One of the things we enjoy the most about owning a truck is the versatility of the pickup’s bed. The truck platform allows us to reinvent the vehicle as we need it. As our 2008 Toyota Tacoma continues to evolve, we find ourselves using it more as a camping/expedition vehicle. As such, we wanted to modify the bed in a way that would allow for roomier camping digs, as we find that carrying lots of gear and sleeping in the bed of a truck are two pastimes we can't seem to escape.
To better accommodate our needs, we decided to equip our Tacoma with an easy-to-use and lightweight modification to the bed of our truck. Made by Bestop, a company that knows a thing or two about building a top, the Supertop for Trucks is a fabric bed cover supported by an easy-to-assemble metal subframe assembly. Designed as a bolt-on alternative to heavy fiberglass bed shells, it’s an ideal solution for those adventure seekers with a pickup. For those accustomed to working with a Jeep Wrangler soft top, the Supertop will be very familiar.
Beyond the basic element protection, the major draw of the Supertop is that unlike a conventional hard-shell cover, there’s no expensive glass to worry about breaking off-road. Bestop also designed the Supertop with removable windows. This not only allows you to drop the top for times when you may haul oversized cargo, but you can also replace the tinted soft windows if one was to get damaged.
Our Tacoma’s 60-inch bed came with Toyota’s cargo track system. Bestop uses the built-in system to clamp the Supertop’s side rails down. This equates to a completely bolt-on install that doesn’t require drilling.
Similar to what you would find on a Jeep Wrangler soft top, Bestop uses YKK zippers for all of the windows. This zipper style is extremely durable and remains easy to use even when you get a bit of dirt on the top.
The tinted windows add a bit of privacy and are extremely easy to remove. You can even roll up the back window for times when your cargo may need to stick out past the bed.
So far, we’ve found the Supertop to be a welcome addition to our pickup. The heavy-duty sailcloth fabric looks and feels durable. We’ve found it easy to clean, and it keeps about 90 percent of the elements out of the bed (although it does let a little dust seep in occasionally).
We rarely fold it top down, but that’s not the reason we wanted this type of cover. Off-road, we don’t notice it’s there as our tire carrier disrupts most of our rearward visibility. The top sits just inside of the bed rails, which helps keep it slightly away from the tree line and projectiles slinging off of the rear tires. Overall, we are extremely pleased with how it looks and works.
While the provided instructions are easy to follow, we put together the short video at the top to help you through the install process.
