What to put on our 1990 Toyota short bed deluxe, 4 cyl, 4x4?

[Hereandthere]

Hi -- My husband and I want to get something to put on our 1990 Toyota pickup, which is a short bed deluxe, 4x4, 4 cylinder. We intend to spend as little as possible, tops is probably around $1500 to $2000, so obviously are in the market for something used. The bed is 6' long, and with the tailgate down it is 8'. The truck is in great shape.<br><br>We will be using this for long and short trips at any time of year, but our fulltiming days are past, now that we have a big garden and chickens at home and need a housesitter when we travel. We'll be traveling usually with our 2 dogs, one large and one medium sized.<br><br>We are thinking that either a popup or not would work. Seems like it's going to have to be a cabover if we don't want to sleep with the dogs and to have enough room. Want a portapotti or something of the sort, don't need a shower inside. Simple cooking needs.&nbsp;<br><br>I've been keeping an eye on Craigslist but am not sure what's out there. No big rush. We're between Denver and Santa Fe.<br><br>Thanks for any ideas!<br><br><br>

 

[akrvbob]

The first vehicle I lived in was an old Ford Courier mini-truck made by Mazda.&nbsp; I found a Six-Pack slide-in camper to put on it. It worked that little 4 cylinder really hard, too hard. Your Toyota is a far better truck but you still want it to be as light possible. There is a story on cheaprvliving.com about a couple who made a camper out of a shell, see it here:<br>http://www.cheaprvliving.com/Ingenuiscampershell.html<br><br>I am a fan of Capri campers, see them here:<br>http://www.capricamper.com/models.html<br><br>They custom build them, I would get one with nothing in it and put in the absolute minimum you need. It should be very light.<br>Bob

 

[Hereandthere]

Thanks, Bob! What about a used cabover popup, would that push the weight too much, do you think?

 

[psytechguy]

Lot's of those old Toyota RV's still around, and a lot of them with 4 cylinder engines such as the 20R. They have a reputation for going on and on and on. Biggest complaint I've seen is that they can be slow to get up to speed.

 

[Hereandthere]

Slow to get up to speed, yep! We have had 2 1980s Toyota Dolphins, so we have learned patience.

 

[RAILROADGREEN]

hereanthere, i would get a small travel trailer for your 25 year old 4 cylinder truck. it was not made for a side in camper!!, it is easyer on the truck to pull than carry!. fellow traveler gary ps more room for the dogs too

 

[Hereandthere]

Thanks. Gary, but I have never pulled a trailer in my life so am intimidated by the idea! And I'm, ahem, older, and not eager to learn that particular skill!

 

[ccbreder]

ain't much of a skill, 'till you have to back up. <img src="/images/boards/smilies/wink.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"><br>it is easy to learn with just a bit of practice.

 

[Hereandthere]

Well, could probably arrange my life so I didn't have to back up much, but what about narrow winding mountain roads?

 

[akrvbob]

The Toyota trucks are some of the very best. But you overload them and they will have lots of problems with the entire system. The engine works harder, the transmission runs hotter, the brakes wear out fast. Little parts everywhere suffer from being overloaded. There will probably never be a catastrophic failure, everything will just nickel and dime you with small repairs. Many parts will fail prematurely.<br><br>Your best bet is a simple shell that you raise by building a pony wall underneath for height. It will weigh very little but it will reduce your aerodynamics. That's okay, that is just your mpg, which are probably really good to begin with so you can spare some. <br><br>When I was a campground host my campground was at the top of a really hard climb. So whenever I got an intersting rig in like a Tacoma with a pop-up camper I asked them how they did with the climb up the mountain. Without exception they all said it was hard and the Tacoma really struggled with it. The pop-ups are lighter, but still too heavy for the steep mountains we have out West like the Sierras or the Rockies. I don't know about you, but those are the places that call me and where I want to be.<br><br>I'd consider tent camping with a tall shell on the pickup for camping inside in emergencies.<br>Bob

 

[Hereandthere]

I hear all of you about the weight, but I do have another question. Both the early-80s Dolphins we've had (still have the 2nd one actually, plan to sell it) have weighed way more than it seems a light cabover or popup would weight, and we have taken them all over the west and onto some mighty iffy roads in Mexico, without problems though admittedly slow at times. Why then would we have the weight problems with this pickup?

 

[highdesertranger]

the toy dolphins are 1 ton. &nbsp;same motor different drive train, &nbsp;full floating rear axle big difference and duel wheels.&nbsp; highdesertranger

 

[super duty]

One huge consideration often overlooked is brakes. Many people figure "oh, I have plenty of power, i will just gear down going up the pass" its coming down with hot small brakes that got me out of my F150 and into a super duty with many improvementd to haul mg "light" camper.

 

[Hereandthere]

the toy dolphins are 1 ton. &nbsp;same motor different drive train, &nbsp;full floating rear axle big difference and duel wheels.&nbsp; highdesertranger

<br><br>Ahhh... didn't realize that difference, thanks much.

 

[ccbreder]

Get a "tow package" sometimes called a camper package, for better cooling, heavier weight rating, new brake pads, and go for it. You will learn what you need.

 

[Hereandthere]

So what I have learned so far is that our truck is small to carry much. <br><br>We don't want a trailer. <br><br>We use the truck for hauling rocks and firewood, sometimes to help a friend with something, so we want to be able to take off whatever we use for traveling, that is, we want to use jacks. <br><br>We currently keep a shell on the truck, but aren't enthused about using it and sleeping inside it. On a recent long trip, we took our car and stayed in hotels and motels, but that was both pricey and not really fun.<br><br>So will keep on pondering. Keep those ideas coming, much appreciated!

 

[user 423]

At <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers</span> there is a forum for "foamies" which are lightweight trailers made from hard-side styrofoam insulation, glue and canvas. Building a small truck bed camper using the same methods wouldn't be too much of a project and you can choose your dimensions &amp; features. I've thought of building one for a full-size PU with the height similar to the interior of my old van and making the switch. Plusses and minuses for both but the MPG would be better in the PU.<br><br><br><a href="http://www.tnttt.com/viewforum.php?f=55" rel="nofollow">http://www.tnttt.com/viewforum.php?f=55</a>

 

[highdesertranger]

super duty hit the nail square on the head.&nbsp; it's more important to be able to stop than to go.&nbsp; look at it this way you don't even need a motor to go.&nbsp; you could be at the top of a mountain pass and just give a little push away you go.&nbsp; but if you can't stop your are in trouble.&nbsp; the peddle in the middle is the most important.&nbsp; highdesertranger

 

[akrvbob]

There is a thread that should interest you here:<br><span style="text-decoration: underline; color: #0000ff;">https://vanlivingforum.com/post/Thi...thadventure-vehicle-camper.-5873334?trail=105</span> Find it in the "Living in a Truck" forum<br><br>He found a 300 lb slide in camper for his 4 cylndr Tacoma. He found it too underpowered for the mountain passes and replaced the truck with a V6 Tacoma which does much better. That is the very best thing you can do as well.<br><br>He just sent me an article to post on my blog with the details and I will post it next week so you might want to check it out there for a condensed version from the thread.<br>Bob

 

[Hereandthere]

Thanks, Bob, for that link. It happened I had already found the thread, but had only skimmed it. Will watch for your blog piece.<br><br>I am now thinking about keeping our Dolphin for any long really live-in trips and doing something VERY simple with our pickup.<br><br>With you, highdesertranger, on safety first.