DIY Truck Camper

I know it’s been  log time since I’ve written anything regarding this project, but I do have some updates. First is that I can get my old pickup back from the friend I sold it to for $1,000. I plan to buy it back and start getting it ready for a camper. It needs shocks and maintenance. It needs a fair bit of work, but is solid.

Next up is that I have most of the basic tools to build a camper on it. I have given up my tools over the years as I didn’t need them. I realize now that I really do need tools in my life. I was a tow truck driver for a while and bought the tools I’ve always wanted for myself. I got a nice big tool box system, new brushless Ryobi cordless tools, Milwaukee hand tools, and even a Hilti cordless hammer drill as my main drill. I have never owned nice tools in my life. They make a big difference in my willingness to actually work on my projects. I have a cordless circular saw with big batteries so I can cut all the main lumber needed to build a camper. I have a nice Diablo blade for it when the one it came with wears out. I won’t hesitate to cut soft metals with this saw as needed either. I have a cordless impact, bits, cordless tire inflator, screw jack that works with the impact, and various impact sockets and air fittings. It all fits into a nice tough case which I used as my tire service kit as a tow truck driver. I can use that kit to make extra money to fund this camper as well. I just have all the basics to get me started. For the first time in my life, I own nice, new tools that I picked myself. No more second hand or low quality tools. I will hold onto these tools for as long as I can keep them in service.

The biggest update is actually my living situation. I don’t care to get into how I ended up here, but it has been a very valuable experience so far. For the past few months I have been living in a 1973 Ford American truck bed camper, sitting on top of an old trailer. I’m renting it from a friend while I build up my own mobile life. It’s in surprisingly good shape, with nearly everything working. It has a working refrigerator, microwave, propane stove, water system, electrical system, vents, and a good amount of storage. I’ve added a portable mini washing machine for laundry, bedding, and various household items. It’s very cozy in here, and I find it has plenty of space for me. I could entertain a few people in here, but I don’t. Living here is motivating me to build up my truck bed camper. I have been working on other projects and documenting them on here, so it’s getting me in the habit of doing so. I have recently built my own heated water hose, and tapped directly into my friend’s 40 gallon water heater. I used some custom hose adapters I made from replacement parts to hook the cold and hot water together and control the temperature coming out of a single hose, to the camper. I no longer have cold water, but that is fine. The propane water heater needs all new controls, and I don’t feel like dealing with propane regularly. I can now get nice hot showers and do dishes and laundry whenever I need to. The bathroom is fantastic I here. It’s all water proof, so cleaning is very easy. I simply rinse and scrub everything down with the hand held shower sprayer and a scrub brush. I don’t ever want to own a bathroom that can’t be sprayed down like this again.

This camper is showing me what works and what doesn’t in a small space. I wouldn’t want to share this space with anyone, but it works for me. The loft that sits above the truck cab is my favorite place. I sleep up here and work on my laptop from up here. I want to build an elevated platform up here for my bed so I can store things under it, sleep a little higher up, and create a lounge with the rest of the loft, using tons of cushions and bedding. I love that I can reach the fridge and pantry from my bed. Makes snacking in bed very easy. I put a small pillar fan up here, and a Handy Heater that plugs directly into the outlet in the nearby kitchen. I can control lights, heat, and fan from up here. It’s become the most important space in the entire camper. I’ve decided to focus very heavily on the design of the loft for my first camper. I was considering not putting one in to simplify the design, but I enjoy it far too much.

Laundry in here has turned out to be far easier than I thought it would be. I have a portable washing machine that sits on the bench seat across from me at the table. The water and drain hoses reach the bathroom. I got a hose extension for the drain and it dumps right into the shower drain. Not going to the laundromat or intruding in my friend’s house saves me a ton of money and stress. I wash my clothes in the little machine, put them through the spin cycle, then hang everything up on hangers in the closet by the fridge to dry. My bedroom fan blows right over the heater and into that closet, drying my clothes in a few hours or overnight. I wake up every morning with fresh, dry clothes.

The restroom situation took some thinking, but has been fairly pleasant. I created a composting toilet using a trash can and saw dust bedding pellets. It gets emptied into a compost pile far away when full. No problems with smell or anything. I just keep the lid on the can. I can move it around as needed and free up the bathroom. It just sits on top of the flush toilet most of the time. I’ve never used the flush toilet as I have no safe way to empty it. No big deal.
I only have electric heat right now, and it does struggle to keep up on colder days, but I have insulated a bit better and it’s ok. I usually just wear a sweater and pants while home. I swapped out the 1500 watt utility heater for a trio of 350 watt Hand Heater things. They are god enough, and distribute the heat better than a single heater does. I can turn them on and off as needed. I have to shut one of them down to cook on the induction cook top, and all three need shut down to run the microwave. I trip the camper breaker every now and then. It’s annoying, but I can do everything I need. I got used to a far more limited power budget in a previous solar off grid camper, so this is a massive luxury to me.

