Carryboy Canopy Experience

[Banana7]

I am considering adding a Carryboy canopy to a Toyota Hilux Revo Rocco truck. Apparently adding a lid or canopy to a pickup truck improves gas mileage by up to 15%. Has anyone added a canopy or lid?

What's your experience in regards mileage improvement?

Are the Carryboy boy canopies durable and worth the money? Is there a better brand?

[Whale]

Very durable. I don't know about the fuel economy though as they are heavy robust things. I never noticed an increase in fuel economy. I like mine a lot. Had quite a few years now and only maintenance I need to do is every so often I need to reset the door lock position and it moves over time with vibration - takes 5 minutes.

 

One thing to remember is you will have to visit land transport to make a change to the registration of your vehicle (as its class changes when you fit the carboy) otherwise you will not be able to MOT it when the time comes. Carryboy will give you a receipt to show to land transport for this.

Edited March 26, 2021 by Whale

[Daffy D]

Doesn't get hot in the back there? 

 

[Yellowtail]

 "Apparently adding a lid or canopy to a pickup truck improves gas mileage by up to 15%."

 

No, you will not realize any significant increase in gas mileage. 

 

I've had four pickups here and all were fitted with canopies or what we would call a shell in the US.  One Toyota with a Carryboy, and three Isuzus with Sammitr. Clearly I like the Isuzu better than the Toyota, and I like the Sammitr better than the Carryboy, but they were all great. If you already have the pick-up, I would pick the canopy you like like the look of, but take your time and make sure you see the shell you want on the the same model pickup you have. If they have them in stock most places will set them on and you can see how they look before you decide.nk th

 

Great for luggage, groceries and anything you want to keep covered or locked up. 

 

I think the look and build quality is similar between the Carryboy and the Sammitr, but the Carryboy is fiberglass while the Sammitr is steel. I think the fasteners hold better in the steel than in the fiberglass and the paint seems to stick better on the steel.

 

I think it comes down to what you like the look of. I think the guys that sell them all have shops that paint to suit. Make sure you get a warranty that includes paint.

 

NOTE: The shells/canopies are generally designed to fit on top of the truck bed rails, NOT on top of the bed liner. They look bad and the door does not close/fit well when the liner comes up and over the bed rails and the canopy sits on top. The same when the tailgate liner rolls over on the outside of the tailgate, the canopy door does not close correctly. The latch is adjustable, so it will latch and lock, but it will not line up perfectly, at least this has been my experience.

 

 

[Yellowtail]

2 hours ago, Daffy D said:

Doesn't get hot in the back there? 

 

 

You can get them with air conditioning which works surprising well. My second Isuzu had a Saamitr had AC in the back and a sliding window between the cab and the canopy. Great if you have a load of kids. 

[Daffy D]

28 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

You can get them with air conditioning which works surprising well. My second Isuzu had a Saamitr had AC in the back and a sliding window between the cab and the canopy. Great if you have a load of kids. 

Didn't know you could get AC in the back.

 

Sliding window you can close with kids in the back sounds like a great idea. 

 

At the end of a long journey you can just power wash it all out  ????

[Yellowtail]

1 hour ago, Daffy D said:

Didn't know you could get AC in the back.

 

Sliding window you can close with kids in the back sounds like a great idea. 

 

At the end of a long journey you can just power wash it all out  ????

 

And the kids love it. When you have kids strapped down in the back seat they have to go pee every ten minutes, and of course no two have to go at the same time. When they're in the back bouncing off the walls they never have to go. You have to make them get out and use the bathroom when you have to stop for the wife every thirty minutes... 

[canthai55]

You carry children in the back of your pickup ?

With a shell on or not ?

(Head-Shaking !)

[Yellowtail]

5 hours ago, canthai55 said:

You carry children in the back of your pickup ?

With a shell on or not ?

(Head-Shaking !)

 

You don't?

(Head-Shaking !)

