RLD Design Canopy

[chorky]

Recently (May 2022) I purchased a RLD Designs canopy. This is the 3rd gen design. Previous designs were, well, different. I do not know what future possible generation designs might be. I thought I would make a thread specific to the RLD canopy considering there is discussion already going on on another thread but that one is tied to a specific sale company and not necessarily for the canopy itself. Figured this would be most appropriate considering there have been some recent and decently significant concerns regarding the canopy - I dont want the company that sold it (to me anyway) to be associated with the product issues. It is a great option for folks to consider. Everything has compromises. There are good points, and some bad points about this canopy. Keep in mind with this review that I am a pretty anal person with extremely high expectations. Rarely if ever am I 100% satisfied with a product. So take this with a grain of salt knowing that....

So, to catch up on a few things, first visit this link, page 52 and 53
https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/rld-designs-pic-request.22835/page-52

All pictures are below, so wording first, then pictures. I'm sure folks can figure out which pictures align with which discussion points

The initial appearance of the canopy is great. It is lighter than the majority of other options, even considering some being fiberglass; however, it has a higher weight capacity than nearly any others optioned right now. It is, to my knowledge, a ONE (1) piece stainless steel sheet that is bent and welded together. These things (stainless steel, it's weight, it's carrying capacity) are what sold me on the product. Because future plans are a RTT, with also carrying a light kayak. So I absolutely wanted a canopy that could carry more than the 200 pounds advertised on most fiberglas units.

Shipping was an absolute mess - all on the freight companies. you can read about that on the above linked thread if you wish. Upon it's arrival, it was in great condition. Of course there were a couple blemishes, but its pretty much impossible to avoid any and all issues except for maybe a Lamborghini...

Overall initial thought of it in person after unboxing was good. Although I foresaw a couple issues.

• I knew the top would leak right away due to the pre-drilled holes in the roof (6 of them). Now I am glad they are there, because that is where the RTT will mount - but I will have to seal them until I get a RTT
• The kit was not complete, so I had to go to the hardware store right away. Irritating yes, but honestly I dont think I have received any package in the last 2 years that hasn't been missing at least something no matter how big or small...
• Unsure of if it is painted, bedlined, rhino lined, or powder coated. (hopefully NOT power coated as I am not a fan) - but touch-ups are easy enough and scrapes/scratches are expected being it an off road vehicle and all, so not a huge importance
• Latches - it is common knowledge that these latch designs simply don't work in northern climates. I am hoping they aren't THAT big of an issue.... We'll see, and if so I'll probably have to swap them out with something else somehow. But I knew this going into it so if they do have major issues, it won't be a surprise. Other companies that have standard locks like Leer and ARE had canopies with lower weight capacity ratings, and a higher overall weight... Weight was what I was going for most. I did also consider Alu-Cab and they probably would have been a great choice as well, and probably better fitment (but their welds look like garbage) but more expensive, and a long weight time, and no optional side windows - also important to me.

I got 4 guys to help me put it on the Gladiator. This is recommended. 2 could do it, but with difficulty. It went up easy being under 200 pounds and all. Then some frustrations started...

• First I noticed (and sorta feared this before even putting it on the truck) that the cab side (front) bracket is SUPER close to the open hole of the trail rail system (you know the front part where you slide the tie downs into). The tie down bolt is only maybe 1" at most (the center of the bolt mind you) from being in that open spot. So only half of the bracket is actually contacting the narrower part of the trail rail system. So basically what this means is in the crazy event that I rolled over, or had a collision, if the canopy slid on the bed rail toward the front of the rig, the two front mounting tie-down could actually separate entirely from the trail rail system. Nobody wants a wreck, but this does seem a safety issue to me. So I will be adding additional supports. But, since this can be easily resolved by drilling another hole, its really not that big of a deal nor a deal breaker
• Also, the front has no tie downs. Why? this seems like an excellent opportunity missed...
• The side bottom lips of the canopy hang over into the bed by quite a lot. Something like 2 or 3"! wow!! that's pretty insane to me. Why? It's because of how they designed the tie down bracket. Go look at how All-Cab has their canopy tie downs. That is how it SHOULD be. Maybe this isn't a huge deal. But it's awful irritating to be honest. And I dont like it. But it won't really negatively effect cargo storage in all honesty
  • however.... on the bright side. it does offer a place to mount a few things if one would want to. So that is pretty cool.
  • I'm sure I can probably find a way to fabricate something different and cut back the overhang - but thats a lot of work also
• It conforms the truck very well - for the most part. The back window doesn't angle inwards (which is awesome, its very weird to me that other companies have this angled rear windows fetish), the side panels match the top of the jeep perfectly, and the canopy itself is only maybe 1-2 inches taller than the jeep hard top - a good thing if you wanted to mount a RTT directly to the canopy with no cross bars
• RLD plastered this thing with promotions.
  • A impossible to remove (laser etched possibly) sticker in the rear window - yuck
  • a 'aluminum' plate with laser etched RLD Designs that is not glued but riveted to both sides, and the back. it makes it stand out like a sore thumb. I likely will cut them off and plug the holes
• The roof vent is a nice touch
  • it is designed to be a way to create positive pressure so dust doesn't come in from under the bed or the back
  • however, it should have some type of air filter just to prevent dust that is above the roof line from getting in
  • Not sure if it will work with a RTT or not
  • it is bear stainless (I hope it's alum instead though). It should be at least painted for those of us in rust prone areas - hopefully it holds up

