Toyota T100 - Enduro SuperTourer hardshell cabin

[NVLOC]

Intro:
Live in British Columbia, Canada and transitioning to a move to the Yukon this Fall. Have spent my adult years in the mountains some way or another. Extensive time hiking and skiing, with lots of time in tents year round around BC, the Yukon and periods in Alaska. As far as using a vehicle, have used many different setups other than a ground tent, on mid-size and a full size trucks over the past 15 or so years: many types of rooftop tents, popup campers, hardshell fiberglass campers and canopies. Weighing the pros and cons of what I’ve had, I was happy using my canopy or ground tent and keeping it simple and light in three seasons, with the occasional Winter night under the canopy to be close by for an early morning ski. Yet overall in Winter, I’d spend less time sleeping out of the truck. Fall into Winter is my favourite time to travel and the places that I enjoy being in the most can or do have rain/hail/snow throughout most months of the year. All in all, I enjoy inclement weather.

About the concept and the builder:
As all I’ve met who have spent extensive time in the mountains, simplicity and weight (as well as weight distribution) are key. Considered shipping the truck to have a camper built in Europe where the manufacturing mindset, processes, materials and engineering were much more in line with what I was looking for, yet the cost of the process felt excessive, even for something I would be living in for up to months, year round. Winter of 2021, researching composite materials for industrial applications I came across Enduro Campers that appeared to share a similar mindset (they had just put up a website and were on their second camper), built products that were engineered (stress analysis being a part of their process for example) and wereinterested in building what I wanted within my price range, even on an old T100!

The concept was a hardshell, sitting height cabin that was directly mounted to the chassis (light, low, smaller footprint). It’s weight and weight distribution were to be well within the optimal parameters of the truck to maintain longevity/durability, driving characteristics on and off road, simplicity of ownership and upfront + maintenance costs. I wanted to be able to carry items that you would usually just toss in the back of your bed within the wheelbase, not behind it: chainsaw, tools, spares, additional gas, additional water when needed, wood, tents, ski gear etc. Also, this wasn’t meant to replace a home – I still wanted to feel like I was camping. Cook outside, spend time outside or under the awning, etc, …. This mindset is also what enables the truck to meet its weight requirement and allows it to be such a pleasure to drive on and off road with minimal alterations from stock.

The folks at Enduro Campers quickly picked up on what I was after: essentials without excess for comfort and well-being in all weather and conditions, thanks to an efficient envelop and relatively minimalist mindset. I was thrilled that their first renderings of my hand drawn sketches and notes were already very close to what I had in mind. Over the course of the build, the expertise of the team made the concept into reality andperfected aspects of the idea. I am impressed with the quality of their work and overall thoroughness. Working in developmentand manufacturing, this is all the more notable being a one-offentirely custom project (as of today, they are open to building more in the future).

Super Tourer hardshell cabin parameters:

Enduro build the cabin and installed the woodstove which I picked up in January 2023 and I have been building up the interior since myself and with the help of good friends.

-Enduro Campers’ thickest panels on all walls and roof, including fenderwells and internal garage walls: 1.625”. Floor is 2.75” I believe. Frequently in -20C and below in Winter.


-Tern Overland’s smallest windows and two only, to avoid heat loss and placed for air flow. The rear one can be cracked for airflow to the woodstove without creating excessive draft in the front of the camper.



-Rear door (not side) to favour a forward weight distribution of internal items and still have a wide enough door and aisle to toss wood in there, heavier, bulkier dirty items as need be when I’m not camping. A utility trailer will do the bigger, heavier, dirtier work.


-Door was to be one piece and open vertically to serve as a simple awning to sit under, change under, take boots on and off under, towel off the dog under, …. and cook a quick breakfast/coffee/lunch under without any setup-tear down time.




-Kitchen outside access to reach the pantry easily when cooking under the awning, or use as a table to put things on etc.





-Same width and length as the truck (bumper to bumper stock), just enough height to sit up without having the thought of hitting your head and have an overall total height of under 8ft (ground to top of roof with 235/85/16 tires). I believe about 20” above cab. T100 having a low top of cab to top of frame rail measurement has the camper looking taller than it is.

 

[NVLOC]

Other parameter was having Sceptre cans stored on their side vertically in the garage (against the front wall), which is under the front portion of the L shaped bench. So that dictated the minimum height of the benches (around 17” with 1.625” width panels) and as such with me sitting as a fixed number, the height of the cabin floor to ceiling.
The cabin is 70” wide and 80.5” long internally. Plenty of sleeping length for me at 6’2”, without compressing the footbox of the winter sleeping bag, and being able to have your arms over your head while sleeping. This was a key design parameter, while not extending the footprint of the truck from stock.

