# Are pickup trucks with convertible cargo bed roof a thing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 20, 2021, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-pickup-trucks-with-convertible-cargo-bed-roof-a-thing/954663 "2021-11-20T09:02:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![longtry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/839c29/32.png) [@longtry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/longtry)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2021, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-pickup-trucks-with-convertible-cargo-bed-roof-a-thing/954663/1 "2021-11-20T09:02:36Z")
I can’t seem to be able to find any of such. Maybe I just don’t know the proper keyword? The premise is like this: pickup trucks are good because they separate cargo from people. The open space allows tall stuffs to be carried. But when it rains, things can get nasty. Then why don’t we add a retractable roof over the bed? It doesn’t have to be too high, just around the cabin height is OK enough. But that’s more than twice of the typical covers. It can be stacked deep down the space between the cabin and the bed, that way it won’t block the middle rear mirror when retracted. When it rains, with a press of a button, bars will first go up and then spread towards the tail end of the truck. Similar to those convertibles, but this time it’s easier because the roof doesn’t have to go against the wind. With that train of thought in mind, I haven’t yet found a big enough drawback for people to not use such feature. Yet if no companies are manufacturing the design, there must be a reason(s). What is it? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2021, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-pickup-trucks-with-convertible-cargo-bed-roof-a-thing/954663/2 "2021-11-20T09:09:27Z")
Lack of demand would be my guess. There is a thing called a “camper shell” to fit over a pick up bed. You’ve probably seen them, although these days you might mistake a truck so equipped for an SUV. Plenty of manufacturers for those, although none are retractable. This pickup owner usually usually a tarp if I have to transport something in the rain. ---
**Author:** ![EnolaStraight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/41988e/32.png) [@EnolaStraight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EnolaStraight)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2021, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-pickup-trucks-with-convertible-cargo-bed-roof-a-thing/954663/3 "2021-11-20T12:17:41Z")
Something like this? [![](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/33/0f/3c/330f3c3fc00d7da3615569eadbaeab21.jpg) ](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/33/0f/3c/330f3c3fc00d7da3615569eadbaeab21.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2021, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-pickup-trucks-with-convertible-cargo-bed-roof-a-thing/954663/4 "2021-11-20T12:19:31Z")
I see those canvas or whatever tops here in Colorado. Not a real lot of them, but they certainly exist. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2021, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-pickup-trucks-with-convertible-cargo-bed-roof-a-thing/954663/5 "2021-11-20T12:29:24Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > There is a thing called a “camper shell” to fit over a pick up bed. You’ve probably seen them, although these days you might mistake a truck so equipped for an SUV. Plenty of manufacturers for those, although none are retractable. My dad put one on the back of his truck. Rather than permanently affix it, he used several C clamps so that (with some help) he could remove it if he wanted to put something taller in the bed. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2021, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-pickup-trucks-with-convertible-cargo-bed-roof-a-thing/954663/6 "2021-11-20T12:39:53Z")
Roll-up tonneau cover?.. [![](https://dvwk3r3c2hswe.cloudfront.net/production/catalog/product/cache/7/thumbnail/1200x/17f82f742ffe127f42dca9de82fb58b1/v/h/vhc3z-99501a42-m.jpg) ](https://dvwk3r3c2hswe.cloudfront.net/production/catalog/product/cache/7/thumbnail/1200x/17f82f742ffe127f42dca9de82fb58b1/v/h/vhc3z-99501a42-m.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2021, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-pickup-trucks-with-convertible-cargo-bed-roof-a-thing/954663/7 "2021-11-20T13:08:51Z")
GM tried a weird hybrid for a while. It didn’t catch on. > **[What Was The GMC Envoy XUV?](https://blog.consumerguide.com/gmc-envoy-xuv/)** > > It wasn’t a dream. You didn’t imagine it either—there really was a GMC SUV equipped with a retractable roof. To the uninitiated, that might not sound too odd, except that the roof didn’t retract ba… ---
**Author:** ![Bonum\_Legatum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bonum_legatum/32/6183_2.png) [@Bonum\_Legatum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bonum_Legatum)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2021, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-pickup-trucks-with-convertible-cargo-bed-roof-a-thing/954663/8 "2021-11-20T15:27:54Z")
Studebaker had the same thing on a (non SUV of course) station wagon in 1964. I had the Matchbox car. > **[Rare Retractable Roof: 1964 Studebaker Lark Wagonaire](https://barnfinds.com/rare-retractable-roof-1964-studebaker-lark-wagonaire/)** > > Merriam-Webster defines a Lark as either: A chiefly Old World ground-dwelling songbird or, A source of, or quest for amusement or adventure. My thought is Studebaker's intention was the latter definition and not the former. Especially when you... ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2021, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-pickup-trucks-with-convertible-cargo-bed-roof-a-thing/954663/9 "2021-11-20T20:17:44Z")
