camper shell, truck camper or camper shell with clamshell tent

[wesfromky]

I think i have settled on this one, but lead times are crazy.

The Drifter ™ – Vagabond Outdoors

vagabondoutdoors.com

 

[loganwayne]

I think i have settled on this one, but lead times are crazy.

The Drifter ™ – Vagabond Outdoors

vagabondoutdoors.com

Ya I like those but lead time and price drive me away from them.

I'm leaning towards building one like thr gofastcampers but making the clamshell part 120" vs the standard 80ish" that way I can have an open area all the time or a panel to infill it and plenty of room up top

 

[Conroy]

I like the Project M myself. It is a very basic cap/camper. You can still use your tailgate and bed of the truck. You can slide a big cooler or other equipment inside when hunting. The big issue is the wait time. It is currently 60 weeks to get one.

 

[GotDraw?]

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.

BEST OF BOTH WORLDS HERE, saves weight and still offers a lot of on-demand headroom:

My brother has a hard-shell ARE cap on his Tacoma. He is installing Topper EZ-Lift actuators that will automatically lift the shell up 17.5" from the bed rails when you want to sleep. This gives a lot of extra headroom and makes it very easy to camp in the truck bed even with drawer or storage system under your sleeping bags. Topper has also created a skirt tent that goes around the shell and over the tailgate to keep weather out on all sides and the back. You can also get and insulated version of the tent.

Check it out here:
TOPPER EZ-LIFT Video

JL

 

[18FLHP]

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.View attachment 433631View attachment 433632

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.

Love this idea. Any pictures of the inside? Or better yet a complete build thread?

 

[AK Troutbum]

I’ve used plenty of both toppers and slide in campers, but as I’ve gotten older I think that if I’m going to truck camp, it’s definitely going to be in a slide in camper. And preferably one with a side pop out.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Wolverine]

Love this idea. Any pictures of the inside? Or better yet a complete build thread?

Here are a few pics for you. If you are interested in more information on the build I can expand a bit if you're thinking of trying to build one. I am far from a anything that resembles an expert but this build has been bulletproof so far with about 20K miles of use.


It is 7' long and 5'11" tall inside and weighs 1000 pounds with batteries, 6 gallons of water and general cooking gear. It is very basic but is all I need. I use a diesel heater with excellent results. I have a very lightweight truck and the camper with gear still falls within the limits of the truck ratings. The truck handles with zero issues at highway speed or on reasonably rough roads with care taken. I used regular RV siding, door and windows with standard truck camper jacks. I simply put the truck in park and climb in and sleep. I have taken it out at camp but usually leave it in as I am usually on the go. If I had a 3/4 ton truck, I may have done a cab over but honestly, I would only need that if doing long trips with 2 people. For just me it's more than enough room.

 

[mrolen]

I have a 2000 tundra with a camper shell and a f350 with a pop up slide in camper. For taking the family I take the camper but the tundra with the shell is much more usable being Mobile and navigating rough roads, but the camper is way more comfortable. I have also camped quite comfortably in the back of the tundra in single digit temps with a generator out side and a small electric heater. Moral of the story more toys more better.

 

[Wyo_hntr]

I like the Project M myself. It is a very basic cap/camper. You can still use your tailgate and bed of the truck. You can slide a big cooler or other equipment inside when hunting. The big issue is the wait time. It is currently 60 weeks to get one.

Something like the fwc project m would be nice but $$$$$.

 

[cuerro viejo]

I think I need a supertramp or OEV. What I have is a regular ol’ranch camper shell

 

[18FLHP]

Here are a few pics for you. If you are interested in more information on the build I can expand a bit if you're thinking of trying to build one. I am far from a anything that resembles an expert but this build has been bulletproof so far with about 20K miles of use.
View attachment 721321View attachment 721322View attachment 721323View attachment 721324View attachment 721322View attachment 721326

It is 7' long and 5'11" tall inside and weighs 1000 pounds with batteries, 6 gallons of water and general cooking gear. It is very basic but is all I need. I use a diesel heater with excellent results. I have a very lightweight truck and the camper with gear still falls within the limits of the truck ratings. The truck handles with zero issues at highway speed or on reasonably rough roads with care taken. I used regular RV siding, door and windows with standard truck camper jacks. I simply put the truck in park and climb in and sleep. I have taken it out at camp but usually leave it in as I am usually on the go. If I had a 3/4 ton truck, I may have done a cab over but honestly, I would only need that if doing long trips with 2 people. For just me it's more than enough room. View attachment 721338View attachment 721340View attachment 721343View attachment 721345

Love this. Would definitely like more info. I've been considering building something between this and the Radica Moonlander (but a slide-in). I have decked drawers, so hoping I can build something that slides in on top of the drawers and secured using the ford box link tie down points. Not looking to stand up and hoping to sleep perpindicular to the bed.

 

[justinspicher]

I lived in my tacoma with a shell for six months. I had a small platform for my Helinox cot and had no issues. This was over the summer so the weather was nice, during the winter it would be a much different story. I ended up selling the shell and now I have a rack system that I can put a tarp over. Not ideal but it’s easy, if needed. I also have a platform in my GX470 that will allow me to sleep in side.

 

[SmellinElkyFresh]

Huge fan of the camper shell. Definitely not going to be as comfortable as a dedicated camper but depending on your use the shell is more versatile (can throw things in your truck bed when you arent sleeping in it, etc). Cant tell you how many times Ive been glad to have the shell because I was driving through a storm with stuff in the bed. Just make sure you get a carpeted header to help with condensation!

 

[LFC911]

Camper shell but go with the high rise NOT cab high.

 

[Wolverine]

Love this. Would definitely like more info. I've been considering building something between this and the Radica Moonlander (but a slide-in). I have decked drawers, so hoping I can build something that slides in on top of the drawers and secured using the ford box link tie down points. Not looking to stand up and hoping to sleep perpindicular to the bed.

I just checked out that Moonlander cap and it's not bad. It's definitely quite a bit more expensive than a do it yourself rig and it's not insulated.

If you didn't need something to stand up in, that would definitely shave some weight and cost. I almost went that route but just went the extra for a little more luxury. I also have a regular truck cap I can use for a simple trip if need be.

My camper is 7' wide inside so you could sleep perpendicular to the bed. Mine is set up with two bench style beds. One is 25" wide and the other is 32". Foam mattresses for each.
1 1/2" thick foam insulation in the walls makes it easy to heat. I can put the tailgate down and lay plywood over it and under the camper if I need room to haul bigger items that i dont want in the camper. Having the plywood under the camper keeps the tailgate from bouncing.