Other thing in recent days where other folks have chimed in saying they have had major problems with this canopy

• some have experienced doors falling off due to the hinges rusting out
  • apparently the canopy is not 100% stainless, there is some raw steel - not great...
  • dissimilar metals cause corrosion - time will tell if mine does the same, hopefully not
• some have expressed massive issues with water leaking in through the windows. Why or how I don't know. I'll post updates if I experience this as I am expecting significant rainfall this weekend, but that was an older generation version
• A few have mentioned peeling paint and the canopy rusting
  • weird...it is advertised as 100% stainless and shouldn't rust even if scratched. Hopefully this doesn't happen. it would be the biggest irritation to me. I hate rust.

During my install

• The fit is pretty good. With one exception - the rear door latches funny. That is due to the rear tailgate of the gladiator actually having a very slight curve in it, while the door of the canopy is straight. I didn't realize the gladiator had a small curve before. So, like most canopies in such situations, it fits tight, and I will have to add additional rubber sealants on the sides as the door does not fully contact and seal to the tailgate. I think any other similar canopy (like Alu-Cab for example) would have this issue. Again, annoying yes, deal breaker no. Only canopies with curved rear glass (like ARE or Leer) would have a better fit - then again they have low caring capacities
• I do actually like how the rear and front corners are rounded instead of straight hard edges like other options. it fits the Jeep better since most curves on the Jeep are rounded (like the rear corners, the hard top, etc...)
• I had to add extra foam on the front of the bed rail (cab side)
  • why ALL trucks have the front bed rail always LOWER than the sides of the bed, I will never understand. Every truck does this - it is so annoying.
  • so even with the extra foam, I will need to seal up with some RTV as there still is a slight gap that can let in water/dust - I think any canopy would experience this issue
• I like how the outer bottom edges of the canopy have an angled lip to push water away from the bedrail even though it is sealed
  • however....it should be angled down even more. It does look kinda funny if you get up and close to it - makes the canopy seem to 'hover' on top of the bed almost
• The sides of the canopy match the jeep hard top almost perfectly. this is MUCH improved from the original gen 1 version, and I think even the gen 2 version had some weird angles

