Been keeping an eye out for something used the last 6 months or so in the pop up dept not much available so I'm considering a family reno project and modifying a hard shell. We could use pointers and appreciate any help offered!First off our Tundra 2wd v8 4.7 is outfitted with class 10 Goodyear Duratrac 275 70 18's. No bump stops or bags yet, but looking at Timbren and Firestones. With the payload cap at 1535lbs we're gonna have to do some shaving.Main goal is to have a camper that is good for 2-5 day outings within a few hundred miles from spring to fall with my 5yo and my lady. Thinking between 50-80 degree camping. Maybe 6-12 outings a year. We're totally green with truck camping but have camped a good bit over the years. I'm imagining shaving weight by pulling a decent bit of heavy cabinetry/door faces and replacing with alum framing and/or plastic. We may pull the bathroom.. do people really use these? May pull AC. The real objective is to have a camper with Two beds (cabover queen and small single for 5yo), single propane stove,adequate led lighting, and perhaps a pull out awning or hammock. Step up from tent camping without too many modern accessories. Still trying to sort out a budget but ideally a used camper under $2k and another $2k in reno.Found this local and it looks like a good deal. Check out this Slide in camper for $1500 on OfferUp https://offerup.com/item/detail/819917594/Check out this 95 Northland camper 12ft everything works title in hand for $1000 on OfferUp https://offerup.com/item/detail/795212363/

As you already stated, your official payload is a little over 1500lbs. There are a lot of previous discussions on this forum which camper - if any - can be put on a 150/1500. The consensus seems to be: not a lot. A small, lightweight hardside camper or a popup will work.I can not access the links you posted (probably because I am not in the US), but here is my comment based on what I can see:1500-2000$ will not buy you much of a camper. Expect a lot of work and preexisting problems.I seriously doubt any 12' camper can be put on a half ton crew cab, weight wise. Also you will need a long bed for a camper of this size.Do not trust any stated weights unless you can verify them on a scale. Almost everything camping is heavier than you think.You can travel overloaded to a degree. Just know what you are doing and you will be fine. That will not absolve you of (potential, remote) legal consequences, and you can not beat physical reality. Know your axle weights and tire loads, especially in the rear.Your project sounds like a lot of work. Would you rather travel or build a camper, or do you have time for both?Yes, many people do use the bathroom. But that question is probably as old as campers are. Some people will never use them, some only in an emergency, some can not imagine using a camper without. We are in the latter group, but there is no right or wrong here, just personal preference.Best of luck, and safe travels!Edit: removed Tundra half-ton claim. I was malinformed.

I can give you my experience having owned two Tundras which have carried the same camper. The Tundra is NOT a half ton truck.A PM would be best.

I expect a hollowed out camper shell to weigh 500-750 lbs. You will have to be careful what you add back in to keep within the rear axle rating. You have to take in account the weight of the truck occupants and any gear and supplies you want with you, so your payload capacity will be used up quickly. I would not choose any camper that extends more than 2' rear of your truck bed. Longer models may not have have the floor support to hang farther off the end and they will also start lifting the front end up on the truck resulting in poor handling. Think about how you will secure the camper to the truck. Will you bolt the camper floor to the tuck bed with sandwiched plates? Will you use the internal tie downs inside the bed? Will you use frame mounted tie downs with spring loaded turnbuckles? Each of these methods has a price along with pro and cons.

You need to become more realistic. When I don't know the weight of 1st camper, statistically loaded with water and propane we can talk >3000 lb.The 2nd who is 12 footer will likely overload F350 with SRW.

Modifying a camper to save weight by things like "taking out the bathroom" is not a good idea. You will ruin the value of your unit by modifying it. Better to buy a bigger truck.

Camper Renovation and Capabilities of a 2007 Tundra Double

Grit_dog
Navigator
Feb 06, 2020
mkirsch, imo, the OP will ruin all the “value” he puts into it, which by his account will total about 4 grand.
Not much money for some, but I’m surmising that it’s a significant amount of money for someone with a $4k budget to start with.
Kayteg1
Explorer II
Feb 06, 2020
mkirsch wrote:
.. A national camper rental service has/had a fleet of F150's with fully self-contained (i.e bathroom) hard sided campers that they rent out.

Have you seen 1 of those?
I have. They are 6 feet something wide, no jacks and I am not sure 6 or 8 foot floor.
Not something I would be comfortable in.
Tents have more space.
mkirsch
Nomad II
Feb 06, 2020
ppine wrote:
Modifying a camper to save weight by things like "taking out the bathroom" is not a good idea. You will ruin the value of your unit by modifying it. Better to buy a bigger truck.

If you're starting with a $1500-$2000 camper, how much value are you going to "ruin" really???

OP, one thing you'll find is that it's going to be nigh on impossible to do a truck camper on any sort of 15-series, aka "half ton", without exceeding the payload capacity, GVWR, perhaps even the axle ratings. That 15XXlb capacity disappears quick.

