Lived Out of a F150 Lariat No Cap or Camper

[vanman2300]

Just wanted to say I found my truck to be all I needed and had a great time going through a bunch of NPs and other areas. Plus a big thanks to Bob and his videos that gave me a basic blueprint that performed perfectly as I was prepared for just about everything.

In case you might be curious of my truck abode. It is a 2011 Ford F150 Lariat with a super cab and 6.5 foot bed with a torneau cover. I put the back seats up and slid in a 55 gallon contractor box from Home Depot. Then put memory foam on top with bedding making it a very comfortable bed that was level with my windows allowing great flexibility. I could even fit a cooler in to take up the rest of the space where the 55 gallon container didn't run the width of the inside cab. I also used the reflectix on all windows. Additionally I took pex tubing and slid some blackout curtains on them and used it as a seperating curtain between the front and back seats. By simply sticking the ends of the tubing in the handle on the door post the tubing flexed up to the roof sealing off most of the light and hiding my bed from view. It was really stealthy!

As for everything else like tents shower stove etc it all fit in the bed. I cooked right off of my tailgate.

Big thanks to Bob!

 

[bullfrog]

Sounds like you did great! Are you short enough you could sleep streched out?

 

[RoamerRV428]

HI, it does sound like you made it to suit yourself very well! very stealthy, I love that! Using the tailgate as a table is sweet.....sounds like you are in for great road adventures!

 

[vanman2300]

Sounds like you did great!  Are you short enough you could sleep streched out?

I'm 5' 8" so I was able to lay straight out and have an inch or 2 left over. If I were taller I would have slept corner to corner. The thing is, in the Ford there's more width up near the windows and yet even more going window to window. The set up with the storage box, cooler and a memory foam on top brought me to the window sill height and therefore plenty more room then if I slept near the floor.

There were other advantages to this type of set up. 1) I had a load of storage beneath the bed. 2) I could look through all the windows especially if I heard anything outside the truck. 3) It was easier to slide from the back to the driver seat in case I needed to bug out fast. I actually timed myself and in 4 seconds I could be in the driver seat with the key in the ignition. 4) Being up high also allowed me to use the area on top of the folded up seats as a shelf to store regularly used items. Overall, I couldn't have had a better set up in the back IMO. I still had enough room to stretch out, change my clothes, read, clean up/refresh myself, etc. Each morning I woke up I would wash up, brush my teeth, comb my hair, and change into a new set of clothes before I even got out of the back seat of the truck.

 

[vanman2300]

HI, it does sound like you made it to suit yourself very well!  very stealthy, I love that!  Using the tailgate as a table is sweet.....sounds like you are in for great road adventures!

It was stealthy. I also did a few things to make it really hard to determine if it was being lived in. 

The curtains I used between the back and front seats were insulated curtains in black. So if I kept them closed and straight with no folds showing it made it almost impossible to notice the curtains were even there. The windows were tinted and that also helped. The reflectix I put in the windows I painted flat black on one side only. So if I was in a hot climate I would face the silver side out but if I wanted stealth I would face the black side out making the windows appear as if they were heavily tinted. Finally, I had a headlamp with 3 settings one being a red light. I would wrap it around the head rest rather then my head and use the red light whenever I wanted to remain unnoticeable. Red provided enough light to see and do whatever I wanted to do.

As far as other adventures I'm thinking about going to Alaska next time. This past trip I covered a lot of ground going to SD, ND, CO, UT, WY, MT, OR, WA, WI, MN, MI, IL, IN, OH, PA, NY, and MA. So AK might not be such a stretch for me to do...I'm hoping.

 

[Minivanmotoman]

By being flexible and minimal, you made it work and enjoyed it. That's the way to do it.
Get most of what you need on the road, why carry it all? Selecting fair weather seasons and locations makes it all possible to travel in a vehicle with minimal belongings, requiring only shelter to sleep and enough space to carry the basics. Being short helps too. Lol. Same here with my minivan.

 

[RoamerRV428]

I like that black curtain idea and adhering your light to the headrest etc.
Seems you are thinking this out very well.

very very mobile I am happy you are getting around so well and I bet a trip to Alaska will be like heaven on Earth for ya!!

 

[Hometown Hiker]

I bet you had a great time. I like to keep things simple myself, it sounds like you had things figured out to suit you just fine. I wouldn't mind hearing more about your trip.

 

[vanman2300]

By being flexible and minimal, you made it work and enjoyed it. That's the way to do it.
Get most of what you need on the road, why carry it all? Selecting fair weather seasons and locations makes it all possible to travel in a vehicle with minimal belongings, requiring only shelter to sleep and enough space to carry the basics. Being short helps too. Lol. Same here with my minivan.

One of the few times I appreciated not being 6 foot plus. The truck was great in that I was able to go where few others could thanks to 4 X 4 and aggressive tread tires.

 

[vanman2300]

I bet you had a great time. I like to keep things simple myself, it sounds like you had things figured out to suit you just fine. I wouldn't mind hearing more about your trip.

My trip started from Rhode Island and I reached SD in 2 days to start my tour of NPs. So here's the NPs I visited mostly listed in order. Badlands, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Bryce, Zion, Canyonlands, Arches, Capitol Reef, Mesa Verde, Rocky Mountain, Craters of the Moon, Crater Lake, Olympic, Glacier Lake and then Roosevelt. After that I returned to RI via the Michigan peninsula. 

The whole time I stayed on BLM or national forest lands. I found them to be really great spots. If you are curious about anything in particular feel free to ask.

