land travaler
New member
my newly built all around expo rig with a camper shell i got.i am going to use some of the ideas i see to make it more usable 
Lets see some "set up" Regular Camper shells
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Mighty Dodge Ram
Explorer
Good job Walker. Simple, strong, functional. Did you use any biscuits or just butt joints with glue and screws? :sombrero:
lstzephyr
wanderer
Here is an updated picture of mine. I have some fleece covered side boxes, simple curtains, a wrap around front shelf, modular platform and I'm about half way through putting in some cabinet doors for the side boxes. Its a work in progress.
When I go camping I use a cot unless I have company. If it is me and a woman then I will just grab my mattress and toss it in the back with some blankets. It works quite well, and I find it very comfortable. Its just as comfortable as sleeping in my bed at home because it is my bed lol!
This is a national park in Kentucky.
When I go camping I use a cot unless I have company. If it is me and a woman then I will just grab my mattress and toss it in the back with some blankets. It works quite well, and I find it very comfortable. Its just as comfortable as sleeping in my bed at home because it is my bed lol!
This is a national park in Kentucky.
southpier
Expedition Leader
entry question for anyone getting in and out of their cap: how do you do it?
my tacoma has hard plastic ridges and no matter how hard i try to kneel on the up part, second knee hits a valley. sometimes i remember a floatation cushion and kneel on it, but i've thought about screwing a sheet of 1/2" mdo on the tailgate.
my tacoma has hard plastic ridges and no matter how hard i try to kneel on the up part, second knee hits a valley. sometimes i remember a floatation cushion and kneel on it, but i've thought about screwing a sheet of 1/2" mdo on the tailgate.
lstzephyr
wanderer
Well I'm a rock climber, snowboarder, skateboarder and a dirtbiker so I'm pretty nimble and I have excellent balance. Also at 6'2" and 167 I'm pretty skinny so I fit through the slider. If the tailgate is down I just jump up, land with the edge of my foot on the gate and lean in. If you move quick enough it is easy to keep balance that way. If the gate is up I just get up on the step bumper, crawl over the tailgate and grab the hatch down. I've been known to go in through the window from the front seat and crawl across the shelving too.
The girls usually leave the gate up and then step over the gate. In reality whatever works is what works. Most people find it easier to get in and out with the gate up.
The girls usually leave the gate up and then step over the gate. In reality whatever works is what works. Most people find it easier to get in and out with the gate up.
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TheAlmightySam
Adventurer
Ugh, I too am fighting in my head with this issue as I shop for camper shells. My tailgate, folded down, sits right around 36" off the ground, which is more than my leg will reasonably reach (and way more than my girlfriend can climb in one step). I'm loathe to get rid of it and rock the barn doors on a shell, however, because the tailgate is the perfect height for a work surface.
Decisions decisions.
Those of you with sleeping platforms with storage underneath - how much headroom did you wind up with above the bed? How happy are you with the amount you've got? I'd really like to be able to sit up in bed (for me, at 5' 6" that means 36" of headroom), but that's probably going to throw me into a high-rise shell, and my damn truck is tall enough as it is. Oh well, what's another foot right? :elkgrin:
lstzephyr
wanderer
I think you will find it easier if you just step up on the bumper and leave the tailgate up. Sit on the tailgate edge and just swing in. Alternately I grab the edge of the bed and step up on the edge of the bumper. Think of it as the same as getting into the bed without the cap.
I built my storage into the sides so I can leave the mattress on the floor of the bed. I have a specific set of needs though(I need to be able to transport my toolbox and still sleep in the back) so I have a modular system with a choice of plenty of headroom and little storage or everything I own and a lack of headroom. I think a platform built about 6-12" above the base of the bed would be best if you don't need a lot of space for storage. At 6'2" I can sit up in bed and be completely comfortable with a cab height shell. A 8 foot bed with a cab height shell is a lot of space really. I think your best bet would be to get a shell, sit in the back and then plan things out. It is difficult to get an idea of scale before you are in the truck.
This girl is around 5'9"-5'10" for scale.
I built my storage into the sides so I can leave the mattress on the floor of the bed. I have a specific set of needs though(I need to be able to transport my toolbox and still sleep in the back) so I have a modular system with a choice of plenty of headroom and little storage or everything I own and a lack of headroom. I think a platform built about 6-12" above the base of the bed would be best if you don't need a lot of space for storage. At 6'2" I can sit up in bed and be completely comfortable with a cab height shell. A 8 foot bed with a cab height shell is a lot of space really. I think your best bet would be to get a shell, sit in the back and then plan things out. It is difficult to get an idea of scale before you are in the truck.
This girl is around 5'9"-5'10" for scale.
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SChandler
Adventurer
I use a 2-step step ladder to get in and out of my truck when my wife and I sleep in it. We have one of those older step ladders with the nice wide top step with a rubber mat glued down on top and not much handle, so it makes a good platform to aim for when climbing in and out of the truck.
As far as bed platforms, we don't use one. I've been prohibited from building one as my wife likes the headroom without a platform. I have a cab high shell and their really isn't much room to move around once you get foam pads, sleeping bags, and pillows in place (in addition to the spare tire strapped in front of the wheelwell on the driver side and the three Rubbermaid storage bins with my recovery gear/spare parts/fluids/tools along the front of the truck bed). Oh how I dream of the day when I can build a rear bumper with a swing away tire carrier and a mount for the Hi-lift and a fuel and water can.
As far as bed platforms, we don't use one. I've been prohibited from building one as my wife likes the headroom without a platform. I have a cab high shell and their really isn't much room to move around once you get foam pads, sleeping bags, and pillows in place (in addition to the spare tire strapped in front of the wheelwell on the driver side and the three Rubbermaid storage bins with my recovery gear/spare parts/fluids/tools along the front of the truck bed). Oh how I dream of the day when I can build a rear bumper with a swing away tire carrier and a mount for the Hi-lift and a fuel and water can.
High Country Hillbilly
Observer
This is exactly why I bought a cab-high Callen with the barn doors on the back! My short legged gal would have serious issues hopping up on the T-gate. I bought a single step aluminum platform from Haror Freight to help her up to hitch/bumper height. From there, I give her one swift swat on the a**, she hops right in!!!
Hillbilly
Hillbilly
theMec
Adventurer
You guys are making it tougher than it needs to be. Glue closed cell padding to your tail gate. The knees will have no more problems .. or if you want bed and tailgate solution get a bedrug - http://www.bedrug.com/ A bedrug will add insulation to the inside of the back also. It gets dirty but you can vacuum it like an indoor/outdoor carpet.