Keeping dust out of canopy?

[captain_baculum]

Bought my first canopy a few months ago. Have noticed when driving on dusty roads that a fair bit of dust gets into the canopy, and all over my stuff! I took the canopy off and redid all the weather stripping. Didn't make a noticeable difference. Pretty sure it is entering around the rear window, and/or around the tailgate.

I don't expect to 100% stop dust from getting in. Obviously there is no way to completely seal up the gaps/cracks around the rear window and tailgate, but hopefully there is some way to minimise it from getting in?


If not perhaps I'll just throw a big blanket over everything and shake it out when I get to my destination.

[TexasWalker]

Go to Lordco or princess and buy some 1" foam tape 1/4" thick.
Clean all the mating surfaces with degreaser or alcohol so it sticks well.
Apply said foam tape on all mating surfaces of canopy window and tailgate etc, even across the bed floor so the tape gets pinched when you close the tailgate.
Looks a little old man mickey mouse but it keeps all the dust out, the dust drove me nuts until I did this.

[835]

good foam along the bed rails... and a roll of duct tape for the back lol..... We camped in out truck for years, needed to keep dust out as all our gear was there,,, sleeping bags etc..... 90% of the dust comes right through the back

[Edzzed]

An airfoil of sorts might help. It's all about vortexes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vortex Cars use spoilers and you could probably put one on your truck.

[ActionJackson017]

Great tip on the foam tape, TexasWalker. I'll have to try that before hitting the FSRs in 2 weeks.

[Skull Hunter]

What style is your bed liner? I think the drop in inserts are more problematic for dust than a spray in liner.

[tigrr]

The back window and tailgate act like a big vacuum. It sucks dust through every port in the box. The only way I found to keep the dust out was to buy painters tape and tape and stuff rags in all the gaps around the tailgate and canopy lid. Tonneau covers are bad too for dust. Those drain gaps in the front of the box let dust in too. Rags and painters tape are your friend.

[Ohwildwon]

It will rain again soon, I promise...:grin:

[tyreguy]

Crack a window open a bit - it will vent and eliminate the vacuum effect you have when driving on dusty roads. Seems weird to open the window a bit but it actually works.
That being said you won't get rid of every bit of dust, but it will reduce it a lot.

[ACB]

X2 on the foam tape around the tailgate and canopy door, I'v used it for years for this purpose.

[boxhitch]

good thinking there tyreguy. Pressurizing the space works better than any seal job
I put a roof vent on a horse trailer that opens front or back, open as a scoop and the inside stays clean
Some rv roof vents open at the front for the same reason, as do rally cars

[adriaticum]

Just make sure you breathe through your nose ;)

[Stresd]

This solved any dust coming in my Tacoma tailgate and also the slight gaps in the upper corners, where the back Canopy hinged window met the top corners of the tailgate. Excellent product.
https://www.amazon.ca/Ultimate-Tailgate-Seal-Taper-Seal/dp/B00IPQWXZQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1506002269&sr=8-1&keywords=tailgate+gasket

[captain_baculum]

Thanks for the replies. Let's see here...

So I think the foam tape the crap out of every gap (TexasWalker's idea) idea would work. However, at risk of sounding like a jerk, it would look too ghetto/mickey mouse for my liking. It's a nice newer Tundra with a nice newer canopy. I'm just not going to have foam tape stuck everywhere.

Edzzed, I read the article on vortexs/airfoil. Makes sense and I bet it would work. But I'm not sticking am airfoil on my Tundra and having it look like a drug dealer truck. Thanks though.


Skullhunter, my box is bare metal but I have a fitted rubber mat on the bed floor. Love it! Nothing slides around any more.


Tigrr, I am mostly inclined to do this. Stuff rags in the gaps and if its a long trip on dusty roads then masking tape the rear window and tailgate.

Also I like my own idea of tossing a big old blanket over all your stuff. Most of the dust will just settle on the blanket.

Also interested to try tyreguy's idea of cracking a window a bit. Makes sense! Do you think it matters if one cracks the sliding window at the front of the canopy, or one (or both) of the rear windows a bit? I'm not sure if it matters but my rear windows tilt out, they do not slide back/forth. My canopy is a Jason Cyber.

[tyreguy]

Side windows will work. If you do the front one it will probably fill up with dust.
I figured this out years ago when I went fishing and had our belly boats in the canopy - by the time we got to the lake there was like 1/4" of dust all over everything. I also tried sealing it up but you'll never fill every crack, and I think I found the open window by accident as it slide open by itself on a later trip.
open them about 1"-2" if sliders and it will work, or crack the wing type open a bit and you'll be good.

[tyreguy]

Think about it the same concept as when a smoker cracks the window while driving and it sucks 95% of the smoke out of the vehicle.

[Drillbit]

If not perhaps I'll just throw a big blanket over everything and shake it out when I get to my destination.

That, and crack a window.

And try and seal as much as you can.

The majority comes up between the inner fenders of the box and the outer fenders of the box and drops in under the top rail. Boxes aren't that simply built, it's the inner and outer that vacuum the dust in.

[captain_baculum]

So I've been experimenting for a few months with this concept and I think I have it figured out.

Tried cracking the side windows a bit on my canopy, did not work at all. Maybe it's just my canopy? The windows do not slide back/forth, rather they tilt in/out. Seemed like cracking the windows out a bit just let in MORE dust. Who knows but it did not work for me.

What DID work is packing a cooler(s) and or tall tote(s) against the tailgate. This allows me to take a big moving blanket and stuff it between my closed tailgate and the cooler/tote. I just open the canopy hatch and stuff it in evenly along the bottom then try to stuff it evenly so it pretty much has my tailgate sealed off. Obviously an old comforter or whatever will do the same job.

This seems to keep out 95% of the dust. When I open my tailgate after driving along the dusty road the blanket has a lot of dust on it! I give it a good shake out and fold it up.

So yeah seems like sealing up the tailgate is the key. If you don't have coolers/totes or similar to sandwich the blanket in then this would not work so well. You really need to seal the tailgate up from top to bottom.

At first I was just doing this, but I could tell my stuff still had a bit of dust on it. To remedy this I have a couple old crappy sheets. I just throw them over my gear after the truck is all packed up. Whatever little bit of dust gets past the moving blanket sealing off the tailgate will settle on top of the old sheets.

I don't drive on super dusty roads that often but when I do this combo works well for me.

[nature girl]

What we did and helped a little bit was on the truck box by the tailgate did not do this on the tailgate we got that spray yellow foam and sprayed on the side of the truck box and then after it dried cut off some of that yellow foam. Still got a little dust in but not as bad.

[okas]

good thinking there tyreguy. Pressurizing the space works better than any seal job
I put a roof vent on a horse trailer that opens front or back, open as a scoop and the inside stays clean
Some rv roof vents open at the front for the same reason, as do rally cars
YES sir you got it air in dust out