I just got absolutely obliterated by rain :-/

Posted by brainhack3r@reddit | overlanding | View on Reddit | 19 comments

Alright, so this is day 15 of going 24/7 in my overlanding rig.

Yeah, I just got completely fucking obliterated by the rain. It is amazing how good rain is at finding every possible leak in your truck.

And I got to say, the RSI SmartCap absolutely sucks at dealing with rain. Like when you open up the rear cap, it literally dumps rain right into the bed.

Now, part of it is that my cap is five years old, but that's just a horrible design. Probably because these guys are from South Africa where they never get rain.

So anyway, now there are two parts of my smart cap that are just dumping rain on me. The rain is loud as shit on that shell, and I did not anticipate that.

Also, what's sad is that the Tacoma BED itself is leaking. I didn't expect that to happen, so I'm not sure what's going on there.

Of course, the Tacoma itself is crushing it. It’s always consistent and reliable. My KO2s and my lift have done nothing but crush it, handling mud and rain and getting me out of there when I need to be.

The problem is, I still have like 75 days before I can pick up my lone peak. Rainy season is about to end this year, so I think this might be the last day I have to deal with this.

But I'm just chalking it up to the adventure.

I'm gonna crash now but tomorrow is another day.

It makes me worried about how loud it's going to be on my lone peak when it's pouring down rain.

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Frank_luo@reddit

That's a rough way to test your seals! In weather like that, visibility becomes your biggest safety factor. If you're using a tablet for navigation, make sure it's not just 'water-resistant' but fully ruggedized with a high-brightness screen. Rain usually comes with heavy overcast, but once the sun breaks through those clouds, the glare on a wet screen is impossible. I've had good luck with HUGEROCK units in these conditions—the high nit count cuts right through the reflections and they don't glitch when the screen gets wet.

JimmyMcNultysWake@reddit

Alucabs are from SA and do not leak

wha1esharky@reddit

There was a topper shop in my town that did a seal job for me and it has never leaked. It was not very expensive, much quicker than I could have solved myself, and I did not have to lift anything heavy. Just a thought.

talon5188@reddit

Unfortunately, that is a common theme; all the overpriced overland gear doesn't work most of the time when you actually need it to. My GFC leaks when it rains hard, and the mesh is too big, and sand flies get in there. I am just waiting for someone to make a better product.

surveysaysno@reddit

Test with a sprinkler next time. Or a car wash.

SignificantOption349@reddit

Yep. I always run mine through the car wash a few times, find the wet points and then use some caulking to seal it.

Yeah so…. Insulated fiberglass toppers are a lot better for bed camping than any metal one you’re gonna find. They don’t even have seams on them and are much quieter. I recommend a mid rise.

All toppers will dump water back into the bed when you open the back hatch. It’s just what’s on the glass and hinges finding a new place to run off. That’s just part of it in my experience.

As for the bed, yes you usually have some little spaces at the front of the bed where water can get in. Hit it with caulking before you head out next time.. or run into town and grab some. I had absolutely no leaks on mine until I switched toppers, then I ran it through the car wash, found the new weak points, and caulked those too (wait for everything to thoroughly dry first).

Sorry you got slammed with rain before you were able to really thoroughly get this stuff done. It sucks but now you know…

natenite@reddit

I suspect you will find the Lonepeak to be a massive upgrade. No idea about your truck bed leaking but I love my Lonepeak. And I love camping in the rain. Listening to the rain fall is heaven.

ozarkrefugee@reddit

The gasket behind the brake light was the first issue I fixed in mine that is now 4 years old. Butyl tape fixed that easily. Zero leaks now.

The back bed rails also leak pretty good in the tacoma, but I butyl taped the outside(not pretty) but got it down to where its ever so slight in heavy rains.

Im going to use pond waterfall foam from the inside in the back rail to hopefully stop it completely.