8' camper, 6.5' truck bed?

[JaSAn]

Get your truck weighed twice, CAT scales are numerous and inexpensive:

1st - without camper, with full of fuel, driver, and any passengers you take with.​

2nd - with camper fully loaded, fuel, driver, passengers.​

Note:

- weight at rear axle when loaded vs. rear axle weight rating.​

- front axle should not be lighter with camper loaded.​

Only you can decide how far over GAWR you want to go.
If front axle gets lighter (too much weight behind rear axle) you are going to have handling problems.

I hear you on not wanting to get a new truck.

 

[dbhost]

I searched cog on TCS, 6,8,8'6, and found, generally, they are pretty standard distances from the front bulkhead, I have a 8'6 on f250 sb the cog ,iirc, is 39in, pretty much over the rear axle.
When traveling most weight is on the rear axle forward.
Also, the cog can be further back if you have black and Grey water tanks, full bath etc.
I have the crapper but not the glamper crapper pkg.

I have a port o potty with a 5 gallon of black tank 22 Gallon freshwater and no Built-in Gray water collection water collection just a hose from the sink that goes down under the truck and it's supposed to go into one of those Gray water totes my old aquatainers are going to be used for that function.

Behind the truck's axle is going to be where the Stove and pantry are.. Not entirely weightless but not super heavy as long as the canned goods are kept in the 5 gallon bucket in the cab withe cab with the gamma seal lid.

 

[dbhost]

Get your truck weighed twice, CAT scales are numerous and inexpensive:

1st - without camper, with full of fuel, driver, and any passengers you take with.​

2nd - with camper fully loaded, fuel, driver, passengers.​

Note:

- weight at rear axle when loaded vs. rear axle weight rating.​

- front axle should not be lighter with camper loaded.​

Only you can decide how far over GAWR you want to go.
If front axle gets lighter (too much weight behind rear axle) you are going to have handling problems.

I hear you on not wanting to get a new truck.

If it comes down to it I will totally bypass the sliding camper and just stay with the truck topper camper camper which is only about about 300 sum odd pounds. Honestly if it weren't for my desire to be able to stand up in the thing In case I get stuck in it for extended bad weather I really would have better success with the truck shell camper.

 

[dbhost]

Yes, a camper is nice.

I'd take JaSAn's advice and weigh your truck (with occupants), incl front and rear axle weights. But do it now, before the buy. Then you'll know your avail payload. Most all of the camper would prob be on the rear axle so determine your avail rear axle load (to max rating) too.

As for the floor, most long-on-short I've seen appear to have done without reinforcement.
But a sheet of plywood added under camper could be used (or some lighter weight metal support). if desired. Yes, it will add weight but you could possibly remove some of the material.

If you have an extended or crew cab truck maximize that for storage.

I already know the weights of the occupants. My fat tail and my 55lb dog... That dips into the number a bit deep but good reason to go with it.

The camper is a typical 90s camper, and for those that don't recall, the 11th gen and newer F150 has freakishly tall sidewalls to the truck bed. In order to make it fit, I need to build a cradle to boost the camper up at least 2" to clear the bed rails. My local Sutherlands sells Cedar 4x4, which is considerably lighter than other options, and much more bug and rot resistant. So a support cradle out of 4x4 cedar treated with waterproofer like Thompsons or similar... should do the job and not add much weight.

I think my biggest concern with weight isn't how much, but as mentioned, where. I need to keep the batteries in front of the wheel well, and those 200 amp hour batteries are LONG... The cabinet I am thinking of for them is actually intended for the port o potty...

Mind you, Lifepo4 are feather light for batteries, not much heavier than winter jackets honestly which surprised me. I could always use foam and PMF to enclose the space BEHIND the wheel well to make a battery compartment on one side, and a fishing gear compartment on the other... LOL...

And it is a tough call. Standing room is good as gold for sure, but the weight issues folks are bringing up are not something I am unconcerned with, just not sure it is as big of an issue as folks seem to want to make it out to be.

Honestly, if this doesn't pan out, I am going to keep with the hi top truck shell camper, which the camper all camping gear, fluids etc... adds less than 600lbs to the total. (I can life and move the topper on my own, I can carry the bed frame one handed etc... That would certainly be easier on the weight and budget, but I lose standing height and room to move around in socked in weather. I've been driven out of a tent and into the cab of the truck on several occasions, the camper shell gives me space to lay down and sleep, or sit up and work, but nowhere to stand up and move about, which makes long tropical sogs a miserable experience...

 

[JaSAn]

I already know the weights of the occupants. My fat tail and my 55lb dog...
It is still advantageous to know the weight of your empty truck. Individual truck weights can vary from published.

. . . 11th gen and newer F150 has freakishly tall sidewalls to the truck bed. In order to make it fit, I need to build a cradle to boost the camper up at least 2" to clear the bed rails . . .
4X4s are overkill. I use Foamular (pink rigid house insulation) to raise my camper; weighs almost nothing. One caution: since Foamular can compress you need something solid front and back to solidly tie camper down.

