camper shell, truck camper or camper shell with clamshell tent

[loganwayne]

Been thinking about redoing my hunting truck setup, sold my Frontier that had a camper shell and bed slider in it. Will be doing this to my tundra with the 6.5 ft bed. Most of the time it will be me and one other person. and if we are bird hunting there will be 2 dogs with us. Whatever i do it would probably stay on the truck all the time as i have another truck now. i also want to be able to hook up to the boat and go with it. i dont want a slide in camper that would hang out the end of the bed several feet. for a camper shell with a clamshell tent think along the line of the gofastcampers.

 

[Idaho_Potato]

Where are you spending most of your time in it? Highly depends on the weather situation. If it's cold and snowy, the only option in my mind is slide in camper. A dedicated heat source powered by a robust solar bank is a requirement.

 

[loganwayne]

Where are you spending most of your time in it? Highly depends on the weather situation. If it's cold and snowy, the only option in my mind is slide in camper. A dedicated heat source powered by a robust solar bank is a requirement.

i live in the south east, but travel up north to grouse hunt, and down to Alabama for quail. ideally would use it to deer hunt out of some as well. and have been making plans to go to the midwest for birds and deer next year. possibly further west if i get drawn for something.

we get coldish here but never get big dumps of snow.

i like slide in campers, BUT they dont have a ton of storage and putting heavy coolers and totes in and out all the time doesnt sound like fun either.

 

[robertchutch]

I'm gonna say camper shell but just to store your kit. For sleeping just buy a cheapo 6 person to set up next to your truck and stick a cot in there.

 

[Doghed]

We have a shell on the Tacoma. A safe place for dogs and gear to ride. Roof top tents are a no go for us. Most of the time we use the truck to hit different fishing access points and hunting spots. I don't want to take down and put up my shelter and bedding every day and its difficult getting dogs in and out of them. My SO 8 man works great all four seasons.

 

[Brian Fahs]

This is how I roll.
50+ nights a year in the back deer and turkey hunting.

 

[MTChurch]

Been thinking about redoing my hunting truck setup, sold my Frontier that had a camper shell and bed slider in it. Will be doing this to my tundra with the 6.5 ft bed. Most of the time it will be me and one other person. and if we are bird hunting there will be 2 dogs with us. Whatever i do it would probably stay on the truck all the time as i have another truck now. i also want to be able to hook up to the boat and go with it. i dont want a slide in camper that would hang out the end of the bed several feet. for a camper shell with a clamshell tent think along the line of the gofastcampers.

I think a Canvass Cutter is a great option. Easy to set up and take down and store. Didn’t take up much room in your truck. I love mine.

 

[Wolverine]

Build your own slide-in camper. More room than a cap and not as bulky as a full size slide-in. This is the one I built. It sits in an 8' bed but could easily ride in a 6 1/2' bed with the tailgate down.

Light enough for a half ton truck and easy set up. If you are staying in one area for an extended time, the camper can be pulled out freeing up the truck for day trips leaving camp in one place.

 

[TreeWalking]

I bought an SUV to camp in at trail heads or wherever. I would fold the rear seats forward so was flat in back. I could then fit at a diagonal to sleep. Comfortably. I generally hunt solo, though.

I loaded my gear in plastic tubs. When was time to sleep, I would unload the tubs from the SUV, toss a tarp over them, and make my bed (two mats, sleeping bag and pillow). If gets very cold at night I would start the motor and blow the heater for 10 minutes. If warm and mosquitoes are an issue I would crack the windows and put mosquito netting on the cracked zone.

A couple of times I was on roads with steep sides or a pile of gravel so would drive the front of the SUV onto the incline, tilt my driver seat back and sleep in the seat inside my sleeping bag. I travel with eye patch, ear plugs, neck gaiter and stocking cap so I can fall asleep about anywhere.

I dislike the campers as the winds along roads in places like WY want to blow you over as drive and that is tiring to battle.

