Camper Top Build Plans

[Knox Al]

I am retiring at age 65  in Dec. of this year. I have another part time job I'm keeping for extra income while I do construction. I've looked at a lot of different set ups.

My vehicle is a 2007 Toyota Tacoma Access Cab, so it has a six foot bed. I purchased it new and have followed all required maintenance. 150,000 miles on the odometer. It is in excellent shape with 4 wheel drive and the towing package. I'm gong to put a 3 inch lift with 34 inch tires, so I can explore the back country. Just bought new tires this summer so that will wait a while. Have aggressive tread but stock clearance.


I'm single and will be travelling alone so my set-up is just for me. I'm planning on putting the bed on the passenger side on the truck. The kitchen will be on the driver's side.

Most of the builds have long drawers the length of the bed. I saw one that had the drawers [font=Roboto, arial, sans-serif][font=Roboto, arial, sans-serif]perpendicular to the bed. That looks like a more workable solution for me and I will just have a single bed. It looks to be more organized storage. l I need to work out the cubic feet of storage under both methods.[/font][/font]

[font=Roboto, arial, sans-serif][font=Roboto, arial, sans-serif]Would like comments and suggestions on the pro and cons of each methold. I want to build it right the first time. Plan to leave in the spring if it all comes together. [/font][/font]

[font=Roboto, arial, sans-serif][font=Roboto, arial, sans-serif]Al[/font][/font]

 

[highdesertranger]

first off you would be better off not lifting it. an independent suspension drive axle doesn't like its geometry to be thrown out of whack. Taco's are quite capable don't mess with it. also 34 inch tires are way to big for that drive train. you will break something. if you want something with more ground clearance that can handle bigger tires get a vehicle with a straight axle. highdesertranger

 

[INTJohn]

Duuhude;
I'm 66 & live out of my truck. I''m not going to tell or advize what you should or should'nt do but I will relay to you what I've done & WHY. Its what I like - no regrets - but u ain't me sooo take it 4 wha tiz wurth.......

Bought my truck new, mine is '15 f250 superduty 4wheel, reg cab 8' box; white in color
Put an ARE Alum topper on it I got off craigs list ; has full length doors on each side with 2 windows on each side door. 4 point ladder rack on top vs 3. White in color.

"Stealth" was an important factor for me hence classic utility vehicle look -- WHITE.
I prefer alum topper vs. fiberglass cause the alum frame is like studs in a frame house thus you can mount stuff to them with self tapping screws rather than drilling holes thru the fiberglass. Some peeps complain that if a weld cracks you gota find some1 that can mig weld it - NOPE! I had 2 weld breaks and fixt them both with metal tape and thoz great self tapping screws.

With the long side doors on the topper gives me easy access from outside. I also had full length 'boat canvass' screens made that I can snap in or out to keep the bugs out but still have the doors open.

I have my bed on the drivers side vs your desire to put it on the passenger side. I wanted it on the driver's side for 2 reasons:
1- if parked on a street parallel parked at night to sleep, i wanted to be as far frum a sidewalk & pedestrian traffic as possible and
2- accesssing stuff on the passenger side keeps me out of any possible traffic lane. (Theres a reason RV manufacturers build entry door on passenger side)

My bed frame on top is carpeted plywood sheet that I cut in half, that I lift to access underneath storage. I personally don't care for the tailgate slide out stuff cause you can only get to it if your outside and the topper has thoz big long side doors for eee z access.

Also - get a good mattress to sleep on: I have Xped megamat xtra long cause I'm 6'1". this mattress is as comfortable as ANY home bed mattress I've slept on anytime anywhere in my life. And my 66 yr ole bod pre-she-ates it.

Nuff 4 now............INTJohny Luzsha

 

[HalfShadows]

I attended an overland rally in the PNW this past June. Majority of the vehicles were Taco's, Jeeps, FJ's and Chevy Colorado's.  Most were weekend warriors. There were a few that lived in their rig and traveled the US and the world. Most had roof top tents that were nicely constructed and had insulation value for the cold. There were all manners of storage and kitchen systems  for the bed of the vehicle.  A lot of the vendors cater to just the above mentioned vehicles. Some of the attendees built their own kits. I had a great time there. There was a woman only group that was planning a overland trip to Costa Rica.  You can be stealthy in such a build up until you deploy the roof top tent.

 

[bullfrog]

I had a 2013 2.4 manual trans single cab 4x4 totally stock Tacoma with overloads on the rear springs due to the wedge ARE fiberglass topper with 2 opening side windows and front tip and opening cab window. It did fine on the back roads with the exception of getting several flat tires due to mainly the fact most roads here have a slate rock base. I would highly recommend a stock diameter increased ply mud tire like the KO2 if most of your driving will be on dirt. If I remember right my ground clearance was a little over 8" which is plenty for a non-dedicated off road vehicle in my opinion. Run 2 wheel drive till you start to get stuck then use 4 wheel drive to recover and get back out. I made a platform with drawers underneath which made it necessary to have the higher wedge style top to set up. I'm 5'10" and had to sleep diagonal in the bed to have enough room, later I made a removable extension for the platform I could use with the tailgate and rear hatch open with netting draped over the opening. I agree with INTjohn as his topper style is much better than mine was. Also being able to set a small beach chair against the cab end of the bed on rainy days and sit without hitting your head really helps make it through those days. Mine was white on white which helped not only with stealth but inside temps as well. Your biggest challenge is the short bed at least it was for me. I ended up with a small lightweight sleeping trailer (teardrop and tiny trailers.com) as the more weight in the truck means less off road ability and I could carry a Radmini electric fat tire bike in the trailer to explore roads before I drove them. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[bigsallysmom]

I lift up my camper bed to access stuff below. The older I get the harder it is to squish the thick mattress. If I would ever redo it, I would screw down a length of x4 or x6 lumber across the back. From that edge I would install the hinges. That way when I lift the bed I don't have to squish the mattress.