As far as cooking goes, it’s very simple here. I have a Lodge combo cooker, which is a deep pan with a shallow pan as a lid. I have a portable induction cook top that works incredibly well with cast iron. I cooked a small turkey in it yesterday. I had an electric kettle to heat water, but it drew so much power that it ended up tripping the breaker most of the time. It was infuriating so I got rid of it. I replaced it with a stainless steel french press that I use directly on top of the induction cook top. It works great. I can just heat water or cook in it if needed. I use it daily. I can set a target temp and walk away, or set a power level. It has a timer as well. I love induction and cast iron and stainless steel.
For doing dishes I have a larger sink ad a collapsible dish drainer. The sink is unusually large for a small camper, but it is well worth the extra space. I may even put a double basin sink in my camper. I use all the standard drawers and cabinets for storing things. I’ve added hooks all around for hanging various utensils and clothes.

I have a Ryobi cordless hand vacuum for cleaning up small messes, and my friend gave me back the first vacuum I ever owned, from my childhood. It’s a old push model with no power. Simple but effective. I think it’s from the 1970s. Both help me live a perfectly clean and healthy life.

There is much more to say, but I am want to get off the computer and get something done. More updates to come soon.

Before I forget: I was going to get a touring motorcycle and travel the country, but I feel a truck bed camper suits me better. I like having a stable home that can hold all the tools and simple comforts I enjoy so much. I have never owned my own home, so it’s about time.

I am shelving this project to clear up my mental clutter. I recently sold my old truck to the first friend I ever had in life. It has a good home now, but I no longer have a need or means to build a truck camper. I do have a small car trailer I may build into a camper, but that may not happen before I move to California. This project may eventually get picked up as I have a friend who bought a pickup and is selling his house to live a mobile life. May finish the designs and head out to build one for him. If I do, I'll update this as I go. I still think a truck bed camper design is needed, along with proper documentation. I'd love to finish this project some day.

I logged in to look and see if there are any projects I can update or work on here. The truck camper hasn't been touched in over  year, so it's time for at least a status update. 

I've been building an off grid camper or the past few months with the lady, and it's been going very well. This curent camper project is going to teach me all the skills needed to design and build a better camper than I could have when I started this project, or even as recently as a month ago. I've moved a few more times since I updated this project, and it's helped me lighten my load. So far I've installed a solar system, DC electrical system, and am working on plumbing. I've replaced wooden floors and stripped walls to the frame and rebuilt them. I discovered fasteners I'd never known before, like the ones to mount wood to steel, with sellf drilling and tapping tips. I'm learning how NOT to do things, which I find very valuable.

The changes I think I would make to this design, based on what I know now:

1. Using "underlayment" board for interior panels and cabinets. It's about 5mm thick, plywood, and has one surprisingly good looking side. It's meant to go under floorboards or something and deisgned to be really stable. It's also incredibly cheap.
2. Using FRP(fiberglass reinforced plastic) panels, or plastic panels in general. Ants destroyed all the old foam and wood inside the walls of the camper I'm rebuilding so I don't want to give critters anything organic to munch on.
3. Using the nice, rigid foam insulation with the fiberglass in it. This stuff is strong enough to add significant structure to the camper walls, is light, and I suspect bugs and critters won't want to chew on or tunnel through foam with little glass daggers in it. The stuff is awesome. 
4. Avoiding using power inverters wherever possible. Inverters ca be expensive, and they waste energy when convertng DC power to AC power. I've found that there are many DC appliances out there for the RV and Marine industries that work very well. Its also not impossible to convert things to DC either. For example, I built a 12 volt DC furnace out of a pair of gint dump load resistors and a bilge pump fan. It actually heats the entire camper straight from the batteries, with no extra power loss. A standard 120 volt AC water heater can be converted to DC as wel, which is what I did for our camper instead of spending $1,000USD or more on a new propane water heater.
5. I'll likely still include a propane system as I am getting into wood gas generation and storage, which makes flammable gas from wood. It can be compressed into propane tanks and used instead of propane. It can also run large engines and fuel vehicles directly.
6. I'll be planning to build as light as possible to enable smaller vehicles to use it, as well as make it easier on fuel. I was thinking of using wood studs for the walls, but I may just use steel studs as they are far lighter and more consistent. They're still pretty easy to work with as well.

