Most of the equipment at the Overland Expo in Colorado I attended two weeks ago was a little over the top for my tastes — I don’t need a $70,000 teardrop trailer nor a $700,000 Storyteller GVX Epic, basically a tiny house built on a Kenworth chassis.
I had a practical reason for attending, however. I want to add a truck topper to my Ford Ranger and needed to find a dealer.
I bought my truck in 2021 and at that time, assumed my only option was a body-colored fiberglass topper. That’s been the standard truck-topper move for a couple of decades, but before I spend a few grand, I do my research.
I turned to YouTube, where I was overwhelmed by videos of overland rigs — high-clearance teardrops or lofty roof-top tents I fear might feel like riding out a nor’easter atop a flagpole when rough weather hits.
What I learned watching countless hours of overlander videos is that the hobby came of age in the outback of Australia and in South Africa. In those countries, midsize pickups are the vehicle of choice for overlanders, supplanting the Land Rovers of old.
Half-ton trucks, like F-150s and GM’s 1500 twins, which became family vehicles in the U.S. in the last 20 years, are not sold in most overseas markets. So these bushwhackers drive Rangers and Tacomas, or Toyota’s less-polished midsize pickup, the Hilux.
GM’s midsize pickups have also picked up a following, as has the Jeep Gladiator, though this larger truck is a midsize class of its own.
The biggest overlanding innovation came from South Africa: metal truck toppers, or canopies as they are known there. With the kind of abuse these overlanders doled out chasing wildebeest, and the heavy gear and tents strapped atop these rigs, fiberglass wasn’t considered tough enough.
I’m not bashing fiberglass toppers, which are a good option. The overlanders I’m talking about are users who push their rigs beyond the limits of a weekend camping trip.
The metal canopies also come with some innovations I haven’t seen on fiberglass toppers. One of the most important is positive air pressure inside the canopy to limit dust intrusion. Most of the metal canopies I’ve considered have some sort of vent or scoop that forces air inside the canopy, boosting pressure.
My Ranger, for instance, has one of the sloppiest seals around the tailgate of any truck I’ve owned, including my first vehicle, a 1972 Datsun pickup. Calling my Ranger’s tailgate gap a seal is kind of a joke. I can almost fit my fingers through the dust-sucking gap.
A few of these canopies are available in the U.S., including the stainless-steel SmartCap. For my Ranger they run about 180 pounds, which is about the same weight as a fiberglass topper.
SmartCap originated in South Africa and in 2023 started shipping units from a new factory in Texas.
SmartCaps come in five pieces that are bolted together. You can have it shipped directly to you and assemble and install it yourself. Installation takes four people.
Alu-Cab is another South African company establishing a foothold in America. These canopies are made with heavy-gauge aluminum that doesn’t need interior framing like the commercial aluminum toppers long available here.
An Alu-Cab canopy for a midsize crew cab weighs about 120 pounds.
Unfortunately, there is no Alu-Cab canopy for my 2021 Ranger, which is based on the global Ranger introduced in 2012. There are enough differences in the bed design that the canopies are not interchangeable.
Both SmartCap and Alu-Cab make canopies for a wide range of mid- and full-sized trucks, including the new 2024 Ranger. I’m going with a SmartCap for my truck. I don’t need the extra durability for trips into the outback, but I do worry about thieves breaking into my rig when I’m on the road.
And in case a rhino attacks, I’ll be ready.