[Banana7]

9 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

 "Apparently adding a lid or canopy to a pickup truck improves gas mileage by up to 15%."

 

No, you will not realize any significant increase in gas mileage. 

 

I've had four pickups here and all were fitted with canopies or what we would call a shell in the US.  One Toyota with a Carryboy, and three Isuzus with Sammitr. Clearly I like the Isuzu better than the Toyota, and I like the Sammitr better than the Carryboy, but they were all great. If you already have the pick-up, I would pick the canopy you like like the look of, but take your time and make sure you see the shell you want on the the same model pickup you have. If they have them in stock most places will set them on and you can see how they look before you decide.nk th

 

Great for luggage, groceries and anything you want to keep covered or locked up. 

 

I think the look and build quality is similar between the Carryboy and the Sammitr, but the Carryboy is fiberglass while the Sammitr is steel. I think the fasteners hold better in the steel than in the fiberglass and the paint seems to stick better on the steel.

 

I think it comes down to what you like the look of. I think the guys that sell them all have shops that paint to suit. Make sure you get a warranty that includes paint.

 

NOTE: The shells/canopies are generally designed to fit on top of the truck bed rails, NOT on top of the bed liner. They look bad and the door does not close/fit well when the liner comes up and over the bed rails and the canopy sits on top. The same when the tailgate liner rolls over on the outside of the tailgate, the canopy door does not close correctly. The latch is adjustable, so it will latch and lock, but it will not line up perfectly, at least this has been my experience.

 

 

I found this old thread about Sammitr canopies, not very complimentary.

 

 

[Yellowtail]

15 minutes ago, Banana7 said:

I found this old thread about Sammitr canopies, not very complimentary.

 

 

 

Did you actually read the thread? I looked to me like one guy said they all rusted, and the other said his did not rust but the that the lenses faded. He told the company and they said they would give him new ones. 

 

I've had three Sammitr shells and one Carryboy and they were all good. I like the Sammitr better. I thought they looked better and I like the steel better than the fiberglass.

 

The only issues I had with the Sammitrs was having to replace the door struts every few years, but had to do the same with the Carryboy. The only other issues with Carryboy was with some door fasteners wallowing out in the fiberglass and paint pealing off the roof. I would not blame the paint on Carryboy, as the supplier painted it, but I had no issues with paint on the Sammitrs. They still looked good when I got rid of them.  

[Banana7]

16 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

 

Did you actually read the thread? I looked to me like one guy said they all rusted, and the other said his did not rust but the that the lenses faded. He told the company and they said they would give him new ones. 

 

I've had three Sammitr shells and one Carryboy and they were all good. I like the Sammitr better. I thought they looked better and I like the steel better than the fiberglass.

 

The only issues I had with the Sammitrs was having to replace the door struts every few years, but had to do the same with the Carryboy. The only other issues with Carryboy was with some door fasteners wallowing out in the fiberglass and paint pealing off the roof. I would not blame the paint on Carryboy, as the supplier painted it, but I had no issues with paint on the Sammitrs. They still looked good when I got rid of them.  

Yes, I read the thread. Rust is something I want to avoid. I appreciate your analysis and experience.

[canthai55]

8 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

You don't?

(Head-Shaking !)

Never

[Yellowtail]

6 hours ago, canthai55 said:

Never

Sad

(Head-Shaking !)

[Yellowtail]

12 hours ago, Banana7 said:

Yes, I read the thread. Rust is something I want to avoid. I appreciate your analysis and experience.

 

I'm sure you'll like the Carryboy, I liked mine. 

[Amplish]

I have had two carry boy canopies and one Sammitr on different trucks, no complaints except for the fitting of the backdoor. I needed to adjust the locking mechanism on all of them after a few years, as things shift. Also recommend getting AC fitted (and sliding partition windows), best to have them against the ceiling, so you don't lose any cargo floor space. I also have avoided buying ones with window wipers, as I have seen several other cars where this stopped working after a few years and haven't been able to find replacement kits.