It was also key for me visually/esthetically and functionally to have a ten degree slope on the wall above the height of the benches, to tuck the sides of the camper as close to the body as possible (clearance) and create a structure that could handle heavy snowloads without being over-built (heavy, clunky). Enduro campers calculated over 1500lbs of snowload, which ismore than I would need it to account for. The slopping walls took Total Composites out of the running for me, even though their product could meet some of the other criteria.





-The garage is furthest forward in the camper. This is an overall key aspect of me being satisfied with the camper long term as it maintains enough of the trucks utility and driving quality. The weight in here (and there is a significant amount at max load) has little leverage on the rear suspension, as such the truck maintains a fairly steady dynamic ride height even in steeper uphill offroad terrain, going through bigger holes, waterbars etc. As such the truck is able to run springs that still have good flex characteristics and are comfortable to drive less loaded as well. Also equates to a lighter leaf pack which helps with the overall weight goal.
The garage can carry in current configuration 60L of extra fluids (for me it’s gas most of the time), all strapped against the inside of the front wall. I could carry 120L if desired with a re-configuration of other internal items.
Garage is sealed off from the cabin so no fumes: it is 27” wide x 17” tall x 70” long, accessible from both sides.








-Camper is mounted on an OEM style rubber bushing up front and spring mounts for the center and rear attachment points. In testing, Enduro got enough flex from the frame to assess that this was the better mounting option for my purpose vs running the whole cabin on OEM style rubber mounts. This mounting system adds 0.75” of height relative to the top of the frame, which is fine. Benefit was more access to the top of the gas tank and all items around the chassis and behind the cab of the truck, as well as smaller wheelwells to maintain the tire clearance I wanted (max 255/85/16), which increases internal space.



-UFO 2 vent that can be left open even on the rain on the highway, gives a small amount of constant airflow. Nice as the cabin is so well sealed that it is “difficult” to close the door without having an opening for the air to escape. Minimal height above roof, not much for branches to catch onto, can be closed when hosing off the truck. Front driver’s corner above head when sleeping.

-Overall the weight of the cabin on the truck (mounting system, doors, handles, etc with woodstove, woodstove piping and woodstove stand, as well as side bench (1” panel tied to the garage and rear wall) was 17 lbs less than the stock bed and high rise ARE MX canopy that was on the truck year round: so 425lbs. Notable having a warm, dry, R8 insulated, snow bearing, wood-heated cabin that has very similar dimensions to the stock truck to sleep in, be in, and cook in (simply, if weather requires) for the weight of a stock truck and canopy.

I removed more weight by removing the rear bumper as it no longer had a purpose and that dropped a significant amount offthe most rearward portion of the frame as well. Hitch is kept as a step, license plate mount and more seriously for towing, rear recovery, and frame stiffening. I was able to raise the hitch 2” by removing the factory rear bumper. Clearance for more with mounts built to purpose if need be.

 

[NVLOC]

Interior parameters - garage:

-L track against front and rear walls. I used the smallest footprint one/lightest I could find, it is made by Mac’s tiedowns. Gas cans strapped to the front wall with ratchet tie downs.


-Quickfist rubber mounts mounted straight to wall (hardware+adhesive) for axe and the aluminium propane cylinder.


-Rest of the space is open for tool bags, spares bag, fluid bag and bug tent, shower, fire wood, etc, …. Good amount of room, yet don’t have to lash down other items but gas (safety) as the fit is tight enough that they stay in place – simple, light.



-Hot shower with a Zodi extreme stainless cylinder (just a 3 or so gallon cylinder with a handpump). I fill it in streams and toss it on the camp fire or stove. Handles showering needs and is such a pleasure to have. It is light but takes up room, yet fits well inside the garage.

-Aluminium 6lbs propane tank that stays in the garage with hose attached at time of use.

 

[NVLOC]

Interior parameters - cabin:

-Bed portion is 28” wide by 80.5” long. 8” wider than my sleeping pad and considerably longer - it’s roomy.



-Light and “vertically” shaped wood stove. Heat everywhere I go, no electrical draw, can dry a pile of wet gear efficiently, very pleasant, simple, maintenance free, no operation costs. Can have heat no matter what, safety aspect.
Will be adding a small DC heater (DC Thermal) that will only run on low (8-10 amp draw) to be used while driving to hopefully keep everything warm and dry in low temps. Can also flick it on for heating the cabin first thing for a quick start without wanting to start the wood stove (100ah battery, with minimal draw otherwise). Simple, small footprint, no maintenance, light.





-20L of water feels like a luxury (sceptre can, hand pump), as I have been used to carrying 10. Everywhere I go has profuse access to clear water so I filter with a hanging bladder style filter as need it. Keeps things light as water is heavy and cumbersome.

