ARE MX Mid-Rise cap is available!

[prsncat]

Everyone is different, but I'd consider how much you actually look over the bedside while driving. I don't. At most, I look out the rear passenger window, and that's only on occasion. I stuck some blind spot mirrors on my side mirrors, which virtually eliminates blind spots except for a V-shaped area extending maybe 10' behind.

I have an ARE DCU on my Nissan Frontier and opted for a tool box on the driver side, full-length door on the passenger side, sliding front window, and a window with security screen on the rear door. The rear window is basically useless and I wouldn't order that option again. It's pretty hard to see anything through two tinted windows, one clear window, and a security screen.

The tool box on the driver side makes sense for me since I usually grab whatever tools in one shot from the street side. Whereas I'm using the full-length door on the curb side to reach into the bed and secure or remove straps or push materials or boxes, which takes longer than grabbing tools. Having the door on the curbside is safer in that regard, and standing on the curb lets me reach in easier/further.

Downside is that the tool box, gas tank, and driver are all on one side, so the truck sits half an inch lower on that side with a full tank of gas. And doing one-wheel-peels is pretty easy when making right-hand turns.

Next time around, I'd get a front window only so I could glance at the load occasionally, but even then I'd consider getting four solid walls and using a camera instead.

If I got a Maverick, I'd definitely only consider an ARE DCU, but DCUs are function-over-form for sure. The flat roof area on that MX looks really short, which means that roof racks and ladders, and stuff will be wobblier. The ARE DCU will allow the roof rack bars to be spread maybe a foot further apart. I also like DCUs since the back door is perfectly vertical, so I can stack boxes against the tailgate and up to the ceiling and not have to worry about the door not closing.

All excellent points! And, I have to be honest in saying that I thought about doing the same thing: solid doors on both sides and the rear with only a fold-down picture window on the front.

I don't use my Maverick for work. I haul soccer stuff in the back on weeknights and Saturdays. Occasionally, I will make a run to the hardware store.

Thus, for me, the most important aspect is having low-value stuff locked in the truck with as much vertical room inside and under the shell as possible. I have roof racks and shell racks I can put on the Maverick. Yet, I doubt they will carry more than skis/snowboards or other smaller and lighter items. In fact, bicycles end up on a hitch rack instead of truck or shell roof racks.

Thus, the MX makes more sense for me since I want the additional inside vertical height and don't need to worry about roof rack loading on the shell. I do, however, wonder if I should have replaced the side and rear windows with doors. It's probably too late now since it is in production now.

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[notfast]

with as much vertical room inside and under the shell as possible

In my experience, a "cab-high" (realistically they are slightly taller than the cab since the roof of a DCU is perfectly flat) DCU has more usable space than a fiberglass midrise. A DCU is an aluminum frame with an aluminum skin riveted on. The doors are also full-span. I lose maybe an inch of vertical clearance for something to pass under the door. A fiberglass shell needs a thick honeycomb ceiling to be self-supporting, which takes away from usable space.

DCUs are also easy to repair since, again, it's just an aluminum frame with a skin riveted on. The frames tend to crack at the welds, but nothing that a bit of grinding and re-welding can't fix. For as much as they cost though, I would expect better craftsmanship. I am not the best welder and I could probably weld better blindfolded than the welders than made my DCUs.

But again, not for everyone. DCUs are definitely function-over-form. From a looks standpoint, I think the DCU on a Maverick looks a bit odd, but I could see how it was largely a compromise.
https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/forum/threads/a-r-e-dcu-cap.13239/

I do, however, wonder if I should have replaced the side and rear windows with doors. It's probably too late now since it is in production now.

It might be too late to change it, but it doesn't hurt to ask your ARE dealer. If the order can't be changed, the windows can be replaced with doors after the topper is delivered, but it will cost you to get the doors manufactured, shipped, and replaced by your ARE dealer.