Truck camper for 6?

[ependydad]

I can almost hear you groan and laugh at the idea of a truck camper that sleeps 6. But, the situations that I'd use the truck camper with this many people are primarily when we're camping and spending a majority of our time outside with only coming inside for sleeping and bathroom. Essentially, it would be a fancy-pants tent.

Before it's asked- we would have more than 1 vehicle getting to the campground.

But, I often camp where I would need so sleep 2-3 adults (in separate beds) and 1-2 kids OR 2 couples and 2 kids.

My druthers would be a truck camper that had sleeping arrangements, obviously as well as A/C, heat, microwave/convection oven, fridge/freezer, toilet with some kind of privacy (curtain, door, etc.), and sink w/ hot water.

I had found a truck camper that had a slide out and bunks in it that was pretty neat, but it has been discontinued:


I'd also prefer to avoid canvas/tent ends if possible.

[Bedlam]

Two ideas:

1. A truck camper plus a tiny tear drop trailer for extra sleeping space. Both can be nestled together into a 20' space.

2. Get a 16' toy hauler with stacking queen loft beds and convertible dinette and sofa. The tongue will extend 3-4', so you have to stay short. Going with a toy hauler, gives you a more open floor plan with multi functional furniture over a bunkhouse model.

[waykat]

Go with the Lance 1191 or 1130 tent option. Doesn't feel like a tent from the inside and easily will handle the 6 people. We upgraded to ours late last year and love it. The room inside is awesome and the side door is nice. Hauls well with our F350 dually. Has kind of a big butt, but still a good compromise over a trailer.

[350int]

This brings back the memories. In the early to mid 60's our family of six travelled a number of western states and parts of Canada in our 8' Rushmore(brand)cabover camper. Mom & Dad on the top bunk, my sisters on the dinette bed, my brother on the floor and I got the seat of the pickup. As stated by others, it can be done...but I prefer not to do it today.

[Powelligator]

Nothing to do at all with solving the original poster's question but what got me started in Truck Camper Camping was my family's 1964 setup: 1964 International 1200 Pickup with a 10 foot Merced camper. There were five kids in my family so with Dad and Mom that made 7, and that camper had bunks that folded down on each side and with the dinette and the cabover each one of us had a comfy bed to sleep in. We travelled all over the United States that way, in the 60's and the 70's.

Enough memories! Back to your regularly scheduled thread...

-Joe

[ependydad]

mkirsch wrote:

wintersun wrote:
Far easier to get a travel trailer with bunk beds and gain a larger fridge and larger holding tanks and more interior living space.

Yeah, but remember he's trying to squeeze this into a 20' long storage space.

Any travel trailer capable of sleeping 6 "off the lot" is going to be in the 30' range.

Now, if customizing were an option... All you'd need to find is a decent old 10-11' model, gut it down to the bathroom, and install four bunks where the kitchen and dinette were.

That's the crappy part of me having 2 threads. I didn't think to include the length restriction on this one as I didn't think it an issue with TCs.

I'm wondering about the idea of gutting something. I can't keep it here as it is, but I could possibly drag it back and forth to storage between sessions working on it. As long as I keep it road worthy throughout.

[mkirsch]

wintersun wrote:
Far easier to get a travel trailer with bunk beds and gain a larger fridge and larger holding tanks and more interior living space.

Yeah, but remember he's trying to squeeze this into a 20' long storage space.

Any travel trailer capable of sleeping 6 "off the lot" is going to be in the 30' range.

Now, if customizing were an option... All you'd need to find is a decent old 10-11' model, gut it down to the bathroom, and install four bunks where the kitchen and dinette were.

[Wagonqueen_Truc]

76AMERIGO wrote:

Wagonqueen Truckster wrote:
My "76" Amerigo TC sleeps 6. 2 up top, 2 in the dinette and 2 in the "Snap N Nap" that opens up in the back. Thing is 21 feet open. Weighs 3000 lbs and I believe there is a REALLY nice one completely renovated somewhere in PA.

Hi wagonqueen! yours is shaping up great! I just sold mine this past Monday to a nice gentleman from Ohio....bittersweet day for me.
I have to say the Amerigo is on the list for sleeping capacity vs total weight of camper, however 5 is realistic, unless you have 2 three year olds in the dinette area 🙂 We were in Gettysburg with 5.
two teenaged boys teen age girl, me and my wife....all had a comfy bed.
I'll still check in to see how you're making out and want to see the finished masterpiece.
Dave

Congrats.. Someone got a really good camper...