-Industrial F7 wool felt 1/8” on contact walls. Soft to the touch, more of a feeling of warmth than the bare panel, more comfortable than leaning against the panel.



-1/8”, “aerated” (lots of hole saw work) aluminium structure for bin framing under bench and for the kitchen cabinet. Lots of air flow for heat distribution, minimal weight, takes up very little room so can maximize bin size/ storage room. Just aluminium1/8” angle and sheet, riveted and glued together, with internal portions bolted for removal if needed.





-Bins are light and can hold the necessary weight: 24” Lx 15”Wx 5” or 9.5” Tall. Used L angle for sliding on, with stops to keep the bins from popping out. Solid, easy, simple, light, small footprint for the capacity.

 

[NVLOC]

-Electrical is Renogy (well priced and seemed to be reliable): 30A DC to DC charger, 700W inverter, 100Ah self heatingbattery (26lbs). Plenty of capacity as the fridge, charging small devices, and DC heater on low (mostly while driving) are my only draws. I can stay stationary for 14 days in the summer, so more than enough. Can run a grinder, tablesaw, run power tools and charge power tools off of this size inverter – again plenty for me.






-Dometic 30L drawer fridge. Not big, but low consumption and can fit about a week’s worth of fresh food (maybe a bit more). Fits well in the space. Longer than a week requires more dry/canned goods, or fresh fish, which I’m used to doing exclusively anyway. If more refrigerated space was needed, could fit a 55-65L in the rear seat of the cab, but no plans for this.

-Dry/canned foods (heavy), fridge, electrical, cast iron pots/propane stove, 20L water - forward, on top, or a few inches behind the axle.
Rear of the camper only sees a shovel on the rear wall, and inside the wood stove (15lbs), clothing bins and cubby for shoes. These are the lightest items I carry. No porpoising, no bouncing, no unloading of the front tire contact patch on steeper uphill grades off road, doesn’t require massive amounts of spring to hold its height statically and dynamically.


-To be added: soft storage to free up one of the bins for precut firewood chunks, L track on the upper portion of rear wall to hang cloths and gear from to dry, maybe a gear net for camping stuff (tent, polls, rolled up pads, etc).

 

[NVLOC]

Truck:
-1998 Toyota T100 Extra cab 4wd, approx. 1900lbs payload (per door sticker GVW and internet data based curb weight)
-Purchased at 60,000km (2011) now has 315,000km.
-Healthy, all services performed since new +much morepreventative and required maintenance, 220psi on all cylinders. Oil changed every 3000 miles or less.
-Engine is stock.


-Deaver rebuilt the stock pack to a 5 leaf (added two leaves). Good support fully loaded and room to tow a small boat, and load of firewood. Rides well not fully loaded as well.
-5.29 gears with 235/85/16 tires: often off pavement, the roads I drive are rural and slow, most times in the mountains, I don’t drive above 60mph (2900rpm) so was able to get the benefit of the low gearing with limitations that are workable for my purpose. I can set the cruise control to 55-57mph (2750rpm )and go up most common highway grades and stay in cruise control, without down shifting, or revving higher. Really easy to drive and easy on the truck overall. Can handle 255/85/16 which would be the largest tire I need.



-ARB’s front and rear.

The T100 has good payload, good clearance stock (the camper improved that as well), for my purpose main limitations were gearing, traction and weight distribution of items in the stock bed with a long overhang. The design of the camper that gives extensive access to the front of the bed and maximizes forward storage room, addresses the weight distribution limitation – this improves the traction component as well. The low overall weight and near stock tire sizes keeps wear minimal for this purpose.

 

[NVLOC]

Key numbers:

Unmodified truck curb weight: 4040lbs (per internet data)

Weight of factory bed and ARE MX highrise canopy: 440lbs(weighed myself)

Enduro Campers SuperTourer hardshell cabin (including mounting system/windows/vent/door, woodstove, woodstove mounting platform, woodstove chimney, thicker walls 1.625” throughout): 425lbs (weighed myself and within manufacturer approximation)

GVW: 5993lbs (door sticker)

True in-use maximum weight with Enduro ST cabin: 5518lbs or approximately 92% of GVW (weighed myself)

(full main tank, one passenger, one dog, +60L gas, +20L water, food for 10 days (human+dog), extensive spares and extensive toolkit, other tools (axes, shovel, splitter,…), wood, awning and camp accessories (table, chair, mosquito room), fishing equipment, cold weather gear, clothing, canoe on roof, and more) – combination that you would not necessarily take but weight is close.

Pounds below GVW at max weight: 475lbs (calculated from above)

Weight distribution front and rear axle: Have not done this yet.


