Can 2 adults be comfortable in a Pick-Up?

[rruff]

I believe that ALL camping, nomading, overlanding, etc., is a trade off for a certain level of comfort and convenience that we may be accustomed to, for the experiences of discovery, adventure, and just fun in the outdoors.

Well said. I think it's best to start fairly small and spartan, because it's tough to know what you really care about until you've spent some time without those things. When you are living in a house... well, you can easily get a big house with all the amenities, and fill it with stuff... and when the space runs out you get a bigger house or storage unit with more stuff, etc. In a vehicle there are serious drawbacks to having "more".

I started with just a little PU with a short camper shell. That was fine at the time, but I later built a taller shell... high enough to sit up comfortably... and that was so much nicer. Then I got a roommate, and that was kinda inconvenient because we had to crawl over each over to get in and out. That issue could be solved by putting the bed/couch crosswise at the front of the truck bed on top of the rails. Then you can have a sitting/desk area on each side and a middle corridor for getting in and out, so no crawling over each other. The shell will need to stick out from the bedrails a bit though, if you are average height or taller. That's the sweet-spot for a truck camper IMO, and this can be done on a smaller truck with a 6' bed. Tall enough to sit up comfortably, with a bed/couch crosswise at the front.

And... I wish I'd gone that route on my current build... but I "knew" I'd have a roommate and it would be full time, and I could afford it, so I've been building a big camper on a big pickup. But I'm now single and it's too much space, too big, too heavy. Larger vehicles limit where you can go offroad, and make parking difficult in town, use too much gas, etc.

Things I've never had in a camper and never missed: 1) Toilet. I nearly always camp on public land and far from other people, and travel to where the climate is nice, so I just go outside. Heck it isn't hard to find a place to poop even at gatherings, just go for a little hike. At night if I don't want to go out I use a bottle. 2) Refrigerator or cooler. There are many foods that last for a week or more without refrigeration. Some that only last a couple days, you have to eat first. When I go to town (once a week or so) I'll hit a buffet and pig out. Works for me. 3) Heat. I'll usually camp in places where it gets in the 30s at night, even in summer (high mountains), but it's easy to deal with that by bundling up in winter gear in the evenings before bed. And it's very easy to deal with those temperatures in bed. Having some decent insulation in your rig helps too, as just body heat will raise the interior a few degrees. 4) Shower. Sunshower, outside on a sunny day... pure luxury. If I happen to be camping near a stream, that's even better. 5) Running water. I use sunshowers for that also, and wash dishes outside. 6) Internet. Too much "noise"... just not where I want my head and heart and soul to be. I'll get plenty of communication when I go to town. Unplugged is better... 7) Indoor stove. I use a camp stove outside. If it's rainy or something I use it inside.

One thing I do like... a laptop and enough solar and battery to run it! Even though I think my experience was better in the early days when I didn't have one, I'd miss it now.

 

[jpat1773]

I camped solo in a 2015 Tacoma with 6ft bed, regular fiberglass cap, and DIY platform bed. It was cramped with just me and my storage. Getting dressed was very difficult. I hit my head just putting my socks on. You might sleep together in a bath tub to try how it feels. Some days are windy, some cold, some wet. Sometimes all at once and you have to stay inside until it improves.

 

[Dennys Adventures]

try this since you are wanting to know. in your front room or any room lay out the same space as your truck bed. set something up as a guide for the height. and see you both are able to sleep, change cloths, and get clean inside of that space. add any options you would want. but stay inside of the space to see if it works. and that should give you some kind of feed back if it will work for your trip. for the truck wire in a 12 volt socket but be careful of not using to much truck battery power. you don't want a dead truck battery.

 

[Cammalu]

Don’t underestimate your comfort level. You’ll find that most of us switch vehicles several times before we feel we got it right.

 

[jacqueg]

I lived in a smaller '84 Toyota PU with 3 different roommates over a 13 year period (fulltime). I thought it was comfortable, anyway. YMMV.

It's much nicer if you are able to sit up straight and comfortably in the back. If you can't find a shell that tall, then you can build one... it's easy to do. Having a cabover for storage is nice also.

You'll want to have a bed that converts into a couch... question is, how big a bed do you need? We slept on a 36" wide foam pad... very cozy. You could fit one a bit wider that that, but not too much. Building your own shell would give you more space options also; straight sides and a little wider than the bed rails for instance.

If you are just camping for a couple months you could get a nice tent and sleep in that, and use the truck for storage. I guess another option if you need a wide bed would be to make a platform in the truck with storage underneath and bed on top. If you want to sit somewhere then on rainy days, you'd need to be outside or in the front seats.

Climate (will it be cold, hot, rainy or snowy?) and your desires/wants/annoyances are big factors as well. What do you want to do while camping/traveling?

Just a note about tents - don't try this with a standard Coleman or similar if you plan to do it longterm. You need a Springbar or other heavy duty tent.

There are people doing it in tents. Look them up on youtube.

 

[rruff]

Just a note about tents - don't try this with a standard Coleman or similar if you plan to do it longterm. You need a Springbar or other heavy duty tent.

This a Shiftpod. They are quick to set up, heavy, durable, and insulated. Expensive for a tent but probably worth it if you'll be using it a lot.

 

[grumpygrizzly]

Keep an eye on your local Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace for pickup canopies. I missed a deal on one a couple of weeks ago and I'm still kixking myself. It was basically a canopy but, it also had the top of the roof extending over the pickup top. It was only $200, needed a little cleaning but, it definitely had the potential to be something I could take off in and spend a week or three working at a temporary job.