There are a ton of thoughts in my head right now, but I have to get back to work on moving in and getting the camper up and running.

I realized recently that I have need for a toilet on a regular, sometimes daily, basis. I hadn't considered this in regards to my truck camper until very recently. Duh. How silly of me. The first thought that comes to mind is a composting toilet using coffee grounds and such. The next thought is a urinal that can be routed straight out to the ground. I'd only ever want to do that for short term, discreet stays, not long term where the smell would become a problem. I once made a urinal on the second story of a barn I used to have by hooking a funnel to a garden hose and routing it downstairs and outside. It worked great. Used to flush it with a Gatorade bottle full of water. Worked very well indeed. This might be useful in my truck camper to stop the composting toilet getting overwhelmed, and make it easier to pee many times a day like I down when active and chugging water all day. Trying to figure out how to integrate something like a composting toilet and a urinal into such a tiny space. I suppose I could just build a dedicated bathroom. Would be really nice for camping in urban environments when it's too cold an/impractical to find proper toilets and such. I think I may very well include a bathroom. More thoughts on this later.

Recently I've been trying to figure out just how to set up my life for maximum comfort, stability, mobility, and financial savings. I've experimented with living in a tent, stayed on a couch for a while, then spent a while in my own apartment. In one month, I move back to my home state, where my friendly old pickup is waiting for me. As much as I hate the automobile these days, due to waste and expense, it's easy to justify that truck when it replaces rent, power, and heating bills, while providing total mobility. I'm sick of long tent days and need something more solid and permanent. The cheapest, fastest, and easiest option is the old truck camper idea, so here I am, back at it again. I've got some big changes to make as well. 

A big part of the design I struggle with is the overhang above the roof of the truck. I know that's where I want my bed to go, and how to make it strong enough. I struggle with the balance between aerodynamics, comfort, strength, and looks. For that part, I've decided to look into using clear corrugated plastic roofing material. It would act as a massive skylight, and make it easy to round of the nose of the camper without having to bend plywood or something. I could also just do the entire roof and nose with the stuff to make the entire ceiling a skylight, which would be pretty awesome, aside from turning the entire camper into a green house. For that, I was considering using some of that silver bubble wrap insulation looking stuff and basically making a giant awning that pulls out over head to reflect the heat out. That might not work, so I'll test it and just get some skylights if needed. Either way, I like the ideal of a clear nose.

For the shower, I think I want to greatly simplify it. I'm thinking of gravity fed, with the water tank built into the back wall to avoid hoses running between moving panels. I may still employ an electric heater for the shower that runs off solar panels. Speaking of which, I think I'll need some of those and a few good battery banks. Those are some of the more expensive items, so I'll plan on running a secondary deep cycle battery under the hood of the truck just for the camper to start with.

I am still deciding on how to in cook and heat the camper. I'll likely add a dedicated propane heater for heating, and either an electric stove burner, or a propane burner with a custom fume hood that vents outside for safety. The energy system is still up in the air at this point, but it is going to be important. I think insulation is going to be one of the most important aspects of the camper to reduce energy needs in winter. I'm also concerned about running out of propane. I'd like to have backup systems like a quartz radiant heater for inside the truck to use electricity to heat it if needed. I plan to tap into the engine heat at some point to heat the camper, but that requires running the engine. The system I'm thinking of would have 4 sources of heat energy: engine heat, solar electricity, solar heating, and propane. That should handle heating, even though the ultimate goal is to take the truck south every winter and work from the road.

Another addition I considered, though entirely luxurious is an inflatable hot tub. This would be perfect for when I rent a campground for an entire season and have access to mains power. Since the truck would provide all it's own power for the rest of my needs, I could possibly get away with running an electric hot tub at a campground. I love hot tubs more than just about anything. It would sit so nicely under the awning of the raised rear camper wall. If I don't get one of those, I may just get an inflatable bath tub and set that up to do some soaking. Just a fun thought.

For internet and phone service, I've got myself a cheap Google Fi phone and unlimited talk and text. $10 per GB of data is available if I need it, with mobile hotspot included. Good enough for me. I can use my trust Thinkpad X230 laptop for all my business needs, work from my truck, and go on adventures as I work on various projects. The camper project is moving ahead nicely, as is my lifestyle plan in general.

Anyway, to get this project rolling, I contacted a good friend of mine to help me gather supplies and find side jobs to fund it. Once I have the camper built and ready to live in, I'll go look for more stable work for the winter to fund future goals and dreams. The touring bicycle with camp gear is a great set up, but something more permanent is needed for greater happiness and productivity. 

