RSI Smartcap

[Deleted member 28696]

Can you not mount them on the inside of the door and just grab them when flipping to door open? isn't that the point of the molle panels on the inside of the door?

Doubt that would work since the boards are as long or longer than the door & besides this adds to the overall esthetic’s.

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[T-Rock]

I will be hauling my dog in it a lot. Anything I can do to reduce heat inside is a good thing. So before assembling it, I wrapped the top panel in white.

Did you do the wrap yourself? I really want to do something like that to reduce the heat back there in general - living in the AZ desert I know it is going to be killer hot back there for gear in the summer.

 

[dcmdon]

S

Did you do the wrap yourself? I really want to do something like that to reduce the heat back there in general - living in the AZ desert I know it is going to be killer hot back there for gear in the summer.

Yes. It was my first time. I would say that doing a wrap with 98% perfection is easy for a novice. There are some errors that would be completely unacceptable if this was the hood of a car. But for something that you will almost never see, its fine.

I used 3M 2080 film. It is a dry application film that is supposed to have micro channels to let air bubbles out. It worked well except in a couple of places. There I used a razor blade to pop the bubble and work the air out. This resulted in a "nick" in the wrap. Invisible from even 5 ft away.

I got the wrap from Fellers. I got it sized 60" by 2 yards long. It cost me about $90.

I'm also going to insulate the roof by sizing foam to fit between the segments of the inside roof.

Then I will wrap one solid piece of foam and use contact cement to wrap the insulation. I will use the screw holes that are already there for the retractable picnic table to hold the piece of insulation up against the other pieces set into the roof. I'm not sure if I'll just use fender washers or something like that. Or maybe something with more surface area like a piece of small aluminum angle.

 

[dcmdon]

Some more thoughts on the Smartcap.

Assembly was actually more difficult than I thought it would be. The connectors for the end panels are sized very tightly. If the side panels haven't been tapped in enough the end connectors won't line up.

Once I figured that out, it was a process of cajoling them into position.

Re putting it on the truck. The instructions tell you to torque the clamps down to about 100 in-lbs. If you do that, the cap will sit too low in back and the tailgate will beat on the seal.

The instructions also say to tighten the rear clamps down so that the gate just grazes the seal. That is a great idea, but the included rubber stand offs aren't tall enough to get the back of the cap up that high.

So I ended up making some additional shims out of a similar rubber, spraying them with contact cement and stacking them on the factory shims under the rear clamp.

Then I interpolated the correct size and made shims for the middle clamp. The factory shims only were used under the front clamp.

Also, the instructions have you install the rubber shims/bumpers that go under the clamps when you are putting the cap on the truck.

A better idea is to stick them to the cap when it is upside down on the floor. You position it just inboard of the D channel weatherstripping.

I'm sure this makes no sense to those of you waiting on delivery. . But it will when you start studying the instructions.

 

[T-Rock]

S


Yes. It was my first time. I would say that doing a wrap with 98% perfection is easy for a novice. There are some errors that would be completely unacceptable if this was the hood of a car. But for something that you will almost never see, its fine.

I used 3M 2080 film. It is a dry application film that is supposed to have micro channels to let air bubbles out. It worked well except in a couple of places. There I used a razor blade to pop the bubble and work the air out. This resulted in a "nick" in the wrap. Invisible from even 5 ft away.

I got the wrap from Fellers. I got it sized 60" by 2 yards long. It cost me about $90.

I'm also going to insulate the roof by sizing foam to fit between the segments of the inside roof.

Then I will wrap one solid piece of foam and use contact cement to wrap the insulation. I will use the screw holes that are already there for the retractable picnic table to hold the piece of insulation up against the other pieces set into the roof. I'm not sure if I'll just use fender washers or something like that. Or maybe something with more surface area like a piece of small aluminum angle.

Thanks this is very helpful. I was looking at some heat shield insulation for inside the roof. There is some that could easily be applied but likely won't be as insulating as all that foam. I am going to find me some of that 3m 2080 film!

 

[dcmdon]

Thanks this is very helpful. I was looking at some heat shield insulation for inside the roof. There is some that could easily be applied but likely won't be as insulating as all that foam. I am going to find me some of that 3m 2080 film!

The sun was out today and I put my hand on the inside of the roof and it was cool to the touch. The black side walls were warm to hot. the white roof works great.

 

[dcmdon]

I just want to follow up on my initial impressions. I've had the top for a couple of weeks, but this past weekend was our first family trip in the Jeep with the smartCap.

We put both the dog and the cat (in kennels) in the back. The dog loves it because he knows it means he's coming with us. The cat hates it. But at least we don't have to listen to her.

We used the cap for dump runs, trips to the ski mountains. It was wonderful having all that dry, clean, safe space. I got 3 compliments on the cap. One from a Gladiator owner who wanted to ask 10questions about the cap.

 

[jnack]

I'm curious if anyone has attached a dune whip to the roof of the RSI smart cap without a roof rack? I'm planning on going to dunes in a few weeks and the requirement is to have a flag mounted 8 ft above the ground -- I'd rather not attach directly to my bumpers to avoid drilling, so figured a 2ft pole attached to the roof of camper shell would do the trick. Anyone done this? pix?

