Best way to store a truck camper outside?

[FlyByReckoning]

I'm new to the camper world, got myself a hard-side hand-me-down from a friend and am planing to live in it through the summer (2 people, 2 dogs) while we build a house. I'm in northern Colorado and hope to move around between friends properties and National Forest which means we will be moving every couple weeks. I hope to use my truck between moves too, as I will need it for the house construction so I'm weighing the options for off-truck storage of the camper. I haven't seen much discussion of using campers while they are off the truck so I have a few questions:

Q: What're the best storage methods if I'm planning to use the camper while it is off the truck?

I'm thinking some sawhorses like THESE with adjustable legs to make leveling easier

Q: Is a support for the over-the-cab bed necessary and what do people use?

I'm considering one of THESE

I figured I'd resurrect an old post before creating a new one, thanks for any input

 

[pugslyyy]

Welcome to expo!

It is going to be different for every camper. For instance, my Bigfoot requires full width 4x4 blocking at three specific locations.

 

[kpredator]

camper

I like to keep our popup on the truck and preferably keep it in the middle keys for the winter,along with a fishing boat.

 

[orangeTJ]

if you plan on using the camper while it's off the truck, it should be lowered all the way down, or supported on some wood timbers like the previous post shows.
Having it up high in the air, on saw horses is a recipe for disaster because it will be unstable and wobbly.

 

[beachbum2013]

truck camper table

We store our camper on a table same size as the bed of my truck.
To move the table I pick up one end and slide a four wheel dolly under cross beem.
We cover it with a modified rv roof cover . I bolted the tie down anchors to wood blocks under
the legs. So far its worked out great.

 

[rotti]

If your building a house you probably have some plywood around?

This is probably the easiest, cheapest and most compact support system I've seen:
http://www.jaysnest.net/x-braces.htm

 

[Freebird]

Northern Lite Camper jack brackets (which mount the jacks to the camper) are L shaped, with the bottom part of the L going under and supporting structural points on the camper. The upper part of the L is bolted to the camper, so it is a "belt & suspenders" arrangement. Very few TC manufactures do this.
That being said, "Time" + "Force" is a pretty potent combination, and the force of gravity is quite relentless....
The manufactures recommendation is a good place to start, but I see an abundance of caution and care being prudent.
I support my camper base when/if off the truck other than during the transition.

 

[boxcar1]

The best method I have found is to fabricate a set of 3 ( heavy duty ) saw horses 1" taller than the bed of the truck . ( Mine are built entirely with 2x6 PT lumber )
The height is critical for me. It limits the amount of jacking required to get the unit off the horses and on the truck.
I recommend 3 horses because the floor of most ( if not all ) campers is designed to be supported by the truck bed.
If the floor is not properly supported when in storage stay out of the camper or you run the risk of separating the floor from the camper.....
Once the camper is on the horses I drop the jacks just far enough to be in contact with the ground ( no pressure ) for stability.
I keep my camper under a roof when not in use. This can be done in a building , a metal or wood car port , portable building etc.
Costco sells a very nice 20x10 soft sided building ( kind of a heavy tent ) for under $300 . It is to short ( eave height ) for most rv's but as the frame is 2" round steel it can be extended with exhaust tubing to the height requirements of your rig. Just make sure the thing is bolted securely to the ground or it will be prone to landing in your neighbors yard.
I used one of these structures for 4 years with good results in Oregon on the coast......
Tarps and or camper covers will work but due to the lack of air flow between the tarp / cover , can cause issues such as mold and mildew. Still , they are far better than using nothing at all.
Good luck .

 

[jeep-N-montero]

For our camper I place a small unmounted spare tire on the roof around the vent and then a bungeed tarp over that, the tire keeps any weight from snow off the vent and also helps any water drain off by creating a slope from the center outward, works perfect so far. I keep the camper mounted on the truck because the only time the truck goes anywhere is if we are taking the boat out or I am going hunting and need the camper, we have 4 other cars to drive to keep the miles off the truck and that are easier to park.

 

[Mundo4x4Casa]

We've tried every which way to store our 1998 Lance Lite 165-s-Xcab. At first, we rented a storage space and just stored it outside on it's jacks. In our area near the Sunland CA, we get lots of wind, sometime up to 100 mph. Next, I made some sturdy homemade saw horses for the front where most the weight happens to be, and 6 ton jack stands under the rear. All 4 jacks are lowered to snug, taking very little weight off the saw horse and jack stands. Kind of an 8 point attachment to the ground. This has worked well in high winds and high snow load conditions.

Note the homemade 6" channel iron front jack extensions for the 12" wide wheels:





Much better. But now, we needed some protection for the epidermis from sun, wind, rain, and snow. I bought a huge, HD cotton duck tarp that draped over the top and was cinched down with HD bungie cords. It weighed 80 pounds, dry and was a bear to get on and off without help and a good 8 foot folding ladder. It lasted for years and is still going, unlike the blue plastic tarp which gets about 1 season. When I retired we moved to the West Slope it had its own set of woes for the TC. Note the HD tarp covering the top and down the side a ways.


Still, I wanted something a little more permanent for TC storage. I built a purpose built shed for the TC and my Kioti tractor. It just fits and the tractor bucket goes underneath the overhang.


Along the way I did a 3" lift for the truck and recently added 200W of solar on the roof.


Now, because of the lift, the camper will not fit in its shed, and the solar doesn't work keeping the batts up if it gets no sun.


The camper is on the truck about 75% of the year, so I've gone back to parking it in the sun (in winter) and making sure the sealing and caulking is up to date. All windows and vents closed tight. We have no woe with mold here.