Rolling basecamp

WHEN MY FAMILY was considering a replacement for one of the cars in our driveway, we had our concerns with a pickupeven if the Club Cab Dodge could fit five passengers with near-carlike comfort and haul mountain bikes, ATVs and the rest of our gear in the full-sized bed with room to spare.

The trouble was with overnight fishing and camping trips, when everything in the back would be unlocked and open to the elements. And though a truck bed seemed an ideal place to stretch out and spend the night in lieu of a campsite, we knew that the ridges on the bed's floor always work through sleeping pads and bags and into one's ribs.

We went with the pickup anyway and solved the issues in an afternoon at our local RV center, where we had a bed cap and soft bedliner installed. Bed caps (or camper shells, as some call them) have been around almost as long as pickups themselves. What's new are the materials they are made from, the way they mount, and the contemporary designs that take into account form and function-designs that fit both specific pickup models and the lifestyles of the people who drive them.

Encapsulated: In your own search, you can choose from dozens of manufacturers and hundreds of styles. Among the innovators are Leer, A.R.E., Stockland, Penda and Snugtop.

Near my home down in New Orleans, at Ancona's Van Village, I took a liking to the products made by Snugtop (562/432-5454; www.snugtop.com). The company's fiberglass XV (extra visibility) Cab-Hi model (full-size: $1220) extends the bodylines of the pickup, giving it a sport/utility look. The cap also comes with an enlarged rear door and oversized, curved and screened side windows for optimum visibility, which makes it great for towing. The screened side windows and optional front slider allow cross-ventilation for people and pets bedding down in back. The interior latch release mechanism lets you open or secure the rear door from the inside.

Most bed caps can be removed without too much trouble, and the Snugtop is no exception. Its mounting system fastens to the bed rails with four hooks on either side, without drilling or marring the paint-important factors for resale value. And if I need the bed open to haul big items, it's no problem.

Padding Around: Ancona's took the bed a step further with Wise Industries' BedRug (800/462-8435; www.wiseindustries.com; fullsize: about $379). This soft bedliner is made from 7/8inch waterproof life-vest foam that is molded to fit the pickup's bed ribs and sidewalls, providing a cushioned interior. A 15-ounce marine carpet is then bonded atop the tough foam liner (it's resistant even to battery acid) to give it a custom look in many colors.

The BedRug sides zip to the liner around the perimeter of the floor to allow drainage through the zipper and out the natural holes in the truck bed. The carpeted liner is waterproof and resists gas, oil and solvents. To clean off mud and dirt, just hit it with a power washer. Also, the rug and the floor piece are installed using magnetic strips and hook-and-loop fasteners so you can remove them to clean the corners of the bed.

Tent Camps: If you don't opt for a bed cap but still want to sleep in your truck bed, take a look at Napier Enterprises' Sportz Truck Tents (800/567-2434). The polyurethane-coated nylon Sportz Tent is patterned after the popular lightweight dome-style tents and fits neatly inside the pickup's bed, with bungee cords around the outside of the bed to secure it in place. The $140 tent kit weighs less than 12 pounds and tucks behind the cab's seat when stored in its carry bag.

To soften the bed for sleeping, try a Fat Matt (800/2011980). The vinyl-covered, three-inch-thick dense-foam mattress, which sells for about $180, fits the floor of the individual pickup's bed, whether it has a bedliner or not. Or, to take the tent and soft bedliner idea one step further, try installing Sport Masters' (800/962-7804) Camp-along vinyl tonneau cover with a soft bedliner. Sport Masters' soft tonneau cover ($699) raises like a conventional tonneau cover but is designed so the Camp-along tent can be zipped in place.

With my choices of the Snugtop bed cap and the BedRug liner kit, I've given my pickup a big boost in versatility without diminishing its ability to haul any kind of cargo. You can bet I have no regrets in going with a pickup. ss

Copyright Hearst Magazines Apr 1999
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