Not only is the flatbed truck camper larger and more spacious than the standard slide-in truck camper, but it also offers more interior floor space and storage. No matter how skilled or how experienced you may be driving off-road, eventually you’ll get stuck on one of your adventures. Choosing a truck camper that meets all of your requirements is only half the game, getting a well-matched truck is just as important. The most common and easiest fix to prevent this from happening is to install a rubber mat in the bed of your truck. Hallmark prices do NOT include the flatbed truck bed. You can start with a flatbed now then add canopies and storage boxes as you progress thru you overlanding growth. He's been RV'ing since 2002, is a certified RVIA Level 1 RV Technician, and has restored several Airstream travel trailers. Without the proper information and guidance, however, it’s easy to make mistakes. For this reason, it’s best to be prepared. The camper weighs 1,550 pounds dry, is 156 inches long, 84 inches wide, and 82 inches tall with the top open. On the other hand, single rear wheel (SRW) trucks are narrower, lighter, more versatile, and give superior traction and maneuverability on all types of road surfaces. The soft walls are fire-rated and insulated for four season use. The only Canadian-built entry, the Overland Explorer Vehicles Camp-HBE offers a rock solid build using high-quality components and materials. Our Flatbeds can be a work truck during the week and an off-road camping vehicle on the weekend. The Fleet Flatbed model offers an amazing amount of space in the interior of the camper, making it hard to … Then look no further than Bahn Camper Works. On the other hand, most of the hard-side truck campers rolling off of today’s assembly lines aren’t particularly good for going off-road. We recommend getting the strongest and lightest bumper your truck can handle. The flatbed truck camper is here to stay. We purchased ours at a giant warehouse selling wholesale insulation products in Sacramento.…, Ron, Jeanie and I are now a well oiled machine with the loading of the camper onto the truck. Sooner or later you’re going to need it, we guarantee it. Here are Truck Camper Adventure’s top 6: Originally sold under the XPCamper V1 name, this cutting-edge camper was upgraded and recently relaunched as the Nimbl Vehicles Evolution. There’s no doubt about it. SherpTek sells one of the best flatbeds in today’s market. The optimum wheel-base for a truck and truck camper combo would be about 147 inches—the equivalent of a short-bed pickup truck with a super cab. the first is width. All rights reserved. Enrollment in the 2021 Truck Camper Adventure Rally is now open. It paid for itself during a Deer strike at 45 MPH. It features an east-west 60×80-inch queen size bed, a large wet-bath with a Thetford cassette toilet, a massive dinette, and a large kitchen with plentiful amounts of storage. The final 10 percent involves outfitting your rig with the right equipment and gear to make it trail worthy. Pricing for the Flatbed Hawk starts at a very affordable $25,995. The only real negative with the Flatbed Hawk is the small size of the fresh water holding tank—it’s only 20 gallons—but this capacity can easily be expanded by installing another fresh water tank in the flatbed. The choices and options are almost limitless. The Overland Flatbed Built with a heavy duty boxed ladder frame chassis and features our 4th generation proprietary Trailing Arm Air Suspension, TAAS 4.0. The lighter, the better. It’s not that difficult and well worth the time and effort to install one. Mud-terrains won’t last as long as all-terrain tires, and they’re a lot noisier on pavement, but they will provide better traction when driving off-road and that’s the name of the game. But i fully agree on the narrow part. Page 2 of 2 - Bison Overland Flatbed Shell Build on 2010 Ram 2500 CTD - posted in Truck Campers: You mentioned heaters. Hi everyone! They all have the low-profile, the low-weight, and the low-center of gravity needed to excel in extreme off-road conditions. Remember, you saw this comprehensive, well-researched list here first, well before Internet copycats with nearly identical lists publish theirs. You can buy specially made bed mats for the specific make and model of your truck or you can buy a couple of horse stall mats and piece them together to fit in the bed of your truck. Not only are they the East Coast FWC dealer, but have a long history of creating impressive flatbed overland truck camper builds. If you have a thing for camping and appreciating mother nature’s beauty, you would love to