Video Transcript for A Look at the Fas-Top Traveler Roll-up Tonneau & Soft Truck Topper Combo

Hi Matt with Etrailer. If you're kind of struggling trying to figure out if you should get a tonneau cover or a camper shell, well then I got the thing for you. We gonna be talking about the fast top traveler. So this is super nice because you're gonna have a soft roll of tonneau cover on the very top of it, and once I roll this back some, you'll see that we actually have a topper underneath here. So it doesn't take very long to actually operate. You just try to make sure you have everything in this good old setup position, grab it from the very bottom, and then pull it out.

So it really only takes a couple minutes to actually put together, just like that. You gotta put down a couple tighten points on the fair front, and to the side over here, and put the sidewalls down. And it's really no time at all. You just sense this into place. Now I think this is gonna be for someone who's constantly changing (indistinct) every day.

You don't really know what tomorrow's gonna hold, so maybe one day you need something more little profile, or you just need to put some camping gear in here so it doesn't get wet out in the elements. Or if you need something that sits up a little bit taller, so maybe you got some larger gear in here, or you'd need this removed completely. But today, we are gonna be just talking about some of the main components of this, so we'll start by talking about the actual topper, then I'll talk about how the tonneau cover works, and then we'll talk about the rails of this kit, 'cause they are pretty unique. Once that's all done, we'll also talk about how they work together as a whole system. (vehicle clicking) But with that said, (door slamming) let's start off with that topper.

Now some common questions we do see about this is, how well does it do at keeping moisture out Especially since this is gonna be one that does collapse in. So with it moving all the time, there's a lot more spots for water to penetrate. This actually does a really good job of keeping water out since we are gonna have these hook and loop fasteners here at the bottom that do a really good job at holding this in place, but also we have the zipper here that also assists with keeping this in place as well. And we actually had a rainstorm recently, and that rainstorm barely had any water get in here. Now I'm gonna say, really with any type of tonneau cover or topper, there's always gonna be a little bit of water that's gonna enter into the back of your bed, especially since everyone has a tailgate, and that's typically where that water comes in from.

