Convenient hanging kitchen utensils set.

[dbhost]

Those set are so big though! All I need are two small saucepans (probably 3 and 5qt). I do have a 12 inch skillet that lives under the mattress. No way will that ever fit anywhere convenient so I won't even try.

It's true that I don't need handles. There's nowhere in the camper to move a pan to.

Ah, see that is a different story all together.... I tend to like having a larger pot for pasta.

I have a smaller cook set but it is so old I forgot who made it and the branding wore off long ago. As in I got it in the 1980s.... BUT having said that, if you can consume less space, and get more cookware / larger cookware it might be worth it. All depends on your priorities.

 

[dbhost]

I do love milk crates. I have the maximum that can fit without impeding function--1. It does two very important things. It holds food and it is a step to the bunk (it has a lid). Unlike our popup trailer, the popup truck camper starts small and stays small. Everything in this camper must be stowed when it's not being used because there's no setup. It just is what it is. The floor is 2'x5'8". The dog takes half that. (He really prefers that trailer.)

Just FWIW, long term I am working on a DIY truck camper, And I will utilize the space over the open tailgate for floor so I get around 8.5' of floor space. I considered staying in the bed with the tailgate folded, but these things are tight enough as is... I am in the playing with designs stage currently. And yes, storage in there no matter what you do is going to be TIGHT... It's not like a Pop Up trailer, in ways good, and bad...

 

[Dingit]

I want to DIY a truck camper but the spouse just gives me that look. And I really don't have the required skill.

Ours is an 8 ft camper on a shortbed truck so we do have about a foot and a half overhang but it has a step/cabinet thing at the front that reduces floor space. The tailgate stays home.

 

[dbhost]

I want to DIY a truck camper but the spouse just gives me that look. And I really don't have the required skill.

Ours is an 8 ft camper on a shortbed truck so we do have about a foot and a half overhang but it has a step/cabinet thing at the front that reduces floor space. The tailgate stays home.

Well, to be blunt, I want a king bed, so DIY is the only option I have for a truck camper. My Brother in law is a body man, and knows how to weld aluminum.

Honestly, if I had the time, and money, and skill to do it, I would repower the truck, (2004 F150 Supercab 4x4 5.4L 3V), Remove the factory bed, build an aluminum flatbed, design and build a flatbed pop up camper. With proper design I can get 8.5' of floor length with 6' 6" width. Some under bed stowage boxes that would taper down to the original width of the bed. An aluminum frame would be a must do for weight savings.

The big problem with a slide in / built on camper on my truck is payload. It is after all, only a half ton truck...

 

[Sjm9911]

I never looked at them , but i did see a pop up truck camper at a site. It was interesting. Not sure on the bed size.

 

[Dingit]

Mine has a standard queen. It's possible that some of the mega hardside campers have kings in the cabover (they can be over 8' wide) but the only ones I've looked at with a king are the smaller offroad popups like those made by FWC or ATC where the cabover bed extends on sliders into the cabin.

 

[Toedtoes]

The last TC I was in was the one growing up. I know the overhead bed was big enough to fit 7 kids front to back and a boxer (she always got up there with us) while we drove down the road.

 

[Dingit]

They're bigger than that now!

 

[dbhost]

There is a lot going on with the foamy guys at TNTTT.com where I am getting advice, but I am looking to do the pop up thing as both an interim while I build, and as part of my design. There are some factory pop up truck campers. The big issue is weight. Most TCs are built heavy with wood frames, furnaces, a full propane system, they don't bother with aluminum frames or Azdel or other weight saving technologies.

While it is a hard side camper, a friend of mine built one with a 1" sqyare aluminum tube frame, and laminated sheet foam with fiberglass / epoxy resin. He's got a 5K BTU window unit AC in the back wall, an on demand hot water heater, 28 gallon fresh tank, a king bed, 32" flat screen TV he configured to run on 12v somehow, He is just under 800 lbs dry on that camper. Fully loaded he's got 1200lbs in the bed of the truck. He's got a 2006 F150 with similar specs to mine. I will likely steal some of his design ideas. HOWEVER, I REALLY want to make mine a pop up top so that I can fold the top down to reduce the down the road profile, improve the chances of the camper surviving going under trees off road etc...

At that point though, and steering back to the original subject. Storage is a problem with any camper that small. Instead of the EZ UP, I will likely be wanting to build on a 270 degree awning, and likely figure out a way to use my canopy side walls with it.