Between work & weather the Fas-Top has been in boxes in my garage for almost a month. The weather was almost acceptable today & I need the space in the garage for some other projects so I installed the top system today.
I still have some adjustments to make (waiting on warmer temperatures & tech support) so these pictures may look a bit wonky.
Also, apologies for the lack of pictures. It was cold. I didn’t want to stop to take off my gloves to take pics.
First off, the Traveller package comes in two boxes, the tonneau in one and the topper in the second.
You can use the tonneau without the topper, but the topper attaches to the tonneau frame, so if you want the topper, you need both.
When I first shared links to this package to my brother, his response was, “But then you won’t be able to install a ladder rack to carry a canoe or RTT.”
Ha ha, the fine folks at Fas-Top also have a rack, called the Jaybar, that attaches to the frame and fits over the topper. I’m not saying that I’m getting one, but I’m also not ruling it out.
I downloaded the install instructions (v2) from the website. They were a set of generic instructions for any truck. As I do, I read through the instructions completely before I started doing any work. I needed a 9/16” wrench or socket, tape measure & pencil.
When I opened the box for the tonneau cover, I found a set of printed Ridgeline specific instructions, which was nice. All the photos were of an install on a Ridgeline. I didn’t notice any changes to the text though.
Install of the tonneau was pretty straightforward.
Three clamps attach each rail to the gunwales. Two bolts connect the header bar to the rails. The cover (header bar) and latches (rails) were pre installed.
I would have been happier if they had brackets to bolt the rails to the existing points on the bedside, but that would have meant Honda specific hardware and probably a higher cost.
When I tried to latch the tonneau in place, I thought it was too tight so I adjusted the latches forward. More on that later.
The Traveller topper was a bit more work. There were five pieces in the box, a box of hardware and a set of printed instructions. These were V3.0 instructions, a newer version than was on the website, but they were not specific to the Ridgeline. Same tools needed, except you’ll need a 9/16 wrench AND socket (or two wrenches).
The front and rear bows are pre attached to the canvas, but you have to attach all four bows to the folding frames.
Do yourself a favor and don’t connect all four bows on one side and then try to do the other side. Back and forth, a bit at a time so you don’t bend a piece of aluminum tubing.
Step two is to hang the storage sling from the bottom of the header bar. So fun to lay on your back, February sun shining in your eyes, trying to thread a nut into a captive bolt. Thankfully the Ridgeline’s plastic bed is tons warmer than a metal bed. A smarter man than I probably would have loosely attached the sling before putting the header bar on the truck.
Now to attach the topper hardware to the tonneau frame – and here is where the directions started to fall apart.
Both sets of printed directions tell you to add a metal ring and screw snap to the rear latches. None of the needed hardware was in my package and neither of my latches were machined to accept that hardware.
Onto the pivot point – there was a hardware update between v2 & v3 instructions, and my hardware matched the v3 instructions. But nowhere, neither set of directions, nor the website, could I find a specific mounting location for the pivot point.
At this point I just wanted to be able to secure the topper to the truck as I was going to need to drive it tomorrow. And I was really starting to get cold. So let’s get it done.
So, scoop up the topper assembly, flip it & reverse it. Get it into the bed without scratching the paint.
Hook the frames onto the pivots and secure with cotter pins. Easy.
Attach front window of topper to Velcro flap under tonneau. Of course this means holding the tonneau and latch bar up with one hand and trying to position industrial strength Velcro with the other, trying to get it straight and even over the 5 foot width of the bed. I should have had a helper. When I get a nice day, I think I’ll roll the tonneau onto the cab so it’s really out of my way.
Clip the straps at the four corners to the frame and adjust. Easy enough and now I see that my latch doesn’t need the metal ring I don’t have. The G-hooks at the rear corners fit nicely into oval holes machined into the latches.
I hook the latching bar across the tailgate and realize that there’s a gap between the gate & topper. It’s pretty close to the amount I moved the latches forward. Grr!
I pull the straps at all four corners tight, to get the slack out of the roof and see that the front and back windows are loose & sloppy. Grr again!
But, I’ve reached my goal for the day. The Fas-Top is installed on the truck. I’m just going to wrap it all up & go inside for a hot lunch.
So I sent an email to Fas-Top asking for the exact location for the pivot point.
The plan is to adjust the latches rearward to make the tonneau taut. Then raise the pivot point to get the topper taut.
Modern Anachronist 