A shell is a fixed cap that weatherproofs and locks the bed — storage, full stop. A wedge camper adds a hinged pop-up roof with a sleeping platform inside, turning the bed into living quarters while gear stays below. Shells are lighter and cheaper; wedges cost and weigh more but replace a tent entirely. Which you want depends on whether storage or sleeping is the problem.

Enough that you should do the math before ordering. Every truck lists payload on the driver's door-jamb sticker; subtract passengers, gear, water, bumpers, and armor, and whatever remains is your budget for a camper. Check each listing's stated weight against that number. Plenty of builds run over payload without knowing it — a camper is the purchase that should trigger the audit.

Yes, with eyes open. Hard walls beat tent fabric in wind and hold heat better, and many campers offer insulation options for the soft sections. Condensation is the real winter enemy — crack a vent even when it's freezing, because a sealed box with two sleepers turns into a rain forest by morning. Check individual listings for cold-weather options before buying.

They're removable — most clamp to the bed rails rather than bolting through them — but this isn't a tonneau you pop off on Friday night. Removal typically means a couple of helpers or a hoist, plus somewhere to store the thing. Buy assuming it lives on the truck full-time, and treat removal as a few-times-a-year event rather than a routine.

Speed, weather, and security. A wedge deploys in a couple of minutes, keeps your bedding inside a lockable hard shell, and shrugs off wind that leaves a fabric tent flexing all night. The tradeoffs run the other way too: a tent setup costs less and keeps the bed open for hauling. If you camp constantly in real weather, the wedge earns its price.