I'm super excited to announce a new project I just started. I'm building a truck camper from scratch and I'll be posting the whole process on here. I'll keep this thread very picture and detail heavy like my TJ build thread: https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/djs-tj-low-and-slow.75731/
I have absolutely no room in my messy garage, the jeep isn't really done, there's still a lot of work to do on my truck, there's a few things I need to do to the house so this seems like the perfect time to start a new massive project.
Story time,
In 2021 my wife (gf at the time) and I went camping pretty much every weekend. We drove through 7 states and camped in every secluded BLM or national forest spot we can get to in our 2018 supercharged 4runner. At that time boondocking was our number one thing. Getting away, forgetting about work and chasing our outdoor hobbies. We loved it so much that I decided I wanted to build a purpose-built mid size truck for this kind of thing, but staying away from the "overland" look. I bought a long traveled 2003 Chevy S10 with the 4.3 and was going to SAS it by using my Rubicon Dana 44s that I pulled out of my TJ, 37s, cage, then back half the frame to make room for tools/gear. Kind of a do it all rig that's comfortable enough for long drives. I was still building the jeep so the S10 sat in my driveway until I was ready to start on it.
And then in 2022 we rescued a couple large dogs. This made camping a lot harder to do in a truck with the interior size of a sedan, while also sleeping in a small roof tent. The whole S10 idea had to be on the back burner at that point.
Then I "finished" my 2 year jeep build and have been taking it out on desert trips. Now the desert is kind of that weekend destination we look forward to. Now that we have a couple dogs and a jeep that I need to tow for the longer trips I changed my focus to a full size truck for a camping rig, which comes with many benefits.
Now that I have this idea in mind I sold my 4runner, sold the S10, sold my old Ram and bought my dream truck with the goal of turning it into my dream camping rig.
Here's the truck. It's a 2012 Ram 3500 with the 6.7 and g56 manual, 130k miles. I've always wanted a LB DRW flatbed with a manual and I was somehow able to find one here in Cali. I paid way too much for it but this is exactly what I wanted. Ignore the unfinished bumper I started, they're a lot of things I want to do to this truck that's non-camper related.
This flatbed is essentially 8'x8' which gives me a massive platform to build off of.
The PO had a massive camper on this truck when I bought it. He offered it to me for a good price but I have no interest in one this big.
So here're the plans for the camper:
-Removable. (I'm going to build adjustable legs that bolt onto each corner, and use a winch to install/remove the camper if I ever need to.)
-Made of steel. (this truck can handle an insane amount of weight so I won't need to go out of my way using aluminum or other lightweight, harder to work with material. The rear leafs are custom made by Deaver to support the load of the PO's camper.)
-Small form factor. (The camper won't stick out past the back of the bed or be wider than the bed. The top will only be as tall as the top of the cab. This truck is already massive enough. Overall this camper will feel pretty tight inside but it'll be large enough to have everything I need.)
-Pop up. (To keep it as sow as possible but still able to stand up completely I have a very unique idea of a pop up design that I haven't seen anyone use. Ideally after it's popped up the interior should be around 8' tall.
-Hard walls. (Hard walls all the way around including the pop up section. This makes for way better insulation/noise reduction and the option to use hard windows.
-Insulated/sound deadened. (For insulation I'll be using extruded polystyrene foam board. Sound deadening will also be used on the walls.
-Water tanks. (To allow the most interior space possible, the fresh and grey tank will be mounted under the bed and remotely connected to the camper.)
-Tankless water heater.
-Cassette toilet. (Prevents the need for a black tank. I don't wanna HAVE to rely on stopping at a dump site after every trip.)
-Indoor shower.
-Gas stove/oven. (I have a Camp Chef propane stove/oven combo I want to build into the countertop)
-12v fridge/freezer.
-Full size propane tank.
-Sink.
-Diesel heater. (Tapped into the trucks tank.)
-Power management. (The heart of the build. Not sure if I want to use 12 or 24v yet. Very solar-forward. The big benefit of using this truck as a crawler hauler for the desert is I have endless sun coverage which makes solar make a lot of sense. Not sure on AGM or lithium yet. The batteries and controllers will be mounted in an outside box, connected to the camper remotely.)
