Diamondback vs ARE topper

Penguin VII · July 1, 2018

I'm trying to decide on the route I want to take for a bed cover and am looking for feedback. I'm narrowed it down to two options, a diamondback HD or an ARE Z/CX series topper. My main use of the truck doesn't often need to haul things that are oversized, or have an open bed so I'm really ok with either option, just trying to pro/cons it because of the high cost.

My needs are basically wanting additional storage for things that are and tend to get dirty but that I want stored in the back of the truck often or at certain events. One of the big things is camping/range trips. Sometimes my buddies and I will take road trips from NH to VT to go shooting with a buddy or whatever. When we do we have about 3-4 guys in the truck, plus a bunch of gear in the bed and guns (in cases) and ammo. Security is a concern which makes me think twice about the ARE as it's made of fiberglass and has windows. My thought is that if the windows aren't dark enough from the factory I can have them tinted darker.

Diamondback seems clearly more secure but you lose out on the additional storage you could have because it's a tonneau and not a topper. A potential secondary thought is that if I get the topper I may look into getting a decked system or doing a DIY system in the future, I'm not sure that the diamondback cover is really suited for that since you'd lose so much bed realestate.

Generally just looking for feedback for anyone that uses their truck for outdoors/hunting/camping/shooting/etc. and has a tonneau or topper that can share any feedback on why they think its a cool call vs not. Especially interested in any feedback from hunters/shooters on their choice of topper/tonneau and why.

Thanks for the feedback all, hopefully this will help me narrow and pick soon.

jwc10400 · July 1, 2018

Sound like personal opinion when it comes to the style of cover you want but Diamondback is top notch!!!! I’ve been through numerous covers and will buy a Diamondback for any future truck I own!!!! I have a 270 which gives you the two side opening front hatches. I use mine for hunting primarily and have zero complaints. In fact, since you Mentioned loosing space, I strap my coolers and tree stands right to be top for my hunting trips.

diyer2 · July 1, 2018

Don't do fiberglass.

They have cleaner lines and look better but will not hold up as long structurally as an ARE Commercial.

Bed flex at the tailgate ruins a fiberglass topper. They spread or open up at the tail gate.

I have 2 friends with glass tops that the back door will not close properly because the back is falling apart.

Until I found and bought ARE commercials for my tools being a carpenter/handyman I wasted money.

I have had 2 ARE Commercial toppers.

One was on my old work truck for over 20 years.

Never a structural problem, just replaced the gas door openers.

I have one now on my 2012.

I will not own anything else.

Strong aluminum welded frame.

More secure than any other type IMO.

The full length side doors helps with access.

My 2012 painted to match was $1800 in Denver.

Look here for info https://www.suburbantoppers.com/product/a-r-e-deluxe-commercial-unit-dcu/

My old truck and my 2012. The blue cap on my 93 had a ladder rack on top.

Jon A · July 1, 2018

15 hours ago, Penguin VII said:

Generally just looking for feedback for anyone that uses their truck for outdoors/hunting/camping/shooting/etc. and has a tonneau or topper that can share any feedback on why they think its a cool call vs not. Especially interested in any feedback from hunters/shooters on their choice of topper/tonneau and why.

I do a lot of that type of stuff and can show you what I did to give you some ideas. I wouldn't have been able to survive without this setup the last four years.

For me a tonneau wouldn't have been nearly enough room, so I went with a topper (Snugtop). One issue with a topper is how hard it is to get stuff in and out, to utilize the front cargo space especially since my knees object to lots of kneeling and crawling on them. So I added a Cargoglide. Here are a few pics:

Loading up some elk quarters:

Works at the track as well:

And firewood is still doable:

I use the heck out of those foldable/stackable totes to pile gear into, they can be arranged for whatever activity I'm doing and I can bring extras folded up. To keep things from moving around I cut a bedrug to fit and use Cargo Logic velcro organizers. The bedrug also helps on the knees when you want to crawl in there.

Security-wise I feel pretty good about it--as good as the interior of the truck, anyway. If somebody wants to smash a window, break a hatch or door of course they can, if somebody wants your stuff bad enough they're going to get it. But that's a pretty big leap from just grabbing something out of an open bed and walking off. The windows on the Snugtop are basically limo-tinted so you pretty much need to shine a flashlight into it to see what's there. When I'm at a match I'll typically leave $10K+ worth of competition rifle and gear in the motel parking lot over night. Of course the matches I go to typically aren't near inner-city high-crime areas. They wired the hatch to lock/unlock with the key fob same as the doors so it's seamless.