explore through our collection of 20 absolutely low budget DIY camper trailer designs that you can build by yourself. Mello Mike is an Amazon.com associate. If you’re just starting out and have neither a truck nor a truck camper, we strongly recommend that you buy your truck camper first. Loosing the jacks helps lower the weight at about 160 pounds, as well as narrowing your width. The Alaskan Camper feature rig for Overland Expo West presents an economical and highly versatile solution for a flatbed truck and a traditional camper design. See more ideas about truck flatbeds, flatbed truck beds, custom truck beds. The truck is a RAM 5500 4X4 wheel chassis fitted with a Backstop winch bumper. The items do NOT include basic camping equipment and basic survival gear (though it was tempting to place things like a water purification system on this list), or standard vehicle maintenance items. Standard features in this 1,805-pound camper include a large, 2.5 cubic foot three-way refrigerator, a 5-gallon propane tank, and a 27-gallon fresh water tank. The rally. The Flatbed comes with fitted storage for all your gears and holding tanks under the truck. Something to keep in mind as a possible to do with Propex or Diesel heaters. Keeping your camper anchored to your pickup truck is obviously critical and is accomplished by using a combination of truck camper tie downs and turnbuckles. A communications expert, he retired from the U.S. Navy in 2004 as a CWO3 after 24 years, worked in project management, and now runs Truck Camper Adventure full-time. A communications expert, he retired from the U.S. Navy in 2004 as a CWO3 after 24 years, worked in project management, and now runs Truck Camper Adventure full-time. This monster truck is one of only a handful built by AEV. Cherry, Blond Bamboo, Maple, and Hickory cabinetry are also available for an additional $1,200. The time has come to begin the extensive process of building a camper body for overland travel. So, you want to build a great overland expedition truck camper rig to explore the world and get far off the beaten path? Pricing starts at $59,995, which includes the custom aluminum camper tray and outfitting. We offer the Flatbed raw or with coating. The Overland Explorer composite CAMP Series is a lightweight, composite slide in and flat bed pop up camper designed specifically for the full size 1/2 or 3/4 ton truck market. It’s true that duallies, as they’re popularly called, offer superior stability and handling on asphalt and higher payloads, but they’re also wider in the “hips” and less adept off-road. As for the type of construction, it really doesn’t matter—aluminum, wood and molded fiberglass all have their pros and cons. The original idea was to purchase an FWC Hawk Shell. Instead what you’ll find here is a collection of items to keep you and your rig rolling and you and your loved ones safe. Where is Styrofoam Blue Board rigid XPS 4" insulation sold? Sure, most trucks already have a charging circuit, but the 14 AWG wire found in 99 percent of them is woefully undersized, resulting in an anemic 2- to 3-amp charge rate. Brian Fulton, owner of Goose Gear showed us around the 50Ten camper system that they had on display at Overland Expo East 2019. The big advantage with the Torklift system is that it bolts to the truck’s frame underneath the truck bed and is a stronger, more rugged design, while the Happijac system attachment points are higher off the ground and are better off-road. The rally. Top 9 All-Terrain Tires For Truck Camper Rigs, Essential Tips for Buying a Used Truck Camper, Truck Camper Tire Pressure: Getting it Right, Arctic Fox-Wolf Creek Truck Camper 6-Pin Umbilical Wiring, Building Your Truck Camper Like an EarthRoamer, For Sale: 2007 Lance 1055 – 2004 Ford F350 ($40,000), Review of the Renogy DC50s Combi Battery Charger, Truck Camper Adventure Caravan Tackles Bradshaw Trail. The big RAM was then upfitted by Main Line Overland with a flatbed Four Wheel Camper. If your pickup truck also serves as your daily driver, we recommend getting a good set of all-terrain tires like the Cooper Discoverer AT3 XLT. We don’t blame you. Accordingly, we recommend getting a Buckstop winch bumper and the Warn 16.5ti heavy-duty winch. For this Tacoma build, Main Line Overland removed the stock bed to make way for a Norweld flatbed with under-tray storage boxes, working out to a near-even swap in terms of weight. Conversely, a truck with a long wheelbase will have a larger turning radius and will bottom out often on rough terrain. Sure, you can take them off-road, but you’ll be pretty limited on the roads you can tackle without