SOFTOPPER TRUCK BED COVER

from Northology Adventures April 2023

YOUTUBE FAVES

Bed covers have become something of a polarizing accessory, often existing somewhere between grandpa truck and plumber necessity in the eyes of truck enthusiasts. Even the name has some conflict around it Is it a shell? A topper? A bed cover? A camper? That may actually depend on where you are in the country, for the sake of this discussion, let’s stick with topper.

Covering up and keeping dry all the junk that can be stored in a truck bed is no small task and can cost four figures in a heartbeat It can also create a serious inconvenience when your cargo is larger than the topper. Take it off? That’s a multi person job and then where do you put it? This conundrum is where the soft sided toppers really shine

Originally brought to market by Bestop and later perfected by Softopper (ironically, Softopper was purchased by Bestop in 2019) the soft sided and retractable cover checks a whole lot of overlander boxes The two ply sailcloth does an excellent job of keeping cargo dry in rain and snow and the vinyl windows happily tolerate freezing temps, sand, rocks and the occasional car wash

Install is a relatively simple layout of rails clamped to the factory bed and a retractable aluminum frame wrapped in three parts of heavy sailcloth. The front and rear panels zip to the main cover with double pull zippers (accessible inside and out) Both front and rear are fastened to the body with large strips of velcro Initially, I wasn’t a fan of the velcro attachment in the rear, but it ends up being very effective and as you may anticipate, fairly easy to use

Retracting the topper involves opening the rear panel and pulling a pin out of each of the support beams The entire assembly folds forward and is held in place with a supplied strap. A tidy little arrangement for the times when a topper is not necessary The sides and rear panel can also be rolled up and secured for easy access

Lightweight, under a grand, a breeze to install and easy to use We’ll give the Softopper a 8/10 on the the Northology Torture Tested scale Losing a point for having to put velcro on painted surfaces and for not really following the lines of the cab (it’s narrower ) Versions are available for a fair number of truck models and they even come in black, gray and tan GIVING BACK to