Topper/Wedge Campers recommendations?

[Rick R]

Ok, I’m thinking about putting an “Overlanding” topper with a wedge tent on top on my 23 5.5’ F150, I looked on Facebook and now my feed is filled with several different companies ranging from $8,000 to $20,000. I’m here in the Eastern US where camping options are plentiful but actual overlanding doesn’t happen. We do have miles and miles of National Forest roads that range from great to “lets go somewhere else”. I just want to roll up in a campsite after a day of hiking/fishing/hunting/sightseeing/whatever, light a fire, grill a burger, pull out a chair, crack open an adult beverage and crawl up in the tent to sleep till the next morning. Wash, rinse, repeat until time to go home.

Does anyone here want to praise or condemn any of the known brands?

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[Bmardis]

I am also looking to do the same thing. Look forward to seeing other opinions.

 

[Kodiak]

I have an ARE topper and when I was looking I saw that ARE makes an HD (heavy duty) version of one their models. This HD version has a metal frame inside the topper so the roof could support up to 550lbs. This is enough if you wanted to put a "clam shell" type tent on top of the topper and sleep in that. This setup will add height to the overall height of the truck but it will keep the inside of the enclosed bed free for storage. The only thing I did not like about this unit was the metal frame inside (5.5 bed) interfered with the tilting in of the toppers cab window for easier cleaning. I wanted that feature so I passed on the HD.

I also considered the Retrax Pro with the T Slot and then you can add shorter support beams that would keep the roof top tent under the total height of the truck. This gives you covered bed space for storage and a nice place to sleep in the tent.

Good luck researching and deciding.

 

[ryanc111]

Go Fast Campers FTW.

https://gofastcampers.com/

 

[Rick R]

Go Fast Campers FTW.

https://gofastcampers.com/

How hard was it to buy and install the Go Fast?
They seem reasonably priced if the quality is there

 

[ryanc111]

How hard was it to buy and install the Go Fast?
They seem reasonably priced if the quality is there

Well I'll preface it by saying I live in Bozeman and they are just down the road from me so it was easier for me than others. Over the past year or so though they have increased their distribution model where they have some qualified dealers around the country to do installs. Previously you needed to either find someone local selling a used one or schedule a road trip to Montana.

Check out their forum to get perspective on the product from folks who have used them. I've found that it is a fairly good source of information and fairly well balanced considering it is sponsored by the manufacturer.

https://forum.gofastcampers.com/

 

[staying_tuned]

If you want a nice modular rail system go with Leitner's forged series. Not cheap but incredibly well designed and built. We ran it on our Gladiator (my brother's as well) and absolutely love it.

For a tent, we needed to sleep 4 so we opted for the iKamper SkyCamp. As above with the rack, we couldn't have been happier. We put 40k miles on this combo in all parts of the country and it exceeded expectations the whole way.

Some random pics, you get the idea.

 

[Henfield]

Seen plenty of AluCab branded units. Phenomenal quality. Never dared to ask the price......

 

[GregBC]

This may not exactly fit what you're looking for, but I've cobbled together a system with 3 products: Adarac, Softopper, and rooftop tent. Check out the post I just put up on "what did you do to your f150):

https://www.f150gen14.com/forum/thr...%E2%80%8D♂%EF%B8%8F.1314/page-408#post-463173

Total price for all 3 was < $4k US, with the RTT being the most expensive part. I like it so far because it's lightweight, flexible, and easy to setup in different configs depending what I need (I do need to setup a hoist for the RTT so I can load/unload without help). It is NOT super secure nor super waterproof, with some gaps in the corners that I'll look to fill with foam this summer.

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