If you ask the average ute owner precisely why they own a ute, they’ll very likely tell you it’s because they have just the right mix of power and capacity for taking on so many jobs. But make no mistake, though, having acres of capacity just for capacity’s sake sometimes isn’t enough. That capacity has to serve a real and efficient purpose.
Having just the right amount of proper storage to go along with an extra bit of capacity on the tail end, however, can make a huge difference. For tradesmen and off-roaders – or just about anyone who owns a ute – having ample storage to organize and secure your valuable tools and equipment is essential, but you don’t want it at the cost of losing all the equally valuable tray space that makes a ute such a versatile vehicle.
Fortunately, there are solutions sized and designed precisely for this situation, and there’s one in particular that fits the bill better than any other.
The Bigger, Mini-Canopy
If you’re looking to step in a direction that ensures you have adequate cover to protect your gear without gobbling up all of your precious tray space, a 1200 canopy is designed to fit directly behind the cab and to carry all your gear without sacrificing a pitch-sized area of tray space.
Stretching out at a surprisingly optimal length of 1200mm, and spanning the full width of the deck tray, these cross deck boxes are commonly referred to as mini-canopies; but the cleverness of that moniker hardly does justice to their maximum potential.
By taking advantage of a ute’s biggest benefit – a deck that sits above, and is unobstructed by rear wheels – a 1200 leaves an incredible amount of free space at the rear of the tray for transporting anything that’s irregularly sized or shaped … that’s in addition to a couple of hundred kilos of gear inside the canopy along with a couple of passengers. For tradesmen, that’s added capacity for transporting even more tools, shop equipment, or raw materials; or for off-roaders, it could be for critical gear like reserve tyres, jerry cans, or water tanks. At the end of the day, that’s precisely what the right mix of capacity is supposed to look like.
Built Better From the Beginning
It all goes without saying, though: having the right-sized canopy doesn’t mean much if the quality’s missing. That’s why when you’re looking at a 1200, you want to make sure it’s one that’s been built better to take whatever’s thrown at it … or into it. You need to insist on:
High-quality Aluminium Construction
Lightweight, durability and corrosion resistance: that’s what you get with a marine-grade, 2.5mm aluminium canopy; with the option of availability in a cleanly milled flat plate, or powder-coated finish. Not only are aluminium canopies ideal choices for mounting external accessories like a ladder or roof racks, but they’re easily outfitted with internal drawers, toolboxes and even slideout benches to help keep things organized as well as productive.
Locking Dual Door Access
Gull-winged, dual-sided access doors with full-length stainless steel piano hinges and weather-resistant seals are ideal for either compartmentalizing the box or for working from either side of it without the need to fully empty the contents every time you want to get to the material that was loaded first. Doors fitted with high-quality gas struts and either single or dual whale-tail locks will help to make sure everything stays exactly where you’ve left it.
Fully Welded and Strengthened Seams
Full seam welding throughout, surrounding an inbuilt roof and floor sub-frame ensures you’ll have a rigid, water-tight enclosure that won’t twist and is suitable for storing electrical or camping gear, or any other items that you don’t want to be exposed to water, dust or the elements. Additionally, if you opt for a “lift-off” style canopy, you should expect additional RHS strengthening to support the lifting insert.
The Proper Width
When you consider everything the extra tray space can be used for – especially if you have an extra length tray – It doesn’t take long to realize just how much flexibility you have with a 1200mm canopy, but what does that say about the width?
It is a cross deck canopy after all; and not only do tray widths vary, but plenty of them come with drop sides. That’s why 1200s are also manufactured in 1770mm and 1775mm widths to prevent them from either overhanging a tray or interfering with drop sides if you have them. A canopy that fits snuggly inside a drop-sided tray makes for a neat package with an added layer of security once the sides are lifted and locked into position, but a flush-fitting canopy that integrates with a pair of drop sides makes for one smooth, good looking vehicle.
And who’s to say there’s anything to prevent your right mix of capacity from looking good at the same time?
The Perfect Size
Ultimately, it’s easy to see how well-suited a 1200 canopy is for just about any situation. Its ideal size not only gives you the flexibility to safely haul conventionally-sized kit in a tray-mounted canopy, but it leaves you with the room necessary to haul any of the unconventionally-sized cargo you need to bring as well. When you decide to give your ute an upgrade, don’t discount these perfect sized cross deck canopies. They’ll haul your stuff, without robbing you of your space.