 

[user 22017]

My trip started from Rhode Island and I reached SD in 2 days to start my tour of NPs. So here's the NPs I visited mostly listed in order. Badlands, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Bryce, Zion, Canyonlands, Arches, Capitol Reef, Mesa Verde, Rocky Mountain, Craters of the Moon, Crater Lake, Olympic, Glacier Lake and then Roosevelt. After that I returned to RI via the Michigan peninsula. 

The whole time I stayed on BLM or national forest lands. I found them to be really great spots. If you are curious about anything in particular feel free to ask.

Sounds exciting. I'm envious

I kinda wish I had picked a truck with an extended cab, but once I get a topper or camper I'll be fine. I found out I can't really sleep across the seat of my truck. The hard plastic seatbelt enclosures stab me.

 

[vanman2300]

Sounds exciting. I'm envious

I kinda wish I had picked a truck with an extended cab, but once I get a topper or camper I'll be fine. I found out I can't really sleep across the seat of my truck. The hard plastic seatbelt enclosures stab me.

I just looked at the seat belt clasp on my truck and it can easily be removed with a torque drive bit. If you have a drive bit like that or know someone who does you can fix that problem quickly. OR, go to a mechanic and they can do it in less then 10 minutes for a minimal amount of money like 20 bucks. Also depending on your cab area you might be able to fit a 55 gallon contractor's container from Home Depot if you take the back seats out completely. I had at least a foot of extra space between the container and the back of the front seats. And that was without taking my back seats out completely. 

I was considering a topper (campers had too many drawbacks for me) but after the trip and discovering how comfortable I was without one I decided to not change the torneau cover for a topper. My reasons are 1) everything in the bed of the truck got a lot of road dirt and dust on it. 2) toppers can leak and they also draw attention to the vehicle (stealth). 3) Security. I could get behind the wheel in seconds and take off. Never had to do that but it sure felt good to know I could. Also I had 4 doors = 4 escape options versus just one option with a topper. However, if I had too small of a cab I would definitely get the topper.

 

[user 22017]

My reasons are 1) everything in the bed of the truck got a lot of road dirt and dust on it. 2) toppers can leak and they also draw attention to the vehicle (stealth). 3) Security. I could get behind the wheel in seconds and take off. Never had to do that but it sure felt good to know I could. Also I had 4 doors = 4 escape options versus just one option with a topper. However, if I had too small of a cab I would definitely get the topper.

Thanks for the help, vanman

Yeah, I have no back seat. It's a regular cab. But I just found a topper and the guy is holding it until I get there Thursday. Only $150

Those are all good reasons for not getting a topper. I wish I could hop into the driver's seat in just a few seconds. Oh well... maybe I'll bring my dog. But she is old, too! I might take her on some trial runs to find out how she adjusts to life in a truck and topper.

Bob said dust can be an issue in the desert. Whelp, I'm about to find out!

 

[B and C]

In the desert, dust gets everywhere.

 

[user 22017]

In the desert, dust gets everywhere.

The topper I'm buying is fiberglass. I hope it stays dry. I don't care as much about dust.

I have some questions, but don't want to start a new thread. So, if anyone can help, I'd appreciate it.

The man at the junkyard where the topper is said to bring 4 C-clamps. Is 4 enough? I was thinking I need at least 6 for an 8 foot bed.

Also, my bed has no liner. I just realized in all the vids I watched about truck campers I didn't notice what was on the floor. Should I get a bed liner? Or plywood?

Then do I get a carpet remnant to put on top? I saw Bed Rugz(?) you can buy (like plastic bed liners), but I need something cheap atm.

Finally, I read an old post that explained how to lock the shell from the inside with vise grips or channel locks but I don't know what they meant.

Thanks!

Edit: I have to buy the C-clamps. That is why I'm asking. I assume they sell them at Walmart, Lowe's or Menards?

 

[wanderin.pat]

For your topper, I would use something like these: Lowes c-clamps
You might want to use some weather-stripping stuff along the truck bed size where the topper contacts the pickup bed. 
I had mine installed, so I'm a little in experienced with that.  Sorry.

In my trailer, I sleep on a fold-away piece of plywood.  I put a 1 inch sheet of the poly insulation most people use for insulating their van and cargo trailers.  Like this: insulation sheet 
I then have a 2 inch memory foam mattress that I got at Walmart.  Like this: Memory foam mattress

Something like that should work for you.  

Hope this helps. 

WP

 

[user 22017]

>>>>For your topper, I would use something like these: Lowes c-clamps

Found these: truck clamps

>>>>You might want to use some weather-stripping stuff along the truck bed size where the topper contacts the pickup bed. 

Yup. The man at the junkyard said it wasn't necessary, but from what I've read it is.

Not sure which weatherstripping to get.

Seems they come in 1 1/4 in. and 2 in. and foam or rubber? Is rubber better than foam? Is 2 in. better than 1.25 in.?
 
>>>I had mine installed, so I'm a little in experienced with that.  Sorry.

They are installing it for me. Thank goodness.

>>> Like this: insulation sheet

So you put plywood down on top of the sheet of insulation?


Thank you, WP

 

[wanderin.pat]

>> So you put plywood down on top of the sheet of insulation? 

No, plywood is the base for my bed.  Then I put a sheet of insulation on top of that .  Then I put the memory foam on top of that.

 

[user 22017]

Sorry for hijacking your thread, vanman!

 

[user 22017]

>> So you put plywood down on top of the sheet of insulation? 

No, plywood is the base for my bed.  Then I put a sheet of insulation on top of that .  Then I put the memory foam on top of that.

So the plywood and insulation sheet are for your (sleeping) bed only? Or do they cover the whole truck bed?