Truck Camper Camping

BigBody79

BigBody79

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 30, 2005
Location
Lumberton
The wife and I went camping this past week and got caught in a nasty thunderstorm. Not the first time.

However, she decided that the tent was not safe. So we spent quite a while in the truck.

I am thinking that a Camper Shell would be perfect for this situation.

1. Keeps all camping stuff dry
2. Keeps all camping stuff locked up
3. Protection from sudden storms if needed

My biggest battle with her is how it looks. Camper shells look like an old man truck. So far I have no been able to convince her that practicality out weighs 'old man' truck. The thing about it is I wouldn't run it all the time. Just camping.

The things that I have going for me here are we are about to start taking our daughter camping. 2.5yo and we have another .5 year old.

Another battle I am fighting is that she says that a RV/Camper is not 'camping'. We have to be in a tent to be camping. So, I also have to tell her that we will still be tent camping.

I would really like something hard sided for us to be in when the weather turns rough.

How big of a pain in the ass are these things to take on and off? Like a jeep hard top?

Any thoughts? Comments?

Remember I need to convince a woman. No logical thoughts allowed.
 
They make tents that extend out past the shell. I'm done with tents, but one of those might persuade me to sleep out there again.
 
They can be a pain to take off and on, they are not really supposed to be taken on and off all the time. Personally we have camped at least twice a month for the last 10 years or so, I know we have had bad weather maybe three times. The really bad weather usaly passes quick, I say just hang out in the cab of the truck till it passes if you are worried about it. I think it will be alot of work for something that you will not use much. This helps to...www.acuweather.com! .....lol
 
My chick and I only tent camp as well. We've been out at the OBX a few times when whether gets really bad. We either Bring my Bronco or her Edge. We thought those vehicles would lead to just camping out of the back of them, but in reality, we still just love the tents and if the weather gets bad, we'll sleep in the cab for a few hours.
 
I did a good deal of camper shell camping when I had my dodge ram. Road trips where it got dark and whatnot. Kept a pillow and blanket in the cab at all times. Nowadays I have a suburban Yukon xl (same shit) and still vehicle camp out of it from time to time. Either way sleeps two very comfortably.
 
Spend the little extra and have a fiberglass shell painted the identical color as the truck and she'll be fine with it.
 
I ordered my camper shell with Yakima roof racks built in. Throw a couple kayaks and a mountain bike or two on it and it won't look like an old man truck.
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I have a fiberglass one for your exact reason, its not bad to take off, I have two long ratchet straps hooked under my shelter to the rafters and just slide it on both ends and ratchet it up off the bed!!
 
If you are just going to use the camper shell temporarily when camping, it can be set on the bed and attached with c-clamps.
They have some really nice , expensive aluminum clamps just for that purpose .... but cheap HF c-clamps works just as well.


Matt
 
Buy an actual truck camper if its within budget. They are easier to take off than a camper shell in my opinion. I went from tent (if it's a camper it ain't camping mindset), to a camper shell (it was more of a pain than the tent to me), to 2 different truck campers (loved them both), to a 32 foot 5th wheel (I'll sell my house before I sell this thing).

She may say RV/camper is not camping until she tries it one time. It'll be like; "that wasn't that bad, we really just used the camper to sleep in and were outside just as much" to "I'm never sleeping in a GD tent again!" in about 2 trips.
 
2nd for a truck camper. I havent used mine that much. only at wheeling events so far. but love it. mine is small and is a pop up type. only reason i will be getting rid of mine is to get a bigger 1 with a bathroom and shower.
I recently purchased a fiberglass shell to move some furniture. yep, it harder to install and remove
 
This is rescuejoe's wife and until I met my husband I would have considered myself a zero experience camper. On the other hand, he was involved in scouting for nearly two decades and had some serious skills. When we met, he already had his chevy truck outfitted with a camper shell and had built a platform in the back. My first trip with him was a winter outing and the first morning we woke up, it was 28 degrees outside. Trust me, I was very thankful for that camper shell. I'm not a fan of pull behind campers because like most of you, I feel like that's not really camping. To me, the only difference in a tent and a camper shell is that one has nylon walls and one has more constructed walls. After a few trips with him my only complaint was I was not able to stand up to put clothes on and if I needed to get out in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, I had to either totally disrupt his sleep or creep out through the back window of the camper shell. Not a fun thing when you're desperate to go.......

