Posted: Apr 21 2008 at 8:16pm | IP Logged

Aloha,

Dollars aside, you get what you pay for in camper shells.  Being stuck in Hawaii (Please, no pitty! ) I paid more than you probably would for the same model of camper there, but I can't say enough good about the higher end enclosures.

My previous Nissan ('92) had a Brahma shell that was made from formed plastic and could be compressed by a moderate load (~200 lbs?) and nearly always added to the noise level in the truck.  It kept thinks dry and kept the honest people honest...

Now I have a 07 CC LE that I put a SnugTop XTR camper shell on about 6 months ago.  The shell cost ~$2100 installed but I've never regretted the expenditure. (See Gallery pictures...)  The shell is SOLID, never rattles, cannot be opened by evil do'ers without a lot of  trouble, looks like it is OEM and will support just about anything you place on top short of a V8 engine.

The shell is painted at the SnugTop factory to the OEM color of the truck.  The SnugTop website: http://www.snugtop.com/ has a good description of the various styles and features.  Nice to have stuff includes:  An internal ceiling light, a fold-down front window (to clean the panes between the truck and camper) and a clothes hanger for inside the shell. (Never know when you might need a Tux!)

LEER, ARE and other manufacturers are equally as good.  Where I bought mine they handled LEER and SnugTop.  The selling points for me in going with the SnugTop was the top rails that closely matched the rails on my LE, the contours of the shell matching the lines if the truck and frankly... The salespersons recommendation.   It took about 4-6 weeks from purchase to install - including a Pacific cruise.

Hope this helps, take a picture of the final look.

Aloha,  Bob

Posted: Apr 21 2008 at 8:51pm | IP Logged

I've got an 07' CC and I went with a standard Leer Canopy, and I have had ZERO problems with it.  Very nice fit, quality and styling.  I still hate paying that kind of money for a canopy which is more or less injected fiberglass, but there's nothing worse than a newer truck with an old, mismatched canopy slapped on the back.

Cheers.

IAN

Posted: Apr 23 2008 at 3:32pm | IP Logged

Aloha TaSaJaRa,

The Frontier CC did, the last time I checked, have a 'long bed' configuration that would fit your needs.  Having drove one before I purchased my short bed CC let me tell you, it's a beast to turn and park.  The Frontiers are not known for their short turning radius as it is and adding another 24" to the wheel base makes you feel like you're driving a Limo.  That said, I miss that 24 inches at times.

I didn't drive my LE without the shell for any great period of time, and in those first few weeks I was more driven to see what the 4.0L V6 could do than what the MPG was.  That said, I see an average of 18 mpg overall with about 21 Hwy and about 16 in traffic.  

One thing I noticed as soon as I had the shell put on though, is it seemed to balance the truck.  The rear end had an additional 100 lbs on it and it seemed to firm up the ride.  It also removed the slight bit of wind noise that I did hear before putting on the shell - because of better wind dynamics. 

Hope this helps. 

Bob

Posted: Aug 30 2010 at 11:19pm | IP Logged

I purchased a Jason topper for $1300 installed.  I was expecting to see a small increase in MPG but the weight of the topper cancelled the aerodynamic improvements.  I ended up with the same mileage.