Because anything flexible would suffer wind damage at speed? ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2021, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-pickup-trucks-with-convertible-cargo-bed-roof-a-thing/954663/10 "2021-11-20T20:29:52Z")
> [@outlierrn](#): > > anything flexible would suffer wind damage at speed? Soft top convertibles seem to work OK. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2021, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-pickup-trucks-with-convertible-cargo-bed-roof-a-thing/954663/11 "2021-11-20T22:35:28Z")
> [@lobotomyboy63](#): > > My dad put one on the back of his truck. Rather than permanently affix it, he used several C clamps so that (with some help) he could remove it if he wanted to put something taller in the bed. That’s exactly what I use on my pickup, works fine and I can have it removed in a few minutes so long as I have one other person to handle the other side. Shell is fiberglass so it doesn’t weigh much but it’s definitely unwieldy and without the support of the bed rail on the truck it gets a little bendy. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2021, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-pickup-trucks-with-convertible-cargo-bed-roof-a-thing/954663/12 "2021-11-20T22:53:52Z")
I saw one once with a canvas top and sides stretched over 4 rigid aluminum ribs that could slide forward to the cab when you needed to carry something tall. I had an aluminum camper shell on one truck, but it was heavy and ungainly to remove. My next truck had a flattish fiberglass lid, which was removable, but even heavier than the camper shell. ---
**Author:** ![longtry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/839c29/32.png) [@longtry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/longtry)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2021, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-pickup-trucks-with-convertible-cargo-bed-roof-a-thing/954663/13 "2021-11-21T03:03:20Z")
So, people, at least in the US, prefer something more permanent like a shell over an automatic convertible tarp. Makes sense, I guess it looks weak compared with such Hulk. ---
**Author:** ![longtry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/839c29/32.png) [@longtry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/longtry)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2021, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-pickup-trucks-with-convertible-cargo-bed-roof-a-thing/954663/14 "2021-11-21T03:05:02Z")
Yes! If only they can automate that act, so we don’t have to get out in the (sudden) rain and spend a dozen of minutes putting the thing up. ---
**Author:** ![longtry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/839c29/32.png) [@longtry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/longtry)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2021, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-pickup-trucks-with-convertible-cargo-bed-roof-a-thing/954663/15 "2021-11-21T03:08:02Z")
Could you make some pictures? I was imagining along the line of rods that can be slipped into drilled holes on the edges of the bed. ---
**Author:** ![longtry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/839c29/32.png) [@longtry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/longtry)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2021, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-pickup-trucks-with-convertible-cargo-bed-roof-a-thing/954663/16 "2021-11-21T03:09:18Z")
While that looks cool, IMO more than half of the times, stuffs will be taller than what a tonneau can cover. ---
**Author:** ![longtry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/839c29/32.png) [@longtry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/longtry)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2021, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-pickup-trucks-with-convertible-cargo-bed-roof-a-thing/954663/17 "2021-11-21T03:14:31Z")
I saw in the ad video that the cabin actually opens into the bed when the roof slides off… which mean this is more of a SUV than a pickup, which I imagine is defined by having the 2 spaces completely separated. 1 key difference in the use of these 2 cars is that: in my vision, most of the times people will let the bed in open-air, only cover it when it rains. With the XUV, people would typically drive closed. ---
**Author:** ![longtry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/839c29/32.png) [@longtry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/longtry)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2021, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-pickup-trucks-with-convertible-cargo-bed-roof-a-thing/954663/18 "2021-11-21T03:17:09Z")
Aside from @thorny_locust 's argument, I’d want to add that pickup trucks are hardly the type to speed on a highway. Moreover, the cabin blocks or streamlines most of the front winds anyway. ---
**Author:** ![longtry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/839c29/32.png) [@longtry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/longtry)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2021, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-pickup-trucks-with-convertible-cargo-bed-roof-a-thing/954663/19 "2021-11-21T03:20:40Z")
Do you have the shell type or the canvas/tarp type? ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2021, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-pickup-trucks-with-convertible-cargo-bed-roof-a-thing/954663/20 "2021-11-21T03:39:58Z")
Standard fiberglass shell with slider windows between it and the passenger compartment and behind the wheel wells. Yakima bars on the top of the shell–if I had a garage I could store it the way my ex did his, by using a block and tackle to lift it off and hang it from the rafters. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-pickup-trucks-with-convertible-cargo-bed-roof-a-thing/954663.md?page=2)