INTERIOR living system for truck campers

[driven.to.roam]

I thought I would share the build progress of the interior living system I have been developing for truck campers. The idea behind the system is to develop a "50/50" living system that gives you access to amenities while you are both inside and outside the camper. It is designed to fit in most truck campers and truck beds. I really wanted something for "truck topper" style campers because I feel there is not a middle ground between minimalist campers (GFC, Super Pacific, AT Atlas, etc) and full on campers (FWC, OEV, AT Alterra) which means you are either spending $8-$12k on a basic camper or over $50k on a camper with all the bells and whistles. I wanted to incorporate as much amenities into an interior living system without having to blow the budget. Below is a rendering to show the layout. A few details are not shown that make it unique and functional compared to other systems out there.

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Q/A
Who or what is it for? Ideally for people looking to take weekend or extended month long trips but some can live in it full time.

How many people can it accommodate?
Between 2-4 people (two adults, two children) depending on the camper and bed size.

Where will it fit? It can be installed in most truck bed campers (wedge or pop up) with tailgate access. 6.5 to 5.5 bed options in both full size to mid size trucks.

How much does it weight? Estimated to be under 100 lbs but full specs to be released once prototype is complete.

What is it made of? It is a combination of aluminum and marine grade/weather resistant materials.

What type of weather is it suitable for?
It depends on the camper but four season camping is possible if installed with a heater.

Feel free to comment or message me regarding questions or feedback. You can also follow along on instagram @vecel_usa for more details.

 

[Spencer for Hire]

@vecel_usa

Very Nice. Where will you place the stove and also store it? That little drop table probably won't cut it, When do you launch? What will be the pricing range? Thank You

 

[Ozarker]

Not seeing anything unique or access from outside unless you have really long arms, appears you have lids opening from the inside isle.

Thing about access from outside, that requires openings, openings are hard to insulate for cold or hot weather for heat or A/C. Is this to be a hard sided camper or a tent camper?

What is this being built for? Weekend trips, cross country skiing, woodlands, desert areas, Alaska in January, Texas in August, all od the above?

I'd suggest you define the use first, what, when, where, how. Then consider the load required, equipment, surface needed for solar if any, water storage if required, for how many souls? From that you "living system" should evolve.

 

[driven.to.roam]

Very Nice. Where will you place the stove and also store it? That little drop table probably won't cut it, When do you launch? What will be the pricing range? Thank You

Hi! The stove will be placed on a pull out section of the galley. It will accommodate a Cook Partner stove. We choose this option because of its portability and opted not to have a fixed burner due to fire risk/liability. You can cook outside and move it inside when you need to and there will be plenty counter space to place the burner. We are building a prototype to show proof of concept but are hoping to launch in May 2023.

Regarding pricing, we want to be competitive and make economical sense for the consumer. The idea is to have the amenities of a full camper at a fraction of the cost.

 

[Arclight]

This is similar to the layout of my T100 Flippac. I have a bench seat/storage compartment that is 12" wide that runs the length of the driver's side of the bed, then drawers, fridge and a galley on the passenger side. I can remove and set up that box as a free standing unit outside for normal cooking. In bad weather, I can just use the stove to cook some ramen or something but try to avoid this as much as possible.

Another feature: I put a 1/2" steel rail down each side that allows me to install plywood+fiberglass panels and turn the whole bed (except the right side cabinet area) into 4x6' flat that can sleep 1-2 more people or rack gear up below and on top.

 

[driven.to.roam]

Not seeing anything unique or access from outside unless you have really long arms, appears you have lids opening from the inside isle.

Thing about access from outside, that requires openings, openings are hard to insulate for cold or hot weather for heat or A/C. Is this to be a hard sided camper or a tent camper?

What is this being built for? Weekend trips, cross country skiing, woodlands, desert areas, Alaska in January, Texas in August, all od the above?

I'd suggest you define the use first, what, when, where, how. Then consider the load required, equipment, surface needed for solar if any, water storage if required, for how many souls? From that you "living system" should evolve.

Hi! thank you for your questions and feedback.

The idea is to be a 50/50 living system. So have access to the "essential amenities" from both inside/outside the camper. With all layouts that fit a truck bed, there is going to be some give and take but we are hoping to hit the sweet spot. This system is meant to fit most "topper style" truck campers with tailgate access (GFC, Super Pacific, AT Overland Atlas, Topo Toppers, etc). I would say it is ideally build for weekend trips or extended month long trips (i.e. expeditions) but some will probably find it doable to live full time. There will also be options for a diesel heater for 4 season camping.

More details will be released as the prototype is complete.

