To pop up or NOT to pop up

[SuperAwesomeDOOD]

Hello,

I’m in the planning phases of a truck camper build for my 2500 long bed crew cab Cummins. My main design factors revolve around off-roadability.

For the concern of clearance primarily and to a lesser extent fuel economy, I am considering a pop up. For all other reasons, a hard side seems to make more sense.

The trails I’ll be frequenting are dense (PNW). If it were just me I’d pitch a tent and be done, like I do when hunting; but I need something for a wife, a kid and a dog.

The family currently camps out of a 2021 Winnebago 2108FBS. It’s too big for many of the parks we’d like to travel (24’ max combined) and definitely not capable to drag down the double tracks and trails to get to some of the destinations we’ve mapped out. We’ll be holding onto it for the large extended family treks to group campsites, but the little truck camper will become our primary camp shelter.

I don’t mind pinstriping the camper and truck on tight trails, just don’t want to puncture the side. Current build plans either direction I chose will likely be aluminum exterior over steel space frame. I want it to be self contained (ie not a camper shell style) so I can slide the entire unit into my other long bed truck without having to transfer appliances, tanks, etc.

Thanks for the help!

 

[vintageracer]

Any type of camper/RV has limitations. The real question is:

What limitations are YOU willing to live with based upon YOUR real needs, wants, desires and budget. Not what you "Think" you want.

I like a Pop-Top slide In or Pop-Top fixed mount if going with a truck camper.

For ME the 2+ feet of LESS HEIGHT with a Pop Top is a game changer versus a full hard side Slide in or Fixed mount camper that measure 2ft-3ft in height above the cab of the truck. That 2 feet of soft siding that high up when the Top is Popped is not a big deal to me. I can still heat in the Winter and kool it the Summer if needed. How many times are you going camping in below freezing temps? Probably a LOT LESS than you think you will. The lone exception is Jerry!

The problem with so many of the long bed versions of Slide In campers built today is the overall size. BIGGER IS NOT BETTER! Yet that is what the majority of the Slide In camper market wants today. Bigger, longer, wider, with a side slide is now the name of the game. Side overhangs to match the width of dually fenders to git that extra width in the camper is now the new normal. That extra height makes hard side slide in look like ugly when mounted on most trucks. No thanks!

Additional weight means BIGGER TRUCK for additional GVWR and road stability due to height and weight of todays Slide In campers. Want a regular bed width Slide In? You will probably have to buy on older unit or have one custom built as I am quite sure most dealers will look at you and say "Why would you want that?

All this to me seems to predicated on How Much of your current home lifestyle do YOU have to take with you for the type of camping you enjoy? That Big Screen TV to watch that important Football game takes up a lot of room on the trail!

Here is a look at some options to consider!

Which one do YOU want?

9 Largest Truck Campers That Blow Our Minds

These are the largest truck campers out there, and they're so big and luxurious that you'll forget you're in the bed of a pickup truck.

www.mortonsonthemove.com

 

[vintageracer]

More ideas!

My personal favorite is the GT40 camper and the new Coleman Urban Cart Camper!

 

[1000arms]

Alaska Campers pop-up hard-sided truck-campers might give you some ideas. They make cab-over and non-cab-over models.

Alaskan Campers | Telescopic Truck Campers

Discover 60+ years of quality with Alaskan Campers. Explore remote spots in comfort and style with the original telescopic camper. Get a quote today!

alaskancampers.com

 

[ITTOG]

With a diesel I think you should go with a hard side. Interior comfort, ie heat , without cold spots will be a major benefit for the family.

Sent from my Pixel 6 Pro using Tapatalk

 

[SuperAwesomeDOOD]

Any type of camper/RV has limitations. The real question is:

What limitations are YOU willing to live with based upon YOUR real needs, wants, desires and budget. Not what you "Think" you want.

I like a Pop-Top slide In or Pop-Top fixed mount if going with a truck camper.

For ME the 2+ feet of LESS HEIGHT with a Pop Top is a game changer versus a full hard side Slide in or Fixed mount camper that measure 2ft-3ft in height above the cab of the truck. That 2 feet of soft siding that high up when the Top is Popped is not a big deal to me. I can still heat in the Winter and kool it the Summer if needed. How many times are you going camping in below freezing temps? Probably a LOT LESS than you think you will. The lone exception is Jerry!

The problem with so many of the long bed versions of Slide In campers built today is the overall size. BIGGER IS NOT BETTER! Yet that is what the majority of the Slide In camper market wants today. Bigger, longer, wider, with a side slide is now the name of the game. Side overhangs to match the width of dually fenders to git that extra width in the camper is now the new normal. That extra height makes hard side slide in look like a Monkey Humping a Football when mounted on most trucks. No thanks!

Additional weight means BIGGER TRUCK for additional GVWR and road stability due to height and weight of todays Slide In campers. Want a regular bed width Slide In? You will probably have to buy on older unit or have one custom built as I am quite sure most dealers will look at you and say "Why would you want that?