Now we get into something irritating

• I really do not like how it mounts to the bed at all. It could be worse...but I really dont like the mounting method. Its, obnoxious. I guess its better than the old C-clamp days. But it can use some pretty significant updating - like Alu-Cab
• I cannot fully attach it to the gladiator (tonight anyway)
  • the hardware included must be stainless.... One of the bolts I dont think was manufactured correctly because it broke - no I didn't cross thread..... So, back to the hardware store. The bolt that is welded to the backing plate that slides into the trail rail system is what broke. So the only resolution I have is either get a replacement from RLD (not likely based on other reviews), or make my own. Knowing the hardware they included was sub-par (to me) anyway, I went to the hardware store and picked up some 8.8 (grade 5 I believe, just one step below 8) bolts. They did not have the right size or enough Grade 8 available. I also picked up some large and thick washers that I will be using instead of the included welded backing plate. The backing plate just looks suspiciously inadequate to me. But I overbuild everything so there is that.... Since one already broke, during install, I dont trust any of them. So they will all come off and be replaced with a higher/stronger bolt, and a nice thick washer that I will have to grind down so it will fit into the trail rail slot.
    • this is very irritating and annoying to me though. Something like this should have much better thought behind it - or at least extra hardware included. It was bad enough I had to get washers on day one because the ones included with the kit wouldn't even fit around the bolts (wrong size entirely). But to have to go back again because hardware is breaking due to not being of sufficient strength is bad. So I would suggest anyone else do the same as I would not trust anything of weight being on the canopy and being held down by these factory hardware bolts. The brackets are fine, they are strong - also stainless. Its just the hardware that is sub-par.
  • The way the brackets are designed are also terrible. It is a compression fitting of sorts where a metal bracket with a slot is compressed between the trail rail system and a nut/washer on the other side. So with enough force, one could lift the bracket up enough that the canopy would physically lift off of the bed - because it is slotted. The reason it is slotted is to allow for adjustment to make sure one can 'compress' the seal correctly for a good fit. Which is of course understandable. But I dont see how this would ever be needed since Gladiators are all made to the same spec, and it's not like the trail rail system can 'move' really. I dont think there should be any room for the ability of the canopy to lift off the bed because it is a compression style mount - that just seems all sorts of bad. So I currently have reached out to the company I purchased from to see about getting 2 more brackets to add in some strength, but sometime in the future I might make my own brackets that are more robust and with tighter tolerances.
  • to be completely honest, had I known about how this would actually attach to the gladiator, I might have considered a different canopy. It kinda negates, almost, the purpose of it being the 'strongest' option available. But, it also has side windows. Alu-Cab does not offer side windows. And the GoFast camper does not either. I contacted both those companies and they said it simply was not at all an option - that was kinda a big deal to me. I'm sure if the brackets were THAT bad then people all over would be complaining of their canopies flying off their rig. Which I haven't seen and several have RTT's, so it's probably fine and I am just being anal. But, it just seems a really strange design - something you couldn't really tell from the general pics on RLD's site - so I included some close-ups below

Good things

• Realizing that so far I am sounding very negative about the product, there are some good things to mention that I do like. First of all, the company that sold it to me deserves big props in my opinion. They were quick to move on getting it to me despite freight issues that were out of their control. They were also willing to honor a price we discussed. And they had it in stock, ready and available. Otherwise I would have had to wait 6 months or more. So - this was what sealed the deal for me. Plus that company was easy to work with, and quick to respond to questions I had.
• side windows. This was a big deal to me. Other companies do not offer side windows. I was not interested in the products Leer and ARE offered. For their cost and weight, they had subpar capacity as far as I was concerned. Both companies quoted me canopies in the $5K range, with weight capacities of barely 200 pounds. No where near enough for a RTT and kayak
• The interior roof slots are awesome. not only is it designed to have a RTT or otherwise bolted directly to the canopy, but the inside slots allow you to mount a variety of things. C-Channel stuff, just some bolts and tie down loops, or whatever. It provides options that I like. I dont think other companies have this sort of thought in mind
• overall style - I do like the style and looks a ton. It just 'fits' the Gladiator IMO. Hopefully it's function matches it's form.
• fresh air intake
  • good for a few reasons. It allows a positive pressure to push out dust intrusion from the rear/underside. It can aid in cooling the bed during hot summer days. It can help provide fresh air to pets. I like this a bunch. I do wish it was designed differently though, and possibly a 'filtered' and permanent fixture that does not let water pour into it. I wouldn't dare open it during a rain storm.
• Weight capacity - again, this was also a big deal. Dynamic weight loading is high on this RLD compared to others. To me that is a safety factor and an important thing to consider when loading up a RTT and going off highway, and/or carrying a kayak. One of the primary selling points if not the most important factor that I was looking for at the time

Hopefully this helps others in understanding the good, bad, and ugly of the RLD from my perspective. I have had it in possession a whopping 3 days. So long term reviews could be awesome, or horrific. Only time will tell. Hopefully it works out great and I don't experience the problems that others unfortunately have. I will try and remember to come back here with updates as appropriate.

Oh one more thing - I was pretty worried once I saw how the brackets worked if it would even work considering I also have the Molle panels by 813 designs. It worked out just fine for anyone else with similar concerns. I can't speak to other Molle panels, but the ones by 813 worked just fine.

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[chorky]

 

[chorky]

Just a little update for those wondering.

I removed the included hardware and installed my own (the nuts, bolts and washers that tie it all down).

In the process I broke yet another one of the included bolts to tie it to the trail rail system. Pretty sure the bolts and nuts they included with the kit are stainless - which would be why they break so easily.

I highly urge anyone with this canopy to immediately remove and discard the factory included hardware and figure out your own tie down bolt/nut combination. It is obvious there is a major flaw in the materials chosen for their bolts and it is a huge safety risk. I would not trust that hardware at all to secure the canopy if it had a RTT or kayak on top.

