I have a 07 Ranger XLT 4cyl/5spd
Can't decide on a shell or tonneau
A guy at work has the power sliding tonneau which is pretty cool, but the price is $$$

 

tonneau hands down..

cant haul as much but IMO they look cleaner and better..

 

IMO i would get a shell/topper/cap you can haul alot without any problem and they do look pretty good on the trucks

 

booo old man toppers get tonnue cover

 

live in San francisco area
basically bought the truck as a commuter but can't do too much with it
around here especially in the winter
lots of fog and rain

 

i would get the shell

 

You gotta look at many of the aspects of both types, it may be better to write something up of the pros and cons of both types and then decide which one you really like/want.

caps are pretty expensive, especially the color matched ones. where as a soft top is cheap, and I personally like them better, they do off minimal security, and not as much dry storage. but they look better imho. where as a cap keeps all ur stuff dry and u can (if your willing of course) modify the cap locking mechanism to lock the tailgate as well so that the bed is pretty secure. Thats another option.

Also, dont forget, you will losee some line of sight around your truck while driving, and a cap will only make blind spots worse/create new ones. Thats something else to consider. Now being in such a large city, and since its just a commuting vehical, the security and the extra dry space provided by a cap could be a better solution than a soft cover or even a hard flat cover.

 

t-cover that thing!

 

tonneau... you can still use your rear view mirror without having to look through the cap...

ive never had any water problems with my tonneau so keeping stuff dry shouldnt be an issue unless you get a really cheap one...

 

Get a soft t-cover. You can roll them up when you need the bed and still hide stuff when you need to.

 

I would get a tonneau cover. Mine is water tight, and IMO looks great!

 

The biggest downfall for me and a shell is keeping the rear cab windows clean. Anyone have a trick for that?

 

As far as cleaning between the cap and cab I use a thick sponge that I stuck a stick through. I like having the cap because it keeps me from getting a ton of garbage in the bed. I had a soft tonneau on my last truck (till I switched to a cap) and it was a PITA in the winter. My cap was about $800 from Lakeland, but I think they are mostly in WI. They were the least expensive fiberglass cap and I like the looks of it. Fibreglass tonneaus werent that much cheaper. With the cap, you are limited in what you can fit through the back. The first day I had mine I tried rolling a motorcycle in it and I had to lay the bike down (it was a junker anyway though) Looking through 2 extra pieces of glass can be difficult at night but you get used to it.

Either way has its advantages and disadvantages basically.

 

Tonneau Cover hands down. The new ones keep your bed pretty darn dry, and they roll up to get out of the way. A decent one is about $400 give or take.

Hit me up if you decide in a tonneau, I will give you a deal and make sure you are happy

 

If you want looks go with a tonneau , they also have no blind spots . Had one on my old truck . Its also not as heavy cuz a camper is going to slow down that 4 banger.

If looks are not an issue get the camper shell. They are much more functional and for me its best cuz you can sleep back there instead of a tent . I have a vision high rise camper shell and i love it . It was only like 800 dollars , less then 1,000 out the door with carpet light sliding windows all around .It is the tallest shell made for a ranger its about 6 inches above the cab and others are 4 inches . high rise makes getting stuff in and out MUCH easier but its ugly as hell. One good thing is cops think u must be 70 years old and never look at me with my camper shell. I have horrible blind spot on the driver side so i use a circle mirror i'm total used to it cuz my work truck is even worse . I can still use the rear view aswell.

The weight in the back of a tonneau or shell really improves traction and ride . or atleast it did on my old s10 and my ranger

 

taunno?