Help! Do I need a truck?

[SquishBang]

I bet they are pricy though; something to consider, should Google a few to see what I am in for.

They are.
I bought mine used on CL for $300. I was super lucky because my truck is rare (all Titans are "rare" compared to the Big 3) and it was the right color. I think the original price was around $2K in 2006 for the original owner!

Mine has all of the upgrades: Thule T rails, flush mounted windows, carpeted interior, LED interior lighting. The carpeted interior is nice as it reduces condensation when boondocking.

 

[Veinot]

They are.
I bought mine used on CL for $300. I was super lucky because my truck is rare (all Titans are "rare" compared to the Big 3) and it was the right color. I think the original price was around $2K in 2006 for the original owner!

I suspect the price of the cap is less than the extra paid for a comparable suv.

 

[Veinot]

Could be a good option if you buy a used Fiberglass one and want to reinformce it for a top rack/roof rack.
I also seen some videosof people making a cap out of plywood or foam coated in fiberglass and marine epoxy (beacause marine epoxy doesn't get hot enough to melt the foam).
If you got the skills you could do something like what this guy did and use steel or aluminum stock from the harware to make an internal support framehelp bear the load better.

On a side note you guys are making me feel mroe secure in picking a truck over an SUV. I was thinking short box but now I am thinking 6.5" instead. With a cap because if we have a hiker type trailer and the 6.5" truck bed with cap and we get a bad rain while out we can sleep the kidsunder the cap so they don't get too wet.
This happened to us last year luckily though our tent held up well and my aunt had room in her camper for the kids (Their tent did not hold up to the rain at all, but I bought it when I was 14 so 23 is a long run. It didn't come home.).

 

[diabetiktaco]

I didn't think those truck caps could hold much in weight.

If they come with factory mounted roof rails they are reinforced. They can hold something like 600lbs static weight. They never tell you how much, I guess for legal reasons but in all honesty I see no benefit to a 4runner over my tacoma. Other than maybe resale but my truck is so butchered at this point resale means nothing to me.

 

[grubworm]

On a side note you guys are making me feel mroe secure in picking a truck over an SUV. I was thinking short box but now I am thinking 6.5" instead.

i had an 8' cap on my dodge ram back in the 90s and had a lot of room of course, but i recently got a tundra with 6.5' bed and love that it is more maneuverable and i still have room to sleep in it, which is really my biggest concern, so for me the 6.5' is just the right size.
i hear ya on rain and tents and kids...a few months ago before i got the shell, the wife and i took the boys to north arkansas and we had the camp trailer and they were in tents. it stormed and flooded them, so in the dark we had to break camp and load wet crap and go into jasper and get motel rooms. that cap sure would have been handy then.

 

[Veinot]

... in all honesty I see no benefit to a 4runner over my tacoma. Other than maybe resale but my truck is so butchered at this point resale means nothing to me.

Yeah I only seen 1 4runner in my price range and it was an 09 with 160k I think. Not bad but considering for the same price there were a number of american trucks for the same money. Depending on the trims a little newer, or around the same age with a little less use. Lots of Xterra's and Yukhobans (my new word for the Chevy/GM G800 platform SUV's) for less in various conditions. Toyota is out of my price range mainly because we want something as new as our current car (2011) but with far less km's (317000kms) thats just shy 200k miles for those south of the 45th.

 

[SquishBang]

I remember the camping trip when we decided we were going to start staying in the truck.
One year it seemed it rained every time we went camping. There was a guy next to us, Ford Ranger, little bed in back for him and his dog. It looked like such a better way to go than having a tent, when he was done at the site he just closed the back of his truck and drove off. Our site our tent was soaked, a bit wet inside, and our truck bed with canopy was dry. I decided right then and there to never tent camp again. Had to bring our tent home and set it up to dry it out.

My truck has a 67" bed (shortbed Crew Cab Titan) and I am 71". I never tried sleeping back there because it looked like I wouldn't fit, but it turns out I fit just fine. And my wife is short so no prob for her.

We now have a cargo basket for the cap which holds a lot of stuff, and the back seat area of my truck is huge when the back seats are folded up so that area holds 70-80% as much as an SUV. Works great for our small family.

If we had 2+ kids we'd have to do something else.

I agree a cap seems expensive. I am considering getting the Gen3 Tundra when it comes out....that'll be an expensive truck and I'll be wanting a $2500 shell for it too, I'm gonna need to work lots of overtime!