All this to me seems to predicated on How Much of your current home lifestyle do YOU have to take with you for the type of camping you enjoy? That Big Screen TV to watch that important Football game takes up a lot of room on the trail!

Here is a look at some options to consider!

Which one do YOU want?

9 Largest Truck Campers That Blow Our Minds

These are the largest truck campers out there, and they're so big and luxurious that you'll forget you're in the bed of a pickup truck.

www.mortonsonthemove.com

Definitely don’t want something big. Looking to build something like a FWC or Hallmark.

 

[SuperAwesomeDOOD]

Alaska Campers pop-up hard-sided truck-campers might give you some ideas. They make cab-over and non-cab-over models.

Alaskan Campers | Telescopic Truck Campers

Discover 60+ years of quality with Alaskan Campers. Explore remote spots in comfort and style with the original telescopic camper. Get a quote today!

alaskancampers.com

There’s an Alaskan camper on Craigslist, but the seller won’t separate it from the truck.

 

[SuperAwesomeDOOD]

With a diesel I think you should go with a hard side. Interior comfort, ie heat , without cold spots will be a major benefit for the family.

Sent from my Pixel 6 Pro using Tapatalk

Have you not found it to be an issue on tight trails (vertical clearance)?

 

[AbleGuy]

I’ve had both hardsided and pop ups. The pop ups were much better for agility on narrow dirt forest roads crowded by trees. Roof height clearance was a real issue on many of those roads. Popping up the tops nightly was no big deal. You lose some upper cabinet storage with a pop up, but many (like mine) had huge under bed storage in the over head cab. Wind resistance, side to side sway on winding roads and mpgs were all noticeably improved with the pop ups.

A used Alaskan would be da bomb, but used 8’ AK cabovers are very rare finds.

Best priced deals and best availability on used pop ups in the west probably is in Arizona and Colorado. Here’s an example of a decent deal. I had an old Jayco Eagle and it survived a lot of abuse.

 

[SuperAwesomeDOOD]

I’ve had both hardsided and pop ups. The pop ups were much better for agility on narrow dirt forest roads crowded by trees. Roof height clearance was a real issue on many of those roads. Popping up the tops nightly was no big deal. You lose some upper cabinet storage with a pop up, but many (like mine) had huge under bed storage in the over head cab. Wind resistance, side to side sway on winding roads and mpgs were all noticeably improved with the pop ups.

A used Alaskan would be da bomb, but used 8’ AK cabovers are very rare finds.

Best priced deals and best availability on used pop ups in the west probably is in Arizona and Colorado. Here’s an example of a decent deal. I had an old Jayco Eagle and it survived a lot of abuse.
View attachment 758234

I see quite a few for shorter beds around here. It’s tough to find a clean one for a long bed that’s somewhere between the newer FWCs for too much money and a totaled out wreck.

I just ran a search in CO but didn’t find that. I have to search with multiple terms so I don’t miss anything…

 

[1000arms]

There’s an Alaskan camper on Craigslist, but the seller won’t separate it from the truck.

If you decide to build a camper, researching Alaskan Campers might give you some ideas about designing your own pop-up hard-sided camper. Alaskan Campers started in the 50's.

Alaskan Campers | Telescopic Truck Campers

Discover 60+ years of quality with Alaskan Campers. Explore remote spots in comfort and style with the original telescopic camper. Get a quote today!

alaskancampers.com

Alaskan Campers | Telescopic Truck Campers

Discover 60+ years of quality with Alaskan Campers. Explore remote spots in comfort and style with the original telescopic camper. Get a quote today!

alaskancampers.com

 

[SuperAwesomeDOOD]

I came across a 1990 Jayco sportster and a 1999 Hallmark Ute 8.5; which raises the question of which make is considered to be built better.

Not only asking specifically about these two, but generally. What is the hierarchy of pop up camper build quality of mass produced campers? By mass produced, I mean something regularly found on Craigslist i.e. FWC being the smallest up to larger companies like Jayco…

 

[ITTOG]

Have you not found it to be an issue on tight trails (vertical clearance)?

I don't have one but people I know that do basically say the number of times a two or three foot difference in height was less than 10% of the time. So it never really impacted them.

 

[Mickey Bitsko]

The real question, your budget?
If you're flush, build a hardside pop-up, typical Alaskan.

 

[SuperAwesomeDOOD]

The real question, your budget?
If you're flush, build a hardside pop-up, typical Alaskan.

Any links to an Alaskan type build?

All in, I was looking to stay under $10k. This includes the $1200+ 12v chest fridge.


Time is also a factor. I know from restoring vehicles how it can get away from you. One of the pop up builds I was following on here stretched out to 3 years and it’s still not finished.

Although we would be fine building out the shell and using it as a glorified tent, then build out the interior as time permits. Fortunately, I have the individual skillsets to 100% execute myself. However, I’ve never built a camper. Fixed wall would be easy peasy, I’m just wrapping my head around the pop up details. Work will slow down the end of this week and I’ll put pencil to paper.