Good review. I had a Leer 100 canopy on my 2008 Tacoma access cab. I recently bought a 2023 Tacoma TRD Off-road quad cab long bed and I want to put a 180 canopy on it. Appreciate your doing this video. I had the windoors on my 100 and plan to add them on my 180. The windoors make a huge difference.
Great video!! I’m actually getting my 180 installed tomorrow. The dealer said it’d be in between 5 and 8 weeks. I got a phone call at just about 4 weeks. Delivered. I was shocked.
I highly recommend Yakima racks. I’ve used them almost daily for 40 years. You’ll need towers, bars, and whatever attachments (bikes, kayaks, canoes, basket, etc.) you want. They’re worth the price but look for used Yakima parts first.
Your camper shell looks good! I purchased the 180XL a year ago for my 2014 GMC Sierra, and my rear window doesn't match up well with the outside frame. I could look in my review while driving and see out each corner of my tailgate/window. I had to get some self stick rubber molding to plug up the holes. I tried to point this out to the company who installed it and they just blamed Leer. I also wrote to Leer and never heard back. I like your set up and I would like to do a similar build for a bed. Great job Brian!
I have the leer cap also (for my Tacoma). I just slowly peeled that sticker away. Regarding the cross bars, I originally purchased the Thule bars (the nice $$$ ones), however they were too tall I felt. So I have just purchased the Prinsu and will be installing this weekend. Just a thought, but since your leer has a 4" rise, you might want to just put something like the Prinsu cab rack on. This way it levels out your cab roof with your bed roof. Facebook Market is a great place to get cross bars. Good luck and thanks for your video !
Hey Brian, Thanks for all the excellent content. I dig the build, but I'm curious if you ever experimented with getting rid of the bed riser and sleeping diagonally? I've also got the 5'5" bed so my plan is to go no-build and sleep corner to corner. I pick up my Leer 180xr this Thursday. Thanks for the inspiration.
Thanks David. That thought did cross my mind, but I really wanted a cabinet in the build to, and I just couldn’t get it to work out nice enough to ease my OCD😉
Hey Brian, I was hoping to pick your brain and ask a few questions if you don’t mind. 1) How much did that topper cost you? 2) What made you choose Leer over the other brand topper’s. 3) Did you see a dramatic decrease in fuel mileage after the installation of the topper? Reason for asking, I had a Softopper for my 18’ F150, but it decreased my fuel mileage by 3 mpgs. So I removed it and sold it. Plus, I’ve always wanted a hard shell topper, just don’t know which brand would be better for me. Thanks for your time. Have a blessed day.
Hey D.R. She’ll was around $3200 with the headliner and roof rails installed from the factory. I picked this model because I honestly thought it was the best looking and was within my budget. I have not seen any decrease in MPG at all so far either.
@@BrianWatersOutdoors Hey Brian, I just picked up a clean, used Leer 100XR yesterday. So excited to get out camping. I was wondering, did you ever come up with anything to use for cross bars for the roof rails? I’m looking for suggestions. Thanks for posting your videos. It’s been inspiring.
Man you have me second-guessing myself hardcore. Lol I've got a 2019 f150 STX with the exact same crew cab and bed configuration and I talked myself out of getting a camper shell and building something like that. I figured the bed would be too short but after seeing your videos I think I was dead wrong. Lol great build overall.
Thanks for the review. 1. Is the Leer back window hard to pull down? 1.5 Is it glass? 2. Any road dust coming in? 3. If a hose is spraying hard against the tailgate, will any water get in? 4. Was the installation labor included for the $3200 price? 5. Do you have a bed camera on the cab? Would be nice to use that to see into the shell to watch stuff inside is staying secure over bumps. Probably would need a special periscope! 6. Hauling some long pieces of pipe or lumber on the shell and the cab would be handy. There are some racks for the cab as well, and the difference in height could be made up somehow. Please let us know how the roof racks work out and the weight they can carry.
