Bed height / side extension from Exceedfab

[Exceed Fabrication]

Love the idea. Like any Jeep product will get more variable opinions than you probably want.

I would throw out there it may not need to be quite that tall. Personally I've found I'm needing only 2-3 more inches in height to get some common sized coolers and storage boxes under my tonneau. Worth noting, the Colorado, Ranger, and Tacoma are all about 3-3.5 inches taller than the Gladiator so that says something about the market.

This is a valuable point!
Obviously, making everything smaller is more cost-effective and weight-saving, which isn't difficult. If the dimensions are shortened to around 3 inches, a single piece of 4080 aluminum could handle everything, similar to the thread I posted above. I'm just not sure how many people would want that, and the sealing issue still seems unresolved.

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[Exceed Fabrication]

I think for a lot of guys in the Overlanding World if they could keep the top of their RTT at or below the roof height of the cab it would be a go. Figure 12 inches for the tent and that will cover 99% of uses.

So what we actually need is a raised tonneau edge! This is an interesting conclusion!

 

[Exceed Fabrication]

Since you asked....

IM(not so)HO: There is zero chance of developing this product and keeping the cost within your stated goal.

That said, making storage boxes along the length of it will increase cost - but also perceived value. In other words, instead of trying to make it cheaper - make it better. It will cost more money, but also be more worth it.

As for the tailgate, have you considered shifting your thought process from trying to integrate with your side risers somehow - to attaching it to the tailgate itself? A bolt on filler piece on the tailgate?

I think the price premium for the bed cap is quite high, and if we compare it to the price, we still have plenty of cost headroom. But making this thing better, rather than cheaper, is an interesting strategy.
We've also considered fixing some sliding panels to the tailgate to seal it, but adding anything to the tailgate would make it difficult to haul heavy items out, so I'm not sure if we're going to do that. It would also complicate things. What started as an extension and tonneau collaboration has now become an extension, tonneau, and a tailgate seal, which adds uncertainty.

 

[cnash]

This might actually be a good middle ground for me. I have a diamondback cover, but sometimes I need more height and was considering swapping out to a cap, but this would probably work if it comes out decent and decently priced.

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