Westin EXP Truck Cap Review: 2016-2023 Toyota Tacoma

The Westin EXP Truck Cap for the 2016–2023 Toyota Tacoma with the 5.2 ft (60.5 in) short bed is the closest thing on the market to a permanent garage on your Tacoma. It is an aluminum gullwing topper engineered around the third-generation Tacoma Double Cab’s exact bed dimensions, and it ships in a no-drill, bolt-on package that the average Tacoma owner can install in an afternoon. At NLP Performance in Tampa, FL, this is the cap we point Tacoma owners toward when they ask about secure dry storage, overland builds, or rooftop tent platforms — and it is currently the only Tacoma 5.2 ft EXP cap we have in stock. This review breaks down what makes the Westin EXP different from a traditional fiberglass camper shell, what you actually get in the two-box system, how it compares to the 6 ft Tacoma cap, and which complementary Tacoma upgrades pair best with it.

Westin EXP Truck Cap at a Glance

EXP Truck Cap — 2016–2023 Toyota Tacoma 5.2 ft Bed (Box 1)

Key Specifications

The Westin EXP is best understood as a working hybrid of a camper shell and a roof rack. Two large gullwing doors hinge upward from the roofline, giving you full-height access along each side of the Tacoma bed without crawling in over the tailgate. The roof itself is a structural T-slot platform — not a glued-on fiberglass shell — rated for 700 lb static and 300 lb dynamic, which is the rating most overland builders want when they are mounting a Roofnest, iKamper, or Yakima SkyRise on a daily-driven Tacoma. Every seam uses an EPDM sponge double seal, the rear glass auto-locks with the t-handle, and the driver-side gullwing has a factory emergency release lever in case you ever load gear against the inside of the door.

Why Aluminum Beats Fiberglass for the Tacoma

Most truck caps in the Tacoma price range are still fiberglass shells — lightweight, paintable, but structurally limited. A fiberglass shell will dent and chip the powder coat off your bed rails over time, it cannot support a dynamic roof load (no rooftop tents), and Florida UV exposure will fade gelcoat finishes in a few seasons. The five-piece extruded aluminum construction of the Westin EXP solves all three problems at once. Aluminum does not rust in Tampa’s salt-air daily commutes, the textured black powder coat hides scratches better than gelcoat, and the T-slot roof structure is designed to carry weight rather than just shed water. For 2016–2023 Tacoma owners, that translates to a topper that handles a 200 lb rooftop tent plus two adults sleeping (well inside the 700 lb static rating) without compromising the truck’s structural rigidity.

The Two-Box System: What You Actually Order

The single most-asked question we get on the Westin EXP is also the most important: the cap ships as a two-box system, and you need both boxes to install it. Box 1 (part 16-11065A) is the top — the roof platform, the front glass, the rear hatch and glass, and the locking hardware. Box 2 (part 16-11065BS) is the two gullwing side panels and the bed-rail clamping hardware. The two boxes ship as separate LTL freight shipments and arrive a few days apart. If you only order Box 1, you will have a beautiful aluminum lid sitting in your garage with nothing to attach it to. Stock on both boxes fluctuates — if you are within driving distance of our Tampa shop and Box 2 shows out of stock online, call us first and we can flag the Westin warehouse for a direct drop-ship.

Got the Long-Bed Tacoma? You Need This Sibling SKU Instead

How to Pick: Tacoma EXP Truck Cap by Year & Bed Length

Westin builds the EXP in four Tacoma-specific configurations across the 3rd-gen (2016–2023) and 4th-gen (2024+) trucks. The bed length is the deciding factor — a 5.2 ft cap will not fit a 6 ft bed and vice versa — so confirm yours before ordering. Here is the head-to-head:

If you own a 2016–2023 Tacoma Double Cab (the most common configuration sold during that 8-year run), the 5.2 ft EXP cap at the top of the table is your part. The 6 ft cap on the second row is correct only if your truck is an Access Cab with the long bed — check the sticker in your door jamb or measure inside the bed rails from the cab to the tailgate before you order.

Installation: What to Expect on a Tacoma

Plan on roughly 90 minutes from box-cutter to finished install with two people. The Tacoma EXP uses internal C-clamps that bite the lip of the factory bed rail — there is no drilling into the bed, no removed factory hardware, and no adhesive. Westin includes a foam tape strip that sets the cap onto the rail, the C-clamps torque down with the included Allen key, and the gullwing doors hang last (this is the step where a second set of hands matters). Tacoma owners with a spray-in bedliner should test-fit before final torque — some thick liners need a few extra millimeters of clearance under the rail clamp. The complete instruction sheet ships in Box 1.

Tools You’ll Need

• Two people (the cap is ~115 lb in Box 1 plus the sides from Box 2)
• 3/8 in and 1/2 in sockets, plus the included Allen wrench
• A clean rag and isopropyl alcohol for prepping the bed-rail seal surface
• A torque wrench if you want to hit Westin’s exact spec on the clamps
• Optional: a moving blanket or two to protect the powder coat during the lift

Pairing Upgrades for a Complete Tacoma Build

A truck cap is rarely a stand-alone purchase — it almost always shows up as part of a bigger Tacoma build. The pairing we see most often in the Tampa shop is the EXP cap plus a set of Westin nerf bars, since the cap raises the truck’s overall height and customers want a real step up into the cab. Below is the Tacoma Double Cab nerf bar we stock and recommend alongside the EXP.

Where the EXP Falls Short

No truck cap is perfect, and there are two Tacoma-specific considerations worth knowing before you order. First, the EXP is only sold in black powder coat — if your Tacoma is Cement, Voodoo Blue, Barcelona Red, or anything other than Midnight Black Metallic, expect the cap to read as an obvious add-on rather than a factory-paint-matched shell. Second, the 5-piece aluminum construction is heavier than a comparable fiberglass shell. You will not lift Box 1 off the truck single-handedly, which matters if your use case includes seasonally removing the cap. For owners who plan to leave the cap on year-round (the typical NLP customer), this is a non-issue; for owners who rotate between a cap and an open bed, a fiberglass shell with shock-assist will be easier to manage solo.