In-bed campers

[scrmblr2]

So I am considering an in bed camper for my 8’ bed. I have a dually and tow a 28’ enclosed trailer.

Show me what cha got. Images are worth a thousand points.

Tell me the good.

Tell me the bad.

Tell me what you would do differently/ stuff you didn’t expect.

Tell me what you would do the same/ what you liked.

 

[kvp]

Truckcampermagazine.com free with lots of info
I have mine on a flatbed.

 

[buzzuti]

Well, flatbed but here is my 5500 with an AF 1150.

 

[Rockcrawlindude]

@ramblinChet has a lot of knowledge and seat time

2021 RAM 3500 Tradesman | AEV Prospector | FWC Grandby

They say pictures are worth a thousand words so let's begin with one... Here is a list of the options I selected along with a brief explanation for each: BASE VEHICLE & TRIM: 2021 - My initial goal was to find a swell deal on a 2020 close to the end of the year. If I had been able to find...

hdrams.com

 

[gprguy]

2020 Lance 1062, pictures below on my old truck. Currently building a flatbed setup similar to @buzzuti above. Largely because we want to tow heavy (34' enclosed) while having the camper.





As far as the good/bad.. Bought a Lance because they are one of the best names out there. The floor plan is great - twin slides means there is a ridiculous amount of room inside plus a dry bath. Reality is the quality is lacking in many areas. Ours was built in January 2020 so just before the pandemic hit, no excuse for them there. One of the windows is noticeably crooked. The passenger slide broke a roll pin early on because Lance forgot to put the stop blocks on the slide that trip the microswitch to stop the extension. The only way to fix it was for the dealer to remove the slide entirely to replace a 10 cent part. The wiring in general is comically bad - I've rewired most of the main power system so it isn't a fire hazard. One of the main battery lugs just fell apart because of a poor quality crimp. The design in general isn't ideal as far as serviceability - so many things take either a 3 jointed arm or you'd have to drop the floor pan off the bottom to access.

That all said we have had an amazing time with it, we've got around 25,000 miles on it and we've been across the country and back. At this point it does everything we want and does it well but that took a couple hundred hours of me fixing and improving things.

But I think our next camper will be a Host.

 

[dieselscout80]

We had a Lance 915 for years and it always scaled more than the tag said so be aware. The tags on the is dry with nothing in them.

On ours the tags said it was under 2k per the tag, but in use it was always 3k pounds.

You can pull way more room with a trailer than you can haul with a truck slide in camper.

 

[scrmblr2]

Appreciate the feedback. I was thinking of a unit that fit in the bed with the tailgate still in place.

Thoughts on a fixed side unit vs a pop up top?

What are opinions on bathroom? Not sure I NEED one as right now, I would see myself using it at racetracks. But I guess if it is an option, it would be nice tohave.

I am guessing a/c is a plus. Do these plug into the bed power 7pinplug? I don’t currently have one but seems like an easy add if I were to pull the trigger on a unit.

I liked the pix of steps to get into the camper. Is that a th8ng u gap can get on an in-bed unit? I am guessing it is more of a problem to tow with a standard bed if you have one of those “extend beyond the bed” type units.

 

[scrmblr2]

Truckcampermagazine.com free with lots of info
I have mine on a flatbed.

Appreciate the resource. Will be looking at that a lot!

 

[gprguy]

A lot of it depends on how "off-road" you want to go with the camper on and how big your truck is.

Bathroom is the best part if you ask me, not just for camping but for truck stops, rest stops, etc.. Brought my own. Dry bath vs. wet bath is a decision too. I grew up on a boat with a wet bath, I've had my fill of that mess.

Almost all A/C units run off of 120v still. There are a few 24v units adapted from truck sleepers but they tend to be custom things. I have enough battery and inverter to run my A/C off of batteries for a few hours if I need to cool it off before bedtime.

Those steps are Torklift Glowsteps. They make many different versions, that's something I added to ours. One of our best upgrades.

Towing with an overhang can be an issue for sure - you can get hitch extensions if you have a beefy enough hitch and aren't towing too heavy. We are, so we had our trailer built with an extended flat tongue so it reaches under the overhang to the truck.



