A.R.E. CX EVOLVE CAP installed

[steelponycowboy]

So I have over 20,000 miles on my A.R.E. Topper of which about 6,000 miles are off road.

The topper itself seals well against the bed on the sides and rear. I think the side doors seal well also. There might be some dust invasion thru the back door at the bottom corners but not much at all. My dust issue is with the plastic plug on the rear of the bed, lower passenger side. I have my electrical and OBA tubing coming into the back thru there and it keeps popping out and letting dust in. I'm going to seal it with RTV soon to stop that from happening.

I chose the HD option to support up to 500lbs on the roof rack. A 180lb RTT on a bad washboard road will easily put 500lbs of force on the roof so not getting this option when using a RTT is a big mistake.

Also chose the metal doors on the sides and back. Prevents breaking into to steal my junk and keeps prying eyes from looking inside. And I also got the "tool boxes" on both sides to store gear for an easy fetch.

The 100% extension Cargo Glide makes everything in the back easy to get to and the Levitating Fridge Slide pulls out independently and will lower to just above your waist to get things from the bottom easily

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[WhyNotJeep]

you are just way too organized for me. congrats.

 

[Slojo]

Found a used are topper in white and had the local bodyshop paint it “hot rod black”.

Did you paint the roof as well?

 

[mx5red]

So I have over 20,000 miles on my A.R.E. Topper of which about 6,000 miles are off road.

The topper itself seals well against the bed on the sides and rear. I think the side doors seal well also. There might be some dust invasion thru the back door at the bottom corners but not much at all. My dust issue is with the plastic plug on the rear of the bed, lower passenger side. I have my electrical and OBA tubing coming into the back thru there and it keeps popping out and letting dust in. I'm going to seal it with RTV soon to stop that from happening.

I chose the HD option to support up to 500lbs on the roof rack. A 180lb RTT on a bad washboard road will easily put 500lbs of force on the roof so not getting this option when using a RTT is a big mistake.

Also chose the metal doors on the sides and back. Prevents breaking into to steal my junk and keeps prying eyes from looking inside. And I also got the "tool boxes" on both sides to store gear for an easy fetch.

The 100% extension Cargo Glide makes everything in the back easy to get to and the Levitating Fridge Slide pulls out independently and will lower to just above your waist to get things from the bottom easily

Soooo your setup is awesome. The hitch toilet wins the internet!
I bet you’re able to pack in more stuff in those tool boxes than people could stuff in the sides of a cap loosely, but seems like it might be hard to pack/access the very front and front corners. I notice you have some stuff on the slide in front of the fridge.
Do you feel like that’s a limitation?

I’ve tetris’d some HD and Plano boxes under a tonneau and could probably add a second level under a bed cap, so for an occasional camper I wonder if that would be more efficient and able to pack in more stuff than the tool boxes that intrude into the bed.
Thoughts?

 

[steelponycowboy]

So actually I don't have any issues with accessing items on the front side or rear side of tool boxes. You might have noticed on the top left shelf of the drivers side box there is a tote that is bigger than three shoe boxes laid next to each other and about 50% taller. I could have used these across both the top and bottom shelves of the tool boxes but chose not to. I've also used some smaller plastic containers that stack 3 high on the bottom and 4 high on the top shelf for smaller items. I can carry 16 of the larger totes on the Cargo Glide behind and on the sides of the fridge slide to store other gear and non perishable foods and water/drinks. I Overland a lot and will probably spend 75 or more days this year in my truck. With plans working now for a 2 month Arctic trip in 2024 with my club, it will be over 100 days then

 

[mx5red]

So actually I don't have any issues with accessing items on the front side or rear side of tool boxes. You might have noticed on the top left shelf of the drivers side box there is a tote that is bigger than three shoe boxes laid next to each other and about 50% taller. I could have used these across both the top and bottom shelves of the tool boxes but chose not to. I've also used some smaller plastic containers that stack 3 high on the bottom and 4 high on the top shelf for smaller items. I can carry 16 of the larger totes on the Cargo Glide behind and on the sides of the fridge slide to store other gear and non perishable foods and water/drinks. I Overland a lot and will probably spend 75 or more days this year in my truck. With plans working now for a 2 month Arctic trip in 2024 with my club, it will be over 100 days then

So you’re saying there isn’t much wasted space in front of the tool boxes on the inside (front inside corners of truck bed).. hard to tell from the pictures.
Very good use of space!

 

[steelponycowboy]

So you’re saying there isn’t much wasted space in front of the tool boxes on the inside (front inside corners of truck bed).. hard to tell from the pictures.
Very good use of space!

