The best canopies for your Nissan Navara

To say Aussies love their utes is a gross understatement. The fact is, dual-cab utes are the hottest selling vehicles in the marketplace right now, and they have been for some time. The reason? Well, a lot of it has to do with the sheer practicality of a ute.

But there’s one area where the basic dual-cab or ute package drops the ball. And that becomes apparent when somebody believes they need your camping gear or work tools more than you do. 

That’s when the lack of security of an open ute or one covered only by a thin layer of vinyl and held down with elastic loops. Then, when the vinyl breaks down in a few years and the tonneau is discarded, the weather is free to wreak havoc with the tray and whatever is in it.

Then there’s the issue of moving taller loads in an open ute. The law these days is pretty strict about having all loads absolutely secured (and highway patrol officers are only too keen to offer roadside tips on the subject) so an open tray is not always as convenient as it looked in the brochure.

The solution in many cases, of course, is a canopy. These can provide the load coverage, security and convenience that many ute owners are looking for and, at the same time even add value to a vehicle. But more than that, they can turn a ute into something completely new, like a task-specific work-truck, a family car or even a camping rig. It all depends on the canopy.

What

The simplest form of canopy is a metal frame with a canvas cover forming a roof and sides. Plenty of folks have cobbled these up in their backyard, but there are canopies of this type that are available over the counter for vehicles like the Navara. A canvas canopy of this type seems to work best on vehicles with a drop-side or flat tray rather than a conventional ute tub. 

Faster and easier to remove (one-handed, in fact) they can be disassembled quickly, turning the tray back into an open load area for high or bulky cargo. While off-the-shelf canvas canopies are available, many ute owners opt for a custom-made canopy which will fulfil their needs precisely. 

Automotive trimmers, sail-makers and boat-cover manufacturers are handy contacts for this type of job. Once the dimensions of the canopy have been decided, you can then let your imagination take over when it comes to the final design.

The next step up is the fabricated metal canopy which is usually a steel frame skinned with aluminium. These are also available in a service-body form with side opening doors and drop-down sides that form impromptu work-benches. Seemingly no two of these are the same, and a lot of them are fitted to cab-chassis vehicles in place of the entire tray. Lockable tool bixes in the otherwise waste space beside either rear wheel are also popular fitments.

Roof racks are a common addition to dual-cab utes. (image credit: ARB)

The most common type of canopy though, is the fibreglass or thermoplastic unit which is moulded in one piece for strength and available to suit long and short (dual-cab and king cab) trays and generally takes the form of a roof-height cover that incorporates opening side windows, an upper tailgate on gas struts and fundamentally converts a ute into a wagon. Very handy. 

Add a structural roof-rack to the canopy and you’ve suddenly got another deck to use for, say, a roof-top tent, ladder racks or even somewhere to put that second spare-tyre for outback touring. It’s pretty easy to see why a canopy is the number one accessory for our number one selling vehicles.

When it comes to specific Navara models, the sheer popularity of the model has ensured that there are multiple choices in the current Nissan Navara NP300 canopy, as well as the superseded (but still relatively common) Nissan Navara D22 canopy and the Nissan Navara D40 canopy.

Who

Apart from making your own canopy in your workshop, there are a few choices when it comes to buying one. There are companies that specialise in camping and service bodies (mobile tool boxes, in other words) and others that import canopies at a budget price.

But probably the best choice for most ute owners is a quality, Australian-made or assembled canopy in fibreglass or high-tech plastic with opening windows, a lift-up tailgate and lots and lots of options. 

Many companies around the country manufacturer canopies that fit this description and, beyond the options you want, price is the main guiding factor in most cases. You will, of course, get precisely what you pay for (canopies are no different to anything else in this regard) and you can easily spend $5000 or even more for a top-shelf canopy with all the options and fitting thrown in by the retailer. 

A popular place to shop for any of these is a specialist 4X4 accessory retailer who is likely to have multiple brands on show for you to choose from. You can also contact the manufacturer to find a convenient retailer for a specific canopy.

But don’t forget the second-hand market. That’s a great place to pick up a quality canopy that has been removed from a vehicle for whatever reason (usually to be traded-in on a new ute) and will still have lots of life left in it. Check the local for sale adverts and classifieds websites for a used canopy.

The other possibility is a brand-new canopy bought as part of the deal when you buy the ute. Most car brands that offer a dual-cab ute also offer a canopy to suit. You might pay a bit more going with a Genuine Part canopy, but you can be absolutely sure it will fit properly and work with the rest of the vehicle. 

Colour-matching the canopy to the vehicle is also less hit and miss when buying a genuine canopy, although the established aftermarket brands can handle this with no problems, too.

The OEM (Genuine) Nissan Navara canopy is referred to as the Adventure Canopy and is a one-piece moulded unit with sliding front windows (tinted) flush window locks, an 80kg roof load limit, LED lighting and is colour-matched to the rest of the vehicle. Options include central locking and roof rails and the canopy carries a three-year warranty if it’s fitted as part of the new-car purchase.

There’s also the Tradesman canopy for the Navara, but if you’re buying a second-hand version of this canopy or a Navara with it fitted, be aware that there was a recall by Nissan to replace window stoppers that could have caused the glass to shatter. The stoppers were being replaced by Nissan free of charge, so make sure this has been carried out on any second-hand Navara or Tradesman canopy.

As this goes to press, Nissan does not actually have a factory canopy ready for the very latest facelift of the Navara which arrived earlier this year. There’s talk that a factory canopy range won’t be far away and will feature the usual options and features as well as a price-tag of something like $4800 fitted.

As far as actual brands go, there’s a huge range of choice. Some are form specialist manufacturers like the Flexiglass canopy range; others are from bands such as ARB or TJM who make a huge range of truck, ute and 4X4 accessories. Either way, the questions to ask concern the overall quality of the unit and whether it has the options and functionality you need.

Insurance

Around $5000 will get you a really high-end canopy. (image credit: Flexglass)

Don’t forget to let your insurance company know you’ve had a canopy fitted. Both the replacement value of the vehicle and the cost of the premium could be affected. But basically, if your insurer doesn’t know about the canopy and the vehicle is a total loss, the cost of the canopy may not be included in the pay-out. 

Meantime, a vehicle with a secure canopy fitted might represent a reduction in the insurance cover for your work tool and camping gear over a vehicle without it. If your insurance policy offers you an annual glass-replacement option, make sure it covers the canopy as the rear windows of these seem to break frequently and can easily be $700 or more to replace.

Cost

As with any commodity, Nissan Navara canopy prices vary enormously. Around the $5000 mark gets you a really high-end canopy with plenty of options and a factory warranty. The cheaper end of the thermo-plastic canopy market begins at around $2000 and you can save a bit more if you fit the canopy yourself (although how you get it home is the next big question). A custom-made steel and canvas canopy will generally run to around the $1500 mark without options.

Options

Canopies can be optioned however the buyer would like. (image credit: Utemaster)

While service body-style canopies can be built absolutely to order, the one-piece moulded versions are more uniform in what’s offered. Often there will be the choice of two profiles, a more practical squared-off style or a version with an angled or rounded rear profile known by some manufacturers as a sport canopy.

Beyond that, popular options include one-handle opening (rather than two separate handles for the tailgate) tinted glass, keyless entry (which can often be incorporated into the vehicle’s central-locking system) roof-racks and cross-bars, colour matching, sliding or hinged side windows, internal drawer systems and LED interior lights. Some canopies will offer some of these things as standard so, again, you need to compare apples with apples to determine the best overall value.