Hopefully what I have done is sufficient - although it was annoying to have to remove the trail rail bolts to have enough room to slide my own bolts with washers down the rail. I also accidentally left two of the RLD style bolts in the rail - but they're gonna stay there as I would have to remove every tie down component to take them out. Highly annoyed.

In total, I have spent an additional 30 bucks in materials, and probably 14 hours to install the canopy because of the sub-par materials. At this point, I think Alu-Cab, even though they don't offer side windows, would have been a much better canopy choice. Not super happy with this RLD tie down design at all.

I also contacted the company that I worked with to buy the canopy to request from RLD 2 additional tie down brackets so that I can have a total of 6 instead of the standard 4. Mostly this is because I just do not trust how this thing secures to the Gladiator at all at this point.

Certainly hoping maybe I am just unlucky in getting a batch of poor components. But the tie down design is still poor in my opinion.

 

[Outdoor1]

So I’m actually rebuilding my hinges. Its just a matter of time before they all break off. The hinge itself is stainless but the bolt that’s poorly welded on is carbon. Anyone with welding knowledge knows that’s a poor cheap patch design. I also noticed while disassembling that one hinge was missing washers and one had double washers. It just blows my mind that this quality and factory assembly was so damn expensive. I still have had zero feed back from RLD.

 

[Outdoor1]

I think anyone that’s made this high dollar purchase has the right to complain. If I could do over I’d of bought something much cheaper and waited for RLD to fix all these issues. But then again if people don’t speak up these issue can’t be fixed. If everyone keeps their mouth shut and does their own handyman work this poor quality won’t change for the better. As petty as it may sound I’m expecting RLD to reimburse me for all materials and labor costs. A company won’t change processes unless you make them pay or they start losing money. I’m tired of excuses and people blaming the next guy. RLD says they actually don’t have anything to do with product manufacturing lol then take your name off the shit! Own it, this world has moved away from solid quality.

 

[chorky]

So I’m actually rebuilding my hinges. Its just a matter of time before they all break off. The hinge itself is stainless but the bolt that’s poorly welded on is carbon. Anyone with welding knowledge knows that’s a poor cheap patch design. I also noticed while disassembling that one hinge was missing washers and one had double washers. It just blows my mind that this quality and factory assembly was so damn expensive. I still have had zero feed back from RLD.

yeah. I am not surprised. I think they tried using stainless for everything except aome of the bolts. I sprayed my stuff down heavily with Amaoil HD metal protect. Hopefully that will prevent the rust. But well see I guess. What are you doing to rebuild them?

I think anyone that’s made this high dollar purchase has the right to complain. If I could do over I’d of bought something much cheaper and waited for RLD to fix all these issues. But then again if people don’t speak up these issue can’t be fixed. If everyone keeps their mouth shut and does their own handyman work this poor quality won’t change for the better. As petty as it may sound I’m expecting RLD to reimburse me for all materials and labor costs. A company won’t change processes unless you make them pay or they start losing money. I’m tired of excuses and people blaming the next guy. RLD says they actually don’t have anything to do with product manufacturing lol then take your name off the shit! Own it, this world has moved away from solid quality.

So this canopy for me was actually the cheaper option considering the mass produced Leer and ARE. It was also available immediately from the company I purchased from. And that was a HUGE deciding factor for me. So I could use it this summer, waiting 6 months for something else would have ruined my summer entirely. Alu-Cab was also an option - at about the same price. it is lighter but also much lower dynamic load capacity. And now that I see the issues maybe it would have ben the better choice. But it was the side windows that was the final deciding factor for me. Alu-Cab doesnt offer them. And I really wanted to be able to see out side windows even though they are small. But. Your correct that quality is lacking these days. For just about everything though.

 

[Outdoor1]

Chorky- I’m drilling those out and welding 5mm stainless threads on all hinge components. I’ll probably leave as much head on as possible, probably just grind down as much as I need for the hinge to function. The bolts on the hinges are inline that’s why they tack welded without the bolt heads. If the bolts were offset they could just be drilled through and tighten down instead of welded. Hope that makes sense.

 

[chorky]

Chorky- I’m drilling those out and welding 5mm stainless threads on all hinge components. I’ll probably leave as much head on as possible, probably just grind down as much as I need for the hinge to function. The bolts on the hinges are inline that’s why they tack welded without the bolt heads. If the bolts were offset they could just be drilled through and tighten down instead of welded. Hope that makes sense.

sorta. Lol.share some pics when your done if you dont mind. I dont have access to a welder so will have to find another solution if mine rust out as well.

