[Hard Side] Camper options for Toyota Tundra 2006 AC SR5 TRD?

[bumblebus]

Hi. I may be getting a 2006 Toyota Tundra Access Cab SR5/TRD that's in very good shape with <60k miles on it. My wife, dog & I like to camp in the hinterlands on Montana in bear country/cold country. We know we want a hard side slide in... no pop-up. We also know the better half needs at least an exterior shower, but preferably a wet bath inside. The dog & I... need nothing but nature most times.

Anyways... there seems to be a real dearth of options for this type truck. Most everything migrates towards FWC/AWC/Alaska/etc. etc. pop-ups. Curious what hard side options we have. Willing to put in airbags/extra leaf spring etc.

Thanks for any tips!! We're coming from a '72 VW Bus (LOL), but have camped in everything from tents to long wheel base Sprinter conversions and most everything in between. A slide in for a Tundra suits us best we think for our weekend billy goating outings within 100 miles of home.

 

[rotti]

Sorry, you may be able to Mickey Mouse up something but in the long run you're going to need at least a three-quarter ton truck.

I have one of the lightest pop up campers available, a FWC, and I still wouldn't consider a half ton truck.

Get the right tool for the job.

 

[Tatted]

Call northstar. After having my Tundra I would never buy a 3/4 ton again jmo

 

[bumblebus]

Stumbled across the link below recently... a Camplite 6.8... looks very nice, but... yeah... heavy even though they claim it's for a 1/2 ton. I did look at the 700SS from Northstar... also heavy. It's still a wonder to me that, with such a large potential market, a 1,000lb or lighter hard side isn't out there. Maybe it's physically impossible to build. You'd think with composites etc. etc. it could be done, but... $$$. Hmm. Maybe I'll just shoot for a Mercedes 4x4 Sprinter and put in a custom camper interior. Ugh... sounds like a lot of work. LOL.

http://www.livinlite.com/6_8-overview.php

 

[Darwin]

Or just get a bigger truck, probably cheaper and more reliable than the sprinter.

 

[Regcabguy]

Or just get a bigger truck, probably cheaper and more reliable than the sprinter.

Yep. The stronger frame and bigger brakes work wonders.
I met a guy recently with an '05 Tundra and an FWC who fried his axle bearings just outside of Todos Santos,BC. He had it towed to Cabo where they were able to source some bearings and got him on his way...until pulling into San Quintin northbound. Rearend froze up and another very expensive tow job to Carlsbad Toyota determined that a new factory complete axle assembly was necessary. I haven't seen the guy since. Hopefully,this did it. Can't beat a full floating rear axle for lugging a camper around.

 

[uriedog]

I had an old Valley camper that was 800lbs. I used to put it on my 1992 Toyota Pickup. (1/2 Ton) It worked really well, was under gross weight too. It was very bare bones though. Sink with outside drain, convection heater, 2 burner stove. no bathroom. Slept three comfortably, 4 squished.

Hard to find a low weight camper with all the amenities.

 

[ported]

We (wife, myself, dog) camp in a Livin Lite 6.5'. Just over 800 lb. dry. 30 gal fresh water, 30 amp converter, 3-burner stove, sink, no toilet. A 2003 Toyota Tundra TRD Offroad carries this. Air bags, up graded shocks and exhaust makes this a great camper setup for us. Inexpensive to own, well built fiberglass 2-piece, hard to find used. Used this in the Yukon, north and south BC, off-road and not. The factory doesn't make these anymore. That said we do get camper envy seeing larger 3/4-1 ton units.

 

[bumblebus]

Thanks for the info ported! Any photos you could share of that setup? I feel like a lot of folks warning against hard side setups like this either a) do a lot of highway travel where the weight/high-COG are bad and/or b) *really* off road where the same applies. We always usually camp within 100 miles of home (endless options!) and though we're "off road" it's 95% of the time well maintained forest service roads etc. I'm pretty tall so even just the thought of trying to scurry in and out of pop-up doors makes me cringe. Will look more closely at the Livin Lite 6.8.

 

[rotti]

Really it's just a pretty simple math problem.

Load up your dog, wife, full tank of gas, the stuff that usually goes camping and take it to the scales. Don't forget to add the weight of 30 gallons of water. See what you really weigh. Subtract what the truck is rated for (should be sticker in the glove box or door frame).

