What are truck caps and why are they useful?

Not all truck owners know about them, but truck caps (and their close cousin the truck cover) can be particularly useful around Barrie, Mississauga, and Scarborough. There are actually several different kinds of truck cap and cover and they’re each good for different kinds of tasks. Truck caps can multiply the usefulness of your truck.

Truck caps

Truck caps are large shells that are placed over the bed of your truck, made of fiberglass. The most obvious benefit of the cap is that it protects your truck from the elements. Snow, water and wind: they all can wreak havoc on items that are kept in your truck bed, particularly if the items aren’t otherwise protected and secured. If you’re transporting anything that you don’t want to be exposed to water or expensive equipment that can fit under the cap and that you don’t want exposed to wind, a cap can help you drive safely.

Caps can also give you an added sense of safety. Whereas an open bed requires someone to constantly keep an eye on it to make sure passers-by don’t swipe whatever is in it, a cap can be firmly locked in place, securing whatever is inside. The only drawback to this kind of cap, really, is that it gives you a height limitation in what can be placed in the bed.

Truck caps are particularly useful for long trips where you need a lot of gear and need it to be safe. Long camping or hunting trips, for instance, are ideal situations to have a truck cap. Not only can you be sure that your gear will be safe, if anything goes wrong the bed of your truck can even be used as an emergency shelter.

When comparing truck caps to a truck cover, truck caps are more water resistant since it’s enclosed and sits on top of the truck bed. A couple more additional benefits of a truck cap is you have customization options and the paint will match the colour of your truck.

Truck covers

Truck covers tend to be made of either canvas or plastic and lie flat over the top of your truck bed. They can be simply extended over the bed, rolled up, or folded up, depending on the make and model. They’re easier to handle than a full truck cap but provide less water resistance as they’re often made of soft material.

Truck caps require, however, more effort to install and uninstall from your truck. For quicker trips, sometimes a cover rather than a cap is your best bet.

Essentially there are 2 different kinds of truck covers: a soft and a hard cover. The most popular choice is the hard cover which provides more security over a soft cover. When selecting a truck cover, always go with what works best with your needs, situation and budget.

Hitch City is your resource for truck accessories in the Greater Toronto Area.

Contact us today for more information about which kind of truck cap is right for you or visit us in one of our three locations