(Disclaimer: We only towed the trailer with that truck home from the factory empty with the camper. Loaded would have been way too much for a 3500 DRW. This is why I am building a 4500, so we can tow the trailer loaded with the camper at the same time.)

 

[GrtPyr]

I don't own a truck camper yet but am also interested in purchasing one and will be following this thread. At the moment I am leaning toward a Wolf Creek 890 which is hard sided but with no slides to keep weight down. It's kind of the budget line from the same manufacturer as Arctic Fox and they seem to have a decent reputation.

 

[GBB]

Run this from Alaska to Texas each year..has a slide but would prefer no slide

 

[Jeff1759]

I have had a Bundutec for 2.5 years. It’s a “Wild” model.
Smaller company based in Iowa, many models available and owner Rory will work with you on any build you might want, Jen in the office is very knowledgable.
Very good customer service. Being a smaller company, the build time can be awhile, possibly close to a year.
I’ve been pleased with the pop up as it has allowed me get to many places a hard sided camper might not.
Wish I had owned one prior, as I would have known to change a few things about my standard build.
I would have opted to go without the indoor shower/toilet as there is an outdoor shower and other ways to use a toilet.
This would have allowed for more storage and counter space.
Also, to answer a bit more of your original questions, I would have opted for a flatbed and appropriate build to fit.
This would allow for more floor space and some outside storage.

 

[scrmblr2]

I have had a Bundutec for 2.5 years. It’s a “Wild” model.
Smaller company based in Iowa, many models available and owner Rory will work with you on any build you might want, Jen in the office is very knowledgable.
Very good customer service. Being a smaller company, the build time can be awhile, possibly close to a year.
I’ve been pleased with the pop up as it has allowed me get to many places a hard sided camper might not.
Wish I had owned one prior, as I would have known to change a few things about my standard build.
I would have opted to go without the indoor shower/toilet as there is an outdoor shower and other ways to use a toilet.
This would have allowed for more storage and counter space.
Also, to answer a bit more of your original questions, I would have opted for a flatbed and appropriate build to fit.
This would allow for more floor space and some outside storage.

I like hearing about things you leaned or would do differently.

I have also been wondering if I would “need or want” a bathroom. At this point, I am leaning towards something simple and light weight.

Any downsides to a pop up? Part of me likes the simplicity of a hard side, but at what cost?

 

[ramblinChet]

Thanks for the mention @Rockcrawlindude!

The most important decision you must make right now is do you want to live inside most of the time or split the time 50/50 between inside and outside?

If you have a hard sided camper, which I think are absolutely fantastic and will most likely own one someday, you will spend much of your time inside. You can look out the window and see outside but you really will be largely detached. On the other hand, if you own a pop-up, which I am currently traveling in, you will split more of your time. And even when you are inside, you are still somewhat outside since the top portion is like a tent and the interior is never comfortable enough to stay in for extended periods.

Again, nothing against either type - my goal is to have you and others think through that key aspect.

And if you are interested in being outside nearly all the time - try a rooftop tent. I lived in one for 3.5 years and was outside all the time. I slept up there but that's all there was enough room to do. It was easier to get dressed, fix a meal, etc. being outside.

 

[Jeff1759]

I like hearing about things you leaned or would do differently.

I have also been wondering if I would “need or want” a bathroom. At this point, I am leaning towards something simple and light weight.

Any downsides to a pop up? Part of me likes the simplicity of a hard side, but at what cost?

For me, the one downside would be when there are high winds. Not so good in a pop up as it can cause havoc on the fabric. I learned this after I got a tear in the screen fabric after one night of high winds.
With a pop up, you could sleep on the floor, or bench seat (some are designed to convert into a bed-mine is not) in a high wind situation, while leaving the top securely down.
You won’t be using your heater in this situation though if sleeping on the floor.
This is what really brings me back to a do over with a flat bed set up or an 8ft bed. My short bed 4-door gives me about 4” shy of being able to fully stretch out my legs if I choose to try sleeping on the floor.
I’ve done it, but it is not fun.
I’ve also tried sleeping in the drivers seat and wait out the winds, but that is even less fun!
Not sure how high winds feel in a hard side, but would imagine lowered legs would mitigate some rocking.
I love my lower profile while traveling on the road.

