Toying with the idea of building a wedge camper into my ARE cap

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TacoGringito

New member
Hey guys, been a long time since I've been on any forum lol...So I just bought a '20 Tacoma SR5 last week and it came with an ARE DCU (commercial) cap on it. My initial plan was to just use it as a "camper" cap...that was until I saw the DIY wedge camper by ripcord...now I've got the itch to use the ARE cap as the "space frame" and build the wedge right on top, with an access hole from the inside (like the DIY build).

I've already reached out to ARE to find out the max load on the top of the cap and was told it's 200 lbs. Now, whether that's static or dynamic, I have no idea. Regardless if I go this route I will be adding reinforcement trusses in the corners of the current cap, just wish I had a TIG so I could weld the aluminum.

Has anyone ever done anything like this in the past? Anyone have fabrication advice? I honestly don't care if the cap ends up getting destroyed. I didn't pay for it and I'm not a huge fan of it as it sits now.


And of course, a picture:
stocktaco.jpg
 
O

Oscar Mike Gulf Yankee

Well-known member
Nice tooper, by "wedge" do you mean like an RTT with a hard top or a pop top that you can stand up in?

I would do a pop top, ladders and I wouldn't get along in the middle of the night, or heck, even after beer thirty!

Would you consider building over the cab to give you a bed with standing room toward the back?
 
N

NatersXJ6

Explorer
There are lots of nice AC TIG or even aluminum MIG spools on the market that can easily disappear in the budget for a custom wedge build…. Just sayin!
 
T

TacoGringito

New member
Oscar Mike Gulf Yankee said:
Nice tooper, by "wedge" do you mean like an RTT with a hard top or a pop top that you can stand up in?

I would do a pop top, ladders and I wouldn't get along in the middle of the night, or heck, even after beer thirty!

Would you consider building over the cab to give you a bed with standing room toward the back?
Click to expand...

Basically, similar to the GFC wedge. There was a member on tacoma world (I believe his name is ripcord) who made an entire GFC replica of sorts. I got the idea from his build. I figured since I have this cap, I'd give it a shot using it as the foundation and build the wedge on top. Access would be from the inside via a hole in the roof of the cap, which would be sealed. If I destroy the cap, I won't be that upset as I'll either follow his build and use steel square tubing and build one myself, or I'll go the soft roof top tent direction and get a bed rack. I'm honestly starting to lean that direction now as it would sleep more people, but if I can source the aluminum extrusions cheap enough, I may still play around with it.


NatersXJ6 said:
There are lots of nice AC TIG or even aluminum MIG spools on the market that can easily disappear in the budget for a custom wedge build…. Just sayin!
Click to expand...

Honestly, that's a fair point as well...and I do love buying tools ?
Main thing is I still need to do a 220v run out to my garage, which I was planning on doing this spring/summer...soooo a new welder may be in my future after all lol
 
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Oscar Mike Gulf Yankee

Well-known member
OK, just a suggestion; I'd consider using a Tanoue cover off a pickup as the main roof, after tilting that up toward the front have three solid walls lift up for the sides and rear walls. Side walls could have windows. Sort of like an "A" Liner camper.
 
Louisd75

Louisd75

Adventurer
This guy's thread was pretty fun to follow:

www.expeditionportal.com

Tacoma aluminum Pop-up

A year ago I purchased a beat up high millage 2007 Tacoma TRD Off Road with hopes of making a place to crash in the back. Ive always been into my parents 89 westfalia The truck came with a snugtop that I slept in a few nights but wanted more head room, I really wanted to be able to sit in the...
www.expeditionportal.com www.expeditionportal.com
 
javajoe79

javajoe79

Fabricator
TacoGringito said:
Basically, similar to the GFC wedge. There was a member on tacoma world (I believe his name is ripcord) who made an entire GFC replica of sorts. I got the idea from his build. I figured since I have this cap, I'd give it a shot using it as the foundation and build the wedge on top. Access would be from the inside via a hole in the roof of the cap, which would be sealed. If I destroy the cap, I won't be that upset as I'll either follow his build and use steel square tubing and build one myself, or I'll go the soft roof top tent direction and get a bed rack. I'm honestly starting to lean that direction now as it would sleep more people, but if I can source the aluminum extrusions cheap enough, I may still play around with it.




Honestly, that's a fair point as well...and I do love buying tools ?
Main thing is I still need to do a 220v run out to my garage, which I was planning on doing this spring/summer...soooo a new welder may be in my future after all lol
Click to expand...
The harbor freight vulcan pro tig is a fantastic budget machine. I run a fab shop and it’s seen daily use since I bought it. Everyone loves it.
 
R

Remy1974

New member
I'm currently working on a project like this.

Started with a long bed topper. You would have an easier road than I since your topper seems to be the right size for your truck. I had to size the frame and all the doors, which wasn't bad but takes some time.

IMG_0027.jpeg

Took and completely stripped the shell then started added aluminum bits.

IMG_1599.jpeg

This is where she sits right now. I'll hopefully start the canvas work this winter. Also starting to plan out the dual battery setup as I want to have an idea for wire routing before I do any interior finish work.

IMG_2503.jpeg68083534501__FEA071F6-80C3-483B-9B65-0EABE970F10E.jpeg
 
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