To solve this problem, we've purchased an SUV tent that hooks to the back of the truck. It's a two room deal with a regular tent floor on one side and a zippered enclosure with screens and a "mud" room on the other. The mud room comes in VERY handy for storing various things and we can sleep in the truck on the platform, in the regular room of the tent or even in the mud room if we desire. You also have somewhere to go if a storm comes without being all crammed together in the truck cab or up in the camper shell.

We paid somewhere around $250 for the SUV tent and I absolutely love it. Below are some pictures of when we set the SUV tent up for the first time in our driveway. If you have any questions at all, feel free to message us!

Mrs. Rescue Joe

Truck and SUV Tent 2.jpg
Truck and SUV Tent.jpg
 
I am reading this thinking: wish my wife was that easy to please. I got her to tent camp at UNF once. Ate great excellent weather. Next trip she swore about freezing. Mind you I slept both times without a heavy bag or clothes. Well, we now glamp with the motel on axles. I like the fiberglass tops with the racks. I would also spring for one with awning side glasses. I like the access. We just had one installed for a fire department, led lights and wired and it was tits.
 
I got a convertible so I can roll like an old man, or fold it down and lose the fanny pack and socks with sandels

snow2.jpg

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it stays dry inside, unless I pressure wash directly between the top of the tailgate and bottom of the back window. but there's a watertight gasket between them, as well as the top and rails. I've slept in the back in a rain storm and never got a drop on me. This, the night after I hauled my dirtbikes to Brushy with the top folded down
 
Definitely like that convertible top.

To Warrior Welding, I was concerned about being cold as well but my hubby is an expert and made sure I had the necessary tools to keep dry. People think they will stay warmer if they sleep in clothes/socks and most of the time they keep on what they've had on during the day. Problem is those items will have moisture in them from your sweat and you'll never get warm. You'll also be cold if you don't insulate yourself from the ground or the air in an air mattress.

We've been camping for 5 years now and in some extreme weather with low temps in the teens and snow and I've never once been cold. I'll be the first to admit I'm a big baby about being cold but I've learned how to dress and how to sleep and be warm and snug as a bug in a rug.
 
Rescue joe said:
Definitely like that convertible top.

To Warrior Welding, I was concerned about being cold as well but my hubby is an expert and made sure I had the necessary tools to keep dry. People think they will stay warmer if they sleep in clothes/socks and most of the time they keep on what they've had on during the day. Problem is those items will have moisture in them from your sweat and you'll never get warm. You'll also be cold if you don't insulate yourself from the ground or the air in an air mattress.

We've been camping for 5 years now and in some extreme weather with low temps in the teens and snow and I've never once been cold. I'll be the first to admit I'm a big baby about being cold but I've learned how to dress and how to sleep and be warm and snug as a bug in a rug.
Click to expand...
Share some cold weather sleeping tips if you would.
 
The simplest camping insulation there is: regular newspapers. Spread it out in multiple layers between you and the ground or you and an air mattress. Costs less than a fancy foam pad and also doubles as fire starter. Not the lightest choice, but definitely effective.
 
Rescue joe said:
Definitely like that convertible top.

To Warrior Welding, I was concerned about being cold as well but my hubby is an expert and made sure I had the necessary tools to keep dry. People think they will stay warmer if they sleep in clothes/socks and most of the time they keep on what they've had on during the day. Problem is those items will have moisture in them from your sweat and you'll never get warm. You'll also be cold if you don't insulate yourself from the ground or the air in an air mattress.

We've been camping for 5 years now and in some extreme weather with low temps in the teens and snow and I've never once been cold. I'll be the first to admit I'm a big baby about being cold but I've learned how to dress and how to sleep and be warm and snug as a bug in a rug.
Click to expand...
try an teach that to the wife, I gave up on tents with her, now me and my boy just go backpacking when i get the urge to go light. she thinks we are nuts for it
 
I've seen a few of the convertible tops, I do like them. The nice part about them is that if they don't color match it really isn't a big deal. I search CL just about daily for a shell for my truck. They are hard to find. Biggest problem is people don't know what they have. That and the fact that Chevy/GMC has the 5.5 and 6.5 short beds. I'll keep searching.
 
I am following this thread because I have been toying with the idea of buying a camper top for my 2nd gen dodge.
 
0106160913.jpg
we are building this for a department, but it could be a killer utilitarian set up. bed slide holds 1500 at full pull, and extends the full bed lenght past the truck. LED lighting works on all the door switches or constant. ARE top and built in storage over wheelwells.
 
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