Hardside Cabover ontop of Spray-in or Plastic Bedliner?

[Co-opski]

I've tried searching around the site and others to see what is the best options for my cabover camper set up.

I have a 2011 Toyota Tundra with the factory plastic bedliner and plan on having my 7 foot Cache Camper cabover mounted to it full time. It is mounted with Torklift Tiedowns and wired to the truck.

Would it be better to replace the plastic bedliner with an aftermarket bedlines like LineX or Rhino or just keep the Toyota plastic liner? Any help from the expo crew would be appreciated.

 

[LivinDaDream]

I can't see that it would make any real difference, but I would put something between the bed and the base of the camper.

In my situation, the sidewalls of my Silverado are taller than the standard seemed to be back in 2008 when my Lance 815 was made. I have to space the base up at least 1.5" so that the overhang clears the sidewalls. Used 2x12's in the bed for a while, but changed to a 2" rigid foam insulation, cut to 48"x80". Camper sits on that and is held in place by TorkLift Tie-down brackets to the frame with FastGuns. Never any issues with it.

 

[redthies]

Ditch the plastic liner and get a 1/4" thick rubber bed mat. Dee Zee makes a good one for about $50. The rubber gives a tiny bit of cushion, but most importantly it keeps the camper from moving around too much. Plastic drop in liners are the absolute worst thing ever for campers to sit on. Maybe oiled ball bearings would be worse, but not by much. My new camper is Northern Lite (they are very high quality) and the manufacturer has suggested that NOT using a bed mat like this, and Torklift Fastguns or other spring loaded tie downs could cause them to question any structural warranty claims. Mine has a 6 year factory warranty included, so I'm going to keep using the mat.

https://www.deezee.com/product/truck-bed-mats/

 

[Co-opski]

Ditch the plastic liner and get a 1/4" thick rubber bed mat. Dee Zee makes a good one for about $50. The rubber gives a tiny bit of cushion, but most importantly it keeps the camper from moving around too much. Plastic drop in liners are the absolute worst thing ever for campers to sit on. Maybe oiled ball bearings would be worse, but not by much. My new camper is Northern Lite (they are very high quality) and the manufacturer has suggested that NOT using a bed mat like this, and Torklift Fastguns or other spring loaded tie downs could cause them to question any structural warranty claims. Mine has a 6 year factory warranty included, so I'm going to keep using the mat.

https://www.deezee.com/product/truck-bed-mats/

Thanks this is the info I was looking for. Everything seems to slip on the plastic liner.

 

[Co-opski]

I can't see that it would make any real difference, but I would put something between the bed and the base of the camper.

In my situation, the sidewalls of my Silverado are taller than the standard seemed to be back in 2008 when my Lance 815 was made. I have to space the base up at least 1.5" so that the overhang clears the sidewalls. Used 2x12's in the bed for a while, but changed to a 2" rigid foam insulation, cut to 48"x80". Camper sits on that and is held in place by TorkLift Tie-down brackets to the frame with FastGuns. Never any issues with it.

Thanks moving the camper from my 1995 T100 to my 2011 Tundra I am also experiencing the problem with the higher bed rails. I like the idea of the the ridged foam because of the added R-value.

 

[Regcabguy]

Ditch the plastic liner and get a 1/4" thick rubber bed mat. Dee Zee makes a good one for about $50. The rubber gives a tiny bit of cushion, but most importantly it keeps the camper from moving around too much. Plastic drop in liners are the absolute worst thing ever for campers to sit on. Maybe oiled ball bearings would be worse, but not by much. My new camper is Northern Lite (they are very high quality) and the manufacturer has suggested that NOT using a bed mat like this, and Torklift Fastguns or other spring loaded tie downs could cause them to question any structural warranty claims. Mine has a 6 year factory warranty included, so I'm going to keep using the mat.

https://www.deezee.com/product/truck-bed-mats/

What tiedowns do you use?

 

[adam88]

If you want the best, then using a thin rubber mat (like the deezee above) is the way to go, along with torklift spring loaded tie downs. But hey... I see campers all the time around here sitting on old mouldy wooden pallets, tied down using chain or rope. So totally depends on your level of standards

 

[Regcabguy]

I've seen an F-250's bed collapsed and bowed out from the weight of a Callen camper after Baja.
These newer trucks need specific tiedowns.

 

[redthies]

What tiedowns do you use?

I have Torklift Fast Guns. They set me up a while back as a product evaluator. I've gotten a couple of nice packages dropped off at no cost. The Fast Guns are not what I would call cheap, but they are by far the best camper specific product I've ever used.

 

[Regcabguy]

I have Torklift Fast Guns. They set me up a while back as a product evaluator. I've gotten a couple of nice packages dropped off at no cost. The Fast Guns are not what I would call cheap, but they are by far the best camper specific product I've ever used.

Gotcha. I'm still using my Happijac tiedowns from 2000. The camper never comes off. If I removed it frequently those Fast Guns would be the ticket.

 

[Co-opski]

So after working with the guys at Cache Camper I got my Torklifts installed and I'm using the Torklift XL turnbuckles. The Fastguns are nice but more than I could spend at the moment and I'm not taking the camper on and off the truck much. Torklift says to NOT use a plastic bedliner or any bed material that can compress. They recommend just a rubber mat in the back. Thanks for the help I got my rig all set up and ready to start my new chapter in overlanding with a cabover.