I wanted to share a detailed review of the Fas-Top “Travel Package” (a tonneau & soft-top combo made by Bismarck Canvas) for my 2021 RTL-E, in case others here may be interested. This Ridgeline is the first truck I’ve owned, and I did a lot of research here on ROC and elsewhere to find a product that would best fit my needs to cover the bed and whatever cargo I have in it. I had a very difficult time finding any substantial reviews of the Fas-Top product, and none were from Ridgeline owners. Here is a link to the product on the manufacturer's page: Tonneau Covers and Toppers for Pickups!
First a little background on why I wanted a combination tonneau & soft-top. Part of my attraction to buying a truck was the flexibility of what you can do and store in the bed. I was coming from owning a Subaru Forester, which I loved, but I wanted more room and more flexibility because I beat the crap out of the rear interior space in that vehicle. And as someone who does a lot of DIY projects, camping, mountain biking, etc, there were times where I wished I had an open top or more space. I also have a toddler (no plans for siblings), and I drive in the city a lot, so on one hand I needed rear seat space but I also didn’t want a humongous-feeling full-sized truck when parallel parking. The Honda checked nearly all of my boxes, and I’m really glad I bought it. At first I thought I wanted a hardshell cap for my Ridgeline, but I also didn’t want to have it installed on my truck all the time. Realizing that a cap would be heavy and difficult to remove on a regular basis, I nixed that idea pretty quickly. A tonneau cover seemed great - most are easy to retract or even fully remove, and this would fulfill my needs for storage 80-90% of the time. The other 10-20% I might be going on a long family camping trip, or going mountain biking/camping with buddies and would likely want additional vertical space in the bed, while keeping my gear mostly protected from the weather. So when I looked around, I found two options that fit the bill:
I went with the second option, and I am really glad I did, even though I was a bit of a “guinea pig” in doing so. No other Ridgeline owners on this forum had any experience with the Fas-Top product, as far as I could tell. Bismarck Canvas apparently manufactures these in their North Dakota facility, along with other farm/truck canvas products, but does not have as high of a profile as other tonneau/cap manufacturers.
The Fas-Top is available directly from the manufacturer’s website and retails for $1,429.00, plus adders for whatever small options you choose (black-out window, G-hooks for rolling up sides, mesh window, accessory pouch). When I ordered on April 11, they were offering 15% off all orders, which was a nice little discount. Their website quoted a leadtime of 1-2 weeks for delivery, although mine took a little bit longer. I had reached out via email to ask about the status and their general manager quickly texted me back stating that they ran out of a particular part and had to manufacture more, but it was almost ready to ship. Sure enough, less than 2 business days later, my order shipped, and the manager texted me the tracking info. It arrived on May 6.
It arrives in two long boxes - one for the tonneau parts and the other for the soft-top. Instructions are included for assembly, and they have some videos on YouTube as well. As far as I can tell, most of the parts seem to be manufactured in house or at least by a small-ish domestic operation. I definitely felt like the hardware and components were of high quality as I put it all together.
![413808]( "413808")
It was fairly easy to install, even for one person, although I may be a bit more handy and mechanically-inclined than the average person. Basic wrenches (sockets and ratchet are your best bet) and screwdriver are the main tools you’ll need. The outer frame for the tonneau goes in first, and clips to the top edges of the truck box fairly easily. There is a track built into the frame with a factory-marked location for the pivot anchor for the soft-top frame. Note: I had to specify/confirm the box length of my truck when ordering, so they seem to base the pivot location off of this measurement. In the end, this was very helpful rather than having to guess myself, and the fit ended up being spot-on.
![413809]( "413809")
Assembling the collapsable frame for the soft-top would probably be easier with 2 people, but they color-coded the male and female connections at the factory, which made things a lot easier. Once you get that together, you attach the entire soft-top assembly to the pivot anchors you installed on the tonneau side rails. Then it is just a matter of opening the thing up, attaching and adjusting straps, etc. The tonneau cover rolls up and there are two small metal tabs sticking up that a couple of built-in bungee straps attach to in order to keep the tonneau rolled up and out of the way.
