Fibreglass V steel canopy?

$4,000 ?!
For that money I would definitely build my own and I would use fibreglass sandwich panel and get huge strength (support several people on the roof), high durability (tough gel coat finish), great finish (ditto) and superior insulation (20mm of closed cell polyurethane insulation).
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome

I have an abs plastic canopy for the last 6 years to carry the dogs when we're not travelling Oz. On our travels we traversed many dirt roads no issues whatsoever. I installed an internal frame to support the roofrack which carries our rooftop tent.
As far as I know, abs plastic is easy to repair if you need to. Never had to do it though.

My recommendation is the SMM mainly because I have owned mine since 2014. I had it included in the deal and at the time it cost me $3,318.18 fully installed.

Mine comes with hood lining, interior light, central locking and as you pointed out, roof bars. I think from memory it weighed in at 85kg which is about 20kg over a fibreglass canopy

My SIL at the time had an ARB fibreglass canopy and he suffered the usual ARB problems, water leaks and shattering rear glass window.

The SMM seals very well onto the tub lip and there has never been any ingress of water.

If I had gone for a fibre glass canopy I would have needed to add an internal frame to support the roof rails, this frame weighs about 20kg so ends up the same weight as the SMM but there are no internal bar/pipes interfering with the load area.

As far as heat, I would think the insulation factor of the roof lining would make the SMM cooler that any plastic top. I have run 2 fridges in the back of mine without any overheating problems.

I damaged my rear door within 24 hours of owning the car, a local panel beater was able to fix it and match up the paint

Would I buy a SMM again, without a doubt, they are well worth paying a little more for a solid product

Sorry P&M, I wanted a canopy that looked like it was built for the car and the SMM does that and after 9 years it still looks like new.

Hi Mel2
re "Con: once it cracks it’s stuffed"

I'm surprised at that because I thought that fibreglass was pretty easily repaired, usually by a boat builder.
My camper is fibreglass, had a tree/branch fall on it, and we had it repaired beautifully. There was a dent and a fracture, but the repairer had no worries with it. Has been fine for years .
We have a fibreglass canopy and it has been perfect ......... no water at all, and almost no dust. Very happy with it.

Cheers
Jim

Re repairs Fibreglass v metal - CIL insurance give a 10% discount on fibreglass built caravans compared to aluminum . I assume easier to repair as well as more options for repairers , marine as well as caravan repairers

Whatever material you decide on, make sure you buy a well known , trusted brand which has proven itself to many long term users.
Google, as always, is your friend.

Cheers
Jim

I had an SSM fitted as a part of buying out Ranger in 2013. I would have preferred a full body job but time and availability won out. It was bought via Razorback but is badged SSM. This was optioned with 2 lift up side windows.

Since then, there has been mentions of cracking of tubs at the front corners, but not necessarily SSM related as it seems others have had similar issues. There is now an added kit from SSM that braces the front corners, but as far as I can see this isn't on ours and no cracking evident, so far. Maybe more rugged offroad usage may bring it on.

The original advertising gave a similar weight as a fibreglass/plastic type when the latter is optioned for internal bracing for greater roof loading. Also, they stated that damage to the metal structure is a job that is in line with similar work done by vehicle Crash Repairers and so there is probably plenty of business's that can do the work.

The only issue that I've had is a lock failure on a side window that not even a Lock Smith could fix or replace where we were at the time. A call to Razorback had a replacement set, at cost, sent to me promptly. This is an issue that may influence others to get a canopy with a supplier that is better represented around the country for this or replacement glass.

I did have another issue, but that wasn't manufacturer caused. The fitting Company, a big one, wired it up by ignoring the Manufacturers instructions. Not only didn't they wire up the top mounted brake light from the correct source, but they also managed to have 2 extra changes in wire colours to get to the fuse box, and they also didn't use extra insulation inside the door sills getting there. At some time, a sharp edge cut through the insulation and burnt out about a metre of wiring. It all made wire tracing a time wasting nightmare.

Overall, I'm happy with the canopy and its appearance. The higher rear of the canopy doesn't intrude on rear vision and the rounded drip bottom edge to me looks far better than many for stopping water seepage possibilities.

EDITED: One other reason why I got this canopy was that it could be colour matched to the vehicle, which also means that if damaged it could be similarly repaired by normal vehicle crash repairer's.

After having problems with my ARB canopy I went for one from Caddy. It was finished much better and the rear window is framed. Have a look at Fibreglass Alpha Ute Canopies for Toyota Hilux Dual Cab. I believe the prices are installed. If the tub tail gate is part of the central locking then you can get models with central locking windows.