. . . those 200 amp hour batteries are LONG . . .
Golf cart batteries (FLA or AGM) are small (~10.2" X 7.2")

Mind you, Lifepo4 are feather light for batteries . . .
LiFePO4 batteries weight ~ 35 lbs per 12V/100AH
LA batteries weigh ~ 65 lbs per 12V/100AH

. . . Standing room is good as gold for sure . . .
Could you buy a tailgate tent or modify a tent to give you standing room behind the tailgate? Standing room is a must for me; I cramp up from sitting too long.
. . .

 

[dbhost]

Totally agree. And yes weights do vary. Especially me.... but that is another issue all together.

I would be concerned about foam block risers just from a compression standpoint, but worth looking into...

Standing room for the truck shell camper is simple, but not tropical windy sog proof. In all but the nastiest sudden TX storm I have a 12x12 Ozark Trail tarp shelter that I pitch over the back of the cap, and set taut. This gives me a little over 7' of standing room. I set up the Joolca Ensuite Double on the passenger side typically to act as a partial wind block. IF needed, I can set up the Ozark Trail shade sidewalls, originally for an EZ Up straight leg 10x10, to provide additional wind blockage. For gentle rain days I could sit under there and work, throw on the Frogg Toggs and go for a squishy walk and love every second of it. It's when the rain and wind start trying to rip the tarp apart that I toss it all in the back of the truck and question my lifes choices....

 

[dbhost]

Yes, a camper is nice.

I'd take JaSAn's advice and weigh your truck (with occupants), incl front and rear axle weights. But do it now, before the buy. Then you'll know your avail payload. Most all of the camper would prob be on the rear axle so determine your avail rear axle load (to max rating) too.

As for the floor, most long-on-short I've seen appear to have done without reinforcement.
But a sheet of plywood added under camper could be used (or some lighter weight metal support). if desired. Yes, it will add weight but you could possibly remove some of the material.

If you have an extended or crew cab truck maximize that for storage.

Super Cab, most of the heavier stuff, I.E. Full gray tank, Dutch Oven etc... sit in the rear footwell. The back seat is reserved for the dog. He does NOT like riding in the front seat still... He is used to my wife being there and will not jump up there....

 

[NOPEC]

I already know the weights of the occupants. My fat tail and my 55lb dog... That dips into the number a bit deep but good reason to go with it.

The camper is a typical 90s camper, and for those that don't recall, the 11th gen and newer F150 has freakishly tall sidewalls to the truck bed. In order to make it fit, I need to build a cradle to boost the camper up at least 2" to clear the bed rails. My local Sutherlands sells Cedar 4x4, which is considerably lighter than other options, and much more bug and rot resistant. So a support cradle out of 4x4 cedar treated with waterproofer like Thompsons or similar... should do the job and not add much weight.

I think my biggest concern with weight isn't how much, but as mentioned, where. I need to keep the batteries in front of the wheel well, and those 200 amp hour batteries are LONG... The cabinet I am thinking of for them is actually intended for the port o potty...

Mind you, Lifepo4 are feather light for batteries, not much heavier than winter jackets honestly which surprised me. I could always use foam and PMF to enclose the space BEHIND the wheel well to make a battery compartment on one side, and a fishing gear compartment on the other... LOL...

And it is a tough call. Standing room is good as gold for sure, but the weight issues folks are bringing up are not something I am unconcerned with, just not sure it is as big of an issue as folks seem to want to make it out to be.

Honestly, if this doesn't pan out, I am going to keep with the hi top truck shell camper, which the camper all camping gear, fluids etc... adds less than 600lbs to the total. (I can life and move the topper on my own, I can carry the bed frame one handed etc... That would certainly be easier on the weight and budget, but I lose standing height and room to move around in socked in weather. I've been driven out of a tent and into the cab of the truck on several occasions, the camper shell gives me space to lay down and sleep, or sit up and work, but nowhere to stand up and move about, which makes long tropical sogs a miserable experience...

A few thoughts to further muddy the soup. First, very sorry about the loss of your wife.

Many manufacturers out there that make both smaller and large slide in campers and to me, it seems that most of the smaller campers are designed to take advantage of very the popular short box, "crew/extra/supercab, etc" format of trucks, such as yours. Obviously, this category is popular because of both the shorter wheel bases (generally) and the ability to carry multiple passengers, for example, families. I am most familiar with Canadian companies that manufacture mostly fiberglass moulded campers. Today, none of these companies manufacture a camper that is designed to go flush into a pickup truck box, be it 6.5 or an 8 ft. And to boot, none of these campers are designed to be used (can't be) with the tailgate, down or otherwise. Some of these are pushing 3' of overhang in a 6'5" bed, often with double propane tanks and/or black/gray water tanks out there in the overhang. Although very strong, the fiberglass is also heavy. I just can't see your foot and a half overhang with modest weight, is going to be a problem. I had both a Six Pac and a FWC campers with boxed plywood on the bottom and used them without the tailgate, with nary a problem. If removed, the tailgate is an easy 70 lbs to subtract from your calculations.