 

[highwest]

@driven.to.roam, what are the materials of construction? Any options for modularity if someone doesn’t want the sink?

I’m intrigued as this looks a little bit similar to what we built for our Flippac, which we love. We’ll need a new truck in a few years and I’ve been thinking of what the new build will look like. Slide in popups are too much extra stuff for us, so another topper style camper is the likely option with a build out, similar to what you’re offering.

Keep ExPo updated!

 

[OVRLNDFX4]

Beautiful!

 

[driven.to.roam]

This is similar to the layout of my T100 Flippac. I have a bench seat/storage compartment that is 12" wide that runs the length of the driver's side of the bed, then drawers, fridge and a galley on the passenger side. I can remove and set up that box as a free standing unit outside for normal cooking. In bad weather, I can just use the stove to cook some ramen or something but try to avoid this as much as possible.

Another feature: I put a 1/2" steel rail down each side that allows me to install plywood+fiberglass panels and turn the whole bed (except the right side cabinet area) into 4x6' flat that can sleep 1-2 more people or rack gear up below and on top.

Nice! Sounds like you had a pretty awesome setup. There’s so many different ways to lay things out but also somewhat constrained to the bed size. We didn’t reinvent the wheel with our layout. After many iterations and real world testing, we finally settled on this layout.

It will also accommodate a family four (for 6.5 inch beds). Two adults, two children. Two should be able to sleep up top in any tent portion and two inside the bed portion.

 

[driven.to.roam]

@driven.to.roam, what are the materials of construction? Any options for modularity if someone doesn’t want the sink?

I’m intrigued as this looks a little bit similar to what we built for our Flippac, which we love. We’ll need a new truck in a few years and I’ve been thinking of what the new build will look like. Slide in popups are too much extra stuff for us, so another topper style camper is the likely option with a build out, similar to what you’re offering.

Keep ExPo updated!

Hey thanks!

Its going to be made from a combination of marine grade materials and water resistant panels. We are trying to avoid the use of wood except for the floor which will be sprayed with a liner.

The core design is really modular and removing the sink can be an option. Sounds like our interior camper system is meant for people just like you! Hope to be able to build a system for you in the near future.

 

[driven.to.roam]

Beautiful!

thanks!

 

[Ozarker]

Hi! thank you for your questions and feedback.

The idea is to be a 50/50 living system. So have access to the "essential amenities" from both inside/outside the camper. With all layouts that fit a truck bed, there is going to be some give and take but we are hoping to hit the sweet spot. This system is meant to fit most "topper style" truck campers with tailgate access (GFC, Super Pacific, AT Overland Atlas, Topo Toppers, etc). I would say it is ideally build for weekend trips or extended month long trips (i.e. expeditions) but some will probably find it doable to live full time. There will also be options for a diesel heater for 4 season camping.

More details will be released as the prototype is complete.

You don't by chance hold any political office do you (?) because you didn't answer any question but simply repeated your concept. Good luck in the camper business.

 

[driven.to.roam]

The 1970s were the worm hole for this technogy.... modular systems you could build at home were common.

Mechanix Illustrated, Popular Science, there were a dozen magazines with "how to build" design in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s. Best source for inspiration is used books, used magazine, even used comics store.

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Thanks for sharing!

There is a lot of really cool DIY’s out there. We are hoping to target people who don’t have the skill or time to build out an interior for themselves and just want a “turn key” solution.

 

[driven.to.roam]

You don't by chance hold any political office do you (?) because you didn't answer any question but simply repeated your concept. Good luck in the camper business.

Sorry I didn’t quite answer your questions directly. Is there a specific question you had in mind? I also edited my initial post to answer some general questions.

 

[Arclight]

Hey thanks!

Its going to be made from a combination of marine grade materials and water resistant panels. We are trying to avoid the use of wood except for the floor which will be sprayed with a liner.

My experience has been as follows:
1. Marine plywood will stay together and not delaminate after getting rained on. It is pretty soft, so it will get gouged up if used as a floor without a hard finish or layer bonded to the top.

2. An alternative is cabinet-grade wood (It has more plys and is very stiff) and sealing the edges well with fiberglass resin. You can also skin the surface with fiberglass cloth (I did this for my removable platform, as it's stiff and also slippery, so that I can slide the cooking unit out by myself). Fiberglass is messy and labor intensive, so it's a judgement call here.

3. It's hard to 100% seal the tailgate and the place where your tailgate meets the back glass of a typical camper shell, so you should expect that the last 12" of a camper interior and/or the floor in that area will receive a bit of water spray from time to time. It will also get left open occasionally too.

Most driveways slope downward, so any water that gets in will end up right around the last few inches of floor.