Welcome to the fourth entry in March’s Mini Mod Contest. One Mini Mod will be published in every Email Alert in March. At the end of the month we’ll hold a reader vote to determine March’s winner. Click here for information about the 2020 Mod Squad Contest, including how to enter.
Jason Stone
Fail-Safe Pop-Up Roof Latch Reminder
2007 Ram 1500
Northstar TC650
After accidentally driving off with the top of my Northstar TC800 pop-up truck camper in the up position, I gave it some fail-safe thought.
I simply added a 14-inch lanyard with a carabiner to the front driver’s roof latch. When the roof is unhooked, the lanyard dangles near my driver’s side window. It’s impossible to miss when entering the truck.
If I somehow managed to miss it right in my face as I entered the truck, it would then flap against the driver’s window in the wind which is literally impossible to miss.
Once I latch the camper’s top back in the down position, I simply wrap the lanyard (mid-gauge all-weather military 400-cord) around the roof latch a couple times so it’s not flapping in the wind. At one point I did upgrade it to a braided stainless steel leash from Home Depot.
It works like a charm! I leave the lanyard dangling all the time when the top is up. The mod took 3-minutes to complete and cost about $1. In my opinion, the skill level of this modification is easy.
Disclaimer: The modifications above are submitted by Truck Camper Magazine readers. It is your responsibility to make sure that any do-it-yourself modification project you undertake is safe, effective, and legal for your situation.
Enter Your Mods Now!
If you’d like to enter a modification you’ve done on your truck camper, click here. You can enter as many mods as you want, at any time. Good luck mod makers!