Truck Camper Shells
Truck camper shells are also known by other names, like topper or truck topper or cap or truck cap or pickup truck caps.
They are generally all rigid framed enclosures that set on top of a trucks bed. The height is usually about the same height as the actual top of the truck cab. There are variations in this design height though.
The materials they are made of can vary from wood (usually fir)to metal. The most common material these days is fiberglass or aluminum. These truck camper shells are not only used for camping.
Many people who originally bought a truck cap to use while camping have found out that they work great as a way to securely store equipment, tools or just about anything else that will fit. Some units come with windows that are great for camping but if storing valuable equipment, you would be better served by placing curtains over the windows or simply blacking them out.
As mentioned above most camper shells go jut to the back of the truck cab but there are units that extend over the top of the cab too. The longest even extend slightly over the front windshield of the truck. When the height of the camper shell is above the top of the truck cab, your vehicles mileage will go way, way down. The wind resistance does make that much difference. There are deflector shields that you cam mount in front of the camper shell to reduce the wind resistance. These look like the deflector shields you see on the top of tractor/trailer rigs.
There are also some soft sided truck caps that are made by having support rails that run from side to side and then covering the rails in a soft material like canvas. On the downside, these are not as secure as a hard sided truck camper shell. But then again, on the plus side is that these generally a lot less money than their hard sided counterparts.
Truck camper shells should be permanently attached to the truck. At freeway speeds the pressure can be enough to lift the shell off the truck is not mounted properly. All camper shell manufacturers have instructions on the proper methods of installing their products. If you happen to find a used truck topper then you can usually find the suggested mounting directions online.