-Bed. (Comfortable bed for two, with room for the dogs on the floor. Unlike all other pop up campers this one WON'T hang over the cab. There will be benches on each side which will convert into one big bed.)
-Indoor/outdoor lights.
-Outside storage. (I'm keeping the existing storage boxes mounted pretty much where they are so I'll have access to tools from the outside.)
-Cost friendly. (The main reason why I'm building this myself. A pop-up, slide-in or drop-in camper of this style very easily cost $40k+. That's a big nope for me. I do know this will cost me quite a bit of time and money but it'll be nowhere near the cost of a pre built.)
———
I usually like to design everything in CAD before I start tackling a big project but I can see following measurements of a project this size can throw me way off at some point. The complete design of this camper is all in my head which I've been planning for years. The layout of everything has changed on every camping trip that we've done. I would have things laid out in my head where I think they would go and then we would go camping for the weekend and realize that item would be way better if it was installed here than where I had it planned. Everyone camps differently so I'm excited to build something that makes sense for us.
I don't have a shop or even a flat driveway so I'm forced to build the entire camper on the floor in my 2 car garage that's already occupied by a jeep on tons.
So to finally start this thing I picked up $1000 of material. I'll have to get more soon but this will get the bones built.
Using 1.5" x 14g square tube I built the bottom base. This is what everything else will be built off of. This pretty much follows the size of the flatbed minus the two storage boxes. Nothing will be built extruded in front of the boxes so that the camper can be slid forward when installed.
All of the joints were finish welded and ground flat so that the 16g sheet metal can sit flush. This will be the underside of the base. I used cold rolled steel for these sheets instead of hot rolled because it has a much smoother finish to it. This being the bottom of the entire camper doesn't matter but I'm using the same sheets for the outside walls.
Once the sheets were placed on top I tacked them underneath and used a sawzall to cut out the frame. Here's what we're left with.
That's all I was able to get done in a single day. But now that the base of the camper is built everything else will follow quickly.
The next step is to paint this sheet metal because once I turn it over I won't be able to get to it again.
I have absolutely no room in my messy garage, the jeep isn't really done, there's still a lot of work to do on my truck, there's a few things I need to do to the house so this seems like the perfect time to start a new massive project.
Story time,
In 2021 my wife (gf at the time) and I went camping pretty much every weekend. We drove through 7 states and camped in every secluded BLM or national forest spot we can get to in our 2018 supercharged 4runner. At that time boondocking was our number one thing. Getting away, forgetting about work and chasing our outdoor hobbies. We loved it so much that I decided I wanted to build a purpose-built mid size truck for this kind of thing, but staying away from the "overland" look. I bought a long traveled 2003 Chevy S10 with the 4.3 and was going to SAS it by using my Rubicon Dana 44s that I pulled out of my TJ, 37s, cage, then back half the frame to make room for tools/gear. Kind of a do it all rig that's comfortable enough for long drives. I was still building the jeep so the S10 sat in my driveway until I was ready to start on it.
And then in 2022 we rescued a couple large dogs. This made camping a lot harder to do in a truck with the interior size of a sedan, while also sleeping in a small roof tent. The whole S10 idea had to be on the back burner at that point.
Then I "finished" my 2 year jeep build and have been taking it out on desert trips. Now the desert is kind of that weekend destination we look forward to. Now that we have a couple dogs and a jeep that I need to tow for the longer trips I changed my focus to a full size truck for a camping rig, which comes with many benefits.
Now that I have this idea in mind I sold my 4runner, sold the S10, sold my old Ram and bought my dream truck with the goal of turning it into my dream camping rig.
Here's the truck. It's a 2012 Ram 3500 with the 6.7 and g56 manual, 130k miles. I've always wanted a LB DRW flatbed with a manual and I was somehow able to find one here in Cali. I paid way too much for it but this is exactly what I wanted. Ignore the unfinished bumper I started, they're a lot of things I want to do to this truck that's non-camper related.