Quite a few months ago, I left my entire life behind in search of adventure, including the truck that inspired this camper. Just yesterday, though, I got a message from an old neighbor that brightened my whole outlook on life. For the past few weeks, I've been gazing longingly at all the classic old pickup trucks that remind me so much of my beloved old truck. I had just started regretting leaving my truck behind. It truly was going to be a lifelong regret of mine. The news my old neighbor delivered was amazing though. Another of my previous neighbors had fixed up my truck a bit, and stored it safely for me this entire time in hopes that he could get a hold of me someday and return it. He's a very handy chap, and it turns out he replaced the ignition switch, and installed a fiberglass bed cover on it, as well as kept my first bed mounted toolbox for me. I'm living in another state now, about 1,000 miles away, but am planning on making the trip back to go get it and drive it back on an epic journey. It's going to cost me about $1,000 and 5 days around Christmas time to go get it, but the trip and truck are well worth it. I'm starting my first business now, and solid work trucks are kind of scarce around here. At least the ones that I could afford. I'll take a 24 hour train ride from South Dakota to Ohio, spend some time with loved ones, then start the two or three day journey home again. I could actually make the entire drive in one day with a nap, but I'd rather use the time off to slow down and enjoy the trip. It's going to be my first Christmas vacation, and I'd like to thoroughly enjoy it. Sadly, the camper is not already built, so I will probably just split the drive up into two days with a hotel stay in between. After I get my truck home, I'll start working on upgrades, repairs, and the camper itself. I'll just pick up right where I left off. Luckily, I have all my notes on here, so I don't have to start all over again. I also have much more experience with writing and documentation, as well as life experience to apply to the project. I look forward to having this done by spring of 2019 in time for powwow and camping season here in South Dakota. I'm currently camping in my tent until I get my apartment, but this truck camper would be a whole new level of camping luxury if it were completed now.

Tonight I carefully measured my truck in as many places as I thought would be needed, and made a quick AutoCAD drawing of the bed. This will be used to layout the floor pan of the camper.  These dimensions also helped me define the overall size of the camper. See the "General Dimension Notes" HERE if interested. 

All notes are just rough drafts to be refined later. All suggestions welcome, unless you suggest just buying a camper instead of building one. You can shut up, if that's your suggestion.

AutoCAD drawings will be stored and shared in the Google Drive link on the main page and below when I get around to it, if possible. I may just take screen shots of final plans and post those as the average person doesn't just have a copy of AutoCAD laying around.

I've decided to make the camper close to the maximum legal size limitations. I am keeping it short though, extending only about 2 inches past the lowered tailgate to keep it fairly easy to drive around. The camper is going to be 12 inches wider than the truck on each side, so towing mirrors will be required. The cab overhang is going to sit about 18 inches past the top of the windshield. I decided to go with a ceiling of no lower than 6', greatly increasing the initial estimated height. This should allow most people to comfortable stand inside. The floor is going to sit on top of the wheel well arches, raising the floor by just over 11", creating storage space under the main floor. This storage space will most likely be used to hold the water tanks, and supporting equipment.

I've determined that the suspension, rear axle, and bed are ready to accept a camper of over 2,500 pounds, which is about double the estimated final weight. The following needs done before subjecting the truck to a constant load of over 1,000 pounds:

- transmission flush, filter, temperature gauge installed.

- engine tune up.

- replace front tries, check weight capacity of rear tires.

- perform full maintenance on brake system, except master cylinder, which was replaced a few months ago.

- fix all signal light issues.

- prep and apply spray in liner to bed.

- stress test truck with load of gravel to determine weighted characteristics, install stronger engine if needed.

- coolant flush.

- new engine belts

- new transmission mount bushing.

- better flowing muffler.

At this point, significant progress has been made on the project, including gathering of some tools, supplies, and vital information. More updates to come.

Recently, I've been slowly gathering resources for this project. Just a few days ago, I scored a very nice sewing machine for $15 at a local Goodwill. It would not run when the foot pedal was depressed, but the light came on and smacking the pedal would start the machine for a fraction of a second. I took the pedal apart, and found that one of the components had 2 of the 3 leads broken off. I didn't have any solder, so I used a razor blade to bend the broken pins together. This got it working just fine and I've gotten a few hours of practice in on the machine. The machine is a White Model 1919. It came with a very nice case, all the attachments, a cover, and the original user manual. I got the sewing machine in order to learn a new skill and create a few key pieces of the camper myself. The main use for the machine is going to be making curtains, making cushions for the custom furniture, and sewing together the tarp panels. I can also use it to repair my dress pants and make all my own cushions for the couch I plan on designing and building.

