RSi SmartCap Camper Shell installed on 2021 F-150

[YzermanTopShelf]

I am a long time camper shell user, and have had one on my trucks for a long time. I am a little confused though, why is this superior to you guys? My A.R.E Sportsman model can do everything the RSI can, and thats an older model from the early 2000s on my 2004 F350 CCLB 6.0 4WD 6 Speed manual. I'm not hating, I just am not seeing anything that is revolutionary. I was looking to see if they claimed it completely seals the truck bed, but I didn't see that either. I appreciate the bed replacement model, which for you guys that don't know is a copy of Norweld's "Ute Tray" as the rest of the world calls them. Norweld's is aluminum though, and very popular for the offroad market, and the Overland world.

It's a little bit frustrating though that major manufacturers are still making truck beds that have so much dead space. Depending on how this F150 Lightning is setup with the bed, we may swap it for a Norweld......

For me personally, I like the functionality of the side windows and how they fully open up (as opposed to a sliding window). The add-ons were another selling point for me; the rack which slides down for easy loading and the table that stores in the interior roof. Finally I like the looks of the RSI Smartcap.

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[xaiverson]

Did we ever get an answer if you can use the tailgate without the rear window open? Also did they come out with a better fit so the bed camera has a better picture?

 

[H4ppyB34r]

Got it installed yesterday. Looks great. Build quality is pretty impressive.

did you get the full rack or the drop down?

my truck should be here shortly, and I'm most likely doing the commercial version. i think the trop down rack is a great idea! if the cover is 220lb and the rack is another 80, that's 300lbs of PAYLOAD GONE

do you have any more pictures or videos if it working?

I talked to a guy here in Dallas that has one on his truck, and he said the vent was leaking in this past weeks torrential rain we had... Any comments on the seals and weathertightness of the thing?

 

[YzermanTopShelf]

Did we ever get an answer if you can use the tailgate without the rear window open? Also did they come out with a better fit so the bed camera has a better picture?

I have to open the rear window to open the tailgate.

The window for the bed camera lines up with the camera, but the problem I have is the window causes a reflection when trying to view the bed. You can kind of make out the bed, but it isn't any good. It isn't clear to me what would be a solution, short of removing the glass window, but then the shell isn't sealed.

Here is a photo - you just see my daughter in the truck bed along with the windows.

 

[YzermanTopShelf]

did you get the full rack or the drop down?

my truck should be here shortly, and I'm most likely doing the commercial version. i think the trop down rack is a great idea! if the cover is 220lb and the rack is another 80, that's 300lbs of PAYLOAD GONE

do you have any more pictures or videos if it working?

I talked to a guy here in Dallas that has one on his truck, and he said the vent was leaking in this past weeks torrential rain we had... Any comments on the seals and weathertightness of the thing?

I got the drop down rack. It is definitely really convenient, especially when traveling and you just need to get one thing off the top. Yeah, payload definitely takes a hit. My truck is more for fishing/camping then hauling/towing so I still have plenty of payload left over (for what I need).

I haven't had any issues with leaks and the seal has been great. We also haven't had any rain storms as serious as they had in Dallas so YMMV. Here is a pic of the rack dropped down. You may already know this - the rack only drops down on one side of the truck.

 

[Calson]

The cap on my first truck was aluminum and after that with every new truck I bought a fiberglass cap instead. The fiberglass provides insulation so anything in the bed including my dogs, camp icebox, me, etc. kept a great deal cooler.

Also no corrosion issues with fiberglass which is not the case with stainless steel. I live a few miles from the coast and wherever the salt laden air hits a vehicle there is a chance of rust, and this includes painted surfaces and chome plated parts of the truck.

I have carried hundreds of pounds on my Snugtop toppers with no problems at all. I added Thule adapters to the top sides of the shell so I could use strong Thule cross bars.

Even after 10 years the color has not faded on any of the shells I have owned over the past 35 years.

 

[people-call-me-chris]

just curious if you're still happy with the smart cap? I'm considering one - but they're $4500 at offroad alliance right now... tough decision at that steep of a price.

 

[YzermanTopShelf]

Yup, I’m still happy with mine. Solid build, great accessories and looks good.

 

[that1guy]

Sorry to bring up an old thread but I was wondering how you went about getting the third brake light to work. Mine came with a t harness but no luck getting the light to come on

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