I have a Softopper on my 2006 quad cab, short bed cummins. Love the top. Can't think of any cons. Bring the thinking down to price and what it was made for, and try not to critique it too much. It's a bed cover that keeps things from flying out on the highway. That's the thing that I like most about it. If I want to take my '97 cummins camping or haul something small with the truck, then I have to tie it down. I'm a commercial truck driver by trade and I don't like the possibility of, or the possible legal problem that may come of, something flying out of my truck. So I probably overdo the tieing down of items in the bed and it's kind of a pain making sure there is no way that something may come out. But my stuff is quality and expensive and I don't want to have to buy it again, either. It's also relatively inexpensive. You can sleep in it (although mine is black and I found that it was too hot in California to sleep in this summer). Ice also probably melts in the cooler faster. It stays hot in there.
Back to hauling gear though...now I can also stack twice as high as the bed is deep, which is another no no for me in an open bed. It's well built, and tight on the truck. No flapping at all going 80 mph or whatever. I am confident in its construction and the zippers. Not a huge fan of the Velcro, but I put it on and it kind of works. When it's hot, the Velcro just comes off of the front of the bed and the front piece just kinda hangs out. It's not going anywhere, trust me. I was only able to keep one piece for the tailgate from coming off and it's kind of a constant battle keeping it on there.
You can easily undo the sides to reach in from any side of the bed, so you don't have to climb in from the back to get to something in the front.
Mine has leaked a tiny bit in heavy rain at the front bed corners. The look grows on you. The only problem that I have had is not really a con because I also liked this about the Softopper. But since the sides don't have Windows, it is a little difficult for me to back the boat into the driveway when returning from a trip. But most of the time, the fact that the sides don't have Windows is a nice feature. People can't see what's in it unless they stare in from the back, they don't have to be removed to fold the top up (which is an issue with the best top...you have to remove the side windows to fold it up and store them somewhere else), and its nice to be able to roll them up really quick if you are going to need a lot of access to one side of the bed of the truck for a while. Like I said, truck driver, so I use my mirrors and have them adjusted properly so the sides don't create a blind spot for me. Vision has never been an issue anywhere but backing into the driveway...not even at the boat ramp.
Again, love it, and will be looking to sell my 2006 soon and buy a Softopper for the 1997 that I am keeping. I have listed the truck for sale before, and actually got more people interested in me selling them the topper than I did for people that were interested in the truck.