This flatbed is essentially 8'x8' which gives me a massive platform to build off of.
The PO had a massive camper on this truck when I bought it. He offered it to me for a good price but I have no interest in one this big.
So here're the plans for the camper:
-Removable. (I'm going to build adjustable legs that bolt onto each corner, and use a winch to install/remove the camper if I ever need to.)
-Made of steel. (this truck can handle an insane amount of weight so I won't need to go out of my way using aluminum or other lightweight, harder to work with material. The rear leafs are custom made by Deaver to support the load of the PO's camper.)
-Small form factor. (The camper won't stick out past the back of the bed or be wider than the bed. The top will only be as tall as the top of the cab. This truck is already massive enough. Overall this camper will feel pretty tight inside but it'll be large enough to have everything I need.)
-Pop up. (To keep it as sow as possible but still able to stand up completely I have a very unique idea of a pop up design that I haven't seen anyone use. Ideally after it's popped up the interior should be around 8' tall.
-Hard walls. (Hard walls all the way around including the pop up section. This makes for way better insulation/noise reduction and the option to use hard windows.
-Insulated/sound deadened. (For insulation I'll be using extruded polystyrene foam board. Sound deadening will also be used on the walls.
-Water tanks. (To allow the most interior space possible, the fresh and grey tank will be mounted under the bed and remotely connected to the camper.)
-Tankless water heater.
-Cassette toilet. (Prevents the need for a black tank. I don't wanna HAVE to rely on stopping at a dump site after every trip.)
-Indoor shower.
-Gas stove/oven. (I have a Camp Chef propane stove/oven combo I want to build into the countertop)
-12v fridge/freezer.
-Full size propane tank.
-Sink.
-Diesel heater. (Tapped into the trucks tank.)
-Power management. (The heart of the build. Not sure if I want to use 12 or 24v yet. Very solar-forward. The big benefit of using this truck as a crawler hauler for the desert is I have endless sun coverage which makes solar make a lot of sense. Not sure on AGM or lithium yet. The batteries and controllers will be mounted in an outside box, connected to the camper remotely.)
-Bed. (Comfortable bed for two, with room for the dogs on the floor. Unlike all other pop up campers this one WON'T hang over the cab. There will be benches on each side which will convert into one big bed.)
-Indoor/outdoor lights.
-Outside storage. (I'm keeping the existing storage boxes mounted pretty much where they are so I'll have access to tools from the outside.)
-Cost friendly. (The main reason why I'm building this myself. A pop-up, slide-in or drop-in camper of this style very easily cost $40k+. That's a big nope for me. I do know this will cost me quite a bit of time and money but it'll be nowhere near the cost of a pre built.)
———
I usually like to design everything in CAD before I start tackling a big project but I can see following measurements of a project this size can throw me way off at some point. The complete design of this camper is all in my head which I've been planning for years. The layout of everything has changed on every camping trip that we've done. I would have things laid out in my head where I think they would go and then we would go camping for the weekend and realize that item would be way better if it was installed here than where I had it planned. Everyone camps differently so I'm excited to build something that makes sense for us.
I don't have a shop or even a flat driveway so I'm forced to build the entire camper on the floor in my 2 car garage that's already occupied by a jeep on tons.
So to finally start this thing I picked up $1000 of material. I'll have to get more soon but this will get the bones built.
Using 1.5" x 14g square tube I built the bottom base. This is what everything else will be built off of. This pretty much follows the size of the flatbed minus the two storage boxes. Nothing will be built extruded in front of the boxes so that the camper can be slid forward when installed.
All of the joints were finish welded and ground flat so that the 16g sheet metal can sit flush. This will be the underside of the base. I used cold rolled steel for these sheets instead of hot rolled because it has a much smoother finish to it. This being the bottom of the entire camper doesn't matter but I'm using the same sheets for the outside walls.
Once the sheets were placed on top I tacked them underneath and used a sawzall to cut out the frame. Here's what we're left with.
That's all I was able to get done in a single day. But now that the base of the camper is built everything else will follow quickly.
The next step is to paint this sheet metal because once I turn it over I won't be able to get to it again.