I wired the factory, extra set of factory and extra set of aftermarket bed lights to the OEM cargo lamp of the topper which goes direct to battery, so anytime you open the hatch, all the lights are on and it's really easy to see your stuff in the dark. There's a kill switch on the light so if you want to leave the hatch open all day it won't drain the battery (I also have dual batteries so I don't need to fret over such things quite as much).

The biggest downside I'd say is the weight--a cargoglide strong enough to handle 1500 lbs of firewood, etc, is one heavy sucker. So if you are going to tow a big trailer long distances you might want to yank it out before you leave if you're worried about the sticker police. If you aren't ever going to haul something that heavy you can choose a lighter aluminum model.

Hopefully that gives you some ideas.

Penguin VII · July 2, 2018

@diyer2 I thought about those caps but I just can't do the look of them. I probably care too much but I'll blame the fact I'm a product designer. I haven't heard of caps spreading like that before so I'll have to look into it. My uncle has had caps on his last two trucks without issue for 10+ years. Maybe a bad brand or mold? I'll have to dig more online to see how widespread the problem is.

@Jon A Man that is amazing. I've been leaning toward a setup like that. I wish the cargoglide was a bit wider, it kills me you "lose" the space left and right and I'm sure that I don't really need it, but considering the topper is helping gain space above I'd hate to lose the space on the side so it can maintain it's glide.

I was originally thinking of buying a decked system with the topper, so I would still have a flat full width and the full drawers for guns and gear. I saw some photos online with tacoma guys who have a truckvault with full width custom sized cargoglide over the top. That may be the best of every world as it's insanely secure storage + full width bed (minus whatever inches is needed for clearance).

Also wondering if it's really needed. If I go with an are cx cap with the opening windows it may be overkill to get a cargoglide as well. Trying to balance this all with the fact that cargoglides, truck vaults and toppers aren't cheap. That whole setup is gonna run prob 7-8k after all said and done, and I'm just not sure it's worth the extra cost at the moment, or ever. I suppose I could save myself a grand by not getting the XL, but the sliding the full way out is real nice. I also sad some install instructions for a cargoglide over a decked, so that may be something to look into as that setup is about 5k.

I compare all that to the diamondback which is sub 2k and it starts to become a different story. Less functionality for sure but also less than half the cheaper topper setup. Decisions, decisions.

diyer2 · July 2, 2018

Too each their own.

The commercial ARE caps are strong.

I'll take reliability over looks any day.

It's your money.

Donstar · July 2, 2018

On 6/30/2018 at 9:44 PM, Penguin VII said:

I'm trying to decide on the route I want to take for a bed cover and am looking for feedback. I'm narrowed it down to two options, a diamondback HD or an ARE Z/CX series topper. My main use of the truck doesn't often need to haul things that are oversized, or have an open bed so I'm really ok with either option, just trying to pro/cons it because of the high cost.

Another option is a canopy with strong storage inside. I find that the GM bed mat is easy on the knees.

aseibel · July 2, 2018

I don't have or want a topper because I like having my bed open. I use the back seat of my crew cab for secure storage, guns, etc. Then the bed is available for hauling the deer.

But that said, I hunt with my dad and his old truck. He has a '94 dodge with a topper. He has the side windows that flip up. I really like that, and I would get those if I went that route.

He built a shelf across the front 1/3 of the bed that can store the guns, and smaller items. Then the bed is open for the full length. I agree about the space you lose on the sides with that slide out tray. I would rather crawl in to grab things, than have one of those.

I think if I was in your shoes I would just go for the fiberglass topper. They are pretty functional. And if you are happy with the way it looks, go for it. As for long term reliability- my dad's had his topper on for 20 years with no structural problems.

Jon A · July 2, 2018

8 hours ago, Penguin VII said:

Man that is amazing. I've been leaning toward a setup like that. I wish the cargoglide was a bit wider, it kills me you "lose" the space left and right and I'm sure that I don't really need it, but considering the topper is helping gain space above I'd hate to lose the space on the side so it can maintain it's glide.

Yeah, it is difficult to use the space on the sides. The cargoglide is 4' wide so you could still stack plywood on it, etc, but obviously it has to fit between the wheelwells. I'm currently using some of that space for extra gas, etc, but much is wasted.

When I figure out the best way to do it, my plan is to fit the cargo boxes from either the Titan XD or the 2019 GM's to the sides. There will be some cutting involved (especially with the GM ones) if it's even possible at all, but that would make good use of that space. A couple of the totes I carry around most of the time have things like tow ropes, tire chains, ball mounts, torque wrench, etc, that would fit in side boxes like that giving me more space for cargo. I'm not sure I can pull it off, but I do want to try one of these days.

