ARE Self Doubt

Maybe I am getting a bit inpatient on the new truck cap as the weekend approached, but at least I had a bit of comfort that there is a good chance it gets installed next week. I had a feeling that ARE would play these games, they are famous for post-panademic delays.

At times I also find myself questioning my decision to get a fiberglass cap when there are so many alternatives, but I liked my old set up, and it was reliable, mostly waterproof and with bug screens and side-windows I like. The fiberglass caps aren’t the toughest material, but they have sufficient load carrying capacity at 150-200 lbs for a 65 lb kayak on the roof and the two solar panels which together only weight about 30 lbs. And I didn”t want something too top heavy like a slide-out camper, but did want the extra height of the ARE MX sloped cap – even if I have some questions in my mind about the impact on fuel economy.

Maybe I should have explored alternatives more. Maybe I’m too stubborn and just wanted to built my new rig like Big Red. Yet, I didn”t want the weight, high or complexity of a full-slide in camper, even if the one-ton axle of an F-350 could handle that kind of weight. Not that I necessarily was even set on the one-ton axle, but I ultimately went with because that’s the truck that otherwise met my needs, and I wanted something bigger and heavier duty then a half ton, but I would have been just as happy with a 3/4 ton. And I keep chewing over the short-bed vs long-bed, though really for getting through the woods and into smaller campsites, the shorter wheel base is superior.

It will be a great rig. Once I get over my self doubt and questioning. And the cap is finally delivered.