 

[dcmdon]

Has anyone attempted to seal the space between the SmartCap and the rear window of their truck?

I'd like to be able to leave both windows open most of the time. I know its minor, but the dog is happiest when he feels like he's part of the family and can hear all of us. With the crate in the way back of my wife's Volvo wagon, he can't see us but he knows we're there. He will sit in the crate for a 4 hour ride and he arrives totally relaxed.

Also, It might be helpful to help keep him warm in the winter.

I can only find weatherstripping that is at most 1 inch thick.

 

[T-Rock]

Has anyone attempted to seal the space between the SmartCap and the rear window of their truck?

I'd like to be able to leave both windows open most of the time. I know its minor, but the dog is happiest when he feels like he's part of the family and can hear all of us. With the crate in the way back of my wife's Volvo wagon, he can't see us but he knows we're there. He will sit in the crate for a 4 hour ride and he arrives totally relaxed.

Also, It might be helpful to help keep him warm in the winter.

I can only find weatherstripping that is at most 1 inch thick.

I haven't tried this yet but was thinking of finding a Truck Camper Boot that I have used years ago with a Ram. Something like this: Amazon.com: TRAIL FX 30000 Camper Boot: 24' X 16'; Truk Boot : Automotive

 

[XJFanatic]

I haven't tried this yet but was thinking of finding a Truck Camper Boot that I have used years ago with a Ram. Something like this: Amazon.com: TRAIL FX 30000 Camper Boot: 24' X 16'; Truk Boot : Automotive

Get an inner tube for a fat bike tire. They eventually will break down from UV rays but the are cheap.

 

[LaRock]

I'm curious if anyone has attached a dune whip to the roof of the RSI smart cap without a roof rack? I'm planning on going to dunes in a few weeks and the requirement is to have a flag mounted 8 ft above the ground -- I'd rather not attach directly to my bumpers to avoid drilling, so figured a 2ft pole attached to the roof of camper shell would do the trick. Anyone done this? pix?

I haven’t needed to mount a dune whip but it I did I’d just use a magnet mount on top of the cap, like do with the GMRS antenna. You could also mount a bracket to the side rail on top of the cap.

 

[T-Rock]

@OffroadAlliance.com I have to say (in the most constructive manner) that you guys really should improve communications and estimates for delivery on SmartCaps.

I am not commenting on the amount of time it takes to receive a product from outside the country. We know it is taking a long time.

The point is why can't you do a better job of tracking shipments to orders and provide better & more frequent updates on the estimated time of arrival?
I mean you take payment and then say "supply chain" upon every inquiry. You should be able to provide more information directly to customers about their orders. Right now you provide NO information; I have never received a single email about my order status after the purchase...after 3 months of waiting. That is not good customer service IMO. Even an email that is vague shows you are trying. Why radio silence?
I hope you take this in a positive way, because I want to support our forum supporters.

 

[XJFanatic]

@OffroadAlliance.com I have to say (in the most constructive manner) that you guys really should improve communications and estimates for delivery on SmartCaps.

I am not commenting on the amount of time it takes to receive a product from outside the country. We know it is taking a long time.

The point is why can't you do a better job of tracking shipments to orders and provide better & more frequent updates on the estimated time of arrival?
I mean you take payment and then say "supply chain" upon every inquiry. You should be able to provide more information directly to customers about their orders. Right now you provide NO information; I have never received a single email about my order status after the purchase...after 3 months of waiting. That is not good customer service IMO. Even an email that is vague shows you are trying. Why radio silence?
I hope you take this in a positive way, because I want to support our forum supporters.

I have inquired recently and was told they are waiting on an ETA from RSI. I won’t air out my whole conversation as they have been very diligent answering my RFI. Overall, I truly believe Offroad Alliance is easy to deal with and are doing what they can, unfortunately delays on all ends (shipping, manufacturing and distribution) are just making it impossible to give a reasonably solid answer. They would be worse off spitting false information across the internet.

I do second that even posting up some ETAs provided by RSI for shipments arriving state side would be amazing. Dropping over 4,000 just to have it sit there will cause anyone to wonder.

 

[Toten Unterhosen]

I firmly believe that the issues are the result of the sole US distributor, Keystone Automotive having their collective heads up their asses. They have continued to tell my dealer dates and those have slipped every single time. After missing two previously quoted dates, my July 2021 order was “being unloaded from a container in California” in December. Yeah, so much for that.

Keystone informed me today that my cap has been back ordered since 19 August 2021. Well, if that is true then they have flat out lied to me and my dealer.

RSI keeps saying they have no insight into what their distributor does or doesn’t do and their orders. To me, that is a cop out and shows they really are unwilling to help.

I ordered and had installed an Alucab in less than a week total about 6-weeks ago but kept my RSI order open. On learning today from Keystone directly the current status, I cancelled the RSI.

I believe it’s a good product. And I believe the dealers like Off-road Alliance and other like my local are doing the best they can. Sadly, they are being given crap support and information from Keystone and RSI.

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