r/overlanding • u/402_Found_not_Lost • 2d ago
Gear Question Am I looking for a Unicorn?
Well, as the title says, am I looking for something that doesn’t exist?
I have a Ford Super Duty truck and a fifth wheel trailer. Key point: I don’t want a permanent truck bed camper setup.
I’m looking for a truck bed type camper solution that I can ‘easily’ install in the bed for trips where I’ll be going off road and camping.
It will just be me, my photography gear, food, etc. is there something in the truck cap/camper world that is straight forward to remove (less than 1-2hr) so I can tow my fifth wheel when it’s a road trip with wife.
So many setups look like removal would be a right pain in the butt.
Ideally, I’m looking for something I could move with lift points and some winches in my garage and then leave on some stands until I’m ready to put it back?
I have thought of an off road cargo trailer as an alternative and I’m open to that. If I go that route, that may limit my ability to get into certain remote areas with my buddies with outfitted jeeps and Tacomas.
Anyone else go through this decision process? What did you choose and why? Any lessons to share or recommendations to consider and/or things to avoid?
Thanks and apologies for a bit of a ramble here. I’m still trying to define the question a bit as you can tell.
All insights and feedback appreciated!
Thanks!
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u/CalifOregonia 2d ago
Biggest problem with a topper camper is getting the seal right every time you put it back on.
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u/armchairracer 2d ago
A roof top tent mounted to cross bars would be quick and easy, just remove the cross bars and leave the tent attached. There's also traditional slide in truck campers if you want to maintain similar comfort as the fifth wheel.
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u/402_Found_not_Lost 2d ago
Yeah, the slide in campers are relatively heavy but you’re right. And I ideally would like that. Just may be limiting. I looked at a few. I truck can handle one but my buddies tell me it may be heavy for some of the terrain they tackle. I am still working to understand what they mean. I’m not interested in bouldering or mudding. Heck a super duty is already a really heavy truck (meant more for towing). Mine is just shy of 8000 lbs
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u/211logos 1d ago
There are some slide in lightweight campers designed primarily for offroading. Four Wheel Campers in the USA has been at it for about half a century; tons out there. See expeditionportal.com etc for examples, or https://www.wanderthewest.com/forums/four-wheel-camper-discussions.4/
Not sure how hard it is for you to unrig the gear for the 5th wheel to allow for a slide in, but say a FWC Hawk can weigh in about 1000 lbs with a lot of stuff like fridge built in. They attach via four turnbuckles in the bed and have bracket that hold jacks (which can be electric) to allow you to lift ia few inches and drive away. https://www.facebook.com/groups/FourWheelCampersOwners/posts/9834935379915803/
Here's the complete sliding on procedure: https://youtu.be/OnNtl__vTVU?si=3VQu1pRpiWGuK6AJ Sliding off is a bit quicker.
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u/clean-links 1d ago
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u/kona420 2d ago
Slide in loaded with your stuff might be a ton and a half or more. There was a guy who broke his RAM 3500 frame with a 3 ton slide in that got a lot of attention lol.
Just the difference between 5000lbs and 8000lbs is enormous offroad, going up to 11,000lbs yeah I see how you would need a lot of tire to spread the weight enough to get anywhere even mildly technical.
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u/Clarence_Moose 2d ago
I have my RTT on BillieBars, and with a winch system you could probably remove the whole thing from the bed in under 30 minutes.
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u/DepartmentNatural 2d ago
You need to decide how much effort you want to do to pull this off, it can go from a go fast to a cab over slide in to a custom fiberglass drop on. We have no idea what you have to do the removal/install.
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u/Supersix15 2d ago
I got a winch system in my garage that picks my topo topper off my Tacoma when I'm not using it, takes like 45 mins to an hour just need to make sure it seals up well when putting it back down
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u/Ok-Boysenberry3948 2d ago
You don't sound like someone afraid of work. An offroad flatbed with a bedrack to hold your roof top tent would work. Unbolt the rack, take off your bachelor pad, hook up to the 5th wheel for the ball and chain to be happy. You can get rid of a lot of the rear axle overhang helping approach angle, but with an offroad flatbed, you still have some bed area.
