camping in a truck cap

[SlobberHound]

I just bought a truck cap!
About a month and a half ago, I bought a truck camper(self contained) off of craigslist. It was a 1986 model, pretty decent shape, just need a little work. I bought it for $1300. The only downfall was I had to put 2x4’s under it, since my truck is newer and taller and if I didn’t have the wood under the camper, it would rest on the top of my truck. It also overhung about a foot and a half, since I have a short bed truck. It worked fine, but I had to pull the trailer with an extension hitch. It was a pain in the butt to unload and load onto the truck, though. It took about a hour loading, and an hour unloading it. If I had one that fit better, and had electric jacks, I wouldn’t be complaining. So, I decided to put it back on craigslist, just to see if it would sell, and it did for $2500! So, since i was sick of dealing with the camper, and all my friends have LQ trailers, I decided to buy a truck camper shell. I priced them all out, and I wanted one with sliding windows, carpet liner, and screens on the windows. I would cost about $1800 brand new. I bought a leer, it was a few years old and scratched up, but it was only $450, then I got a $400 paint job to match my truck, and I got the windows tinted for $130, so when it was all said and done, it cost me $980, but basically it was free, since I made I profit on the truck camper.
So, I put an air matress in it, and I bought a Mr. buddy heater,(which is awesome btw!) I also have a 12v fan, and I have a porti-potti in my horse trailer, and I use my friend’s fridge and shower, when I need it. I also have little lights in the camper so I can see what I’m doing. It’s only a cab-hi(flush with top of truck), so it’s hard to get dressed in, so I get dressed in my horse trailer.
But, the best part of it all, is when I’m done camping, I don’t have to unload the camper shell!

Maria

[gdolapp]

There are a bunch of options that you can do alot of posters have posted some
great idea’s for you.

When younger I would hook up trailer grab all the gear I needed and away I would go.
I started out just sleeping on the truck seat, then in the bed of the truck, then
got a flat bed truck so I put up a two person tent on the bed of truck, put a small
airmattress in the tent.

I go to the CCTR ride in MO. twice a year. The couple I go with their living quarters are
set up for only two people. Once we pull in and unload the three mules and get them settled
I set out to cleaning the back of the trailer out once it is cleaned out we put a tarp on the
floor, I have a camp cot (paid ten bucks for it at salvation army), a porta potty,
an electric heater (for cold nights we go in october and june) I recently got an electric cooler, they just recently purchased a small air conditioner that they will put in the
escape door (they cut a piece of plywood to go in the rest of the door, I also have a small
airmattress to put on top the camp cot. I have my clothes inside a big dufflebag and
have the duffle bag inside a contractor garbage bag. the back is not fully enclosed so
I made curtains for the sides and I use magnets to hold curtains up against the side
of the trailer. If it rains we tarp over the hay rack and use tarp straps to keep it in place.
thus my home for ten days twice a year. it only takes about an hour or less to set it up
like that, plus it is pretty comfy back there.

[CowboysRMyWeakness]

![](y son and I built this easily. We camped in yellowstone and had lots of room. I get claustrophobic in a tent, but with the side opening windows and the taller canopy - I did great!

We liked it so much for storing purchases etc we left it in! The storage underneath was done with sliding plastic tubs.

[IMG]http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a196/wa_trailrider/P1000273.jpg)

[IMG]http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a196/wa_trailrider/P1000274.jpg)

[Go_Fish]

I was curious was a “truck cap” was. I get it now…out here we call them “canopies!”

[AlmostDun]

I’ve camped using both a cap and a tent on the truck bed. I preferred the cap for the following reasons:
You don’t have to pitch a cap.
You don’t have to dismantle and remove the cap if you want to take a trip away from your campsite.
My cap was more waterproof than my tent.

I’ve used both an old futon and an air mattress for sleeping. I preferred the futon for comfort, but it was heavy and bulky. Some people would find the mass a problem.

A couple of people I know use cargo vans for camping. The nice thing about them is that you don’t even need to go outside to get into bed when you arrive. Just slide from the driver’s seat into the back of the vehicle. I seriously considered a van when I was shopping for my current truck. Unfortunately, the combined weight of my trailer and two horses would have put me at the edge of the tow ratings for the vans I looked at.

[Bezysmom]

[QUOTE=Leather;4038044]
I used a topper/cap one year and it just didn’t give me enough head room. I had to lie down in order to change clothing.

This year I’m planning on getting a truck tent for camping. In addition to the ones that chicamuxen posted, I’ve also found this one:

I have an 8 foot truck tent and a new 6 foot bed truck. I used the tent one time and it worked very well. I stopped showing right after I bought it due to some health problems. Just decided to try showing again, but needed a new truck.
It looks something like this one:
www.shopperschoice.com/item_name_Camp-Right-Truck-Tent-8-Foot_item_363953.html?source=froogle

PM if you’re interested in a half price sale.

[Simbalism]

The last couple of times I have gone camping I have put my cot in the horse part of my trailer. I got a cheap runner type rug to lay along the side of the cot so I am not standing in shavings getting in and out of bed. I have an older thick sleeping bag which I have been using as padding on my cot and bought some sheets from Walmart and actually make my cot up as a bed. I can open the side windows(screened) on the sides of the trailer if I want or shut them if it is colder and windy. I set my mounting stool at the head and can set things on that if needed(book, flashlight etc)Very cozy and plenty of room to stand up and walk in and out, change clothes etc.

[system]

Using small air conditioning for camping in a truck cap is not too bad idea. It can be installed or re-installed easily and portable!

[lizathenag]

my neighbor did the platform thing over the wheel wells and uses a real mattress.

[gdolapp]

Th![](s is how I set the back of the trailer up down at CCTR. In june the Airconditioner or fan is a must have, we don’t take it along in October.
A person could actually do something like this on weekends too as there is plenty of room and for a weekend ride all you would need would be cot, and clothes and cooler.
[IMG]http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd166/gdolapp/100_5806.jpg)

[Painted_Horse]

Years ago, I used to camp in the back of my pickups with caps.

I had built a bunk with storage under neath.

Most of my camping is in the mountains and being too warm is rarely a problem because of the elevation. the cap kept me dry and kept all my stuff in one place.

Back then I was younger and more flexible. So getting dressed with the low head room wasn’t as big a deal as it would be now at my current age.

[paddington]

It’s fun to see all the alternatives people have used for camping in the bed of their trucks. This is the set-up I decided to go with:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2064678&id=1309401960

It’s been working great for me. No I can’t stand up in it, but I can sit up all the way. I have an 8 foot bed (and I’m short), so I can put lots of “stuff” at my head. It is tight with 2, but doable. The best part is I can set it up in minutes and I stay dry during nasty thunderstorms (yes it has been tested!). Plus I can put firewood under the truck to stay dry during those thunderstorms. All in all, it works for me.

[wildlifer]

Gosh I love my truck cap. It came with the truck, it’s fiberglass, but it’s got a high back so I can almost stand up (I’m 5’9"). It’s not a permanent thing by any means. It’s not “easy” to get on and off, but I can do it with the help of one coworker and about 30 minutes.

But I leave it on 99% of the time and carry stuff back there too. I have some cardboard down over the bedliner and when I want to camp, I pile up the air mattress with blankets and a big fat pillow. So much more open and nice than a tent (truck is a long bed F250). I have sliding screened windows on both sides and a light. The only other thing I want to add is some kind of mini heater/fan for a bit of climate control.