Sorry for the many-worded title but it seems there are numerous terms for a truck bed cap that get thrown around.

My question is: what is the best material for the mating surfaces of truck bed rails and cap?

I went to Advanced Auto and they have some foam tape that looks like it will be compressed to dust in less than an hour.

What do y'all recommend? Is there something specific for these applications or do you use some general gasket material from the hardware store?

Much appreciated!

 

I used . Can't say how great it is - it's only been on my truck for a couple months. But it's meant for this use, and works well so far.

 

83, Thanks for the reply. That's exactly what I bought yesterday.

I'm sure it will work for a while but I was hoping to find a product that would be less likely to deteriorate over time.

Was looking to turn the truck+cap into a means of camping- dry camping.

 

Search neoprene tape.

That stuff is on the bottom of my 4Runner cap. Has held up over the 10 years I've owned it plus who knows how long PO had it on.

Just remember most plastic materials fail from UV exposure. Armor all regularly applied is good protection.

 

I've always camped in the back of my truck with a topper, and never with any material any better than what you bought.

 

tj884Rdlx & 83,

Thanks. I'll move forward with this stuff and play it by ear. Perhaps I should have more confidence it the material.

Thanks for your input.

Have a good weekend.

 

This rubber seal on Amazon looks like it would work. This is not the tape you used. It reminds me of what's on a 4Runner top but it's been a long time since I took my cap off so maybe my memory is bad. Anyway, they have several widths of this stuff:

 

I saw some other stuff like that, or maybe that same stuff, when I was looking. I think the fact that it says "for caps that weigh 200lb or more" scared me away, thinking that if my topper wasn't heavy enough, I wouldn't get a good seal.

Either way, if you go with what you already bought, I'll be interested to hear your take on it. I noticed you're from Maine, not the arid west like me, so you'll have a lot more rain. I've never had a problem with my topper leaking until the tape is years and years old, but it only rains so much here...

 

http://www.extrudedsolutions.com/pro...r-Cap-Seal.htm

What I used.

 

83,

Still looking for a cap that fits. I'll update the tape seal situation after that.

 

Great.

Well I can you one thing: it's going to be a long-term study. I can pretty much guarantee that if the topper and your bed rail aren't somehow damaged, practically any seal will work for a while.

It'll be how well it's still sealing a year or two from now in your wet weather that I'm interested in