I know that someone is going to come along and tell me how this thread sux BC there aren't enough pictures, it's been super rainy, we have had floods and landslides to deal with and taking photos outside just doesn't sound like fun right now. So I'll tell you my experiences with it in the first week.
Versatility is second to none I would think and I'm definitely convinced of that after today. Most of the feed on the farm is bought in bulk, and mixed or blended to what we want to feed right here, but some of the specialty feed, like the high protein food and chick feed we buy in bags, so members only sale at the co-op today went down there to fill 8 propane tanks, buy 20 bags of various bagged feed, and filled 8 gas cans. So gas cans went behind the driver in the bed, propane tanks behind the passenger in the bed and the feed bags in the back from about the axle to the tailgate. I was able to get the 5 gallon cans in and out from the front D/S just by unsnapping the side, propane tanks I did the same way and the feed bags though the back. It was easy to use, gave me zero trouble I didn't have to crawl on my knees through the bed! I was planning to retract the top, for loading, but it wasn't nessissary and was raining to hard my feed sacks would have been soaked in no time!
Water tightness: The material seems 100%, the bedrails seem 100%. The holes drilled in the bed rails leak a surprising amount of water in, that's not the fault of the softopper and when we dry out enough I'll either put foil mastic tape over them, or fill them in with plugs, or something. But it's got to wait until it dries out or nothing will stick. The front corners where the softopper transitions to the front flaps seems to seep some when I'm driving and yes I moved the softopper forward so that the bars rest on the bed properly when retracted, so I'll want to do something there. Maybe just as simple as a bead of RTV or silicone not to actually stick anything down, but to create a channel or barrier for the water to hit and run outside. I want to get that stuff taken care of and then we'll see if I want seals on the tailgate. My one and only concern about that is I don't want to wreck those seals when I haul materials in the bed, like gravel or manure. I guess it just depends on how much comes in from that point. From what I can see so far it seems like the drill holes are by far and away my worst leak.
When the weather clears up, I'll take some photos for you to see.