 

I have seen no change in fuel consumption. As Yellowtail mentioned, the canopies are installed over the liner, so it looks a bit ugly (unless you have a black or dark grey car) and things shift a bit more than if they would be installed directly onto metal. As mentioned by others, Sammitr is steel, which feels more sturdy. Both are very durable, rust hasn't not really been a problem, perhaps living near the coast increases occurrence of rust, I wouldn't know I live in Chiang Mai and haven't had any rust on a 22 year old Sammitr canopy, although it has lost the back door and most of the paint is gone.

[chilly07]

My carryboy is lasting well but the electric door locking hasnt and the dog ate the cill. Original paint was a problem in the sun until Isuzu redid it. Roof lining goes moldy as some rain gets past sliding windows.  Windscreen wipers really do nothing We got it for the dog but now he gets to go in the front because the carryboy has no aircon

[Yellowtail]

8 minutes ago, chilly07 said:

My carryboy is lasting well but the electric door locking hasnt and the dog ate the cill. Original paint was a problem in the sun until Isuzu redid it. Roof lining goes moldy as some rain gets past sliding windows.  Windscreen wipers really do nothing We got it for the dog but now he gets to go in the front because the carryboy has no aircon

 

I replaced the solenoid in the lock, cheap and easy.

 

 

 

[JohnB1945]

My experience is different from the positive reviews above. Bought a Carryboy on a Navara 4 years ago. Firstly the rear washer/wiper are complete rubbish. Continually take it for fixing and - at best - it lasts a few weeks until it fails yet again. Also it leaked and the best the Service people could do was the bed it in gunge. So now I don't have the option of taking it off when I want to carry any large things. 

 

Also it was initially wired up wrong, before the ignition switch. So if you left on the heated rear screen when you parked the car it flattened the battery. 

 

I am not happy about FRP as it would disintegrate in a roll over. Steel might give some small amount of protection.

 

I would not buy Carryboy again. 

 

 

[Andy from Kent]

23 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

Sad

(Head-Shaking !)

 

 

We're all free to do as we choose but  as it pertains to this thread, I'd call this sad:

 

 

[heist]

I actually removed my Carryboy lid (installed by the previous owner) a few months ago.

Reasons - it was leaking water inside and the springs/lift mechanism were shot. They are pretty heavy so I'd guess you'd probably save fuel from not having to cart that extra weight.

I'm also looking for a new bed liner because they drilled holes in it to fit the Carryboy. 

[Yellowtail]

15 minutes ago, heist said:

I actually removed my Carryboy lid (installed by the previous owner) a few months ago.

Reasons - it was leaking water inside and the springs/lift mechanism were shot. They are pretty heavy so I'd guess you'd probably save fuel from not having to cart that extra weight.

I'm also looking for a new bed liner because they drilled holes in it to fit the Carryboy. 

 

The struts that help lift the door are relatively cheap and easy to replace, but yeah, that door is heavy without them.

 

One shop truck we had we used C-clamps to hold it in place so we could take it off for high loads. 

 

I hate the bed-liners. I've had a bunch and I like a rubber mat better. 

[fulhamster]

I've had a carryboy for 13 years, only problem was the rubber liner between the cab and the carryboy rotted due to the heat, replaced fairly cheaply.

[Rawairat]

Like the carryboy I put on my Mazda BT-50 but the installer was a big problem, poor fitting and could not adjust it correctly, ended up doing it myself. The motorised lid was wired directly to the battery and constantly drained it, which shortened the life of the battery. Once I fixed up the shops <deleted> it was all good.

[Andy from Kent]

On 3/27/2021 at 2:46 PM, Daffy D said:

Didn't know you could get AC in the back.

 

Sliding window you can close with kids in the back sounds like a great idea. 

 

At the end of a long journey you can just power wash it all out  ????

 

 

That is if a person has a power washer available.     ????