This sewing machine represents the first major investment in this project. Until now, I haven't invested much beyond my time and thought. This machine is the first major breakthrough I've had on this project. 

I plan on building a special cut out on my future workbench to accommodate my new sewing machine. Eventually, I may invest in a computerized embroidering machine to give me even more options. Until then, I will master all the basics and start exploring the world of sewing much more often. This machine will make a great teaching tool, and could open up the chance to teach a new skill to people. 

I moved again recently, so this project has been on hold. New job as well. The hours of my new job, plus the significantly shorter commute leave me with far more resources towards my truck camper project. My new neighbor is an awesome gentleman with tons of life experience and decades of building experience. He has been helping me brainstorm and sort out some of the details. It goes well. I even have access to a local makerspace or two.

New feature: Top hinged rear wall.

The rear wall of my camper is going to be hinged along the top edge to allow it to swing up, and be propped up like an awning. This will allow the creation of an outdoor room, in addition to the space inside the camper. This new back porch could have a selection of different wall panels as well. The panels would include a rear, two sides, and a panel to seal off the underside of the truck from the room. The under-truck panel could be created to form a large bag that would sit under the truck for water proof outdoor storage. A set of screen panels could create a screened in sun room. A set of waterproof, sealed tarp panels could create a darkened outdoor theater room. Window panels could be sewn into these panels as well. All panels could be neatly rolled up, and stored in a hallow compartment inside the rear wall itself. All panels would have reinforced stake points at the bottom to seal to the ground, and a zip on tarp floor could be created to seal off the rear porch room entirely from the elements. A portable shower could even be set up inside the rear room when the tarp walls are in use. The shower could even be a permanent fixture of the rear wall. A shower head, knobs, and fixed curtain could be recessed into the wall, with flexible water lines running to it through the back wall. A simple shower curtain could attach to the rear wall, in a circle to form the shower walls. This would allow you to prop open the rear wall. slide open a panel that reveals the shower head, knobs, and the folded up curtain. The curtain could be staked to the ground as well. For more privacy, the tarp walls could be put up to create a full shower room. The prop rods could have hooks mounted to them for use as coat, clothing, and towel holders. The tarp wall panels could even be elevated outwards to create 3 large awnings, creating a very large shaded hangout. This would be ideal for summer parties, and even vending events, such as automotive swap meets.

This requires all wiring to be run from the roof down into the rear wall, with slack and strain reliefs built in. The 2 prop rods will be stored inside the walls somewhere. 

Instead of a TV, I will be mounting a small, 1080p, 3D projector I own to the ceiling, on a track that runs front to back. This will allow me to mount a custom made projector screen to the rear wall of the camper, either above, or below the door, depending on whether the wall is propped open or not. The sliding track for the projector will allow it to be easily moved to account for the distance from the screen. I am considering mounting the projector, speakers, WiFi router, and Playstation3 in a long, thin, horizontal box that mounts to this ceiling track. This would let me take the entire assembly out of the camper, set it up on a table or some adjustable legs, and project onto the back side of the screen for all to see, or onto any other surface. 

For the audio system, I plan to install a home theater surround sound system for movies, and a separate car stereo system with subwoofer for party music and such. A few of these car speakers may be mounted to the rear wall to act as overhead speakers when the wall is propped up. These speakers could even be mounted to a hinged panel that drops down to allow the speakers to be pointed out at any direction desired, for things such as blasting music out at parties.

I plan on having lots of lighting in this camper. Along the inside edges of the rear wall could go small LED flood lights, angled down to light up the area outside of and around the propped up rear wall. Surrounding the door on the rear wall would LED rope lighting that would act as overhead lighting when the rear wall is propped up. 

These are all random thoughts that I feel should be possible and desirable to implement. 

Desired features:

chilled water

hot water

small double sink

fresh water tank

waste water tank

Chilled water options:

ice

small refrigeration unit

circulate water through a small radiator with a fan.

Hot water options:

electric kettle

boil by the pot

draw engine heat somehow

black water pipes on roof with pump

on demand water heater

Sink Options:

camper sink, stainless steel

plastic camper or mobile home sink

full size single sink

Water Tanks:

limited to 5 gallons for weight

stored behind wheel arches in otherwise wasted space

vented

quick disconnect hoses with cut off valves

No Shower:

too large and messy.

can wash from the sink

Gym membership.
Desire