are AWESOME for functionality, and a lot easier to jump in the bed of the truck (like Caleb did earlier in the video) such as to get gear at the front, they definitely have more of the "I'm on old, old guy" appearance to them. My Colorado has a cab height canopy, but my previous canopies/toppers have always been the tall door style with a sloped roof that ramps up at the back to accommodate a tall door.
Secure clean storage under a cap is entirely worthwhile. A Bed Rug without a heavy, space inefficient slide is so nice on the knees.
I also built over the wheel-well shelves that vastly increased storage and convenience.
Yes the gray does keep coming in😊
Hi, Mark! Great video! I couldn’t help but notice your bike in the middle ring-you may already do this, but just an fyi- when you park your bikes, it is best to put the chain in the smallest gears by using the front and rear derailleurs-(1 on the front and 7 or 8 or 9 on the rear.). This leaves the cables in the most relaxed position, allowing them to only be stretched when you ride. They should last longer that way. 😊
I love truck caps... We had an ARE MX for years. Our truck is a little loaded down so we did opt to swap out for a Bak FLip MX4, but the next truck will have a topper once again.
I have a topper on my truck and I blackened out the windows with plasti dip so nobody can see in but when you sell the truck you can peal off the plasti dip off. I also got a digital rear view mirror from Wolf box that works great but you need to put a camera on the back of the topper. I am also going to make a rack on the top of the topper with one slide out to go over the cab with 2 solar pannels so I can plug in the truck to the airstream.
I have done RAGBRAI 6 times it’s such a blast.
I got one before our big trip to RMNP from Texas. Love it! Best truck investment ever.
I knew a topper was mandatory even before my truck delivered, pulling a TT screams storage, storage, storage.
Too many things not allowed inside the coach, too many bulky items. The A.R.E. 8ft topper was pricey, but absolutely necessary. I have the Supercab F350, so from an appearance standpoint, the long topper looks great!
Pro tip: knee pads. I've purged and reorganized the back of that truck a dozen times!!
Euro Scooters rule out the possibility of a bed slide.
looking forward to your next mod
I'm building a setup for 4 bikes and 2 kayaks rack to hitch receiver on the back of A Class RV. Might have to add brake lights, backup camera and license plate holder to the build if needed.
I love that you put your foot down against Trish and Caleb not wanting the cap! Lol Looks good Mark!
I would get over the not moving the seat post real quick. Put a mark on seat post and use the quick release. That's what they are for.
A possible solution for the seat post hitting. With the seat post at the height your want, use a paint pen and paint/draw a circle around the post/tube, let dry and you can "pull" the seat post off and put back on "exactly" where you left it ! We love your channel and watching you play Euchre !! My wife and I are originally from the Midwest and would love to play Euchre someday with you !!!!
Mark, mark the seat post for when you need to lower or raise the seat. Wife and I share an ebike and I mark where hers and mine seat post go w/ a white marker. Thanks for your video!
Today it's a truck topper. Tomorrow, it's Denny's, and the 55 and older senior menu. Truck looks great ......The Grand Slam is worth it though....
Just use a sharpie on your seat post to mark the height and the orientation then you can lower it down and put it inside easy. When you pull it back out just put the marks back where they were
I put down the seat of my bike all the time when storing it. I simply drew a tiny sharpy line where the seat post meet the frame. This way, it is easy to put it back at the correct height.
I might end up doing that, but the adjustment screw is actually inside the frame.
Love the look of the truck with the topper on it. It matches the body lines and styling well. Currently running a roll up hard tonneau on my 20 f250. If these toppers weren’t so dang much I’d prob switch. Love watching you guys… stay safe!
I have road high-end roadbikes for years. Mark the seat post with tape, then just remove the seat to store.
As sad as I’d be to see the truck sold in august I’m equally as pumped to see how you’d outfit a new one and what changes you’d make
I have a single axle geo pro small 20ft trailer. We added a hitch specifically for a bike rack.and that was a big mistake. I have a kuat transfer 2 with 2 mountain bikes. It totally destabilizes the trailer at highway speed. Keep in mind my trailer is around 3200 pounds dry so that extra weight on the back is not insignificant in the total weight. I love the rack.but I can't use it on the trailer. I imagine a larger 2 axle trailer would have a lot less issues. We got a jackit rack for over the tongue. I absolutely hate that rack but it does not destabilize the trailer and it does work. Did I mention I hate the rack, it is extremely painful to load and unload.
Missed you guys last Sunday 😢 So glad you are back !! Good addition to truck PaPa 😂😂 Safe Travels ❤️
You could mark the bikes seat post with a dremel or something so when you raise it back up you put it back to the mark. Or something along those lines
Caps and bed slides are one of the first mods we do to a new truck , sell your bed slide and get a full size one .
simple piece of colored tap on your seat post to mark the height to set it correctly when you put it back on.
Cap looks awesome! I bought one for our F150, after waiting for 6 weeks it came in with a crack and have to wait another 5 - 6 weeks. We want it to keep our generator looked up in the bed when camping.
For me a bed cap is a necessity, for work at play. I've had a topper on every one of my trucks, even my first little pickup when I was in high school.