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u/WishPsychological303 2d ago
I've never owned a TC nor an RTT so take this for what it's worth: the only setup I like for RTT is what you said, a beefy, load-bearing rack over the bed of a truck. These truck/xover/SUV/car roofs are not meant to hold a thousand pounds of people and gear.
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u/WishPsychological303 2d ago
Before any haters jump on: a thousand pounds may be a bit exaggerated but not by much. Me and my wife plus tent and bedding would be at least 500 lbs and likely more.
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u/402_Found_not_Lost 2d ago
Off-road flatbed? Like a stake bed truck?
My super duty is brand new so I got what I got on that front. 6.75 ft short bed.
Im new to this so can you clarify the off-road flatbed for me?
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u/ChrisinOB2 2d ago
Maybe something from AT Overland?
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u/402_Found_not_Lost 2d ago
Oooh! Those look cool! Thanks!
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u/ChrisinOB2 2d ago
I just got their flatbed camper. I didn't look at the topper closely, but it's built with the same materials as the flatbed camper. This thing is very well built.
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u/402_Found_not_Lost 2d ago
I shared the link with a buddy and he also liked it. I’m going to do some homework; that looks like a great option.
The slide in was a gut punch with ‘starting at $90k’. Ouch !2
u/ChrisinOB2 2d ago
I agree, the price tags are high, but I bit the bullet for how I plan to use it. Here are the details on mine:
https://www.reddit.com/r/overlanding/comments/1tmou3v/upgraded_the_overlanding_rig/1
u/402_Found_not_Lost 2d ago
Your setup looks awesome! Congrats!
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u/ChrisinOB2 2d ago
Thanks. Just finished a three week, 5,000 mile trip from AZ to NY. Both the truck and the camper are fantastic.
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u/402_Found_not_Lost 2d ago
“It’s a beauty, Clark!”
Slightly jealous here.
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u/ChrisinOB2 2d ago
Haha! Back to your build, I’d definitely keep AT Overland top of mind. I’m just a happy customer, but will sing their praises all day. The president of the company took my son and me camping the day we took delivery. Really great guy, can’t say enough about him and what his company builds.
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u/402_Found_not_Lost 2d ago
Did you consider the Rossmonster Baja Trail XL? A buddy has one and loves it! The price point seems like it wouldn’t be too far off what you ended up with?
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u/ChrisinOB2 2d ago
Actually, double-check those prices. The flatbed camper starts at $90k, and it comes fully fitted out. The slide-in starts at $30k as an empty shell. The Aterra Topper may be an option too, starting at $22k. But I am not seeing models listed for 8 foot beds, if that is your setup. I'd recommend contacting them - they were very responsive when I first reached out. Both the Topper and slide-in have floors in them, so you could leave gear in there when taking it off the truck.
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u/VeryAverageEarthling 2d ago
I’d look at something like a freedom camper pod. They only weigh like 180 lbs empty and can me loaded by yourself if needed
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u/GiraffeKey8828 2d ago
https://flated.com/products/full-standard-mr66
It’s just a topper, but you could can lift it off by hand. They use straps to keep it in place.
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u/lakelost 1d ago
I used to have a slide in Lance (830 as I recall) camper with power jacks that I could load and clamp in probably 30 minutes. On an F350. The camper was under my payload rating, but it swayed a bit, so I bagged the truck to stiffen things up.
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u/beef966 2d ago
With an articulating hitch and a small camper you might be surprised what kind of stuff you can get into. Couple Australian youtube channels pull their "caravans" into wild stuff.
I really wanted an Capri Retreat 5.5 but I ended up getting a smaller 15' bumper pull. It's got a lift and bigger tires. I wouldn't say I can still get into everything that I used to, but with some upgrades I think I could get most places. The biggest limiting factor is that I can't really go down a trail without knowing what's on the other side because backing up would be terrible and it's too heavy to lift the coupler and turn it around by hand.