Camper shell build thoughts?

dbhost

Well-known member
So here's a thought for an ultimate easy build, but my thought process is this.

Aluminum high boy work truck shells can be had on Craigslist all day long on the cheap. Not quite standing room for me, but I know my BIL has a similair truck my 5' wife can stand up in his camper shell. Need to find the brand name. I beielve the ones with the twin swinging doors can have one of the doors reinforced for, and a small 5K BTU Window AC unit installed.

Add reinforcing material around the upper sides, and back wall. You want to brace it to hold an awning.

Add a bed rug to the truck bed to help insulate where you can the truck bed..

Using Liquid Nails for Projects, glue on foam board insualtion, preferrably the kind with radiant barrier, to the inside of the truck cap. Then trim out using "rat fur" type carpeting, the stuff folks cover subwoofer boxes in, and adhere it with 3M Super 77 spray adhesive. Might be best to do this away from the actual truck and bedrug...

I have seen videos of guys that basically outfit an F150 6.5ft bed truck with a standard Queen size "Roller" bed frame on basically steel pipe and pipe flange risers to get the bottom of the frame up to clear storage for totes and a port o potty.

Use 3/4" plywood cut to size as a solid platform on the roller frame, Cut and hinge so maybe the area between the cap and wheel wells can be opened up. Drill and bolt the rest of it down to the roller frame. In my case, notch out an access port to allow routing of 12V power port wires. Create a small foam and PMF cabinet immediately below with dividers that keep everything stable, and place in the 4 AquaTainers. Design / build lightweight, low power multi source pump system for this.

Clamp the roller frame rails to the truck bedrails with some rubber isolators to stop any lateral wiggling. Get one of those 10" Gel Memory Foam mattresses from Walmart delivered, Lop off 6" from the end if you can't find an RV short queen, and sew the cover back up. Install mattress.

Rest of gear should be able to fit under the bed, including a 5 gallon port o potty.

Design, and build a 270 degree awning, with screens and if needed shade / privacy walls. Concept is flip, roll, zip, stake. Not sure, just thinking here...

Doin this should be fairly easily doable with your average half ton standard bed truck, keep the weight down, while keeping comfort up.

Shelves could, and likely should be added for things like medical devices (CPAP), port o potty would go out in a privy tent which would be in the gear etc... Lots of options here, something you could keep at the ready to go whenever an opportunity makes itself avaialbe.
 
What? Did you read my mind? (It’s a shallow, short read anyway ?). I’ve camped under shells for years due to the fact that I need to use my truck as a truck and no room to store a slide-in camper. The Dodge had a cab-hi Snugtop; outstanding shell but not tall enough. The Chevy has a Leer 122 “hi-rise” (30” tall at the rear) shell; not nearly as well built as the Snugtop but the added height is welcomed. I’m now playing with the idea of an aluminum contractor’s cap from ARE; 36” tall front to back, straight sides with a radius front, double doors in the rear. Like you, I’d insulate with foam board, use 1/8” luan interior walls covered with a carpet material, easily removable storage boxes when I need the truck for hauling. I have a PETT toilet system that works just fine inside or out (kinda nice when nature suddenly calls in between rest stops ?), a portable battery box that gets charged off the alternator, also with solar. I use a Roll-a-Cot but slept on my carpeted floor just last week when my pup and I returned from Oregon...worked just fine. I had a BedRug in the Dodge...big ?; they don’t make it for my model Chevy. Blah, blah, blah...

Good luck! Your plan sounds great, I’ll be following your progress here.
 

Buddha.

Finally in expo white.
FYI I fit a standard queen in the back of my ‘11 Chevy with the 6.5’ box, it’s the mattress right out of the bedroom actually.

It is a tight fit though, gotta slam the tailgate.

I brought the factory fifth wheel wiring up into the back to run RV style 12v led lights and I insulated it with cheap white foam sheets from Home Depot.
 

old_CWO

Well-known member
In the aluminum contractor shell I would just clean the metal well and install self adhesive carpet tiles on the sheet metal surfaces in between the framing ribs. That should be sufficient to reduce condensation and a little bit of outside noise.
 

billiebob

Well-known member
So here's a thought for an ultimate easy build, but my thought process is this.

Aluminum high boy work truck shells can be had on Craigslist all day long on the cheap. Not quite standing room for me, but I know my BIL has a similair truck my 5' wife can stand up in his camper shell. Need to find the brand name. I beielve the ones with the twin swinging doors can have one of the doors reinforced for, and a small 5K BTU Window AC unit installed.

Add reinforcing material around the upper sides, and back wall. You want to brace it to hold an awning.

Add a bed rug to the truck bed to help insulate where you can the truck bed..