On the forced air propane heater, they are simple, easy to trouble shoot and fix. If you already have the propane system(s) in place, I would question the need to add both the hardware and an addition fuel to what I think you want to be a fairly simple set up. JMO.

The solid foam insulation as a camper/bed interface is a great way to go. You can buy the exact thickness (within 1/2") that you need, it obviously gives you extra insulation, it is super light and it's compression resistance per sq. inch is waaaay greater than any weight your camper is ever going exert on it. Up here, it comes in 2x8 foot sections, buy two of them, chop them off at the end of the box, paint the ends black so they don't look too dorkey, use the left over pieces as the buffer between the front of the box and the camper and then forget about it.

Last thought from an old guy, go with the camper, you wouldn't be sorry

 

[dbhost]

A few thoughts to further muddy the soup. First, very sorry about the loss of your wife.

Many manufacturers out there that make both smaller and large slide in campers and to me, it seems that most of the smaller campers are designed to take advantage of very the popular short box, "crew/extra/supercab, etc" format of trucks, such as yours. Obviously, this category is popular because of both the shorter wheel bases (generally) and the ability to carry multiple passengers, for example, families. I am most familiar with Canadian companies that manufacture mostly fiberglass moulded campers. Today, none of these companies manufacture a camper that is designed to go flush into a pickup truck box, be it 6.5 or an 8 ft. And to boot, none of these campers are designed to be used (can't be) with the tailgate, down or otherwise. Some of these are pushing 3' of overhang in a 6'5" bed, often with double propane tanks and/or black/gray water tanks out there in the overhang. Although very strong, the fiberglass is also heavy. I just can't see your foot and a half overhang with modest weight, is going to be a problem. I had both a Six Pac and a FWC campers with boxed plywood on the bottom and used them without the tailgate, with nary a problem. If removed, the tailgate is an easy 70 lbs to subtract from your calculations.

On the forced air propane heater, they are simple, easy to trouble shoot and fix. If you already have the propane system(s) in place, I would question the need to add both the hardware and an addition fuel to what I think you want to be a fairly simple set up. JMO.

The solid foam insulation as a camper/bed interface is a great way to go. You can buy the exact thickness (within 1/2") that you need, it obviously gives you extra insulation, it is super light and it's compression resistance per sq. inch is waaaay greater than any weight your camper is ever going exert on it. Up here, it comes in 2x8 foot sections, buy two of them, chop them off at the end of the box, paint the ends black so they don't look too dorkey, use the left over pieces as the buffer between the front of the box and the camper and then forget about it.

Last thought from an old guy, go with the camper, you wouldn't be sorry

Removal of the tailgate is certainly a viable option, and gives me the added bonus of more easily being able to mount up camper steps instead of using my step stool from home... To be honest. I have no idea HOW to take the tailgate off. Guess I am going to have to look that up.

Rigid Foam Insulation boards here anyway come in 1/2", 3/4", 1", and 2". I have never seen 1.5 but it probably exists.

Bed sidewall height is 22.3", according to specs. I measured and thought it was closer to 22.5 but whatever...

Per the sellers description, from bottom of the camper to the wings is 21.5", so 1" short. If I could find it 1.5" foam board would be perfect...

Considering the pop up camper has the overcab sleeper, AND widens out over the sides of the truck using space that would effectively be dead on a sleeper cap, I would effectively be tripling my usable interior space not to mention being able to stand up and at least walk a couple of feet each way...

The campers I am looking at are pretty simple, lightweight units that I have seen successfully used on 1/2 ton trucks like the Silverado 1500, F150, Tundra etc... for years if not decades.

None of the options I have available here in the south are molded fiberglass units. I have seen a few but they are just too heavy for my truck, and they are all fixed sides no pop ups... Very much NOT what I am looking for.

I have no idea how to troubleshoot a propane forced air furnace. Need to look that up. It is one of those fix it when I need to things. Until then, if it gets too cold, there is always the Buddy heater...

 

[JaSAn]

Removal of the tailgate is certainly a viable option . . .
Removing my tailgate saved about 80 lbs. Just make sure your camper can be unsupported in that last 1.5 feet.

Rigid Foam Insulation boards here anyway come in 1/2", 3/4", 1", and 2". I have never seen 1.5 but it probably exists.
Stack 1" and 1/2". Glue together if necessary.
Because the Foamular can compress a little you need something solid for the camper to rest on. This is what I did:

 

[dbhost]

View attachment 751361

Gotcha. Yep. Going to have to dig into the tailgate removal then. I know the camper can be unsupported that last bit, lots of them are apparently.