Thanks 1. No, I haven’t noticed it being difficult 2. You will get some dust because it’s not a perfect seal. 3. You will get some water if sprayed directly on the tailgate. 4. Yes, install included 5. I don’t have a camera, but that’s a good idea👍🏻
Also is that Oxford white? To remove the leer sticker I use a razor and goo gone or rubbing alcohol. For roof rails I recommend rhino rack, you can also get a roller so it’s easier to load heavy big items like ladders or a canoe on top no problem. Truck caps are where it’s at!
Hey Shawn, it is oxford white, and I was able to get the sticker off a lot easier than I thought. Just my fingernails and a bit of Goo Gone and we were good to go. I'll try and check out what Rhino Rack has to offer...and hopefully they are a bit nicer in the price range than Thule is!
Looks great, does the extra 4 inches make you have to hand wash your Truck. I want to buy a truck cap, and I’m 6”2. I live in Wisconsin, where it snows a lot. The salt makes me want to wash my Truck more, so it doesn’t rust from the salt. Can you go through a automatic wash? My truck isn’t lifted.
I have a 2017 F150 and got a LEER truck cap. It leaks on the passanger side, I have had it back to the place that I bought it from twice and there is nothing they can do. The plastic piece that is added to go over the tailgate is pretty hokey for what the cap costs. Just wondering if you had any issues with water in yours? Especially since you have the bed carpeted. Great videos, I enjoyed the DIY camper.
I gotta ask man, what’s the lift you have on your truck? Wheel and tires with the offset and all that would be huge. I love that entire look you’ve got going. Thank you! Subscribed👍🏼
Man, honestly I don’t remember the wheel offsets. The lift is a Readylift SST 4” lift with 35” Falken Wildpeaks (best tires I’ve ever had) on 18” wheels.
Nice, I wouldn’t mind doing the same, but I think I’ll wait until I get one with a 6.5 foot bed or a super duty with the 6.75 foot bed. My current is a 5.5 foot bed.
Hi Brian. Nice truck and cap! Hope it has been problem free and you are enjoying it. I’m looking at the same cap (6.5ft bed) and have a question about the XR. A dealer just told me the difference between the 180 and 180XR is the XR has a frameless rear window with a center rotary latch (vs. framed and two corner latches). Your rear window is frameless? Hard to tell in the video. I see two corner located rotary latches. Did you have an option for the center location? Oddly Leer doesn’t list the XR on their site for the mid-rise. Just the cab high model. The cab high shows a center latch and a couple dealer sites show a mid-rise XR’s with a center latch. Thanks!
I believe if I remember correctly the higher priced XR is the center latch on the back glass instead of the two latches I have. I believe the XR side windows only pop out in the back, and you can’t actually slide them open like I can mine. It’s been a while though, but that’s what I remembered.
I’m happy with it so far. I’m OCD so I would have liked to have seen a few things changed (I had a stripped screw in one of the window frames) but overall I’m happy with it.
Idk if you're still looking to get that sticker off, but u work at a autoglass company. And all you need is a 1sided razor blade, and some glass cleaner, and you can scrape it right off. We take stickers off of new auto glass parts everyday like that.
I just realized that those stickers aren't flat decals. So you'll wanna use a heat gun and fishing line to get the main parts, then use a razor and glass cleaner to get the remaining adhesive residue off.
Nice. Just wondering, can that Leer cap come with roof rails/rack to mount ski's or kayaks or bikes or whatnot on top of it, and if so, what kind of weight capacity up top can it handle? I love the RSI Smart cap for among other things those reasons, but it does not have this greater headroom, and also does not come with bug screens on any of the windows.
Hey there! I have a couple of questions. One, how successful were you at getting that brand name off of the camper lid and how did you have to do it? And do I dare ask how expensive it was when you purchased it?