Using Liquid Nails for Projects, glue on foam board insualtion, preferrably the kind with radiant barrier, to the inside of the truck cap. Then trim out using "rat fur" type carpeting, the stuff folks cover subwoofer boxes in, and adhere it with 3M Super 77 spray adhesive. Might be best to do this away from the actual truck and bedrug...

I have seen videos of guys that basically outfit an F150 6.5ft bed truck with a standard Queen size "Roller" bed frame on basically steel pipe and pipe flange risers to get the bottom of the frame up to clear storage for totes and a port o potty.

Use 3/4" plywood cut to size as a solid platform on the roller frame, Cut and hinge so maybe the area between the cap and wheel wells can be opened up. Drill and bolt the rest of it down to the roller frame. In my case, notch out an access port to allow routing of 12V power port wires. Create a small foam and PMF cabinet immediately below with dividers that keep everything stable, and place in the 4 AquaTainers. Design / build lightweight, low power multi source pump system for this.

Clamp the roller frame rails to the truck bedrails with some rubber isolators to stop any lateral wiggling. Get one of those 10" Gel Memory Foam mattresses from Walmart delivered, Lop off 6" from the end if you can't find an RV short queen, and sew the cover back up. Install mattress.

Rest of gear should be able to fit under the bed, including a 5 gallon port o potty.

Design, and build a 270 degree awning, with screens and if needed shade / privacy walls. Concept is flip, roll, zip, stake. Not sure, just thinking here...

Doin this should be fairly easily doable with your average half ton standard bed truck, keep the weight down, while keeping comfort up.

Shelves could, and likely should be added for things like medical devices (CPAP), port o potty would go out in a privy tent which would be in the gear etc... Lots of options here, something you could keep at the ready to go whenever an opportunity makes itself avaialbe.
All in this sounds good. But if this is a first go, start with an F250/F350 series truck, not a 1/2 ton.

Some ideas to home build might be better bought new, like a 270 Awning. Fairly complex, tough to build right in a driveway. If you have a massive craftsman shop, ability to sew sails, have at 'er but I get the impression from the questions this might be the first big project. If so, definitely consider new manufactured items.

And definitely look at the used RV market. There are people with rotting RVs who will pay you to haul them away. And you'll get windows, heater, hot water, fridge, stove, propane system, head, water system, electrical panel all for free. There were 3 ads for free RVs within an hour of my home this week. Comments like "it must go" will pay.

And this is the time to get one, during spring clean up.
 

rruff

Explorer
I’m now playing with the idea of an aluminum contractor’s cap

A random search brought this up; Ranger Custom Caps: https://rangertrailer.com/truckcaps-accessories/

I thought this was particularly interesting:

truck-cap-gallery8.jpg
 

dbhost

Well-known member
All in this sounds good. But if this is a first go, start with an F250/F350 series truck, not a 1/2 ton.

Some ideas to home build might be better bought new, like a 270 Awning. Fairly complex, tough to build right in a driveway. If you have a massive craftsman shop, ability to sew sails, have at 'er but I get the impression from the questions this might be the first big project. If so, definitely consider new manufactured items.

And definitely look at the used RV market. There are people with rotting RVs who will pay you to haul them away. And you'll get windows, heater, hot water, fridge, stove, propane system, head, water system, electrical panel all for free. There were 3 ads for free RVs within an hour of my home this week. Comments like "it must go" will pay.

And this is the time to get one, during spring clean up.

I would think part of the point of a DIY camper is to make the most of what you already have. It is dead obvious there are plenty of folks here are big fans of 3/4 and 1 ton trucks, but for my application it is just not needed at this point.

I have been checking with some specs, and the frame I am looking at for the bed, 3/4" plywood, an 8" memory foam mattress, that all weighs in collectively just at 100lbs.

An aluminum 40" hi top 2 door truck topper per a local shop that makes them, for a full size 6.5 foot bed truck is 100lbs bare, 130lbs insulated.

I have everything I need for creature comforts wise as I am stepping up from ground tent camping. No intent, nor desire for a built in propane system. Added risk and complexity not needed. Staying with Gasoline fueled appliances. Don't need an onboard water heater when I have a stove and a battery shower pump. Have several Coleman white gas heaters, etc...

Toilet is already there. Without water or waste weighs 10lbs.

No need for a fridge, although one would be nice, Lifetime 55qt cooler comes in empty at 25lbs, full closer to 100.

With a max payload on my F150 of 1950lbs, I just don't see the need for upgrading trucks, aside from the fact it has IFS 4wd, and a 5.4L triton engine. I get that. The 6.0 Powerstroke isn't exactly a winner either...
 

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