mjmlooper
New Member
- Thread starter
- #1
Hello! This is my first post. I would like to share my experience with the @MAXLINER INC. Venture Canopy, since it seems that some people have had a frustrating experience. My exoerience was great. I'm not getting paid to right this, and I don't typically do this. But I have found these types of reviews to be helpful in the past so hopefully someone else finds this useful. 
Procurement
The website is fine; it has a cool visualizer and it gives the base price. For more info and for detailed pricing, I did email them. I had no issue with that; I understand that others do, especially if you are accustomed to any online shopping these days. Emailing was easy and I just asked about the canopy options for my Lariat, the pricing, and shipping details. Eve was very responsive from the beginning and through the whole process. I live in Oregon and it was shipped from Southern California. I actually ordered it well before I had my truck so it sat on the pallet for a couple weeks before I got the truck. Eve asked all the right follow-up questions to make sure I knew what I needed and what I was getting. I opted out of the dust seal kit since I'm not using the truck for any serious offroading (I have a 1987 Jeep Grand Wagonner with a 4BT for that). It was shipped with Estes and I was able to track it all the way to my house; super happy with shipping.
I went with the all black model because I like the look and function of it over painted/color-matched canopies; I like that I don't have to worry about paint or powdercoating getting scratched or dinged. For my purpose, this thing is excellent and great quality.
Installation
The installation was pretty straight-forward on the mechanical side. The electrical is a slightly different story. Because it taps into the rear defroster and the cab brake light (CHMSL), you have to remove a bit of the interior, including the headliner. Since I had also installed the Rhino Rack ditch tracks, it wasn't a huge deal since I was removing it for that anyway.
The whole kit comes with everything you need and pretty good instructions. The only hang-up I had was that the harness was designed for the Raptor, which has the LED CHMSL. My Lariat (despite what the fird parts website showed) had regular incandescent bulbs. So I had to make an adapter to tap into the brake light. Again, no big deal for me since I do electical work all the time.
Quality/Use
Overall, I'm very happy and impressed with the quality. It's pretty beefy with a metal frame and all the hardware seems top notch. Fortunately, I had a tractor with forks to help me get it on there. I also got the side box for the passenger side. I also got the roof cross bars that bolt on, rather than mounting on the rails, because I wanted them to be as low as possible, and as far apart as possible. Again, I'm pleased with everything. I don't plant to put a rooftop tent on this or anything; this is my commuter and around-town towing vehicle (to relieve the aforementioned Grand Wagoneer from such duties).
I haven't used it much yet, and I'll probably report back after I've gotten some more time and use with it. I'm not great at forums and social media, so it may be a while before I respond, but I'm happy to answer questions.
Pictures
I installed the side box a little later...
Procurement
The website is fine; it has a cool visualizer and it gives the base price. For more info and for detailed pricing, I did email them. I had no issue with that; I understand that others do, especially if you are accustomed to any online shopping these days. Emailing was easy and I just asked about the canopy options for my Lariat, the pricing, and shipping details. Eve was very responsive from the beginning and through the whole process. I live in Oregon and it was shipped from Southern California. I actually ordered it well before I had my truck so it sat on the pallet for a couple weeks before I got the truck. Eve asked all the right follow-up questions to make sure I knew what I needed and what I was getting. I opted out of the dust seal kit since I'm not using the truck for any serious offroading (I have a 1987 Jeep Grand Wagonner with a 4BT for that). It was shipped with Estes and I was able to track it all the way to my house; super happy with shipping.
I went with the all black model because I like the look and function of it over painted/color-matched canopies; I like that I don't have to worry about paint or powdercoating getting scratched or dinged. For my purpose, this thing is excellent and great quality.
Installation
The installation was pretty straight-forward on the mechanical side. The electrical is a slightly different story. Because it taps into the rear defroster and the cab brake light (CHMSL), you have to remove a bit of the interior, including the headliner. Since I had also installed the Rhino Rack ditch tracks, it wasn't a huge deal since I was removing it for that anyway.
The whole kit comes with everything you need and pretty good instructions. The only hang-up I had was that the harness was designed for the Raptor, which has the LED CHMSL. My Lariat (despite what the fird parts website showed) had regular incandescent bulbs. So I had to make an adapter to tap into the brake light. Again, no big deal for me since I do electical work all the time.
Quality/Use
Overall, I'm very happy and impressed with the quality. It's pretty beefy with a metal frame and all the hardware seems top notch. Fortunately, I had a tractor with forks to help me get it on there. I also got the side box for the passenger side. I also got the roof cross bars that bolt on, rather than mounting on the rails, because I wanted them to be as low as possible, and as far apart as possible. Again, I'm pleased with everything. I don't plant to put a rooftop tent on this or anything; this is my commuter and around-town towing vehicle (to relieve the aforementioned Grand Wagoneer from such duties).
I haven't used it much yet, and I'll probably report back after I've gotten some more time and use with it. I'm not great at forums and social media, so it may be a while before I respond, but I'm happy to answer questions.
Pictures
I installed the side box a little later...
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