It was actually really easy. I just used fishing line and pulled it behind the sticker and it came right off. Then I used GooGone to clean up the residue. The shell was around $3k
I have sent a request for a price to five dealers for the leer 180 and have to talked to three over the phone and they tell me the will get pricing and not one has called back and this has been going on over a week.I live in central Mississippi so I may have to go to another state to get one any ideas
Poor job of explaining the window configuration. At frame 5:25 when you unlatch window, does the glass or only the screen move? Is the glass still there? We watch these vids to learn the details of the products. However, very few RUclipsrs explain the product in the ways the prospective buyer is most interested in, when considering the product. Poorly done IMO. This video informs very little more than the company's brochure. As usual, poor lighting when using a smartphone to record the video. Also, when holding a phone in one hand, it's challenging to show the operation of the various mechanisms of this product. Eight minute waste of time.
Ummmm do you live in that palace? Then you can afford Thule.😀 also what’s really ugly is the 4x4 stickers on the sides of the truck bed. Ford needs to stop using those. I always take mine off and it looks way better.
Good review. I had a Leer 100 canopy on my 2008 Tacoma access cab. I recently bought a 2023 Tacoma TRD Off-road quad cab long bed and I want to put a 180 canopy on it. Appreciate your doing this video. I had the windoors on my 100 and plan to add them on my 180. The windoors make a huge difference.
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Great setup man! I have the ARE version of this camper. The extra head room is worth every penny!
Thanks👍🏻👍🏻
Finally something that came in ahead of schedule! You must have found the one thing that wasn’t affected by supply chain issues.
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Great video!! I’m actually getting my 180 installed tomorrow. The dealer said it’d be in between 5 and 8 weeks. I got a phone call at just about 4 weeks. Delivered. I was shocked.
Awesome👍🏻👍🏻
Beautiful truck, sweet canopy... and a real nice Sawstop I spotted there in the workshop... 🤘🏻
Lol. Thanks!! Good eye👍🏻👍🏻
I highly recommend Yakima racks. I’ve used them almost daily for 40 years. You’ll need towers, bars, and whatever attachments (bikes, kayaks, canoes, basket, etc.) you want. They’re worth the price but look for used Yakima parts first.
I just bought a Yakima setup for my new truck. They are nice!
Peel the decals off with your fingers and then windex and a razor blade to clean it up. It's glass, so no worries. Worked great on mine.
👍🏻👍🏻
Your camper shell looks good! I purchased the 180XL a year ago for my 2014 GMC Sierra, and my rear window doesn't match up well with the outside frame. I could look in my review while driving and see out each corner of my tailgate/window. I had to get some self stick rubber molding to plug up the holes. I tried to point this out to the company who installed it and they just blamed Leer. I also wrote to Leer and never heard back. I like your set up and I would like to do a similar build for a bed. Great job Brian!
Thank you sir. I do have some gaps on each side of the lower rear window (about 1/2” too.
I purchased the same camper except I got the full rear glass door with the center lock the lock is remote controlled with the tail gate
I have the leer cap also (for my Tacoma). I just slowly peeled that sticker away. Regarding the cross bars, I originally purchased the Thule bars (the nice $$$ ones), however they were too tall I felt. So I have just purchased the Prinsu and will be installing this weekend. Just a thought, but since your leer has a 4" rise, you might want to just put something like the Prinsu cab rack on. This way it levels out your cab roof with your bed roof. Facebook Market is a great place to get cross bars. Good luck and thanks for your video !
Thank you Dale! I’ll look into that!
Hey Brian, Thanks for all the excellent content. I dig the build, but I'm curious if you ever experimented with getting rid of the bed riser and sleeping diagonally? I've also got the 5'5" bed so my plan is to go no-build and sleep corner to corner. I pick up my Leer 180xr this Thursday. Thanks for the inspiration.
Thanks David. That thought did cross my mind, but I really wanted a cabinet in the build to, and I just couldn’t get it to work out nice enough to ease my OCD😉
Hey Brian,
I was hoping to pick your brain and ask a few questions if you don’t mind.