I dislike camper shells as seem harder to move around inside and no access to the heater controls up in the cab, unlike the SUV approach.

I never did that much SUV camping though and mostly for spring turkey season. My deer and elk hunts tend to involve spike camping.

I also rarely was putting tubs out on the ground where people or bears would mess with them while I slept.

 

[loganwayne]

We have a shell on the Tacoma. A safe place for dogs and gear to ride. Roof top tents are a no go for us. Most of the time we use the truck to hit different fishing access points and hunting spots. I don't want to take down and put up my shelter and bedding every day and its difficult getting dogs in and out of them. My SO 8 man works great all four seasons.

That's pretty much my setup in the frontier. I just hate taking down and putting up the tent for a single night. Alot of times we will hunt an area then move to another area (mostly bird hunting).

 

[jnawalaniec]

I have a roof top tent and really enjoy it, if I could afford it I would get a hard top tent or go fast camper. They make ramps for dogs to get into tents or you could carry them up, if you got the go fast camper they could sleep in the bed.

 

[Customweld]

I have a slide in, it’s nice to have the amenities. With that being said , it’s also a pita . Unless you are dragging a trailer and other means of transport, you are married to where you are parked. I don’t consider unloading my camper anywhere on uneven ground, so that leaves out 99.9 percent of the places I go. So I drag a trailer with my sxs in it. This was an experiment to see if I was going to like it. I would much rather have my truck empty and stay in my wall tent.

 

[Titan_Bow]

I love the idea of the GFC’s but man are they expensive!! I love the idea of being able to stand up to get dressed in the morning or even to just stretch. I ended up going with a 4Runner so I could sleep in the back of it, but if I were to go pickup again, I’d definitely go with a clamshell camper. There are a few out there now, AT Overland makes one called the Vagabond, Super Pacific makes one ad well. If I was seriously in the market, not sure I could bring myself to pay 10 or 12 grand on a topper with a pop up tent though LOL


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[loganwayne]

I love the idea of the GFC’s but man are they expensive!! I love the idea of being able to stand up to get dressed in the morning or even to just stretch. I ended up going with a 4Runner so I could sleep in the back of it, but if I were to go pickup again, I’d definitely go with a clamshell camper. There are a few out there now, AT Overland makes one called the Vagabond, Super Pacific makes one ad well. If I was seriously in the market, not sure I could bring myself to pay 10 or 12 grand on a topper with a pop up tent though LOL


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Ya I'm with you. That's why I would probably build one based off the GFC camper. I've got a shop and all winter to build one lol. I priced out all the materials and it was like 3500

 

[Turner99]

Been thinking about redoing my hunting truck setup, sold my Frontier that had a camper shell and bed slider in it. Will be doing this to my tundra with the 6.5 ft bed. Most of the time it will be me and one other person. and if we are bird hunting there will be 2 dogs with us. Whatever i do it would probably stay on the truck all the time as i have another truck now. i also want to be able to hook up to the boat and go with it. i dont want a slide in camper that would hang out the end of the bed several feet. for a camper shell with a clamshell tent think along the line of the gofastcampers.

Great Idea

 

[5MilesBack]

I would go with the topper and just set up a tent wherever you are for the night. My BA Copper Spur UL4 takes about 5 minutes to set up and has great room for 2 people. It's fast and easy.

 

[johnross0619]

I have a roof top tent on an expedition trailer, but I don't take it unless the family is going. For hunting, I prefer the camper shell for the simplicity and to stay more mobile.

 

[Z71&Gun]

A minimalist slide in camper would be hard to beat. No plumbing or electrical. Just run a heater, water jug, a lantern and poop outside. Plenty of room for gear and sleep without all the BS that comes with maintaining a camper.

 

[*zap*]

^ this.

 

[bdg848]

I second building a slide in camper. Get exactly what you want, little more space. Two dogs and two people in a topper shell ain't gonna work...