Why do old guys buy toppers/shells for their trucks?

[JMapleton]

I've never seen a young guy, that I can remember, who had one of these on their truck:

What do they use them for and why does it seem only old guys (50+) have them?

 

[zerocool84]

I've never seen a young guy, that I can remember, who had one of these on their truck:

What do they use them for and why does it seem only old guys (50+) have them?

Umm so you can store things in there and lock them up without easily getting stolen. It's not that hard to figure out why something like that would be useful to someone.

 

[JMapleton]

Umm so you can store things in there and lock them up without easily getting stolen. It's not that hard to figure out why something like that would be useful to someone.

But why is it only old guys? I only see old guys with these.

I even ran this idea by an old guy at work today and although he said he hates those truck toppers, he agreed with me that it's almost exclusively old guys who have them?

 

[herm0016]

they care about practicality over looks?

i think they are very practical. but i do not have room to store one and have a slide in camper.

 

[Brigandier]

I've never seen a young guy, that I can remember, who had one of these on their truck:

What do they use them for and why does it seem only old guys (50+) have them?

Young guys buy trucks for all the cool things they may need it for, old people buy it for the things they need it for and realize that being able to store/transport goods in a waterproof manner is quite practical.

 

[Nightrainsrt4]

A few of my friends have them, but all my friends are pretty geeky, so we might as well be old guys, haha.

I've seen some that make the truck look nearly like an SUV. Makes the topper not look so disjoint. But I definitely see the use in one of those. I would use it far more than one of those tonneau covers. Well maybe the ones with the hydraulic lift would be okay, but some of the others just look tedious to use.

 

[coldmeat]

My dad had one on his truck for years. He had a '92 Sierra for about 18 years, and he had a cap exactly like that one on it. It was a work truck and he kept tools, ladders, material, etc in it. It basically kept snow out of it so he didn't have to shovel it out every morning.

 

[punjabiplaya]

get off my lawn = get out of my truck bed?

 

[SooperDave]

When you get 50+ you aren't too interested in loading big heavy shit anymore.

 

[ChaiBabbaChai]

It's because young guys are still trying to impress people, and one way to do that is to buy a car as a status symbol. Old guys do it too sometimes if they never did it when they were younger. Most likely because they went to a preppy college straight out of high school and studied diligently. Trucks are useful for the college drop-out manual laborer type guys. But, like I said, they also want to impress people, so they care more about the style than the function.

Old guys with the camper shell usually have a solid career, and are more mature in that they know they have to devote their entire lives to their career in order to survive. And they are usually married or have given up, so they aren't trying to impress any ladies.

The guy at your job might have just been agreeing with you because you were at work. But, probably not because you're right, campers look lame. That's how America works. Anything practical looks lame to immature dudes. Anything ridiculous is SO SICK! It's a pretty simple observation to figure out.

 

[jlee]

I had one on my Tacoma. It was great in the winter because I could carry stuff without it getting snowed on.

 

[Howard]

You wouldn't need one if you didn't put anything in the back.

 

[jlee]

You wouldn't need one if you didn't put anything in the back.

True. However, if I didn't put anything in the back, I wouldn't need a truck.

Btw, my Tundra is for sale.

 

[ChaiBabbaChai]

You wouldn't need one if you didn't put anything in the back.

and then you wouldn't need a truck if you didn't put anything in the back...

 

[Howard]

and then you wouldn't need a truck if you didn't put anything in the back...

So basically, I would pretty pleased if every truck had one (except for those guys that pack flat stock on the A-frames; those are pretty tall). My dad had one on his Chevy 1500 when he was working as a general contractor, and it was damn useful.

 

[pcgeek11]

Because young guys are stupid and like to have their shit get stolen and wet. Usually because mom and dad bought their shit and they don't care



Signed an old guy.

 

[ric0chet06]

I'm 21, i got one on my ram and love it. All my coworkers/friends have them too. It's been raining here pretty much every day for the past 3-4 weeks and are priceless this time of year.

 

[mwmorph]

My friend in 25 and has one on this old tacoma. Here it's a necessity for the weather. Either cover it up, or have it snow in your truck bed for 6 months and then dig out 4 feet of snow come april, while not being able to use it from October to April.

It's not sexy but it makes a hell of a lot of sense if you actually use your truck. For example, camping in Alaska, have fun using wet ammo, gear, weapons and to a lesser extent tools and fuel cans.

 

[boomerang]

Because young guys are stupid and like to have their shit get stolen and wet. Usually because mom and dad bought their shit and they don't care



Signed an old guy.

We have a winnar!!! The added reason is that mom and dad drew the line at paying for the topper.

 

[Fenixgoon]

so the shit you're hauling doesn't fly out of your bed at 65mph and hit another car (or at the very least, litter the ground).

 

[skull]

So if the covers are so useful why not just buy a cargo van?

I think the old guys are still going for a certain look but that look is ugly.

 

[GasX]

Is "Topper" a local term or a stupid phrase coined by the OP? Where I grew up, they were always called caps.

 

[Vic Vega]

But why is it only old guys? I only see old guys with these.

Really?

 

[Vic Vega]

Is "Topper" a local term or a stupid phrase coined by the OP? Where I grew up, they were always called caps.

Topper, cap, camper shell, shell. I've heard all of these used. I believe one of the larger manufacturers has "top" in their name.

 

[AMCRambler]

I used to think guys that drove trucks with caps were old. Now I'm 30 and they don't look that old to me anymore!

I've been thinking about buying a truck for a while now and was debating getting one with a cap. The nice thing about is you can put stuff in the back and if it rains it all stays dry. The locking feature is nice too but if they want to get in, the crappy lock on the cap isn't going to stop them.