1) How much did that topper cost you?
2) What made you choose Leer over the other brand topper’s.
3) Did you see a dramatic decrease in fuel mileage after the installation of the topper?
Reason for asking, I had a Softopper for my 18’ F150, but it decreased my fuel mileage by 3 mpgs. So I removed it and sold it. Plus, I’ve always wanted a hard shell topper, just don’t know which brand would be better for me.
Thanks for your time. Have a blessed day.
Hey D.R. She’ll was around $3200 with the headliner and roof rails installed from the factory. I picked this model because I honestly thought it was the best looking and was within my budget. I have not seen any decrease in MPG at all so far either.
@@BrianWatersOutdoors Hey Brian, I just picked up a clean, used Leer 100XR yesterday. So excited to get out camping. I was wondering, did you ever come up with anything to use for cross bars for the roof rails? I’m looking for suggestions. Thanks for posting your videos. It’s been inspiring.
Man you have me second-guessing myself hardcore. Lol I've got a 2019 f150 STX with the exact same crew cab and bed configuration and I talked myself out of getting a camper shell and building something like that. I figured the bed would be too short but after seeing your videos I think I was dead wrong. Lol great build overall.
Lol. Thanks bud. I will be doing a “mod” to the bed to help me get a few extra inches to be able to fully stretch out. Video coming soon on that!
I went to the junkyard and got them off a Ford explorer, there are many to choose from depending on your style. I paid 25.00
Good idea. Thanks!
Thank You !
That's a Great ideal !
It fit an f150 shortbed?
Explorers don't have caps. Unless you mean 70's pickups.
@@richardvalitalo3670 roof rack on the roof of explorers. It doesn't need to be a cap, you can use rails and cross bars off a hard top roof
Thanks for the review.
1. Is the Leer back window hard to pull down? 1.5 Is it glass?
2. Any road dust coming in?
3. If a hose is spraying hard against the tailgate, will any water get in?
4. Was the installation labor included for the $3200 price?
5. Do you have a bed camera on the cab? Would be nice to use that to see into the shell to watch stuff inside is staying secure over bumps. Probably would need a special periscope!
6. Hauling some long pieces of pipe or lumber on the shell and the cab would be handy. There are some racks for the cab as well, and the difference in height could be made up somehow. Please let us know how the roof racks work out and the weight they can carry.
Thanks
1. No, I haven’t noticed it being difficult
2. You will get some dust because it’s not a perfect seal.
3. You will get some water if sprayed directly on the tailgate.
4. Yes, install included
5. I don’t have a camera, but that’s a good idea👍🏻
I just bought the same pickup, mine is a 5'6" bed and am looking for a lid, like this one. I subscribed
👍🏻👍🏻 thanks
🇺🇸 I've always been happy with Rhino Rack
👍🏻👍🏻
I had a leer Excalibur on my truck it was nice a high with lots of windows
👍🏻👍🏻🤛
Great video.i really enjoyed it. I ordered one for my f150. Are you able to fit it in your garage? That's something that is concerning for me thanks.
I am, but I have an 8’ garage door. I doubt I could if it was the standard 7’ doors
Camper shell looks great.
Thank you Stephanie👍🏻
I have a 100XR center latch and a 122 high roof dual latch and the center latch is a pain...always needs adjusted and lubricated.
👍🏻👍🏻
If the truck window could be removed like the leer that would be a good escape hatch for emergencies .
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Nice 👍
👍🏻👍🏻
Also is that Oxford white? To remove the leer sticker I use a razor and goo gone or rubbing alcohol. For roof rails I recommend rhino rack, you can also get a roller so it’s easier to load heavy big items like ladders or a canoe on top no problem. Truck caps are where it’s at!
Hey Shawn, it is oxford white, and I was able to get the sticker off a lot easier than I thought. Just my fingernails and a bit of Goo Gone and we were good to go. I'll try and check out what Rhino Rack has to offer...and hopefully they are a bit nicer in the price range than Thule is!
