In-bed campers

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I’ve been currently looking @ pop up units with no overhang, currently liking these grandby units:

Grandby Model - Four Wheel Campers

Our four wheel camper Grandby Model is the ultimate truck topper camper. Click here to see the Grandby truck camper's floor and virtual tour.

fourwheelcampers.com

And these palomino units:

Backpack Truck Campers SS-1200 - Palomino RV

Details, floorplan, specifications, and more about the SS-1200 Soft Side.

palominorv.com

Still in a little sticker shock for new units.

 

[MEGA HO]

And these palomino units:

Backpack Truck Campers SS-1200 - Palomino RV

Details, floorplan, specifications, and more about the SS-1200 Soft Side.

palominorv.com

Still in a little sticker shock for new units.

You know how saying goes, you get what you paid for. This applies to any Palomino camper, I have yet to see any satisfied long term review.

 

[SpeyRam]

I've currently got a non-slide out Lance 825 TC for my short-bed truck. Happy with this camper but looking to go a bit bigger at some point for more room/bigger appliances etc. Camper selection depends primarily on what you do with it of course & the size of your truck. For 2 adults or so for 3 day trips+ a Lance 825 or something similar is a good bet. The 825 short-bed model can get cramped when you add another person (up to 3 adults) for longer camps. Its a trade-off. But for quality & function, I recommend looking at Lance for your TC.

 

[henrys]

Northstar Arrow-U on a 3500 mega cab SRW. I love this setup. Tons of room inside but still under 4k lbs fully loaded (3700#). Camper has a 8.5' floor so hangs over a little but but able to tow a trailer with a 36" extension. Drives great with just some airbags and a sway bar. I remove the camper and daily drive the truck so for me this is the most versatile setup.

 

[scrmblr2]

Ok, so the more I look at these campers, the more I get sticker shock.

Anyone have good recommendations on used classifieds? I have seen rvtrader.com and have been reading through https://www.truckcampermagazine.com/

Any feedback on used vs new? For what I think I will be using the camper for, $20,000+ is well above where I was thinking I wanted to be on $

 

[henrys]

TCs are more expensive because they aren't mass produced in huge numbers like trailers. There are many camper buy/sell groups on facebook and also a lot on fb marketplace. Used is a crapshoot like any other RV. Any water penetration into the camper will cause lots of expensive damage and it can be difficult to detect. Cheaper ones will be much older and could be fine if they were taken care of but thats a big IF.

 

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I have a side question,
How do you store your inbed campers? I find myself keep going back to a pop up as I believe I will be able to purchase/fabricate a low trailer that will Al allow me to get it inside my standard height garage for storage when not in use. I think that may be the top consideration for me right now.

Of course, I am getting older, and one of the reasons I am considering an inbed camper is I am getting tired of setting up a tent and sleeping on the ground in a sleeping bag. I know there are low height costs to keep you off the ground but I feel like that may just prolong the suffering.

I guess there may also be drawbacks to an inbed unit with a pop top as the door heights seem to be short and getting up to bed height could be an issue/concern.

 

[gprguy]

I keep mine on a Reico Titan camper dolly. A really overpriced but well made piece - if I had the time at the time I would have welded one up myself instead and saved half even after buying expensive big HD caster wheels. You can kind of see it in the background of this photo.



I added a cheap Reese tow bar to it and now I can push it around with a tractor/UTV/forklift.

 

[MEGA HO]

I have a side question,
How do you store your inbed campers? I find myself keep going back to a pop up as I believe I will be able to purchase/fabricate a low trailer that will Al allow me to get it inside my standard height garage for storage when not in use. I think that may be the top consideration for me right now.

Of course, I am getting older, and one of the reasons I am considering an inbed camper is I am getting tired of setting up a tent and sleeping on the ground in a sleeping bag. I know there are low height costs to keep you off the ground but I feel like that may just prolong the suffering.

I guess there may also be drawbacks to an inbed unit with a pop top as the door heights seem to be short and getting up to bed height could be an issue/concern.

As mentioned there is a dolly you can buy or make one yourself, unload a camper and lower it into a dolly and wheel it in. As for getting up to bed, not big issue with basement campers as the main floor height is elevated, also there is usually a step in front of the be area that make sit easier.

 

[henrys]

I guess there may also be drawbacks to an inbed unit with a pop top as the door heights seem to be short and getting up to bed height could be an issue/concern.

I had a pop-up before the hard-side camper I have now. They are great except for what you just pointed out: the door height. I hit my head so many times on the tiny door that it drove me nuts. Also, the tent material of the pop-up allows a lot of sound in. Not a big deal if you only camp in the woods but I boondock a lot in parking lots, highway rest stops, etc which is really loud and annoying in a pop-up. It really comes down to how you plan to use it.

Getting in/out of bed is can be a bit of a chore too, especially in the middle of the night, so that is something for you to consider.