When I bought an F-150 a couple of years ago, I knew I wanted to put a topper over the truck bed (I refuse to own a vehicle that I can鈥檛 sleep in). But traditional, hard-shell toppers are expensive, typically running between $3,000-$5,000. Also, while I camp often, I also frequently need to do truck things like hauling dirt or mulch鈥攁nd removing a hard-shell topper is a heavy, awkward, two-person job. The go-to option for truck owners in my situation has been the , a canvas shell that stretches over the truck bed and folds down like an accordion. It鈥檚 significantly less expensive than a hard top and folds away easily. I鈥檝e had the chance to use these toppers while camping with friends, and they鈥檙e great for those who want a cheap solution. But the Softopper isn鈥檛 strong enough to carry gear overhead, like paddle boards, bikes, or rooftop tents. I know I sound like Goldilocks, but is it too much to ask that a truck topper be light enough to remove solo, strong enough to hold a rooftop tent, and cheaper than a set of braces for my kids?
Fortunately, an Australian company recently introduced the (starts at $1,099), a soft-sided truck topper that might be the answer to all my problems. The WildTop has a canvas shell that zips over a strong, but light, aluminum frame. It鈥檚 a quarter of the cost of a traditional hard top, and strong enough to support a rooftop tent. I spent the last three months testing the WildTop on my F-150 to see if it could satisfy my wide-ranging requirements. There may be no 鈥渟ilver bullet鈥 topper out there, but for the most part, this Goldilocks has been very pleased with the WildTop鈥檚 performance.
How the WildTop Tested
The WildTop is essentially two separate pieces鈥攁n aluminum roof rack system that attaches to the interior of the truck bed, and a canvas cover that fits over that rack. It took me about six hours to put the entire topper together on my own. The build of the WildTop is bomber. The aluminum frame has a 770-pound static weight rating, sturdy enough to handle a rooftop tent, plus two or three adults. This is the main advantage the WildTop has over other canvas toppers. The aluminum frame also makes it possible to carry gear above the truck bed, freeing up the bed for camping, or more gear. I can load my standup paddle boards on top of the truck with the WildTop as is, and can throw a rooftop tent up there by adding inexpensive North/South bars that run the length of the topper ($200). You can鈥檛 do that with the accordion-style canvas toppers. I know a few people who have added truck bed rack systems to the outside of their canvas toppers, which solves that problem, but by that point, it鈥檚 as pricey as a hard shell.听
The 16-ounce canvas cover looks great on my truck and is heavy-duty enough to keep the elements out, as long as you zip the sides up properly. Some users have complained about other soft tops leaking, and that hasn鈥檛 been an issue with the WildTop. It rains all the time here in the Southern Appalachians, but my truck bed has stayed completely dry since installing the WildTop. I鈥檝e camped in the rain and in sub-freezing temperatures on at least three occasions, and stayed warm and dry every time.
The sides and back unzip and roll up completely in 鈥渟afari鈥 mode, giving me total access to the interior of the truck. This comes in handy when I鈥檓 camping鈥擨 don鈥檛 have to crawl inside when I鈥檓 setting up my sleeping bag and mattress鈥攁nd when I just need to reach the Wiffle ball bat that rolled to the rear of the truck bed. Having all the panels rolled up also creates a breezy basecamp situation, which is nice during the hot and muggy summer nights here in the South. When I鈥檓 camping out of my truck, I typically roll up all of the flaps and stay in 鈥渟afari鈥 mode until it鈥檚 time for bed. I tell people I do this because it makes it easy to set up camp, which is true, but mostly I do it because it looks badass.听
I had some concerns about how the WildTop would handle high speeds on the interstate; it鈥檚 a lot of canvas and I was worried there would be flappage. But once the canvas is fully attached to the frame and the back flap is Velcroed to the truck bed, it鈥檚 completely stable, even when I鈥檓 driving 85 miles per hour down the highway.听
The WildTop鈥檚 Downsides
Security is the number one issue when it comes to canvas truck toppers, and the WildTop is no exception. Hard top caps can be locked; canvas toppers cannot. In theory, I could run small cable locks connecting the zippers at the back corners of the WildTop, so a thief couldn鈥檛 unzip the flaps, but someone could still cut into the canvas with a knife. I don鈥檛 keep expensive tools in the back of my truck, and if there is expensive gear back there, I鈥檓 usually in a remote campsite and not worried about theft. But if theft is a major concern, it鈥檚 probably worth the extra cost to get a hard shell.
鈥楬onestly, there鈥檚 not much I don鈥檛 like about the WildTop. My version has black-out rear panels, which are great for privacy while camping but terrible for visibility when driving, and letting in morning light. If I ordered the topper again, I would add the front and rear window panels ($199) so there鈥檚 no loss of visibility while driving, and the North/South Ladder Rack bars to throw on a rooftop tent or a platform rack.听
Otherwise, my biggest issues are minor ones; when rolling up the sides and back of the canvas for 鈥渟afari鈥 mode, the rolled canvas is fixed into place with magnets. Sometimes it can be hard to get those magnets to bite, so I wish WildTop would have used some sort of buckle, stronger magnets, or even buttons, instead. Also, opening and closing the tailgate is a two-handed operation, because I have to move the back flap out of the way when I close the gate. I鈥檝e gotten used to it, but it鈥檚 not as easy as closing the gate with a hard-shell topper (especially when I have my hands full), where the back window is held open by hydraulic arms.
It would also be nice if the WildTop could accordion out of the way like other canvas truck caps, but because of the laws of physics, then it wouldn鈥檛 be strong enough to carry gear up top (stupid physics). But it鈥檚 easy to remove (just a handful of bolts connect it to my truck bed) and light enough to take off on my own. Clearing it from my truck bed takes maybe 15 minutes, so I can remove it on a whim when I need to do truck things on a weekend.听
Final Thoughts
All things considered, the WildTop has satisfied the majority of my needs. I鈥檝e had it on the back of my truck for several months now, and while it鈥檚 not perfect (the lack of visibility is annoying and I want the magnets to be stronger), it has allowed me to turn my truck into a weekend camper, without committing to having a topper all the time. Ultimately, I think it鈥檚 a solid option for someone looking to camp out of their truck without dropping $4,000 or more on a hard shell.听听