Looks great, does the extra 4 inches make you have to hand wash your Truck. I want to buy a truck cap, and I’m 6”2. I live in Wisconsin, where it snows a lot. The salt makes me want to wash my Truck more, so it doesn’t rust from the salt. Can you go through a automatic wash? My truck isn’t lifted.
I can drive this through an automated wash, no problems.
I have a 2017 F150 and got a LEER truck cap. It leaks on the passanger side, I have had it back to the place that I bought it from twice and there is nothing they can do. The plastic piece that is added to go over the tailgate is pretty hokey for what the cap costs. Just wondering if you had any issues with water in yours? Especially since you have the bed carpeted. Great videos, I enjoyed the DIY camper.
I haven’t had any issues with mine so far.
I gotta ask man, what’s the lift you have on your truck? Wheel and tires with the offset and all that would be huge. I love that entire look you’ve got going. Thank you! Subscribed👍🏼
Man, honestly I don’t remember the wheel offsets. The lift is a Readylift SST 4” lift with 35” Falken Wildpeaks (best tires I’ve ever had) on 18” wheels.
I like this addition. I have a 2020 ford f150 as well. How much does this cost and how did you get the carpet installed in the bed.
The carpet is not really carpet. It’s a “BedRug” Bedliner. The shell was about $3k installed
Thank You for the review. Do you know the capacity of the roof?
Sweet setup! How much did the cap run ya?
Around 2600
Is that a Orient Pepsi bezel? Beautiful watch buddy, I’ve always loved the Pepsi style no matter what the brand. Although Rolex is the O.G. ;)
Thanks, it’s actually a Seiko 007👍🏻
Nice, I wouldn’t mind doing the same, but I think I’ll wait until I get one with a 6.5 foot bed or a super duty with the 6.75 foot bed. My current is a 5.5 foot bed.
Dreaming of the day for a super duty
Hi Brian. Nice truck and cap! Hope it has been problem free and you are enjoying it.
I’m looking at the same cap (6.5ft bed) and have a question about the XR. A dealer just told me the difference between the 180 and 180XR is the XR has a frameless rear window with a center rotary latch (vs. framed and two corner latches). Your rear window is frameless? Hard to tell in the video. I see two corner located rotary latches. Did you have an option for the center location?
Oddly Leer doesn’t list the XR on their site for the mid-rise. Just the cab high model. The cab high shows a center latch and a couple dealer sites show a mid-rise XR’s with a center latch. Thanks!
I believe if I remember correctly the higher priced XR is the center latch on the back glass instead of the two latches I have. I believe the XR side windows only pop out in the back, and you can’t actually slide them open like I can mine. It’s been a while though, but that’s what I remembered.
👍🏻👍🏻
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Topper looks great man! What are the specks of your truck? What engine, flight and tire set up, etc? Looks fantastic!
Thanks bud👍🏻 it’s the 3.5 eco boost, 4” lift with295/70/18 tires.
Is that a 5 foot bed or 6 foot bed I love your set up I’m going to copy it 😂 😆
Thank you! Unfortunately it is the 5.5 bed
That’s what I have a 5 1/2 foot bed I wasn’t sure I could make a truck camper out of a bed that small but you make it look pretty cozy in there
It’s not too bad. I’m about to post another video of a modification I’m doing to the bed to give me a bit more stretch out room though.
How’s the fit and finish of ur Leer doing today? I had a horrible experience with A.R.E customer service so I’m shopping around.
I’m happy with it so far. I’m OCD so I would have liked to have seen a few things changed (I had a stripped screw in one of the window frames) but overall I’m happy with it.
Idk if you're still looking to get that sticker off, but u work at a autoglass company. And all you need is a 1sided razor blade, and some glass cleaner, and you can scrape it right off. We take stickers off of new auto glass parts everyday like that.