On fiberglass toppers not being durable, I've never heard that either and have seen many quite old, used hard ones that are still in great shape. I know when I was shopping for mine, there were some available at less than 1/2 the price of my Snugtop, there may be a "you get what you pay for" aspect to it.

On leaving the bed open and not using a topper at all, the final nail the the coffin for me was the first match I went to after buying the truck. The back seat was so stuffed with all my gear I could barely close the doors and couldn't recline my seat. Besides fear of theft, it also rained the whole drive there, and snowed the drive back. So my big, beautiful 6.5' bed was useless the entire time. That did it for me....

Penguin VII · July 4, 2018

On 7/2/2018 at 6:02 PM, Jon A said:

On leaving the bed open and not using a topper at all, the final nail the the coffin for me was the first match I went to after buying the truck. The back seat was so stuffed with all my gear I could barely close the doors and couldn't recline my seat. Besides fear of theft, it also rained the whole drive there, and snowed the drive back. So my big, beautiful 6.5' bed was useless the entire time. That did it for me....

Thats pretty much where I'm at now. Although not a daily occurrence every weekend at the range or weekends hunting and I end up loading all my gear into the truck cab, making a few stops at wally for ammo and supplies, then to meet up with the guys and load shooting stands and such, then range time and reverse. Hunting season is same and even though its usually only me driving to wherever I'm going we sometimes consolidate trucks on the way or once we get to the destination, which means a lot of moving stuff around.

Still back and forth on this. I did find that decked supplies instructions for mounting a cargoglide on top of a decked system. Even though it's max load is "only" 1k lbs it's likely more than I need and would save me a solid 3-4k over a truckvault and larger cargoglide system.

Guess I need to figure out what I actually carry, what I want to carry and more importantly whats overkill. The last part is hard.

jwc10400 · July 6, 2018

On 7/1/2018 at 5:19 PM, Jon A said:

I do a lot of that type of stuff and can show you what I did to give you some ideas. I wouldn't have been able to survive without this setup the last four years.

For me a tonneau wouldn't have been nearly enough room, so I went with a topper (Snugtop). One issue with a topper is how hard it is to get stuff in and out, to utilize the front cargo space especially since my knees object to lots of kneeling and crawling on them. So I added a Cargoglide. Here are a few pics:

Loading up some elk quarters:

Works at the track as well:

And firewood is still doable:

I use the heck out of those foldable/stackable totes to pile gear into, they can be arranged for whatever activity I'm doing and I can bring extras folded up. To keep things from moving around I cut a bedrug to fit and use Cargo Logic velcro organizers. The bedrug also helps on the knees when you want to crawl in there.

Security-wise I feel pretty good about it--as good as the interior of the truck, anyway. If somebody wants to smash a window, break a hatch or door of course they can, if somebody wants your stuff bad enough they're going to get it. But that's a pretty big leap from just grabbing something out of an open bed and walking off. The windows on the Snugtop are basically limo-tinted so you pretty much need to shine a flashlight into it to see what's there. When I'm at a match I'll typically leave $10K+ worth of competition rifle and gear in the motel parking lot over night. Of course the matches I go to typically aren't near inner-city high-crime areas. They wired the hatch to lock/unlock with the key fob same as the doors so it's seamless.

I wired the factory, extra set of factory and extra set of aftermarket bed lights to the OEM cargo lamp of the topper which goes direct to battery, so anytime you open the hatch, all the lights are on and it's really easy to see your stuff in the dark. There's a kill switch on the light so if you want to leave the hatch open all day it won't drain the battery (I also have dual batteries so I don't need to fret over such things quite as much).

The biggest downside I'd say is the weight--a cargoglide strong enough to handle 1500 lbs of firewood, etc, is one heavy sucker. So if you are going to tow a big trailer long distances you might want to yank it out before you leave if you're worried about the sticker police. If you aren't ever going to haul something that heavy you can choose a lighter aluminum model.

Hopefully that gives you some ideas.

Looks like you and I need to be hunting buddies.

Pacman929 · October 6, 2018

Late to the party, but here's what is did.

Cargoslide, with lo max cover.

The cargo slide deck can be replaced if needed for far cheaper that most competitors. The usable space is 90% of usable bed space, the ease of use makes up for lost 10%.

Lo max tri fold has not leaked once, and locks tight. One person can remove if taller items are halled and space is needed. Even fits in bed after removing, if unplanned items are added.

The two allow for my artic and yeti coolers to fit under bed cover. Cargoslide is 1.8 to 3 inches lower profile than competition.

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