 

[Veinot]

I am only 172cm tall maybe, probably 90kg so I am more concerned about fitting my width over my height... We are 4 people, 2 kids and maybe a dog once we get the vehicle sorted. As long as the cab can seat 5 and has back seat pockets for tablets it should be plenty roomy for trips. What we have been doing in the cruze is filling the trunk, and the back seatr floor, sitting the kids in the back, building a wall between them, then put some stuff on their laps, then fill the passenger floor area, in goes the wife, and then me. When you think about it; Sleeping stuff for 4, 2 tents 1 quite large, bbq/stove, gas, bikes, camera, clothes, rope, shovel, first aid, vehicle emergency kit, cooler, food for 4, it gets tight. Before kids I remember going in a sedan with just a small back pack and bed roll for a few days, with kids it seems like we need half the house. Then again now a days it seems like every week is a fire ban requiring one to have a gas stove. We will still have to use a tent for camping until I can buy/build a tow behind camper (Like a teardrop or hiker) our tent has been fine in heavy rain with little wind. A 3m water proofing will likely get it good again for a few more seasons.
Hopefully with the truck I can get to places that are not "pay and camp" sites. I find you need to bring more to enjoy them and they are more geared towards camper trailer people taking long trips accross the country. I want to go somewhere that feels less like a tent/camper trailer subdivision in the woods and more like the camping I did as a kid. Alone, in the dark, with only what/who you brought.

 

[SquishBang]

I am only 172cm tall maybe, probably 90kg so I am more concerned about fitting my width over my height... We are 4 people, 2 kids and maybe a dog once we get the vehicle sorted. As long as the cab can seat 5 and has back seat pockets for tablets it should be plenty roomy for trips. What we have been doing in the cruze is filling the trunk, and the back seatr floor, sitting the kids in the back, building a wall between them, then put some stuff on their laps, then fill the passenger floor area, in goes the wife, and then me. When you think about it; Sleeping stuff for 4, 2 tents 1 quite large, bbq/stove, gas, bikes, camera, clothes, rope, shovel, first aid, vehicle emergency kit, cooler, food for 4, it gets tight. Before kids I remember going in a sedan with just a small back pack and bed roll for a few days, with kids it seems like we need half the house. Then again now a days it seems like every week is a fire ban requiring one to have a gas stove. We will still have to use a tent for camping until I can buy/build a tow behind camper (Like a teardrop or hiker) our tent has been fine in heavy rain with little wind. A 3m water proofing will likely get it good again for a few more seasons.
Hopefully with the truck I can get to places that are not "pay and camp" sites. I find you need to bring more to enjoy them and they are more geared towards camper trailer people taking long trips accross the country. I want to go somewhere that feels less like a tent/camper trailer subdivision in the woods and more like the camping I did as a kid. Alone, in the dark, with only what/who you brought.

I gotta give you small car guys kudos.

I was loading up my truck at Home Depot last week, when a couple pushed 2 of those big carts past me to a 2018-ish Honda Civic COUPE parked next to me. I'm telling you these 2 carts were FULL of every kind of thing, a wall mirror, mulch, tools, plants, etc. I was joking with them because at first when I glanced at the Civic I thought it might have been a hatchback, when I took a second look I was surprised it was a coupe.
I told them I don't think that stuff would even fit in my truck!
They got it all in that little car, doors closed, trunk closed. Suspension squatting hard! Couldn't believe they did it!

 

[Veinot]

I may have amazed a few people in much the same way. Our last camping trip though when I closed the trunk it was 3 inches taller on one side than the other. I had to leave behind a big blue water jug at my parents on the return trip.

 

[SquishBang]

@SquishBang is dead on about the cap ratings. i went with an ARE shell that is fiberglass only with Yakima tracks installed for about 150# rating, which is plenty for my use. a higher payload is possible using a shell that has an integrated aluminium frame which is more expensive.
i bought my shell in january, ARE Classic CX series with drop window in the front, sliding glass on sides and yakima tracks installed for around $2200. its pretty heavy and solid feeling and a week after we got it, we took it to north georgia on a trip and had zero issues with the sleet and rain, so i'm really happy with it.

I looked over the documentation of my Leer 100XQ. It has built-in Thule rails. Leer states the load capacity for one style of Thule attachment accessory is 150 pounds. The other style is 260 pounds. I believe one of them is called "TK1" or something. Doesn't matter because both have been out-of-production for some time.
So, Leer officially states my 100XQ as much as 260 pounds.
Since I couldn't find the appropriate 260 pound kit from Thule, (oh and feet, adapters and cross-bars from Thule would have been very expensive) I used 80/20 to attach to the roof rails. It is very sturdy, 260 pounds would be very conservative.
Fiberglass usually doesn't fail suddenly, it'll stress-crack before failing when overloaded. Still, don't put tall, wind-catching objects up there, there has been times Thule rack systems fail with things like kayaks.