A hard side has to be a bit quieter when it comes to noise from the outside too. Can’t imagine it’s a significant difference though.
I use ear plugs if I’m in a rest area type situation or Walmart for the night.

I spent about 3 months around Tucson the winter before last, and it seemed about once a week a front would come through with very high winds.
I came to dread those fronts, knowing I wouldn’t be getting much sleep. Actually got a room twice when that happened.

I’ve often thought maybe I should have gone more simple and light weight, but I absolutely love the comforts of my more ‘decked out’ camper….heat, lites, water, sink/stove, ability to connect to shore power if available, very comfortable queen mattress. I’m around 1,800 - 2,000 lbs loaded.

One other thing.
I have a nice refrigerator but do not use it. Too much drain on batteries for me. I get by just fine with a high quality large cooler kept in the cab of truck.
No fridge would have lower cost, provided more storage space, and possibly head room for those nights sleeping on the floor.

 

[ollicat]

Minimalism is good for me. I use my ARE camper to sleep in for a night or two and then to to a hotel for real shower. I like the cadence, 2 nights in truck, one night in hotel. I spent a lot less money on a camper, get better gas mileage, and have fewer costs but still can camp when I want and bring food with me to keep costs down.

 

[scrmblr2]

Minimalism is good for me. I use my ARE camper to sleep in for a night or two and then to to a hotel for real shower. I like the cadence, 2 nights in truck, one night in hotel. I spent a lot less money on a camper, get better gas mileage, and have fewer costs but still can camp when I want and bring food with me to keep costs down.

What model ARE? Isn’t that a truck cap company?

I don’t like caps. Which is funny when I start thinking about how this will be a large “cap”.
I also start seeing a couple other issues:
Currently have a soft rolling tonneau cover - probably will have to be removed when using an in bed camper
I have s steak pocket and a roof mounted magnetic antenna this will likely have to be relocated. Hmmmm…..

 

[MEGA HO]

If you like lightweight, stay away from campers with slides. I'd also recommend a fiberglass shell campers, they're much lighter than the similarly sized and optioned out campers as they have no frames and less likely to develop a leak. Northern Lite and Bigfoot the 2 companies making fiberglass shell campers. They all overhang so if no overhang with tailgate closed is your thing then look elsewhere. Out of the 2 mentioned the Northern Lite 9-6 has a very little overhang. All of the are true 4 season campers.

 

[dieselscout80]

If you like lightweight, stay away from campers with slides. I'd also recommend a fiberglass shell campers, they're much lighter than the similarly sized and outlined out campers as they have no frames and less likely to develop a leak. Northern Lite and Bigfoot the 2 companies making fiberglass shell campers. They all overhang so if no overhang with tailgate closed is your thing then look elsewhere. Out of the 2 mentioned the Northern Lite 9-6 has a very little overhang. All of the are true 4 season campers.

Those two brands are very nice setups!!!

 

[ollicat]

What model ARE? Isn’t that a truck cap company?

I don’t like caps. Which is funny when I start thinking about how this will be a large “cap”.
I also start seeing a couple other issues:
Currently have a soft rolling tonneau cover - probably will have to be removed when using an in bed camper
I have s steak pocket and a roof mounted magnetic antenna this will likely have to be relocated. Hmmmm…..

I've got an ARE topper with a little extra height. I love it. I also have the Bedrug carpet. I am planning on building a bed platform so I can lift the full-sized futon mattress over the wheel well. This will also provide more storage space. I have the DAC tent on the back and have found an easy way to install an AC unit that REALLY cools well. All of this for less than $6000 (cap included). I can travel and stay at campgrounds, get set up in about 10 minutes, take down in five, and use their power and their bathrooms. When no campground, I can use my small generator for the AC and I have a small potty in a personal sized tent. I really like the flexibility and very little to go wrong or have maintenance with. In bad weather, I can decide not to use the DAC tent and just close myself up in the cap. I plan to get a portable rechargeable battery unit and use hook up heated blankets to it for colder nights. The battery can charge when I drive on the 400 watt AC in the bed. I do bring food in a cooler that stays in the cab which also keeps my cost down. We eat out maybe one meal a day. Lastly, with such a low profile setup, no worries about low clearance areas like fast food restaurant drive throughs. It works for me.