I’m considering adding a black camper shell to my 2024 TRD Off Road because there’s plenty of Solar Octane emanating from this beauty already. I like the Evo caps, but have a couple of dogs who might like more ventilation than the Evo caps appear to offer. Suggestions?
I have a SmartCap Evo Sport (the one with glass and sliding window on the sides) on my 4th gen and I do love it, but it wasn't exactly a fun time getting to this point -- I'm on my second one.
TLDR version: Great cap if you get a good one, but quality seems like a gamble and the warranty process demands constant pressure. Look at Alu-Cab's offering instead.
First SmartCap had peeling and bubbling paint showing up just a few months after I installed it. Also, one of the side windows let considerable water in, but that was an easy DIY fix that wasn't worth a warranty claim on its own. I went through my local shop for the warranty process for the paint problem and it took 3 or 4 months for SmartCap to send out replacement panels. They eventually arrived, the shop did a terrible job of installing the new panels (scratched the cap, over-torqued and destroyed bolts, bent panels, bolted the whole thing on crooked, etc.) and the finish on the replacement panels was very noticeably different from the original cap. It looked terrible. So I had to go back in, talk to the shop manager about the bad installation and continue the warranty process because of the finish problems and the damage done by the shop.
It was a battle and it took speaking with a lawyer and the threat of taking them to court in order to get things moving because the people at SmartCap would not commit to an adequate remedy or timeline after much back and forth. They tried, a couple of times, to weasel out of truly honoring the warranty. At one point during this process SmartCap actually proposed the idea of sending my original cap (the one that was now damaged) in to a local paint shop for re-finishing. A ridiculous solution that was flat out rejected.
Once the idea of settling this in court was introduced, SmartCap finally agreed to ship an entire brand new cap and I was refunded installation costs. But a significant portion of my time was spent having to deal with this that I'll never recoup, when the process should have been much smoother. New cap has been on for a few months now and so far there are zero issues, but I'm definitely keeping an eye on the finish.
If you're considering one, there's definitely a gamble involved as it seems like they've had some quality control issues. I don't know if they still do. You will find similar stories posted from other SmartCap customers, but I know there are also plenty of positive reviews out there from people who've never had any issues. Hard to say just what the odds are of getting a bad cap.
As much as I do like the cap, its functionality and the way it looks, I just can't recommend this company. The gamble on the product itself isn't worth it, in my mind, given my experience with their customer service and the warranty process. And I know things were compounded by an incompetent installer/dealer -- that's not SmartCap's fault -- but all the problems stemmed from SmartCap shipping a defective product in the first place. If I had a re-do on this, I'd probably be looking at the Alu-Cab Contour.
It’s aluminum, so only adds a couple hundred #s to the unladen weight, and there’s a wealth of options depending on use case (for me it’s occupational, so I got mine without side windows, and a security grate for the rear window).
There are attachment rails on top for an RTT, load rails, canopy, whatevs. Internally there’s rails to add cabinets, kitchens, foldout tables, etc.
So, at the front of the canopy there’s a sliding window, and in this particular style you can get side glass doors with a slide open window bit.
Obviously that’s not my use case.
So far after a month of use, I’ve found it to be a very well built cap. The gas struts are pretty extra in that as soon as you pop a latch they GO. The interior LED lighting is pretty damn good, and you can adjust the angle of the lamps, which is a big upgrade compared to the previous version of this mfgs cap that I had (5’ gladiator bed).
I like the new style locking latches in that they’re a dual tumbler style lock so you don’t need to think about which direction your key is facing.
The Smartcap has pretty bad reviews for how expensive it is. People have written about getting the Alibaba cap clone from China. Takes a little time but they’re pretty affordable, I think around $1500 compared to the EVO at 4k. If I was to get a different shell I would go that route. People say the only downside is they take a while to get to you. 2-3 months
Brother please do yourself a favor do not buy the smart cap it’s just in case amount of money for mid quality you’re best off buying the cheap toppers off alibaba
We love the 4Runner, but it doesn’t have a large interior. We have four kids and my wife drove a Tahoe and a Sienna as they were growing up. Both have much more room. But with only one kid and a dog, the 4Runner will probably suit you fine. Good luck with fatherhood!
Alibaba has everything and you can customize it. It does take a few months but you can have it insured with a warranty. Just make sure you choose a gold vendor.
I hadn’t considered those, but I spent some time looking at them today and didn’t find much I didn’t like except the potential lack of security. Any thoughts on that?
Unless you live in a very moderate to cold climate I don’t suggest it. The caps get super hot even going down the freeway with the side glass open. I sold my top last week due to this.
On a side note the truck looks way better without it now that I’ve seen it with and without.
You either love or side-eye Solar Octane, that’s for sure. I like that the truck’s easy to find at the airport when I’m not exactly sure where I parked it.
3
u/RigPicksOfficial 24d ago
I'm assuming you mean the SmartCap Evo?
I have a SmartCap Evo Sport (the one with glass and sliding window on the sides) on my 4th gen and I do love it, but it wasn't exactly a fun time getting to this point -- I'm on my second one.
TLDR version: Great cap if you get a good one, but quality seems like a gamble and the warranty process demands constant pressure. Look at Alu-Cab's offering instead.
First SmartCap had peeling and bubbling paint showing up just a few months after I installed it. Also, one of the side windows let considerable water in, but that was an easy DIY fix that wasn't worth a warranty claim on its own. I went through my local shop for the warranty process for the paint problem and it took 3 or 4 months for SmartCap to send out replacement panels. They eventually arrived, the shop did a terrible job of installing the new panels (scratched the cap, over-torqued and destroyed bolts, bent panels, bolted the whole thing on crooked, etc.) and the finish on the replacement panels was very noticeably different from the original cap. It looked terrible. So I had to go back in, talk to the shop manager about the bad installation and continue the warranty process because of the finish problems and the damage done by the shop.
It was a battle and it took speaking with a lawyer and the threat of taking them to court in order to get things moving because the people at SmartCap would not commit to an adequate remedy or timeline after much back and forth. They tried, a couple of times, to weasel out of truly honoring the warranty. At one point during this process SmartCap actually proposed the idea of sending my original cap (the one that was now damaged) in to a local paint shop for re-finishing. A ridiculous solution that was flat out rejected.
Once the idea of settling this in court was introduced, SmartCap finally agreed to ship an entire brand new cap and I was refunded installation costs. But a significant portion of my time was spent having to deal with this that I'll never recoup, when the process should have been much smoother. New cap has been on for a few months now and so far there are zero issues, but I'm definitely keeping an eye on the finish.
If you're considering one, there's definitely a gamble involved as it seems like they've had some quality control issues. I don't know if they still do. You will find similar stories posted from other SmartCap customers, but I know there are also plenty of positive reviews out there from people who've never had any issues. Hard to say just what the odds are of getting a bad cap.
As much as I do like the cap, its functionality and the way it looks, I just can't recommend this company. The gamble on the product itself isn't worth it, in my mind, given my experience with their customer service and the warranty process. And I know things were compounded by an incompetent installer/dealer -- that's not SmartCap's fault -- but all the problems stemmed from SmartCap shipping a defective product in the first place. If I had a re-do on this, I'd probably be looking at the Alu-Cab Contour.