My truck is a 95 Ford F150, 2wd and the old reliable 302 motor in it. It has dual fuel tanks that together hold 35 gallons and it get around 19mpg.

I want to make mine into a vehicle I can take to local fairs and markets and be able to carry all my caricature easels, and supplies with me.

I've got a 12v/110v cooler, 48oz I think. I have a 12v coffee pot, single burner propane stove, pots, pans and bowls. I even have a small porta potty just in case we can't find a bathroom The potty slides under the bed on either side.

Even have a reciever hitch on the back and a rack that will haul my Honda Trail 90.

I think the best thing to do is start out small and add things you need as things progress.

I'm pondering putting a few solar panels on the roof of my Gem Top along with a 12V deep cycle battery that will charge while the truck is running.

 

[Night_Sailor]

Hello. Just wanted to shoot this out there. Is it possible for 2 adults to stay comfortably in a Toyota Tacoma pick up with a cap/topper? We have one and was just wondering if it was possible? Not at the point of living in it, but traveling and staying in it for a month or two? How does one outfit it? Any ideas?? Thank you in advance.

It can be done. My first thought was a young couple I saw living in a van together. The girl was young and pretty and bounced out of the van with a smile on her face and completely I covered with dog hair. I wondered how long that would last.

Minimalist: While remodeling a house, I live in a topper cap for nearly two months and it was miserable. I used painters paper to mask off my tinted side windows for privacy. I had a few flap openings for outside visibility.

Well set up: I’ve lived in a Bigfoot 3000 series Truck Camper, on a K3500 1-ton, for most of two years, driving about 25,000 miles, again doing home remodeling. That was much better. It was very comfortable and I’ve used it for short term and long term camping. I was totally off grid capable for up to two weeks, with water being my limiting factor. That was very nice to have while traveling.

You need to decide what level of comfort you want. Consider the temperatures you will face. You can start off minimally, and quickly try to fix whatever bothers you the most, or your can plan some in advance.

My recommendation would be some sort of electrical system with solar panels, refrigeration chest, a big lithium battery, lights, an electric pump/water system/faucet/sink/drain.

A stealthy look will allow you to park more places.

A higher topper would allow easier sitting up inside. Some pickups have built in support for a platform. It is nice to be able to sit-up with you feet on the bed. Crawling around and an awkward ingress and egress is no fun.

 

[John in Montreal]

Take the bed off the truck and start by building a flatbed where the floor of your tiny house is going to be. Lot easier doing it this way and you'll have more space.

 

[RoamerRV428]

all about who the 2 are.

me and hubby did extended truck camper and in the end, I damn near wanted to kill him because as much as we are 2 peas in a pod, I wanted some comforts that he didn't and not given in a tiny azz spasce and he wanted xyz with whatever he was irked about when we are so cuddly and crammed, lol, and I could care less about, so we required JUST A tad more personal space in the end to make US 2 so great on the road in a very tiny space.....that was US.......you do you as you guys see fit for the 2 of you just find the 2 of you in it and don't pretend what needs you both need separate and what you both need together and you do ok on that. truths. always shows the way on space

 

[rruff]

Take the bed off the truck and start by building a flatbed where the floor of your tiny house is going to be. Lot easier doing it this way and you'll have more space.

I agree. Truck beds are a ridiculous waste of space.

One complication with a Tacoma is that the frame is designed to flex, so you need to accommodate that. I'm surprised that more people don't build their own campers, customized to their needs. It isn't hard or expensive to build an insulated shell... and way less compared to interior builds I see.

Even on a smaller truck like a Tacoma you can have a cabover sleeping berth, tall enough to stand, and an aero shape. If I had it to do over again I'd build a small camper using stitch and glue style construction with a single layer of marine ply (or regular ply if that's all you can get), and for insulation get some 1/2 or 3/4" XPS, PMF one side and glue it to the interior wall. Fiberglass and paint the exterior to make it waterproof.

There was a website where someone did this for a truck camper, but I can not find it. This teardrop trailer shows the concept, anyway. I'd not recommend so many facets for DIY!

 

[maki2]

The facets are essential as plywood can only flex a certain amount and still mate up cleanly to another section. The company that designed this travel trailer specializes in small water craft kits. It is DIY assembly but the kit was designed in 3D CAD and is cut with CNC routers.

 

[John in Montreal]

A flatbed starts with a basic ladder frame that sits on top of the truck frame.

The advantage of building a new frame is you can make it longer and wider than the original bed giving you more floor space.

You can also put your entrance door on the side of the camper offering better layout options.

 

[tx2sturgis]

If you have a two story pick-up camper 'penthouse on wheels', no problem!

 

[rruff]

The facets are essential as plywood can only flex a certain amount and still mate up cleanly to another section. The company that designed this travel trailer specializes in small water craft kits. It is DIY assembly but the kit was designed in 3D CAD and is cut with CNC routers.

Yes, this is true. I was thinking you could reduce them to: sides that are vertical and curved out (narrow front and back), a top that curves up (shorter front and rear), and a facet on each side that connects them, but you would lose some rigidity. Heck, I guess it makes sense to use a 3D CAD model and get precise dimensions for each piece off that. I tried using Sketchup but it didn't work very well for this... not with me using it anyway!

 

[CoyoteG]

I knew a cowboy and wife with a 10ish year old daughter that lived in an extended longbed pickup from the 70s. Put up a canvas tarp in bad weather. Cooked out side. The kid slept in the cab and the ma and pop slept in the bed.
They were the healthiest and happiest people I ever met.
They followed the work and the daughter was ranch schooled. They said they tried house living when the baby was on the way but it didn’t agree with them. They lived quite comfortably.