![413811]( "413811")
![413810]( "413810")
The first time you pop up the soft-top it may be a little confusing, but it makes more sense after you collapse it again. There are adjustable nylon straps at all 4 corners and the rear window has a nice velcro seam with flaps to cover the zippers all the way around. There are even small straps with snap buttons on the zipper handle to tuck under and on to the inside latches to “lock” the window from would-be thieves. Sure, they could still just slash open the canvas or plastic window if they really wanted to, but they would need a good sharp knife and it would draw more attention. The canvas sides of the soft-top attach (at the bottom) securely to the same velcro rails as the tonneau cover, and allow you to adjust a bit to get a nice tight fit.
![413812]( "413812")
Popping up and then collapsing the soft-top should only take you 5-10 minutes with one person. The other nice thing about this product is that there is a canvas sling that holds the collapsed soft-top neatly at the front of your box, protecting the canvas topper cover and (most of) the collapsed frame. It makes it look much neater, and just basically velcros to itself. The soft-top collapsed inside the box definitely takes up space, but I don’t feel like it makes a huge difference. If you need more space, just open the soft-top. In the event that you need to remove the soft-top altogether, I don’t think it would take very long, especially with 2 people.
![413815]( "413815")
![413813]( "413813")
(Note about photo above: I tried to take a lot of "progress" photos, so while this looks like the top is not pulled tight, it was because the photo was taken before I adjusted it fully)
Also, I was afraid it would look goofy with the soft-top up and the tonneau rolled up, but the top front corner of the soft-top kind of angles toward the front of the truck, nearly touching the back of the cab, and I think it helps shed more rain and leaves less of a gap between the soft-top and the cab.
![413814]( "413814")
It would likely be possible (especially short people) to sleep in the bed of the truck with this soft-top installed. I’m 6’-0” and it would be a little tight with me spread diagonally across the bed, but I could always leave the liftgate down and use a tarp or something to cover the end where my feet are sticking out from rain. This is not my intended use but there have been times in the outdoors where I have either thought about, or attempted to sleep in my vehicle.
All in all, I am very happy with this product. I have not yet used the soft-topper fully extended on a long trip, but I’ve opened and closed it several times and I use the tonneau a lot, with no issues. I’ve had it sitting and driving through heavy rains (with the tonneau cover fully closed over the box) and I have not noticed any leaking so far. I think this will be perfect for what I am looking for, and I am glad I chose this over a separate Softopper and tonneau combo like I was initially considering.
![413818]( "413818")
As far as the downsides, there are not many that I can see. The collapsed soft-top does prevent the trunk lid from opening fully, but as you can see in the photos, it still opens a significant amount. Certainly enough to allow me to get in and out most anything I might store in there. The trunk lid barely allows the bed lights to shine in the trunk, but I am thinking of getting some rechargeable LED strip lights for the trunk anyway, like others here have done. Another downside is obviously the space that the collapsed soft-top takes up in the box, but I don’t mind the tradeoff for greater flexibility (and ultimately more cargo space when the soft-top is in use). The tonneau cover sticks up a bit more than some of the “flatter”, lower-profile tonneaus I’ve seen, but again, this doesn’t bother me. Security is only so-so, due to the nature of a canvas-type product, but I’m comfortable with it. If you need the security of a hard-sided product, then you were probably looking elsewhere anyway.
![413817]( "413817")
Thanks for reading my lengthy write-up. I’ll try to post any updates if I think of anything, but feel free to send me any questions you have. To be clear, I received absolutely no compensation, nudging, or anything of the sort from Bismarck Canvas to write this review; I found them totally by chance on the Google and decided on my own to buy their product. I simply just wanted to share my experience (good and bad) with others because I think this product could be of interest to other Ridgeline owners. Tacoma (and domestic pickup) owners have a multitude of toppers, campers, and other accessories to add to their vehicle, and I feel like the Ridgeline aftermarket is lacking when it comes to options for products like this.