In use:

Have just picked the truck and cabin in January of this year and have been working on the interior since early Spring. Lockers aren’t even wired yet. Everything is still fresh overall and has some but not extensive rough roads, trail use, etc. Time will tell how everything works out.
The amount that has been done has been a pleasure, and hasn’t brought out any short comings. The near stock truck, brakes well, holds the weight comfortably and generally feels light, agile, easy to drive – you can tell that all components are well within their mechanical ability. I don’t anticipate excessive wear for now from any aspect of the truck do to it’s weight, mounting or weight distribution. Being the same width and length as the stock truck makes tight trails and daily driving straightforward. The forward/central weight distribution adds traction, settles the suspension and doesn’t exhibit any of the bouncing, porpoising, squat, unweighing of the front end in situations I have driven. The work and thought was worthwhile.

In the meantime, the wood stove has seen plenty of use this past winter as a basecamp for skiing, and it’s a pleasure having an insulated shell that’s this light and comfortable with minimal condensation. The only points of condensation are the aluminium door trim, aluminium kitchen opening trim and portions of the Tern Overland windows. Key here is that this amount of moisture doesn’t build in the camper and is easily dried out by having the wood stove run for a few minutes. Humidity doesn’t build and wet everything out the way it did with the Four Wheel Camper (a complete joke in our climate and weather) or even the canopy. I’ve spent day time hours holed up in the shell in stormy -18c weather and been toasty warm and dry. I have to be careful not to cook myself out, as it can easily get too warm inside. Looking forward to more and keeping the thread updated with pictures over the next years.

 

[plh]

excellent build. I've been on the lookout for a T100 for a few years, prices went nuts during covid, but are coming down a bit now it seems.

 

[Wyo37]

Bad-A build. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Euro6]

Well done ! Love it.

 

[mangymarmot]

Well thought out!

 

[trackhead]

Light weight is highly under rated. Nice work!

 

[Victorian]

Some nifty ideas/solutions! Looks great. I think I seen your truck in Squamish not too long ago.
Question: You talk about cold weather camping. How do you keep the interior/water/propane/food etc from freezing while driving? Do you transfer those items to the drivers cab?
I noticed in my truck camper that having a heater I can run while underway is vital in very cold temperatures. Diesel heater was my solution.

 

[Spencer for Hire]

Do you have a fan for the heat on a hot summer's day.
Thank you

 

[NVLOC]

Thanks all around, it was definitely a challenge to fit these things in that amount of space, while maintaining function. We'll see how it evolves over time but nothing yet feels like it's going to have to be entirely re-thought.

@plh - thanks, they have their limitations but are well made and the only option in NA for that kind of payload on a toyota 4wd mid size truck chassis. Were affordable too at the time....

@Victorian - Thank you, yes that would have been me in Squamish. I'm installing this on the floor below the kitchen cabinet for the reasons you describe:

SD12-4000 12 Volt Ducted Heater

dcthermal.com

Talked to DC thermal and on low it draws 8-10amps. On high close to 40amps which for my capacity is too much - so would only be using it on low. While driving that should be no problem, while still allowing the house battery to get a charge (30amp charger). May have to upgrade the truck's alternator, we'll see.

With that draw on low, it could be used to take the chill out of the air first thing in the morning for a quick get up and go when i don't want to start the stove and without the truck running, technically even run for a few hours (100a battery). To be determined how much heat it puts out on low. It's a small space so i'm hopeful it has a chance but we'll see - would be satisfied with it simply keeping temps above freezing although more would be nice.

Otherwise, as you have, if this doesn't put out enough heat to keep things from freezing, I will be looking at a petrol heater plumbed to the truck's tank. The DC heater is very simple (3x wires = very simple install, recirculated air so no intake, no exhaust, maintenance is very low), so would like to give it a try first.

@trackhead - indeed, that's what transpires over time/with experience, weight is paramount. Weight distribution is equally as important on this type of chassis (on all really, but you feel it more on the smaller trucks). On road, on trail, the appropriate ride characteristics are felt everywhere. It's still notable to me how i can put an additional couple of hundreds of pounds in the garage and have the truck handle as intended. When i carry objects of the same weight temporarily and they sit in the hallway against the rear door, it's a different story all together.

@Spencer for Hire - No i don't. I have bug netting that i put on the door opening by affixing it to the frame of the door with small clips. Nothing fancy but effective. With both windows and the door open, it works in the most heat i have been in (33-35c days, assuming approx. 20-25c nights). No wiring through the walls /ceiling for a fan (again simplicity and insulation), and feel that with that size window, either way the door being open would be necessary. For me temperatures from 20c to -20 are much more common than the occasional 30's.