I spent about a month planning and sketching out the design. I basically took the exact measurements of my truck bed and designed the frame to fit perfectly (within 1/2 an inch) within the bed. I knew I did not want an overhead cab. My experience with overhead cab versus non-overhead cab campers has been that:
1) They get horrible gas mileage.
2) The wind blows you around much worse.
3) Frost heaves/dips in the road cause the truck/camper to bounce hard.
4) They weight a lot more.
Says: Tim Johnson (Owner)
Built into the truck bed of a classic 1996 Ford F350 7.3 powerstroke diesel. I figured the only thing I'll miss is just being able to "jump" into bed/not set a bed up. Other than that, I was sold on the non-cab over for aerodynamics, lighter weight, better gas mileage, more maneuverability and better handling.
Here's a couple of pics of the final project after I finished, SUPER STOKED how it turned out and fits in the truck with 1/4 inch to spare on both sides, perfect:^) The truck carries the weight easy and handles completely fine, I still have to weight the truck with and without the camper on, but I'm guessing it's around 1,800 to 2,000 pounds. Even gas mileage is almost the same as before! You can stand up inside (6'3 in the kitchen where you actually need to stand and 5' at the front of the house (where you're sitting anyways).
1) 2 full-sized couches for a super comfy place to hang out in for up to 6 people, that fold into a place to sleep 3 people comfortably.
2) A wood stove for the primary source of heat and a propane furnace for quick/backup heat.
3) A toilet (sometimes you gotta go when there's no bathroom around in the middle of the city).
4) An range with an oven for warming up food/baking lazy frozen pre-packaged lasanga style meals after a long day skiing:^)
5) A simple hand-pump and removable water jug setup for "running water", even in the winter.
6) A TV/DVD player to veg out on rainy/down days and USB charging stations/phone holder.
7) A 12 volt super efficient refrigerator/freezer to store food and cold beer.
8) A solar panel to keep the house battery charged.
9) A roofed front porch with a couple of storage seats" to store firewood, dry out wet kayaking gear, and pick a banjo outside under pouring rain.
10) A strong and stout camper that can hold up to Alaska's rough roads (even the paved roads in AK are worse than anywhere in the states, potholes, frost heaves, pavements breaks vibrate/tear campers apart up here).
Pics by: Tim Johnson
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