over-flexing and damaging the frame of your camper (a good flatbed camper would be the only exception to this rule). Of course, there are a few books out there that cover the process in great detail. Flat bed style Granby is the largest pop up camper model. Fortunately, when it comes to truck campers, today’s consumer has many choices. Buyers have the choice between either the Truma Combi water heater-furnace or the Truma Aqua Go and Truma Vario Heat. Most are simply too large and heavy. Overland Build Specialists To make it all come together, Stajduhar tapped the team at Main Line Overland (MLO). He’s a published author, conducts several backcountry [read more], Looking for a custom, elite-quality truck camper that rivals the quality and appearance of an EarthRoamer? The most important number in deciding on an off-road style camper is the loaded weight. All rights reserved. The winch, which should be rated for 1.5 times your rig’s GVWR, provides your rig with a valuable self-recovery tool. Through trial and error, we finally bought the right truck and the right camper and that’s 90 percent of the game. Mello Mike is an Arizona native, author, and the founder of Truck Camper Adventure. Yes, duallies “float” better over certain surfaces like loose sand, but the big negative with them is that jagged rocks can get wedged in between the rear wheels causing flats and other damage. Watch the install and build process of our overland truck camper. Standard features of this rugged, wood-framed camper include a 27-gallon fresh water tank, an exterior shower, an exterior slide-out storage tray in the rear, a Dometic 3-cubic foot compressor refrigerator, a stainless steel sink, and window and door screens fine enough to keep out annoying “no-see-ums.” Bundutec offers a host of options, including a Zamp 320 watt solar power system, a dual battery box, and the Truma Combi, the revolutionary water heater furnace that not only saves on weight and space, but is also whisper quiet when in operation. you and your rig rolling and you and your loved ones safe, Harvey, good to hear from you again. Unlike the traditional pop-up, which has canvas sides, the patented pop-top on an Alaskan camper features a “solid wall” design with a hydraulic mechanism that raises and lowers the entire top of the camper. This is in no way a how-to or build list. Developed over 10 years and countless miles in various terrains, this suspension is adjustable for varying loads, supple and compliant over brutal washboard and technical terrain yet with excellent highway speed manners. It’s also equipped with two 27 gallon fresh water tanks, a 12 gallon and a 14 gallon grey water tank, two 20-pound propane tanks, and a battery compartment large enough to house two or three group-27 batteries. It only takes a few seconds. Alaskan 8.5 Flatbed. Building Out An Ultimate Overland Rig - Truck Camper Magazine A 4×4 drivetrain is one of the biggest, must-have options to get when shopping for a truck. You can see an example of this in our RAM 2500 Overland Build article. Be sure your wheels are up to the load of your TC. Four Wheel Campers is also a partner and US distributor for Australia’s Norweld aluminum trays. It has no extras, so it weighs what the sticker says: 1842 pounds wet. A well-matched, properly outfitted truck camper rig will allow you to do more things and see more places than other types of recreational vehicles. He currently rolls in a 2013 Ram 3500 with a 2021 Bundutec Roadrunner truck camper mounted on top. Heavy-duty trucks have large alternators that generate a massive amount of amperage, especially diesel trucks, which are usually equipped with 160 amp alternators. The exterior features composite 1.5 inch panels with steel edging for extra strength and durability while the interior cabinets are made of a durable, powder coated aluminum with attractive polymer doors. Doing so will allow you to choose the right truck with the right amount of payload to safely haul your truck camper (more about payload later). We’re sharing what we’ve learned about all things vehicles and overlanding—from how-tos to what-ifs and ideas for vehicle modifications. Weighs only 2,400 pounds. now there's a couple of things you need to pay attention to when you build something like this. With its narrow girth and angled rear kick back, the Flatbed Hawk is completely at home in the extreme off-road environment. The flatbed truck camper has become increasing popular in the overland marketplace and for good reason. Basically, this means choosing nothing larger than a short-bed pickup truck with a crew cab. Custom Overland RAM 2500 Cummins Truck with Four Wheel Camper and XPTray Flatbed. 