Thanks,
Dave
First a little background on why I wanted a combination tonneau & soft-top. Part of my attraction to buying a truck was the flexibility of what you can do and store in the bed. I was coming from owning a Subaru Forester, which I loved, but I wanted more room and more flexibility because I beat the crap out of the rear interior space in that vehicle. And as someone who does a lot of DIY projects, camping, mountain biking, etc, there were times where I wished I had an open top or more space. I also have a toddler (no plans for siblings), and I drive in the city a lot, so on one hand I needed rear seat space but I also didn’t want a humongous-feeling full-sized truck when parallel parking. The Honda checked nearly all of my boxes, and I’m really glad I bought it. At first I thought I wanted a hardshell cap for my Ridgeline, but I also didn’t want to have it installed on my truck all the time. Realizing that a cap would be heavy and difficult to remove on a regular basis, I nixed that idea pretty quickly. A tonneau cover seemed great - most are easy to retract or even fully remove, and this would fulfill my needs for storage 80-90% of the time. The other 10-20% I might be going on a long family camping trip, or going mountain biking/camping with buddies and would likely want additional vertical space in the bed, while keeping my gear mostly protected from the weather. So when I looked around, I found two options that fit the bill:
- Get a Softopper (the main player in the soft-top cap market) as well as an easily-removable tonneau, and swap these out when necessary.
- Get a Fas-Top Travel Package, which includes both a typical canvas tonneau cover and a collapsible soft-top cap which tucks down into a U-shape inside the front and sides of the truck’s box.
I went with the second option, and I am really glad I did, even though I was a bit of a “guinea pig” in doing so. No other Ridgeline owners on this forum had any experience with the Fas-Top product, as far as I could tell. Bismarck Canvas apparently manufactures these in their North Dakota facility, along with other farm/truck canvas products, but does not have as high of a profile as other tonneau/cap manufacturers.
The Fas-Top is available directly from the manufacturer’s website and retails for $1,429.00, plus adders for whatever small options you choose (black-out window, G-hooks for rolling up sides, mesh window, accessory pouch). When I ordered on April 11, they were offering 15% off all orders, which was a nice little discount. Their website quoted a leadtime of 1-2 weeks for delivery, although mine took a little bit longer. I had reached out via email to ask about the status and their general manager quickly texted me back stating that they ran out of a particular part and had to manufacture more, but it was almost ready to ship. Sure enough, less than 2 business days later, my order shipped, and the manager texted me the tracking info. It arrived on May 6.
It arrives in two long boxes - one for the tonneau parts and the other for the soft-top. Instructions are included for assembly, and they have some videos on YouTube as well. As far as I can tell, most of the parts seem to be manufactured in house or at least by a small-ish domestic operation. I definitely felt like the hardware and components were of high quality as I put it all together.
It was fairly easy to install, even for one person, although I may be a bit more handy and mechanically-inclined than the average person. Basic wrenches (sockets and ratchet are your best bet) and screwdriver are the main tools you’ll need. The outer frame for the tonneau goes in first, and clips to the top edges of the truck box fairly easily. There is a track built into the frame with a factory-marked location for the pivot anchor for the soft-top frame. Note: I had to specify/confirm the box length of my truck when ordering, so they seem to base the pivot location off of this measurement. In the end, this was very helpful rather than having to guess myself, and the fit ended up being spot-on.
Assembling the collapsable frame for the soft-top would probably be easier with 2 people, but they color-coded the male and female connections at the factory, which made things a lot easier. Once you get that together, you attach the entire soft-top assembly to the pivot anchors you installed on the tonneau side rails. Then it is just a matter of opening the thing up, attaching and adjusting straps, etc. The tonneau cover rolls up and there are two small metal tabs sticking up that a couple of built-in bungee straps attach to in order to keep the tonneau rolled up and out of the way.
