Advise from canopy owners

[CarmsMNclub]

Gday guys,
Just looking for some advise from canopy owners. I was looking at tracking down a second hand canopy for my club cab mn but of course i chose the hens tooth of tritons and second hand canopies are few and far between, so im reduced to having to purchase new.... With a cost of between 2 and 3 grand its a big investment when that money could be spent on better things(suspension etc lol) However after much research and reading on ntn and other sites im deliberating whether or not buying a canopy would work for me anyway.... I prospect fulltime and spend many many hours driving on corrugated dusty and overall shitty roads and am worried im going to end up with smashed canopy windows, dust and crap in the canopy from the bulldust(i plan on sleeping in the tray so that wouldnt be ideal), and having to tighten the canopy down all the time due to the rough tracks. What do you guys think? Is ot going to end up more of a pain in the ass then its worth? I can roll out a swag in a few mins but it def wouldnt be as comfortable as a cutdown mattress in the back under the shelter of the canopy.... Although if that matress was wet and muddy after driving down a shitty wet road for hours it wouodnt feel as nice lol. Does anyone with a canopy spend a lot of time on outback dirt roads? Any comments?
Thanks

[Tony]

Don't buy SH Challenge brand for MN as parts no longer exist.

[snowman]

ditch the tub and get a tray

[dan.batto]

As he said^^^

[BillMcQuade]

I do a lot of hard dirt and rough roads. The OEM canopy is still holding up well, but you do have to maintain it.

I Loctite all fasteners.

I have the sliding windows, and I NEVER use the latches as handles. Use them to open the window slightly, then grab the edge of the window to slide it. Keep the tracks clean and use silicone spay for lube. I only ever slide open the tailgate end windows. Bend the metal latch tabs INWARDS slightly, which stops the windows from rattling open.

The latch on the window behind the cabin feels flimsy, but it has never popped open.

The rear glass can cause slight issues. No matter what canopy/tub you have, they all flex a bit. This can cause the odd issue with shutting the rear glass. I spent a fair bit of time adjusting the locking mechanism until I was happy. When it gets to the point where you are slamming it closed every time, it's due for an adjustment (usually every 3 months). Only once or twice it has popped open whilst off-road, which is acceptable to me. I would rather it did that than smash! If I am in real rough stuff I keep an eye on the glass, it is easy to see if it opens (the tub light goes on, it you can see that the glass has lifted). I tend to put an occy strap on the inner handle, back to one of the loops in the tray. This allows it to pop out if the canopy flexes to much, but holds it below roof height.

From a leak perspective, it didn't leak a drop for the first 2 years. It has now developed a very small weep from the P/S front corner, but only in heavy rain; no more than 50ml.

As for dust; I have the dust seal kit, which I modified to actually work. If you run a tub liner, the best bet is to cut the tailgate part to clear the seal. The bottom of the tailgate could do with better sealing, but I really don't get that much dust in there. I have been thinking about putting a small rotating ventilator on the roof to slightly pressurise the canopy area, but then you would need to filter the incoming air. Still thinking about that one.

I don't have any cracking of the canopy on mine, however it was reasonably well fitted by the dealer's panel shop.

To sum up; I am happy with my canopy. Does it suit me all the time? No, but it suits me 90% of the time. I also built a ute-tub trailer as a camping trailer, and plan on fitting a canopy to that at some stage.

[jmjLc]

I have a mma canopy but the one that is taller than the roof of the car as when we put draws in the back we still can open the fridge, like bill said you have to maintain them we put extra rubber seals around the tailgate bottom and top at the corners at the front of the canopy we put foam in the gaps where you could just see daylight ,the back window needs adjustment every now and then but everything needs maintenance I would be lost without our canopy it gives a lot of options for its use . I did lots of research when I was looking at buying one and talked to heaps of people and in the end it is really your choice as with all products have pros and cons, no trouble with sliding windows just don't be rough opening them use a lube ,and as bill said don't use the openers as handles as we use them the same way as he does ,hope it all helps with your decision good luck

[micv]

I was originally going to import one to save costs but ended up getting an ARB for a good price second hand. Have been very happy with it. Wont ever come off on rugged offroad. Fold up front and side windows. Weight baring supports for roof load. Relatively light. Looks good IMO.But care needed with rear window prone to breakage.

[sydneymark]

i've had the arb canopy for 2 years and 50k km and am very happy with it.
i have a small rain leak in one rear corner but not enough to worry about.

i put a air vent in the front, and it has been brilliant, best $12 i ever spent. no need to filter it hardly any dust gets in, no water, and the positive pressure means no dust comes in around the tail gate so i never had to worry about extra sealing at the back.
i also put in the heavy duty roof rack mount kit so could put a tent up top and sleek there if needed

[4wd26]

ARB canopy on mine
It's 7 years old and has been on the vehicle for its 170,000kms
I've never had any of the windows open when I didn't want
I smashed one of the side windows doing something stupid both of mine are lift up, I would recommend one sliding- drivers side for your proposed use as I have seen screen mesh added to let in airflow whilst sleeping

I have worked out how to positive pressurise so dust and water have never posed much of a problem

I have never had to adjust anything or service
But I just recently got annoyed of a strip of covering rubber that went in a track came out of its tracks at the front of the canopy and would be impossible to fix without removal, I pulled it all off cut it to fit the sides and tech screwed it it to hold in the front corners- only maintenance I've had to do

[BillMcQuade]

i put a air vent in the front,

Which brand of air vent is that, and where did you get it?

[Sabre]

i put a air vent in the front,

Which brand of air vent is that, and where did you get it?

Looks to be a standard vent available from any decent boating chandlery, such as Whitworths.

[sydneymark]

i put a air vent in the front,

Which brand of air vent is that, and where did you get it?

Looks to be a standard vent available from any decent boating chandlery, such as Whitworths.

yup, standard boat vent

[BillMcQuade]

Cheers!

[Dilligara]

Strictly speaking its a called a DORADE vent, designed to allow air to flow in but send water straight out the back, which is a great idea on a boat and a good idea on a triton.

[danm]

Re the positive air flow, I have an EGR canopy on mine and I just open the front sliding (at the cab) window to let air in and it seems to minimise the dust problem, I expect it would let rain in but then I wouldn't have it open for dust anyway.
Cheers

[Bazzer87]

I have an ARB canopy and have done a lot of dirt roads, offroading etc.
Never had any issues, never needed to tighten or adjust a thing.

[wildturkeycanoe]

I installed a genuine Mitsi canopy on mine, [four door ute] second hand. I found that the rear of the canopy doesn't seal very well and I end up getting water dripping into the rear corners. Also, the seal around the rear tailgate is really bad, huge gaps between the tailgate and the tub. This isn't easily sealed either as some gaps are many cm but at least it lets the rain drip out the back instead of pooling. It does let the dust in quite a lot, so maybe that air vent might be a good idea to keep it pressurized.

[snowman]

I installed a genuine Mitsi canopy on mine, [four door ute] second hand. I found that the rear of the canopy doesn't seal very well and I end up getting water dripping into the rear corners. Also, the seal around the rear tailgate is really bad, huge gaps between the tailgate and the tub. This isn't easily sealed either as some gaps are many cm but at least it lets the rain drip out the back instead of pooling. It does let the dust in quite a lot, so maybe that air vent might be a good idea to keep it pressurized.

if you are on dusty roads and NOT driving in the middle of it all (i.e. so you can't see) then open the front window on the canopy. it pressurises the canopy and will keep a significant amount of dust out. i was sceptical at first but after trying it i can assure you it works well.