There's a TON of debate on this. Truck camper manufacturers regularly advertise campers that weigh in at 2500+ loaded for "half ton". A national camper rental service has/had a fleet of F150's with fully self-contained (i.e bathroom) hard sided campers that they rent out.
SanCap
Explorer
Feb 06, 2020
I have been a long time member here with a name change, used to be jimandsue60. we have had a lot of Truck campers, motorhomes and 5th wheels that we fulltimed in. We are now in a home here on Sanibel Island, Florida.

Owning a 2015 DC Tundra we wanted to get back out on the road and get into the back country where we couldn't get to with the full size TC's we have owned.

We researched and went with an AT Summit topper for our Tundra, light weight and basically a tent above the bed of the tundra. We have spent a lot of nights in it. I have a 12 volt fridge/freezer, port potty, solar, large battery bank and inverters to keep the fridge going as well as charging batteries for my drones.

I have added a 10K winch, 2.75 inch lift, TRD Pro sway bar, larger wheels and tires.

There are some pics here, Pics
JimK-NY
Explorer II
Feb 05, 2020
In addition to storage, internal cabinetry in most truck campers is used to reinforce the structure and rigidity of the camper. You risk disaster if you remove it or try to replace it with lighter, less suitable materials.
Kayteg1
Explorer II
Feb 05, 2020
Leftcoastal wrote:
..

In the 8'-10' hard shell campers I was thinking the cabinetry was a good 300-400lbs or so? Taking things down to the frame, re-insulating, and covering with a type of hdpe was my thought initially but I'm not sure just how breathable the walls need to be, definitely don't want moisture issues. It would be great to keep all the storage as close the floor as possible.

I am presently gutting Lance camper to reuse interior in my new project and I don't see 300 lb of cabinetry.
Most of internal cabinets/walls ar "toothpick" frame 3/4"x and 1/16 paneling on the side.
Out of curiosity I weight the heaviest doors.
Bathroom door with big mirror 20 lb
Upper cabinet door less than 2lb.
The heavy parts inside are fridge, oven and water system. If you want to delete those, they will save several hundreds lb. Outside - jacks and AC.
Still most of the camper weight is in cabover framing, roof and floor and you definitely want those.
Campers don't have breathable walls. Styrofoam filling with lot of reflective insulation. Fiberglass or vinyl on finishes. None of those breaths.
TC are build with lot of holes around plumbing and electrical connections and that makes air exchange at high rate when you park in winds.
JimK-NY
Explorer II
Feb 05, 2020
So as I understand it the plan is to buy a used camper for very little money. The camper needs to be small and light weight and then you will work on it to get it even lighter so the Tundra will be able to handle the load.

Getting a decent and appropriate used camper is likely to be more expensive than you want. Then there is all the work and frankly unless you strip everything out, the weight is likely to be more than the Tundra can and should handle. There are some choices for popup campers that might work but finding one is even more difficult since there are relative few popups sold to begin with.

Personally, I would forget the truck camper idea and look for a popup tent trailer in need of some work and loving care.
JIMNLIN
Explorer III
Feb 05, 2020
You have the truck so drop be a set of CAT scales and get the trucks separate front and rear axles weights. I don't know the Tundras rear axle load numbers but maybe in the 4200 RAWR range....and its rear axle may weigh in the 2500-2600 lb range which leaves the truck with around 1600 lbs in the bed before exceeding a tire/wheel or rear spring pack capacity number.
Weighing before and after tells the tale. Then is the time to think about any rear suspension mods if needed.....or if the camper needs to shed any weight.
Grit_dog
Navigator
Feb 05, 2020
Depending how spartan you want to get, you could pull a bunch of weight out of a camper, but the second biggest attraction coming from tent camping, after not having to set up a tent, roll out sleeping bags, etc every time you move is the features you're getting rid of was....
Water, with a sink shower and chitter.
Fridge (the best feature)
Hot water
Heat
Storage, storage storage, not living out of a bunch of Rubbermaid totes.

While your budget may low or you think it's low, buying a cheap old camper and then basically gutting it will make all of it sunk cost, as it won't be marketable.

Buying something in nice shape and keeping all the features in tact and keeping it in the same or better condition than you bought it will basically result in zero or near zero depreciation and if (when) you decide to upgrade, you'll get most all your investment back. And camp in much greater luxury as a side benefit.
For reference, we bought our first TC, 8 years old, used it for 2 years and sold it for more than we paid. Bought another one a couple years older for less than the first one and 6 years later it's still worth 80-90% what we paid, maybe more.
If I sold it today for a modest price, would actually make some money overall.
Long term, you could come out better financially by buying a decnwt used camper and not modifying it than buying cheap and making it less marketable
Something to consider.
Leftcoastal
Explorer
Feb 05, 2020
Yes they are nice. Haven't seen many come up though.