If you are shopping for a truck cap or a camper shell, the first real decision is the material. Almost everything on the market is either fiberglass or aluminum, and the two age very differently. Here is how they compare on the things that actually matter once the cap is on your truck.
Weight and what it does to the truck
Aluminum is the lighter material. A lighter cap is easier to lift onto the bed, easier to take off with two people, and it asks less of your suspension and your fuel economy. A heavy fiberglass shell does the opposite. You feel the difference every time you load it, and your truck feels it every mile.
What happens when something hits it
Fiberglass is rigid, and rigid things crack. A branch, a garage header, a dropped tool: fiberglass tends to chip or spider-crack at the impact point, and those cracks spread. Aluminum dents instead of shattering, and a dent is a much easier thing to live with than a crack that runs.
Florida sun and salt
This is where a lot of fiberglass caps quietly fail. Constant sun bakes the gelcoat until it chalks and fades, and salt air works on every seam. Our shells are 2 mm aluminum with an anodized finish, which is built for exactly this: salt-air coast and a lot of direct sun. It does not bake, and it does not chalk.
Repairs down the road
A cracked fiberglass shell is a body-shop job: grind, fill, sand, repaint, match the color. Aluminum is simpler. Panels can be worked, hardware can be swapped, and seals can be replaced without repainting the whole cap. Over the years you own it, that difference adds up.
The honest part about price
Aluminum usually costs a little more up front than an entry-level fiberglass shell. What you are buying with that difference is the back half of the ownership: no cracking, no repaint, no chalking, lighter handling. Cheaper on day one is not the same as cheaper over five years.
Our aluminum caps are built around this exact argument. If you want to see how it is put together, look at the Forge Series, or pick your truck on the Shop by Vehicle page to see what fits.