That should give you an idea of the camper weight you can handle. Also, camper manufacturers are less than true-full about what the campers really weigh. The placard on mine showed 760 pounds wet which is probably what a shell model weighs. With most "normal" options (batteries, furnace, 2 way frig) mine, at the scales, was 1380 pounds dry with the jacks removed. Fully loaded, two people, big dog, I was over a ton with a pop up with no bath.

Pay special attention to the axle ratings and even more so to tire ratings. Tires are usually the first point of failure in an overloaded condition.

Beautiful area your in.....I'm originally from Bozeman MT and miss the Flathead valley and lakes.

Good luck with your quest..

 

[bumblebus]

Thx rotti. Will be diligent when it comes time to purchase something (which may be a ways off we'll see how the savings account grows over time). Researching is half the fun as winter approaches. Lived in Bozeman for 6yrs. Loved it, but Flathead suited us better as it ticked all our checkboxes: 1) Mountains 2) Lakes 3) Rivers 4) Forests 5) Not Overcrowded (yet anyways... compared to Bozeman's explosive growth over the last 10+ yrs). Etc. We were just in Bozeman two weeks ago camping at Fairy Lake & Hyalite... still relatively peaceful, but people *everywhere*. Hardly recognized town itself. 19th St has blown up. At least there are like 4 micro-breweries there now. ;-)

Currently researching hard side FWC Hawk that may be just the meal ticket with E rated tires, airbags, extra leaf. Hmm. Doesn't appear FWC makes them anymore unfortunately, but they sure look SWEET!

 

[bumblebus]

Example FWC hard side Hawk *drool*:

 

[rotti]

Here is a thread over on WTW concerning a FWC Hardside Hawk on First gen Tundra:
http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/topic/10459-fwc-hardside-hawk-on-first-gen-tundra/

 

[oldone]

Example FWC hard side Hawk *drool*:

I could be wrong, but I belive this exact camper is listed in our "For Sale" section...:Wow1:

www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/147209-2012-Four-Wheel-Camper-Rare-Hard-Side-Hawk

 

[19mile]

Thank you for posting on this topic, it's pretty much the main reason I started reading here. I've had a sprinter, then a 4wd Ford E350 diesel, and now a 2013 Tundra that is my daily driver. I'd like something that I can put on the back that the wife and I can camp in.

It seems there are 2 camps: those who are absolutely against going over weight for any reason, and those who aren't. I'm not done deciding my position, but those who claim you may be criminally liable in the event of an accident while overweight, or at the least having insurance refuse to pay, make a compelling argument. Indeed, it seems like I see 1/2 ton trucks with campers all the time, and wonder why even camper manufacturers market their 1700lb campers for them. Strange. I think I'd be willing to push my 1600 lb capacity, or at least come close if I added air bags, E rated tires and a sway bar. Those are pretty reasonable mods, easily done and not that expensive considering I need new tires anyway.

Here's what I've found so far in my reserarch. If anyone else has anything, a post would be appreciated...


Travel Lite 700 Sport...the lightest full service option
1290lbs
http://www.travellitecampers.com/models/700sport/700sport.htm

Livin Lite Camplite 6.8
https://www.livinlite.com/6_8-overview.php
Dry Weight 1780 lbs.
They claim "made for a 1/2 ton". Seriously!?

For comparison
Four Wheel Camper Hawk
http://www.fourwh.com/product/hawk-short-bed-popup-truck-camper-regular-size/
895 lbs. Shell model is even lighter...maybe 600 lbs?

I think the lightest option may be a cab over canopy, made by Cache Camper, from my home state of Alaska. Admittedly not as nice as a full camper, but must be light...
http://www.cachecamper.com/photo-gallery/cab-over-canopies/
I plan to visit the manufacturer to see what one of these weighs. One thing I'd ideally like to get out of a camper would be to have a place for guests to sleep, when it's off my truck and in the back yard. Also, as emergency accommodations, since we live in a very seismically active area. Therefore I'm not sure this would work for me but perhaps they could build me a full shell that would be under 1000lbs? I'll post when I visit their facility and find out.

Given that we have 3 dry cabins in our family, we're used to hauling in water, and living with a blue cube jug of water and a bucket under the sink. Running water in a camper seems like more than we need, and more maintenance/problems. We would like a propane stove, some heat, and some kind of refrigeration. A basic solar power system and batteries would be nice to run lights and stereo. I'm 6'2" tall and would sure appreciate a hard side rather than a pop up, due to the door opening size. Hopefully someone has other options to share...