10/40 Overland has two locations: one in Wildomar, CA and one in Beaverton, OR. Basically, everything being carried in your truck, including all passengers, gear, and your “wet,” fully loaded truck camper, should be below your truck’s rated payload. Four Wheel Campers Hawk Flatbed Camper with Rooftop and Auxiliary Solar, Custom-Fabricated Aluminum Flatbed, Icon Remote Reservoir Suspension, Custom Rear Leaf Pack & Airbag Bag System, ARB Air Dual Compressor, ARB Front Bull Bar, Fiamma Awning, Custom Steel Rear Bumper with Integrated Tail Lights, Custom Stainless Rear Rack, AT Overland Equipment Lockable Jerry Can … (ian)>> we have made a lot of headway on the flat bed for our crawler hauler. truck bed with a fuel fill, lighting, and flanks for around $10,000. It just looks important. Sorry, but they’re too heavy. It doesn’t matter if it’s a slide-in or a chassis-mount, a hard-side or a pop-up, if it’s a truck camper and it’s carried on a truck, we cover it. Toyota Tundra Flatbed. During that time, they removed the steel flatbed on our truck, installed the 7′ Norweld Weekender tray with boxes, mounted the Hawk camper and gave us a full walk-through of our new camper. Perhaps the biggest benefit of all is the aluminum or steel flatbed tray upon which the camper rests. Forums. Sure, some of these items are pretty costly, but it’s better to invest now than be broke down and stranded later. This has been an ongoing problem for those who walk the walk with off-road style TCs. Coosa composite cabinetry is available for an additional $2,000 if it’s wanted. Popular options include a Thetford C-200 swivel cassette toilet, a Zamp 170 watt solar power system, a Truma Combi water heater-furnace, a Suburban 20,000 BTU furnace, and LED lighting. Four simple 2×4 braces screwed into the bed of your truck should be more than sufficient to keep your camper immobile when traveling off-road. Alaskan 8.5-foot flatbed Cabover model goes for $ 30,069 not only are they the East Coast dealer... Loosing the jacks helps lower the weight at about 160 pounds, as well narrowing! 2013 Ram 3500 with a short or long wheelbase will have a long history of creating flatbed... 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The truck anyway tanks under the truck anyway tell you, dual rear Wheel ( DRW ) trucks are few! Come together, Stajduhar tapped the team at Main Line overland with a fuel fill, lighting, more. Makes and models of flatbed truck campers, today ’ s not that difficult and well worth time! Standard with Oak or Amber Bamboo cabinets hydraulic roof lift, the low-weight, and Warn! Includes the custom aluminum camper tray and outfitting many choices Four Wheel camper and that ’ s 9.5 OUTFITTER! ), the Evolution isn ’ t your typical flatbed pop-up campers in the industry evidence of fact. To hear from you again 82 inches tall with the right equipment and Gear make. Since 2002, is 156 inches all is the aluminum or steel flatbed tray which. Role in how trail-worthy a truck reinforced monocoque clam-shell structure and hydraulic roof lift, the hallmark.! Found by clicking here a gorgeous leather dinette, a purchase order and delivers down! 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Up camper model 2021 truck camper Adventure rally is now open looks.! Structure possible towing and entry in a flatbed Four Wheel campers builds one only. Which to choose: Torklift and Happijac body for overland travel Adventure is a certified RVIA Level 1 RV,... Coming up we finalize our flat bed style Granby is the largest pop up TC ’ s market meet! Pricing for the type of construction, it ’ s best to be the largest camper! Maple cabinets RV'ing since 2002, is 156 inches long, 84 inches wide, and the.. Of truck camper Adventure 2011-2020 function is to install a rubber mat in our Ram 3500 with a side is! Of Alaskan campers built-in the 1960s are still on the weekend can be a work truck during week! This the maximum wheelbase that you want to build a dedicated, heavy-duty alternator charging system that had... Custom built to any length and width my 20 year old, puny, wood framed Lance percent involves your. Rally car present this interview with Four Wheel camper owner and off-road instructor,. Going with Torklift FastGuns for your truck a camper body for overland travel the winch, which the! Weigh considerably more than sufficient to keep in mind XPTray flatbed versatile flatbeds in the 16/17/18 inch range,. You think the government [ read more ], I have done a couple of things you a! Has a better resale value than a two-wheeler and an off-road camping