 

[Outdoor1]

Look at my pics. You can see where they tack welded carbon to stainless. They’re not solid welds. That’s more concerning to me now.

 

[chorky]

Hey all a little update on this canopy for those trying to decide options.

I ended up having the company send me an additional two brackets, for a cost. I didn't feel good about only 4 brackets with how they work. So now there is 6 which feels more appropriate - considering the rated load capacity.

But a few other things to report that are frustrating. Granted I have not yet contacted the company to sort anything out as these are recent developments - or maybe not recent developments but recently realized.

The bad

• The passenger side window leaks already. I bet they didn't use enough sealant when they installed it. I'm sure some silicone will do the trick. But that shouldn't be needed in the first place.
• the design of the rear door is nice and square. However, because it is square, it is nearly impossible to make a good seal around the tailgate. I didn't really think about it at first. So I added some additional weather stripping, but its such a large gap its probably never going to fully seal - not really a huge deal its a bed after all.
• now this one is a big deal - yesterday I opened the roof hatch to let in fresh air (sorta like RSI smart cap) and to create a positive pressure and reduce dust in the bed. Well, it must have loosened the rivets holding the little finger hole grab handle (to close it). When on the road I heard a weird metallic sound and had a bad feeling so immediately pulled over. After looking around, (I had a feeling a rock was on the roof or something and slid down between the cab and bed) and found that grab handle broke off, and WEDGED itself between the cab (under the roof) and bed. It was in there solid! There were three options, remove the top to get to it, remove the canopy, or try and push it around and loosen it up and hopefully it will fall to the ground. Well option 3 was the only one I had available given the location. Doing so scratched the paint. And of course its not in a location I can easily access to touch up. So hopefully it doesn't rust. I was able to retrieve the handle, but now what... Another repair to make.

The good

• I still like how it looks. I have it, so it keeps things dry and secure. And it has a high rating for weight (no rack yet).

But honestly. I would not recommend this canopy at all given the issues I've experienced thus far. I would much rather have RSI - and might try to sell it and order a RSI cap. Just not happy with how much stuff has broken already, or issues others experienced. The scratching of paint was extremely irritating to me. It works - for now. But not sure how long I'll keep it.

 

[chorky]

Update - went to the RLD website to see if they had their own specific cross bars for racks. Mostly because the pre-drilled holes on the roof to mount to are much larger than the standard bolt for most any rack.

This statement came up:
"Due to the ongoing supply chain crisis we have made the difficult decision to temporarily pause all new canopy orders for fitments not currently in-stock or in-route to our warehouse. We will reassess at end of year, 2022. Please contact us for availability of canopies and accessories before oredering! If you would like to be put on an email list to be notified when we have reopened the order process please use the "Contact Us" form located under the "About Us" tab on our home page. Please use the close button at right to access this menu and additional site navigation. We are very sorry for the inconvenience and thank you for your continued patients."

I have see statements like this before. Usually when a company decides to close but still has stock items to sell. I could be wrong.

My canopy has been holding up fine thus far despite some of the little annoyances above. Only have had it a few months though. Winter will be the true test.

Just a heads up to everyone. Maybe some vendors have some better insight.

 

[Alaskantinbender]

Sorry to see all the issues on a very expensive product. Unfortunately I agree with you, they are more than likely closing up shop.

 

[Tanners Owner]

Your rig looks like mine you have good taste

Ive had good luck w/ mine, though also witnessed rust on the hung bolts too.

I installed my EZ Rec Rack base for my kayaks

 

[Blade1668]

Good post on your experience with Gen 3 version, I would have liked Gen 3 better than mine. I think it was designed originally for different truck actually but they found it kinda fit a Gladiator too. I found the included hardware to be marginal at best too. But was S.S. that galled on installing before getting tight and broke. I used U-strut as roof rails inside down the ridge channels and for cross bars. With a RTT installed the roof vent won't stay open on mine. I think I need to inspect the hinges on mine now too. Two of the gas struts are starting to get weak.

 

[chorky]

So I figured this was going to happen with living in cold climates and the modern style of latch and lock. But does anyone have suggestions for a fix or replacement? I now have to use a torch to heat it up to hnlock and open which has caused some of the thin metal to deform.

for reference even other main strwam canopies with T-handle locks also freeze up.

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