And with the water that got in today, it was right around that tailgate, or those corners. Now there's also gonna be a secondary mode if you wanna go the opposite direction from preventing any water from getting in here. We've got this more safari style, and with this safari mode, you can actually open up both sides, so if you need more airflow in here, if you have something that's gonna be more prone to mildew, you need the air properly, you can do that. Or if you just have some people in the back, you guys are hanging out, this is gonna allow for that airflow to come through. Now if you want to drive around like this, you will have to get some G hook straps that we have from Fast Stop that actually will cinch this type of tab here at the top. And actually bind this up, so you don't have to worry about this falling over on you. And something else about this cover, it does a really good job at not only keeping water out like I was saying, but when UV rays are hitting this, it's gonna last a long time since it does have a coating on there to help it last. Now speaking to that though, it's pretty durable, and trying to get it to stretch where you need it to sometimes can be a little bit difficult. And that's why we've got these cam straps. These are actually gonna let us adjust the height, so we can reach down and actually make these connections. 'Cause the way this is holding itself in place is gonna be with these hook (indistinct) fasteners, but with the assistance of this cam strap that you just pull down and get them match the height of the cab itself on your truck. Now something I do find cool about a lot of these touchpoints, like the hook and loop fasteners and this window for example, these are gonna be replaceable parts. So if anything along the way happens, like you have a sharper object that punctures your back window, you'll be able to replace that. Now another thing I do wanna talk about is gonna be the latch mechanism on the topper, 'cause this is also pretty unique, 'cause it does a really good job at holding in place. So you're gonna have one trigger on one side. And something that helps me with it is if I just press down on the actual bar bit, it's really easy to put up. And we'll just roll this into place, and we're gonna have some G hooks (indistinct) top of here. So I'll put it on one side, and then the other one, just make sure it stays secure in place, and we can release these cam straps. Now we'll say this is a position you could keep it in if you just want something a little bit more open, and you guys are hanging out, doing a little bit of tailgating, I think it'd be pretty nice in this position, but it also makes it pretty easy to put back up. And the putting it back up part is actually a little bit easier than setting it up. So what we have to do is from here, lower this down. I like to take my time with this. And would recommend having your topper and the sidewalls folded up on top, 'cause if they're folding down to the side, a lot of times that can get in the way. Same thing with this window. If I push that down, gives me a smoother process going from here. And with that down, we'll just grab that bar here, and load this into place. And you can see how compact this is. It's really not taking up much space at all. And we can even take it one step further. We do have this other fabric in your bed, and that's really designed to help protect it. So if you have anything else that's a little bit more rugged in your bed, those will make sure it doesn't get scratched up or damaged. And what's nice about this too is, you can still use the tonneau cover, and it doesn't feel any difference even with the tonneau cover or the topper rolled up. But you do have the option to completely remove it too. All you have to do for that is disconnect this front window from the tonneau cover, and disconnect these cam straps from the backside. Once that's done, it's gonna be a little bit awkward sometimes since it's in a tight spot there, you can just disconnect your pivot arms. And what I like about this whole thing is, when we compare this to other type of toppers out there that might have a fiberglass construction or even the softer ones, they can all be pretty heavy. And to remove these, you just need to take off this clip, and this washer, and just light 'em off, just like that. And then I can come over here and pick it right up. Just trying to make sure I don't hit anything that's important in the back of the bed just like this. And really, you can even pick this up with one arm, that's how light it is. Now we're gonna have these latches that hold down your tonneau cover. There's gonna be one either side. You can actually adjust how tight this is too, but it's gonna be another G style hook. Now when it comes to using the tonneau cover, it's gonna be fairly smooth. You're gonna notice we do have these beams that go across here. What I like about those beams is, it prevents any water from really settling in the center. So if that happens, it can start to warp your tonneau, and it's just gonna make sure it lasts longer. Make sure water has a place it run off too. Once we get to the very back end, we're gonna have a bar that we can latch this in place. And this feels really smooth, and it does a really good job at keeping this in place. And you are gonna have two latches to undo this. (latches clicking) And we're also gonna have this kind of design or pattern on the tonneau cover itself. I think it looks fairly nice on here, and we can come back through and just secure this to the hook and loop. And this hook and loop actually does a really good job. Now what's nice about the hook and loop here is, you can actually get this replaced. So if anything ever were to happen to this, you can find some more here on our website. And what's nice about the cover too is, it's gonna be very water resistant, and it's gonna be UV resistant, so it's not gonna be damaged from the sun if it is sitting outside for a longer period of time. Now I will say there is tonneau cover out there that is gonna be 100% waterproof, 'cause really with most tonneau covers, you're gonna have these corner pieces, especially on the tailgate end, (door slamming) 'cause we're gonna have that crease where it shuts, and that's where a lot of water can get in from. But we did recently just have a big storm to come through here, and this did keep a majority of water out of here. And something else about the tonneau cover, and really how it interacts with the rails is, once we open this up, we're gonna have that (indistinct) latch mechanism here. And actually point out to over here, it's just a little bit easier to see. So this can actually adjust to tighten or loosen this tonneau cover if it feels too tight, or if it feels too loose, all you gotta do is loosen two bolts here, and you can slide this up and down. We're gonna have a ruler on here, so you can make sure both sides are even. And it's just a really easy mechanism to use, and you can even completely take this off. And if you need to, if this gets damaged for some reason, you can get this replaced as well. Now focusing on the rails, what I do like about 'em is, they're super sturdy. So since they're mainly just sitting on your bed rails, they do a really good job at holding into place. And on top of that, we have these clamps. So this is gonna be a non-permanent installation, so you don't have to do any drilling on your bed. The way these clamps work is, you're gonna have a track system that goes through here, and this bolt just cinches it into place. I've messed with a lot of tonneau covers, and a lot of them require you to have an additional clamp, and there's gonna be a lot of settings to it that make sure you get everything lined up perfectly, and sometimes still you have it being awkward with you. This, I don't really have to worry about those other settings, 'cause this is just a bolt going into place. Very simple to use. Now we're also gonna have, for the kit, we're gonna have this point here, and this is what I was talking about earlier with that pivot arm. This is where the topper is attached to. So again, it's just a clip and a washer, and it just goes into place like that. And if you are running into issues with that topper going into place, you can shift this a little bit back or forth depending on your fitment, and that should help you out there. And one more thing that I do like about these rails a lot, you can not only again attach the topper to here, but you can also get a ladder rack installed in here as well. So not only can it work as a tonneau cover, a topper, but also a ladder rack. So I just like how versatile it is, and how it can adapt with you over time. Now overall, I think it is gonna be a solid option if you are looking for something that is gonna be super versatile, very adaptable for whatever needs you have. Now, if you guys have any other questions, let us know here at Etrailer, and if you do decide to go with this, let us know how it's working for you in either a comment or review, and what type of adventures you're taking it on. But again, I'm Matt and thanks for watching.