No, when I head out I use every inch of available space on the sides and behind the fridge. You can also see that I put a shelf above the fridge where I have a 5 foot aluminum ladder and can also store two folding chairs. Because the Cargo glide comes out the whole way to the end of the bed, I can easily access everything behind the fridge.

It works well for me but I overland up to 100 days a year and about 10K miles a year.

 

[GreenMan]

After a short 12 week wait the top arrived! No visible quality issues, however there are several spots that need cleaning…excess glue, fiberglass dust, etc. I really like the extra space!

 

[WhyNotJeep]

I have one on the way but without the opening side windows. Hope I don't regret that. Also didn't get the EVOLVE rear window. Figure the alu CX Classic is proven and strong.

 

[Armsbearer]

My oh my, prices sure have gone up. Here is what I was quoted.


A.R.E. Model: CX Evolve. $. 2570.00

Your Cap Build:
• Interior Carpet: Dark Gray Headliner $ 0.00
• Clothes Rod: Interior Clothes Rod $ 40.00
• Front Window: Aluminum Framed Tilt-Down Sliding Window $ 155.00
• Light Option: 12V LED Dome Light & Dual Rope Lights. $ 199.00
• Power Strip: 12-Volt Power Strip. $ 100.00
• Side Window: Outdoorsman Vented Windoor. $ 450.00
• Rear Door: Frameless Tailgate Formed Door. $ 0.00
• Lock System: Keyless Entry $ 190.00
• Roof Rack: 98 in. AluRack Commercial Rack. $ 865.00
. tracks for alu rack $ 240.00


sub total $ 4809.00
install $ 250.00
tax $ 372.70
total $ 5431.70

 

[steelponycowboy]

My oh my, prices sure have gone up. Here is what I was quoted.


A.R.E. Model: CX Evolve. $. 2570.00

Your Cap Build:
• Interior Carpet: Dark Gray Headliner $ 0.00
• Clothes Rod: Interior Clothes Rod $ 40.00
• Front Window: Aluminum Framed Tilt-Down Sliding Window $ 155.00
• Light Option: 12V LED Dome Light & Dual Rope Lights. $ 199.00
• Power Strip: 12-Volt Power Strip. $ 100.00
• Side Window: Outdoorsman Vented Windoor. $ 450.00
• Rear Door: Frameless Tailgate Formed Door. $ 0.00
• Lock System: Keyless Entry $ 190.00
• Roof Rack: 98 in. AluRack Commercial Rack. $ 865.00
. tracks for alu rack $ 240.00


sub total $ 4809.00
install $ 250.00
tax $ 372.70
total $ 5431.70

Boy I'll say. That is about $3K more than mine was a year ago. I did tool boxes on both sides, metal windows on the side and rear with the T-handle locks, light option and the HD roof rack to support a 175lb RTT.

Well you have one person to blame, the same person that we can thanks $5 a gallon gas for. Everything is crazy in price now, eggs were .99 now $350, Bacon was $1.99 now $6, vehicles are nuts. Looked at a Ram Rebel and the sticker was $72K, person I know ordered a new Challenger Hellcat a new upgraded model stickered $130K. The bad news is, prices really never come down, I've seen this since I graduated in 73 and since then.

Elections coming up in Nov and 2024, time to drain the swamp again...............................

 

[1JeepFamily]

After a short 12 week wait the top arrived! No visible quality issues, however there are several spots that need cleaning…excess glue, fiberglass dust, etc. I really like the extra space!

The lines are SO clean. Best designed cap on the market, IMO. My CX HD is coming next month and that will "finish" my build.

 

[Armsbearer]

Boy I'll say. That is about $3K more than mine was a year ago. I did tool boxes on both sides, metal windows on the side and rear with the T-handle locks, light option and the HD roof rack to support a 175lb RTT.

Well you have one person to blame, the same person that we can thanks $5 a gallon gas for. Everything is crazy in price now, eggs were .99 now $350, Bacon was $1.99 now $6, vehicles are nuts. Looked at a Ram Rebel and the sticker was $72K, person I know ordered a new Challenger Hellcat a new upgraded model stickered $130K. The bad news is, prices really never come down, I've seen this since I graduated in 73 and since then.

Elections coming up in Nov and 2024, time to drain the swamp again...............................

Yepper, elections have consequences or in this case, fraudulent elections have grave consequences.

 

[rharr]

So do lies, but this is jeep forum let's talk about jeeps

 

[WhyNotJeep]

It's great that this forum stays away from the hot button items as well as it does. There are other places to go for that. Here we have Jeeps. I was actually banned forever from a RV forum because I made some comments about Covid, or maybe politics. All I care about here is Jeeps.
But, I just can't believe how long it takes to get a fiberglass shell camper. Is it supply line materials, manpower at ARE, or just a flood of orders. Job security for ARE.

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