Product Reviews : A.R.E. Truck Caps and Tonneau Covers

The service when I visited and ordered this cap for our new truck was commendable, and the attention that the folks at Cross Country Campers paid during the installation was excellent (Yes, I was frequently in the back bay where it was being installed and I can attest to this personally). I've got decades of experience with sensitive marine system installations and am very picky by nature, and I was quite pleased with their efforts. The construction of this cap was very good, and the quality of the paint job met my expectations. I tested out how easy it is to step up on the lowered tailgate while the rear hatch of the cap is open, and was very pleased that the fact it opens almost vertically allows me to easily squat (or carefully stand up) on the tailgate. There are a few minor "fit and finish" items (namely rear hatch metal frame ends and rubber gasket fitment, and most notably a rivet that was installed very poorly) that I need to remediate, but overall I'm quite pleased with my new cap. This is the first pick-up truck I've ever owned, and the cap does complement it very well as I'd hoped. Whereas there are a few areas on the very bottom of the cap exterior sides where the fiberglass edge could have been finished off slightly better, these are fairly minor given that the finish and paint job on the overall cap is really nice and matches the truck even when viewed from different angles in shade and direct sunlight. I can't say it would be considered "perfect" with respect to exact fit and detailed finish by someone who wanted to show their vehicle for competition, but I don't believe that anyone who uses their vehicle for what 99% of us do would have any legitimate gripe. The window construction and installation on the cap is very good, and even though I've only had it home for a few hours at this point, I've examined very carefully and am confident that this is a sound investment that will allow us to carry whatever we need during our upcoming travels securely (and dryly!) in the back of our truck while also nicely complementing its overall appearance. Oops...almost forgot...when I was driving home after refueling following the cap installation this afternoon I achieved 21.6 mpg - not bad for a 6.7L FX4 diesel crew cab! :-)