In South Africa most trucks have toppers (we call them canopies). It is the exception to the rule where to see a truck without one. Enjoy the cap!
When I had my truck and wanted a topper for it, we found one for sale used directly from the owner. I didn't care if it matched perfectly or not. Turns out we get there, and the guy had had it custom painted to match his truck, which just so happened to have been exactly like our truck. He had since sold the truck and didn't bother to sell the topper with it. We got it for $150.00 and it was custom to my truck.
just use a little sharpie or whiteout pen on the seat post so you know where it needs to go back to every time and pop that qr to drop the seats. I think that would end up being less of a hassle than having to not extend the bed slide out and angle the bikes over to get them out. You had mentioned this same issue with the KUAT rack earlier in the video, if its not easily accessible you wont get out on the bikes as often.
Take permanent marker and make a mark all the way around the base of your seat post stem. You can precisely take the seat back to the exact position with the quick release.
The topper looks like part of the truck. Great choice Marc. We still haven't gotten ours yet. Wife wasn't too sure about it till she saw others. Now it's a go. :-)
For the bike seats, couldn't you mark the ideal height on the seat stem and then use something like a lathe to mark a line around the outside and maybe paint the part below so when you do the quick release to drop the seat to clear the bed slide, you can easily put the seat back to your ideal height
When I bought my 2015 250 I told my wife the topper was the first thing to go, a year and a half later and I still have the topper on the truck, and my grey hairs seem to have doubled since having a truck with a topper
LOL! I asked the same question to a coworker of mine. She was always calling the boys Pappi, or Pappa. It's a Latino thing. So funny that you had the same question. Thanks for the video. So much to learn.
if you attach a permanent "bicycle seat post clamp", you could remove the seat and then when it is time to ride, it will save the exact position the seat should be in. This would make it easier to store and retrieve the bikes each time.
Wow! I learned something new today. Marc knows how to turn a wrench and install things. Kudos! ;)
I had a bolt on hitch receiver, and I bolted it to the bumper of my TT, I put a storage deck with dog xpens on the receiver about 130 pounds plus deck and it bent the bumper, I noticed one day the deck was hanging a little lower and realized the bump bent away from the trailer, so now I only put one bike in the receiver the pens go inside the trailer, I also noticed when the pens were on the back I had allot of sway.
We live in Sioux City, IA!!! The start city for RAGBRAI!!! Wanna boondock at our place??? We have a 50 amp hook up for you!
Selling the truck in August..... ooo the little breadcrumbs that get dropped of things to come!
A solution for your seat post annoyance when sliding the bed out, is to take a piece of black tape, such as electrical tape or duct tape, and wrap that around the seat post where it meets the frame, then you can remove the seat post and have an exact spot when you put the seat post back on.
I always wondered why you never got a topper when you got the Airstream. I was able to keep 4 mountain bikes in our topper when we towed our travel trailer. When we switched to a fifth wheel, I really missed being able to carry our bikes in the "garage" protected from the elements. We use a bike cover on our 1Up-USA Super Duty rack while traveling with 2 bikes and keep 2 bikes inside the fifth wheel.
This year I just got a Softopper for the truck for transporting our bikes while on location. Out of site, out of mind is the idea.
You will never go without a truck topper again! I miss mine..I will have one again soon.
Nice work on the truck topper. I really like it.
When we go camping, I usually have one of my motorcycles in the bed of the truck.
Wish they made a truck topper to accommodate a motorcycle.
Thanks for another great episode!
Congrats Jon Rahm and Marc....!
Did I hear you say RAGBRAI!?! I’d love to catch you in Coralville!! Finally, IOWA!!! Yay! 🎉❤
We're registered, but still 50/50. We'd like to, but going to wing it!
You would not regret it!! RAGBRAI is a must!
The sherpa does have a tool to tighten the anti rattle. It's the hitch pin . They designed it to tighten all the nuts on the rack and the anti rattle.
New Balance and socks were a nice touch! Caps are super useful no matter your age. Your truck changes to accommodate your needs! And hold up, you're selling in August? What's the plan?
Nice roper but with the. Factory window tint you can still see inside. I had the rear doors of the truck, and all three windows of the topper limo tinted. So dark you can’t see inside.👍🏼
Topper looks great! You know there's a whole other category of camping out of the back of your truck... I was impressed when you got Trish to go for the teardrop but you can unlock ultimate level if you record an off season episode camping out of the topper!
I'm not sure Trish is ready to unlock her truck cap camper badge. ;)
One mod for the topper. I put LED lights in my topper on a switch that is activated when the glass opens. I spent about $30 total and was very glad I did it. Took about an hour to install.
If you don’t have them, make sure you stop by a bike shop and get the shipping shim for the hydraulic brake calipers. If someone bumps a brake lever you run the risk of the brake pads clamping together and you can’t get the disc in when mounting the wheel. If you need more info on it or a pic, let me know and I can get you a pic somehow.
We got a fiberglass top just like yours when we got out new Super Duty in 2021. Love it. Keeps stuff clean and dry. Better aerodynamics, all pluses. You did good!
PS - Eight days till we leave to pick up our camper. First camper in over 25 years! Woohoo!
15:30 I used the bolts under the bed rug on the tailgate corners to hold it down more securely.