Jsegall1988
New member
Hey guys, brand new to the site and happy to be one of the full size crew.
I have an 04 Silverado 2500 as a daily driver.
My wife and I like to get out on the weekends for some camping fun, but not a lot of the places around here have easy access for trailers (if you want privacy anyway) so I started looking at ways to be able to run out after work but not have to spend a ton of time setting up.
I enjoy browsing Craigslist and offer up so I was able to find myself a pretty cheap topper. Fit the truck nice and was carpeted inside.
We wanted to have a sleeping platform with storage underneath to eliminate having to pack and unpack if we were in a hurry. But this being my daily, I wanted to be able to remove the platform if I needed full range of my bed. So I had a couple of ideas and after trial and error we ended up with the platform.
The hinges in the center allow it to pivot in half and slide right out. I use the wheel wells for added support and the support is off centered to allow for storage of camp chairs and what have you. Now here’s where the other problem came in. Once inside, you’re basically in a coffin, with your face super close to the top of the canopy. Back to the drawing board.
I had seen the topper ez lift setups but was hesitant to spend the money not knowing how it would suit us. I ended up buying some 50lb 18” stroke gas struts to assist lifting the canopy. I welded up some brackets (with very minimal skills of how to weld) and got to drilling.
It’s up! Now what.... didn’t think about that all too well. I looked around and decided to buy some tent material I found on amazon and stitch up the walls myself. I’m not a seamstress so I bought 30lb braid fishing line to assure nothing would tear. We use the carpet already installed in the topper to attach Velcro to and that’s what I stitched to the tent fabric. On clear days I tuck the material down into the bed, and if it rains I left the fabric long enough to drape over the sides to drain water. 
I have an 04 Silverado 2500 as a daily driver.
My wife and I like to get out on the weekends for some camping fun, but not a lot of the places around here have easy access for trailers (if you want privacy anyway) so I started looking at ways to be able to run out after work but not have to spend a ton of time setting up. I enjoy browsing Craigslist and offer up so I was able to find myself a pretty cheap topper. Fit the truck nice and was carpeted inside.
We wanted to have a sleeping platform with storage underneath to eliminate having to pack and unpack if we were in a hurry. But this being my daily, I wanted to be able to remove the platform if I needed full range of my bed. So I had a couple of ideas and after trial and error we ended up with the platform.
The hinges in the center allow it to pivot in half and slide right out. I use the wheel wells for added support and the support is off centered to allow for storage of camp chairs and what have you. Now here’s where the other problem came in. Once inside, you’re basically in a coffin, with your face super close to the top of the canopy. Back to the drawing board. I had seen the topper ez lift setups but was hesitant to spend the money not knowing how it would suit us. I ended up buying some 50lb 18” stroke gas struts to assist lifting the canopy. I welded up some brackets (with very minimal skills of how to weld) and got to drilling.
It’s up! Now what.... didn’t think about that all too well. I looked around and decided to buy some tent material I found on amazon and stitch up the walls myself. I’m not a seamstress so I bought 30lb braid fishing line to assure nothing would tear. We use the carpet already installed in the topper to attach Velcro to and that’s what I stitched to the tent fabric. On clear days I tuck the material down into the bed, and if it rains I left the fabric long enough to drape over the sides to drain water. 
