Canopy or open bed

In keeping with the basket or bag thread, what is your preference on pickups for trapping? Canopy or open bed?

I’ve done both. I always preferred an open bed but my old coyote ground rarely saw much snow so the bed stayed snow free and I could drive by just about every set.

Now I live in similar country though higher in elevation and we can get some snow. I still like being able to access the bed and I use a cross bed tool box to carry most of my traps and equipment for servicing the line once it’s set up. If I get the garage cleaned out enough I can get the truck in out of the weather every night. Not sure how likely that is.

My Toyota has a canopy on it at the moment and I may opt to try working out of it but it requires a bit of rethinking on how to store and access equipment.

I did trap for a few years out of a Toyota T100 with a three door canopy and that worked fairly well. Not as well as an open bed but not bad. My Tacoma only has the rear window that opens.

I’ll be interested to hear what worked best for folks.

Foldable, hard bed cover here. Keeps the snow out, 95% of any moisture from rain. Can open the truck bed up all the way when setting, easy to cover things up if going into town or bad weather.

That’s one option I’d forgotten about. Thanks for reminding me.

Put a camper shell on my truck mainly for my dog. I used to hunt MS and Arkansas every year for ducks and started feeling bad for my dog in his crate while riding in the bed. That was long before I started trapping and I’ve kept it on ever since.
It works for me for trapping and I use a hitch haul to haul critters.

Small line trapper here, maybe a couple dozen sets at a time.

I run a camper shell on my truck. I like everything clean and dry, no matter the weather. I can also lock it up.
I keep stuff in totes that I can pull out with a hooked stick. Animals go in the bed, sure it looks like a crime scene after the first couple days, oh well.
Winter trapping I keep most of my stuff in an otter sled that slides in and out of the truck.

I also have a rubber bed mat, so if I have to climb in, its easier on my knees. I can stand up bent over at the waist also. My cap is about 6 inches taller than the cab of the truck.

The wife's Maverick has a hard folding tonneau on it. That is real nice, as long as the bed sides are low enough to reach over. That's not the case with most newer trucks.

Topper on the spouse's truck and a Diamondback aluminum cover on my F150, topper was too expensive for it.
Liking the Diamondback so far and it would be easy to take off if needed.

https://diamondbackcovers.com/products/diamondbackse?variant=28905652553

I run a topper on mine from about October until May. Here are a few reasons. I like not shoveling snow out of the bed and keeping my gear loaded up and dry. My school has a couple of people with sticky hands and I like being able to lock it if I have gear in it. I also don't have to worry about stuff flying out like bags and such when I go ice fishing. The other nice part is that I can stack things as high as I want and not have to worry about falling out. I also have the side windows and the back window so it's really easy to grab traps and whatever out of it.

The only downside is when it comes to float trapping during the spring because it is harder to reach them and also having a 5' 9" bed makes it so I'm not able to store my 6' poles straight but that's not due to the topper. This year I'm going to take the topper off early and try trapping out of the truck and trailer for opening day and then go to just the open truck bed and see how I like it.

When I'm trapping in the winter, I use an otter sled almost the size of my bed and everything fits in there and I can slide it in and out easily. I don't predator trap or land trap much so my experience is kind of limited.

I've always used a cap on my trucks. Two years ago I got a used commercial aluminum cap with access doors on 3 sides and it's a nice convenience to have. It needed repainted which was easy to do.

I made a shelf for across the top (top picture) and keep anything that needs to stay clean and dry on it. All catches go in a jet sled on the bottom and all the tools that can and will get yucked up go on the truck bed also. (bottom picture)

That's how I have mine set up too. I also have a 5' rod bent to hook and drag things out so I don't have to craw into the back.

Aluminum cap. Rain & Snow here.

I work out of side window, partner works out of his side. Only time in back is to stack fur.






I got the cap with side windows that open idea, from Charlie Dobbins when he showed me his setup back in the 1980's. Had a cap like this since. Thanks Charlie.

I use a cap that only opens from the rear. I like seeing some of the shelving or other inventive ways guys are rigging their trucks to make them more effective and efficient.

Bryce

I like the roll up type bed cover. It's out of the way until you need it, and quick and easy to use.

With my style of trapping It would be impossible to trap with a covered bed.

I've run with an open bed, a rolled tonneau and now a topper, and couldn't imagine ever going back personally. It took me a couple seasons to get things organized exactly how it suits me, but was worth the wait. My Tacoma is only a 5' bed, but I carry a hooked rod to reach anything packed far forward. The trick for me was in just optimizing my space in a way it best suited my style of trapping. Because I trap out of a back country camp, I like things covered and the ability to lock up when I run to town for supplies.

For me the Best Option is to have Both!!!!
Two pickups set up for trapping.
Overall I prefer the open backed truck with 2 large covered aluminum tool boxes and containers for protection from the weather. Mainly coyote trapping in the high desert country.
Truck with topper is nice for scouting trips, sleeping in and hauling fur to the Glenns Ferry Idaho fur sale!!!! Fall is in the air, I can feel it lol.