 

[Veinot]

Fiberglass usually doesn't fail suddenly, it'll stress-crack before failing when overloaded. Still, don't put tall, wind-catching objects up there, there has been times Thule rack systems fail with things like kayaks.

Good to know, I have a kayak in works and plan on building a canoe shortly after.

 

[SquishBang]

Good to know, I have a kayak in works and plan on building a canoe shortly after.

What I've seen regarding this may come down to user/installer error.
YMMV if you install everything correctly, we see lots of kayaks/canoes on vehicle roofs.

 

[Veinot]

I think the SquishBang was referring to Kayaks/Canoes on fiberglass truck caps with racks catching the wind producing a rocking force being transmitted into the racks into the fiberglass cab causing cracking and eventual failure.

 

[SquishBang]

i have a kayak mount on my offroad trailer with factory installed Rhino mounts...that kayak pulls some SERIOUS wind resistance up there!

I bet! Most stories I have heard about roof racks being ripped off involve 2 things: High crosswinds at the time and Thule's drop-in T-nuts. The drop-in T-nuts can be torn out of the T-rail installed on most canopy shells and vehicles with pre-installed rails.

 

[SquishBang]

I think the SquishBang was referring to Kayaks/Canoes on fiberglass truck caps with racks catching the wind producing a rocking force being transmitted into the racks into the fiberglass cab causing cracking and eventual failure.

Here's what I was talking about: What I learned about Thule Truck Cap Tracks
It can happen to cars or fiberglass toppers that have t-rails installed.
It's a problem that can occur if you use Thule's drop-in hardware (which I have)

 

[grubworm]

Here's what I was talking about: What I learned about Thule Truck Cap Tracks
It can happen to cars or fiberglass toppers that have t-rails installed.
It's a problem that can occur if you use Thule's drop-in hardware (which I have)

its also just plain physics....you have a thin extruded c-channel with a 3/4" long t-nut holding back a kayak (or whatever) that has 20+ sq/ft surface area exposed to 70mph wind. even if you go 20 pounds of force per square foot, which is very conservative, you now have 20 sq/ft surface area exposed to that kind of force being held by 4 points that might have 1 square INCH of surface area each. try grabbing a sheet of plywood and holding it over your head and walk out into a 20 mph wind. what happens? yeah, there is SERIOUS force there.

 

[Veinot]

try grabbing a sheet of plywood and holding it over your head and walk out into a 20 mph wind. what happens? yeah, there is SERIOUS force there.

If you can hold on it can be cheap fun.

 

[Veinot]

Here's what I was talking about: What I learned about Thule Truck Cap Tracks

So what is the best thing to use for a canoe/kayak? I don't like the looks of those rails.

 

[ThundahBeagle]

My dad had a 87 Ford when I was a kid. I got a 1990 Chevy short bed Cheyenne in the mid 90's. I'm not in the trades but I like to be able to haul of I want.

When I got married I got a Pontiac, then a honda.

Atone point I had to haul all the patio bricks, gravel and crushed stone powder to build my patio. Crammed it all into my honda and wished I had my truck.

I had always loved the k5 Blazers. Sheriff Brody from Jaws / Chief Hopper of Hawkins type Blazers. Well when I found the full size 1990's version...nothing better for me!

In a 1993 K 1500 5.7 liter Blazer Silverado, me and my lady in front. Rug rats and pets in the back seat. Rear most cargo area fit all of our camping gear 2 kayaks on the roof rack easily, and a 3- bike rack on back hatch. Plenty of power. Carried everyone and everything I needed. Yet only about the size of a regular cab, short bed pickup with a bed cap on it.

Having said that, that Big Blazer finally met its end about a year and a half ago. Last tear i bought a used 2014 GMC Sierra double cab, 6.5 foot bed. The whole truck is about 3.5 feet longer than my old Big Blazer. I put a cross toolbox on it and loved it but recently went and bought a used Leer bed cap. I did that because on a recent drive to Florida our gear in the bed still got damp even after wrapping it with a tarp and securing with ratchets and a net.

Everything will be dry with a cap. And more secure. And when we drive Boston to Montana in October, we can sleep under that Leer, quite comfortably.

So for me its:

1990's K1500 big Blazer 2 door (vintage and not readily available)

2007-2013 Chevy Tahoe (Carrie's a lot and very maneuverable compared to crew cab trucks)

2014-2018 GMC Sierra or Chevy double or crew cab with 6.5 bed and a Leer or ARE cap.