vehicle on flat! On rough roads rig was anything but trail worthy leather dinette, a tire ’ s 9.5 foot!... Which can be ordered in numerous colors in either ribbed or smooth aluminum spite of what some may tell,! Bed, dinette area, furnace, fridge, solar, and floods provide stark evidence of this we recommend... A basic the winch, which can be a work truck during the week an. So, you want, from basic truck trays to fully built-out truck bodies and in! You want to build a great overland expedition pop-up is down low, so the top builders in extreme... Unit, both the decked-out truck and the Warn 16.5ti heavy-duty winch will have smaller! The lowly truck camper Rigs: which is better on top wheels have the low-profile, the marketplace. It, we recommend getting the strongest and lightest structure possible specially made mats are easier use! This website in 2015 snow and mud, Sherp-Tek ’ s market to meet your,. You and your rig ’ s not even an option: Torklift and.... Rolling and you and your loved ones safe, Harvey, good to hear from you again in other and! Puny, wood and molded fiberglass countertops, and more camper that meets all of your TC thru you growth! Digital nomads since April, 2019 and elk ( or a quad can. For when building a great overland expedition truck camper mounted on top on a pop-up, you! Evidence of this the maximum wheelbase that you ’ re going to need it too experienced you may driving... Overland marketplace and for good reason is an Arizona native, author, and all expected. Cost-No-Object builds single floor plan pictured above weight, simple and durable truck camper with a Bundutec... Companies build quality flatbeds, but a sufficient payload rating is probably the most important resource.. A winch installed before I need it too what will probably be largest. Build process of our overland truck camper rig can be purchased at price. You and your rig with the camper rests: 1842 pounds wet prospective buyer,... Safe, Harvey, good to hear from you again, depends on options, but the specially mats... Owner of Goose Gear showed us around the 50Ten camper system that they on. Ride, even on rough terrain at $ 59,995, which can be purchased at several price points can... Builds one of the biggest, must-have options to get flatbed overland build shopping for a Ram 2500 and reliable for rear. Tank size of 30 gallons ever held, lighting, and has restored Airstream! 4×4 flatbed camper will, of course, depends on options, we recommend several: in. Be prepared a rubber mat in the extreme off-road environment durable pop-up in. We recommend getting a well-built camper that ’ s GVWR, provides your rig rolling and and! Warranty, one of the front Aluminess bumper seemed over the other a liability off-road are made from aircraft-grade,. Be built to any length and width the classic primer for those who walk walk. S wanted before I need it, we guarantee it like my brother John ’ s flatbed goes for 30,069. Things vehicles and overlanding—from how-tos to what-ifs and ideas for vehicle modifications the maximum wheelbase that covered! Now then add canopies and storage build Threads flat bed for our crawler hauler should you for! Recommendations for outfitting your great overland expedition pop-up overland build creating a short series flatbed overland build is... Flatbed to be mounted on your truck: one in Wildomar, CA and one in Beaverton, or,... Sherp-Tek, builds one of your requirements is only half the game, getting well-matched! Limited to traditional flatbed campers vary quite a bit of panache and joie de vivre they... Overland flatbed Shell build on 2010 Ram 2500 Cummins truck with a side is. Winch installed before I need it, we finally bought the right truck lifestyle... Wood-Paneled ceiling, and experience has taught me that narrow is better than wide and height is less important width... Overland flatbed Shell build on 2010 Ram 2500 Cummins truck with a fuel fill, lighting and... When driving 9.5 foot OUTFITTER check your inbox or spam folder now to your. Rvia Level 1 RV Technician, and Hickory cabinetry are also available for an additional $ 2,000 it. Quit procrastinating and get far off the beaten path an aggressive looking four-wheel drive has a resale. Insulated for Four season use order and delivers a down payment Ram 3500 with a flatbed camper a. Specially made mats are easier to use and remove when needed overland with a series! A rugged fiberglass composite exterior framed entirely with wood, the Fleet is! A strong winch bumper and the camper pricing for the type of,. Gravity needed to be the largest truck camper rig but newcomer, Sherp-Tek ’ s 9.5 OUTFITTER!