How to Find the Ideal Canopy For Your Mazda BT50

Have you been thinking about using your BT50 to do more hunting or off-roading? These Australian-inspired utes were conceived for the rigours of the bush, so there’s no question of whether it’s up to the task. The only question is: how well is it going to be outfitted to suit your particular needs when you’re there?

There are a lot of tray and ute box options on the market for BT50s, but they don’t always fit or function together the way you want them to. And if you need provisions to transport a dog, integrated dog boxes that don’t take up an excess of tray space are hard to find.

Fortunately, a turnkey tray and canopy package is already available for BT50s that are designed to accommodate you and your dog anytime you’re ready to hit the road. They’re designed to let you take full advantage of the space the BT50 has to offer, so you don’t have to lose valuable recreation time calculating which ute boxes are going to fit best.

Upgrade Your BT50’s Cargo Space with an S8 Canopy Package 

Although turnkey ute packages are still a relatively new concept, the S8 package for Mazda BT 50 canopies is a superb example of how qualified these manufacturer-tuned packages are at meeting ute owner’s needs. Maximized simplification is the key to the S8s success, which is why it’s the perfect choice for BT50 owners who prefer to spend more of their time enjoying their destination than outfitting their vehicle for the journey.

The appeal behind simplified packages like the S8 is straightforward. While every ute owner wants as much cargo and storage capacity as possible, what they don’t want is a costly collection of specialized tool and accessory boxes that they’ll only ever get limited use out of. Packages like the S8 for BT50 canopies are very deliberate in excluding a lot of accessory boxes; they give owners the latitude to decide in due time which features they need, without having their space completely compartmentalized ahead of time.

Aluminium Trays With All the Right Core Features

The S8 package begins with a 3.5mm BT50 aluminium tray with a TIG-welded, 5mm C-channel main frame, and RHS subframe. Measuring 1780mm x 1800mm overall, these trays are bolt-on replacements for the factory BT50 tub, and include features such as:

·   Flared 3mm mudguards;

·   Tapered 3-strip LED taillights; and,

·   AutoLED license plate lights.

S8 simplicity doesn’t mean sacrificing any of the Mazda’s safety features though, and rear-facing cameras and sensors can be fitted directly onto this lightweight BT50 ute tray just as they would be with the tub. It’s the ideal corrosion-resistant platform to mount a single, all-purpose box on, and the S8’s specially designed BT50 ute canopy fits that bill perfectly.

BT50 Canopies That Let You Choose Your Own Add-ons  

The S8’s full-sized BT50 tray canopy gives you all the cargo and storage space you want from a canopy, and it takes full advantage of the tray’s 1780mm x 1800mm loading area to do it. These TIG-welded, tube frame aluminium boxes are constructed from heavy-duty 2.5mm flat plate stock and feature both reinforced sides and roofs which, when outfitted with their 1800mm roof racks, help to increase your carry capacity even further.

The main feature of these rugged Mazda BT50 canopies, however, is their 700mm x 890mm built-in dog box section. This fully integrated compartment only occupies ¼ of the canopy’s total storage area, leaving you with over 2.5m² of uncompartmented space to fill with cargo. It’s the perfect alternative to an ordinary standalone dog box configuration that can consume up to half of your tray space.    

The S8’s canopy also features 3 doors, ensuring quick and easy access to both your dog and your cargo, with each boasting:

·   Full-length piano-style hinges;

·   TIG-welded internal reinforcements;

·   Full weatherproof rubber seals;

·   Twin gas struts; and,

·   Stainless steel whale tail security locks.

The S8 BT50 canopy is built to reliably go anywhere you can take it, but without the burden of restrictive compartment walls, or an abundance of handles, hinges, or other moving fixtures that could malfunction. Simplicity is everything, and the S8 gives you a completely blank space to install only the features and accessories that are important to you.

Undertray Storage That You Can Actually Use 

Although the S8 package is built around the concept of simplicity, it doesn’t hesitate to address the one area that a lot of ute owners overlook until they’ve already selected their tray: their undertray storage options. There’s vital storage space under every tray which, when properly utilized, doesn’t have to become an unsightly refuge for storage boxes that don’t blend in with the Mazda’s good looks.

Comprehensive design is one of the S8’s finest attributes, and that’s why the BT50 tray package also includes its own pair of fully tapered aluminium toolboxes. These boxes match the S8’s Mazda aesthetic perfectly, and they also include:

·   Fully TIG-welded seams;

·   Full weatherproof rubber seals; and,

·   Stainless steel security locks and piano hinges.

And not surprisingly, these Mazda BT50 undertray boxes do more than just provide additional storage. Their sharp-angled taper matches the tray’s taper perfectly, and is excellent for preventing your wheel wells and underside areas from collecting mud and debris when you’re off-roading.

The Final Word

At the end of the day, with so many options available to ute owners, it’s no wonder that a growing percentage of them want to avoid outfitting their vehicles with overly elaborate accessories. Space requirements can change with every trip, especially for dog owners, which is why most would rather have free space than a multitude of boxes that can never be optimized. 

The S8 package for Mazda BT 50 canopies gives dog owners the advantage of having a safe, appropriately sized space for their canines, while still having the maximum amount of secure, unrestricted space for their cargo. It’s the best of both worlds for BT50 owners, regardless of whether they’re hunting, off-roading, or just headed to the dog park.