The first time you pop up the soft-top it may be a little confusing, but it makes more sense after you collapse it again. There are adjustable nylon straps at all 4 corners and the rear window has a nice velcro seam with flaps to cover the zippers all the way around. There are even small straps with snap buttons on the zipper handle to tuck under and on to the inside latches to “lock” the window from would-be thieves. Sure, they could still just slash open the canvas or plastic window if they really wanted to, but they would need a good sharp knife and it would draw more attention. The canvas sides of the soft-top attach (at the bottom) securely to the same velcro rails as the tonneau cover, and allow you to adjust a bit to get a nice tight fit.
Popping up and then collapsing the soft-top should only take you 5-10 minutes with one person. The other nice thing about this product is that there is a canvas sling that holds the collapsed soft-top neatly at the front of your box, protecting the canvas topper cover and (most of) the collapsed frame. It makes it look much neater, and just basically velcros to itself. The soft-top collapsed inside the box definitely takes up space, but I don’t feel like it makes a huge difference. If you need more space, just open the soft-top. In the event that you need to remove the soft-top altogether, I don’t think it would take very long, especially with 2 people.
(Note about photo above: I tried to take a lot of "progress" photos, so while this looks like the top is not pulled tight, it was because the photo was taken before I adjusted it fully)
Also, I was afraid it would look goofy with the soft-top up and the tonneau rolled up, but the top front corner of the soft-top kind of angles toward the front of the truck, nearly touching the back of the cab, and I think it helps shed more rain and leaves less of a gap between the soft-top and the cab.
It would likely be possible (especially short people) to sleep in the bed of the truck with this soft-top installed. I’m 6’-0” and it would be a little tight with me spread diagonally across the bed, but I could always leave the liftgate down and use a tarp or something to cover the end where my feet are sticking out from rain. This is not my intended use but there have been times in the outdoors where I have either thought about, or attempted to sleep in my vehicle.
All in all, I am very happy with this product. I have not yet used the soft-topper fully extended on a long trip, but I’ve opened and closed it several times and I use the tonneau a lot, with no issues. I’ve had it sitting and driving through heavy rains (with the tonneau cover fully closed over the box) and I have not noticed any leaking so far. I think this will be perfect for what I am looking for, and I am glad I chose this over a separate Softopper and tonneau combo like I was initially considering.
As far as the downsides, there are not many that I can see. The collapsed soft-top does prevent the trunk lid from opening fully, but as you can see in the photos, it still opens a significant amount. Certainly enough to allow me to get in and out most anything I might store in there. The trunk lid barely allows the bed lights to shine in the trunk, but I am thinking of getting some rechargeable LED strip lights for the trunk anyway, like others here have done. Another downside is obviously the space that the collapsed soft-top takes up in the box, but I don’t mind the tradeoff for greater flexibility (and ultimately more cargo space when the soft-top is in use). The tonneau cover sticks up a bit more than some of the “flatter”, lower-profile tonneaus I’ve seen, but again, this doesn’t bother me. Security is only so-so, due to the nature of a canvas-type product, but I’m comfortable with it. If you need the security of a hard-sided product, then you were probably looking elsewhere anyway.
Thanks for reading my lengthy write-up. I’ll try to post any updates if I think of anything, but feel free to send me any questions you have. To be clear, I received absolutely no compensation, nudging, or anything of the sort from Bismarck Canvas to write this review; I found them totally by chance on the Google and decided on my own to buy their product. I simply just wanted to share my experience (good and bad) with others because I think this product could be of interest to other Ridgeline owners. Tacoma (and domestic pickup) owners have a multitude of toppers, campers, and other accessories to add to their vehicle, and I feel like the Ridgeline aftermarket is lacking when it comes to options for products like this.
Thanks,
Dave
