Slide On Truck Campers
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Are Slide On Truck Campers a good RV?
I’m seeing more and more truck campers here in Australia, and have wondered if this would be the ideal type of camper for us.
Don’t know what a truck camper is, exactly?
A slide on truck camper is a demountable RV that you slide on and off the bed of a full-size or mid-size pickup truck.
You may have also heard of truck campers being called: truck bed campers, slide-in campers, pickup campers, and cabover campers. In Europe they’re called demountable campers.
You can also get truck campers that are designed to sit on top of the flat bed of a truck.
A couple of other questions you probably want to ask yourself first, before trying to figure out the right slide on camper for you:
How much is a slide in truck camper?
These vary in price soooo much. But what I LOVE about truck campers, is that they can start at a very reasonable price. You can get a good, basic camper, that has all the bits that you need, for as little as $5,000.
And, as with most RVs, there seems to be no upper limit on the price range! But $60,000 would get you a very nice, well appointed truck camper.
But before you even think about which camper you would like, you need to think about truck size.
What size truck do I need for a slide in camper?
It depends on the size of the camper you want.
Whether it’s half-ton, 3/4-ton, one-ton, long bed, short bed, dually or whatever, the most important factor to consider is the payload of the truck
Since this is such a safety topic, I want to refer you to an awesome truck camper resource that goes through all the technical stuff for you. Get started here: Truck Camper Adventure
Can you use a slide in camper off the truck?
Yes.
But keep in mind, you don’t want to have the camper off the truck all the time as this puts pressure on the jacks instead of having the load on the floor supports.
What is the best slide in truck camper?
Of course, only YOU can decide that!
That’s why we’ve put together this list of slide on truck campers so that you can see just how many are on offer, and start making some decisions about what are the most important features to you.
Different types of slide in truck campers
Weight is the factor that defines the 3 different types of truck campers:
Pop tops – are the lightest, as the canvas weighs a lot less than a solid wall.
Hard sided –
With slides – slides make a big difference to the interior size of a truck camper, but this comes at the cost of extra weight.
Truck campers available in North America (with a bathroom)
If you’re looking for a slide on truck camper, we’ve compiled a list of truck campers to get you started on your research.
Don’t forget (I’m gonna say this a few times…) you MUST consider the weight of the camper, plus everything that you want to take with you, and make sure that you have the right truck for the camper.
So these truck campers below are a mixture of different types. The only consistent factor in these slide on truck campers is that they all have an internal bathroom (toilet and shower).
There are a lot more ‘rugged’ and adventurous campers out there, but in order to save on size and weight, the bathroom is more often than not a porta-potty stored under a seat and an outdoor shower.
With that in mind, you’ll find that these are on the ‘larger’ size (for a truck camper) simply because, to accommodate a bathroom you need the space.
Here we go…
Lance 650 Truck Camper
www.lancecamper.com/truck-campers/650/
We start off the list with the well-appointed Lance 650 truck camper.
Designed for half-ton pick-up trucks with 5′ and 6′ beds, the 650 is touted as a lightweight truck camper that is fully featured.
Travel Lite RV 890RX
Built for the 3/4 ton short bed this compact unit still manages to fit in everything you would find in much larger RVs.
www.travelliterv.com/come-and-see-our–truck-campers
Hallmark Cuchara
www.hallmarkrv.com/campers/cuchara/
The Hallmark Cuchara XL is a 9.5 foot, rear wet bath, pop-up truck camper for long bed full-size trucks.
Bundutec Roadrunner
Bundutec offers many floor plan options for hard-walled and pop-top units and this Roadrunner includes the requisite bathroom.
Apex 8 LB
www.outfittermfg.com/shop-campers/apex-long-bed
Designed for truck beds with an interior length of eight feet, this is a good choice for ¾ and 1 ton pickups.
I love that the shower / toilet has solid walls rather than just the canvas that you find on most pop up campers.
Cirrus 820 Truck Camper
The Cirrus 820 is for you if you’re looking for a hard-side, non-slide truck camper that comfortably fits a 3/4-ton truck with a 6-foot bed.
Wolf Creek 840
northwoodmfg.com/truck-campers/wolf-creek/wolf-creek-840/
Northwood manufacture both the Wolf Creek and the Arctic Fox below.
Arctic Fox 811
northwoodmfg.com/truck-campers/arctic-fox-camper/af-camper-811
The dinette slide in this Arctic fox really opens up the space in here. With the dinette converting to a bed, and the option of adding a bunk above, this truck camper could be suitable for a family. Might be a bit squishy but at least you’d all have a comfy and warm bed for the night!
Rugged Mountain Granite 9RL
ruggedmountaincustomrv.com/granite-9rl
This is the truck camper you have, when you don’t want to feel like you’re in a truck camper! With that residential-looking decor, you could easily believe you’re in a full-size RV rather than sitting atop the bed of a truck.
Bigfoot 1500 Series
www.bigfootrv.com/m/bigfoot_rv_truck_campers_1500_series.html
The 1500 series is the lighter of the Bigfoot models and are built for both short and long bed trucks.
Northstar 650SC Pop Up Truck Camper
www.northstarcampers.com/products/pop-up-truck-campers-650sc
This little camper really does pack a lot into small space and will fit all full-size 5′ 6″ / 5’ 7” Ultra Short Bed and 6′ 4″, 6’ 6” or 6′ 10″ Standard Short Bed Trucks
It’s got everything you need, but in a compact size.
Palomino Backpack HS-750
www.palominorv.com/truck-campers/backpack-truck-camper/HS-750
A small unit, but the Backpack still manages to fit a jacknife sofa in there!
Special mention – Nimbl
I’ve included this truck camper because it’s a little bit different. It has a ‘bathroom’, or more accurately a cabinet that folds out into a bathroom. But it’s not an actual bathroom, per se.
Truck campers in Australia and Europe (for comparison)
Note: In Australia, a slide ON camper would be both a ‘slide in’ or a ‘flatbed’ camper. Same same. It slides ON the ute (we call our ‘trucks’, utes. Short for utility vehicle)
Ozcape Shorta (Australia)
www.ozcape.com.au/camper-models/ozcape-shorta/
The smallest truck camper by this manufacturer, yet it has the required bathroom for our list.
Tischer Trailbox 240 (Germany)
www.tischer-pickup.com/pick-up-cabins/trail-box-240
This European truck camper manufacturer has the nicest decor (in my opinion) which is pretty typical for the Europeans!
Do any of these slide on truck campers strike you as your favorite?
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