I just realized that those stickers aren't flat decals. So you'll wanna use a heat gun and fishing line to get the main parts, then use a razor and glass cleaner to get the remaining adhesive residue off.
That’s exactly what I did👍🏻 thanks!
Great video .. How long is your truck bed ?
This truck was 5.5’. I have since upgraded to a 6.5’ bed
Nice. Just wondering, can that Leer cap come with roof rails/rack to mount ski's or kayaks or bikes or whatnot on top of it, and if so, what kind of weight capacity up top can it handle? I love the RSI Smart cap for among other things those reasons, but it does not have this greater headroom, and also does not come with bug screens on any of the windows.
You can get roof racks installed. I’m not sure of the weight capacity though.
I got the same camper shell.
👍🏻👍🏻
Hey there! I have a couple of questions. One, how successful were you at getting that brand name off of the camper lid and how did you have to do it? And do I dare ask how expensive it was when you purchased it?
It was actually really easy. I just used fishing line and pulled it behind the sticker and it came right off. Then I used GooGone to clean up the residue. The shell was around $3k
Can you sit up while on your bunk
Bunk height ?
Thx
Yes. Bed platform is 7” tall.
Are you able to park into your garage with the camper?
Nope. Could t park in the garage without the camper either though
The tilt in front topper window on mine leaks on both corners.
My shell leaked front left corner. Fixed for now.
What was the solution?
I have sent a request for a price to five dealers for the leer 180 and have to talked to three over the phone and they tell me the will get pricing and not one has called back and this has been going on over a week.I live in central Mississippi so I may have to go to another state to get one any ideas
That’s odd. I got mine from “custom trucks unlimited”, and I got pricing and ordered on same day on my old truck and new truck.
I don’t see a XR, just a 180 on their website
Can anyone help with the name of the bottom of the back window n where I can purchase it at thanks
Did you notice a mpg change with the canopy?
Honestly, not really
unistrut will work, might not be pretty but you could paint it
👍🏻👍🏻
Is that a five foot bed? Wyoming guy
This is a 5.5, yes
Hey my man. Where did you get your camper at?
Custom Trucks Unlimited
Do you have a lift or leveling kit on your truck? What size tires and wheels?
I do. It’s a 3” lift with 35” tires. 18”
Wheels
Look at the Yakima brand. Made in the USA so not as expensive as Thule.
Thanks John👍🏻
What’s better a topper or a flat hard flip covers
All depends on what you want to use your truck for I guess
Heat gun and some goof off.
👍🏻👍🏻
Price?
New around $3k
What is the length and width of the bed?
66” x 26”
Please update your camper install
👍🏻
What is the height with the shell? I am considering getting a shell but it needs to be under 6’ 10” (height of a standard garage).
Mine is 87” but I also have 35” tires and a 4” lift….
Thanks Brian - I am enjoying your videos.
Does the front glass also slide to let AC in?
Yes
What's the height from the floor of the bed to the roof?
I can’t recall but I used a laser measure in this video to show you the exact height
How much was this topper
$?
3200 new
Shop ebay for crossbars…I got some 1/2 price
👍🏻👍🏻 I’m trying
It is roomy
👍🏻👍🏻
Poor job of explaining the window configuration. At frame 5:25 when you unlatch window, does the glass or only the screen move? Is the glass still there? We watch these vids to learn the details of the products. However, very few RUclipsrs explain the product in the ways the prospective buyer is most interested in, when considering the product. Poorly done IMO. This video informs very little more than the company's brochure. As usual, poor lighting when using a smartphone to record the video. Also, when holding a phone in one hand, it's challenging to show the operation of the various mechanisms of this product. Eight minute waste of time.
Thanks👍🏻👍🏻 sad you have this much time on your hands….
Ummmm do you live in that palace? Then you can afford Thule.😀 also what’s really ugly is the 4x4 stickers on the sides of the truck bed. Ford needs to stop using those. I always take mine off and it looks way better.
Thanks, appreciate the comment👍🏻👍🏻