[jerryleejr]

campn4walleye wrote:
Adventurer just introduced the 116DS. It's huge and heavy. Ohhh but what a beauty.

I've been looking at that however I don't see an overhead bunk option for the dinette...

JJ

[campn4walleye]

Adventurer just introduced the 116DS. It's huge and heavy. Ohhh but what a beauty.

[wintersun]

You will need to start with a very large camper on a 1-ton DRW truck. The smaller ones will have dinette areas that are too short for adults for sleeping.

As for the tent ends you may want to instead take along a tent. I did that for years and my nephew and the dogs slept in the tent. He preferred the tent to being inside with the adults.

You should also consider the logistics of people getting to the bathroom in the middle of the night to pee without having to put on the lights or wake up everyone else.

Far easier to get a travel trailer with bunk beds and gain a larger fridge and larger holding tanks and more interior living space.

[garryk6]

I will preface my post by saying that If you put your mind to it, you can make just about anything work. We are a family of 6, and have traveled all over Alaska in our beloved 1966 Avion 10ft camper on a 2002 F350 CCSB. My oldest two boys sleep on the seats in the cab of the truck... No modifications required. My 11 yo twins (B&G) sleep on the dinette. and mom and I in the cab over. We have traveled and camped in sub zero weather, wet weather, hot weather all over Alaska, and it is about a state of mind.

If you want it to work, it will work.:C

If you have any one person that decides they don't want to make it work, all will usually be made miserable by the one...:(

All 6 of us over the years have camped in everything from a 1978 22' Ideal TT, a 2001 Nomad 308 (30') TT, a 1992 Tioga 23' Class-C, a 1992 Dutchman 29' Class C, and now our Avion.
We have learned to be minimalists and we have learned to be close. We try to do lots out doors even when the weather does not cooperate. It is all an attitude.

We have frequently been called crazy by people that "stuff" a couple, and a yappy dog and a kid in a 40 ft Class A or Fiver, and complain about there not being enough room in their RV if they can not extend their three slides in the "substandard" Alaskan Campsite...

Again, it is all in your attitude. You can make "anything" work, if you want to make it work.

I hope this helps you in your search with such restrictive requirements. You are the only one that can make the choice, but if you are "sharing" with other families you have to ask yourself, "Are they going to be happy?" Or "We are going to be happy and make this work? It's all a state of mind.

Garry in Kodiak, Alaska

[ZRX-Steve]

I had a 2004 Lance 1161 that I used for many years and recently traded in for a 2014 Lance 1191 with the rear tent option. It has a queen up front, the tent is a queen, and the dinette makes up into a short queen (~ 72x58). We also have the bunk option over the dinette which is ~ 72x34. That's a total of 7 people, but it's over 5K pounds loaded. I carry it on a 2000 F350 Powerstroke Diesel with 19.5" H rated tires, Rear Supersprings, Rear Timbrens, Front Sumosprings, front Helwig 1.5" sway bar, rear Roadmaster 1.5" swaybar, and Monroe HD RV shocks all around. The truck carries it very well.

I have an 11 year old and we wanted her to be able to bring friends with her. We've had the camper for 3 months and we love it so far. The new slide is much deeper than the previous 1161 and it makes for a much larger dinette and a much larger open floor area. We have a 24" TV and Wii U mounted on the rear wall that separates the tent area from the bath in addition to storage hooks, cup holders, several mounted soft storage baskets. The tent has a heater vent that helps in cold weather. We were on the Mogollon rim last weekend at about 6000-7000 feet and it got down to 35 degrees. I had the heater set to 60 degrees and it kept up with it well.

[76AMERIGO]

Wagonqueen Truckster wrote:
My "76" Amerigo TC sleeps 6. 2 up top, 2 in the dinette and 2 in the "Snap N Nap" that opens up in the back. Thing is 21 feet open. Weighs 3000 lbs and I believe there is a REALLY nice one completely renovated somewhere in PA.

Hi wagonqueen! yours is shaping up great! I just sold mine this past Monday to a nice gentleman from Ohio....bittersweet day for me.
I have to say the Amerigo is on the list for sleeping capacity vs total weight of camper, however 5 is realistic, unless you have 2 three year olds in the dinette area 🙂 We were in Gettysburg with 5.
two teenaged boys teen age girl, me and my wife....all had a comfy bed.
I'll still check in to see how you're making out and want to see the finished masterpiece.
Dave

[Moose10]

jefe 4x4 wrote:
I agree on the impossibility of securing a TC for 6 with all those requirements. If you can bend any of those requirements, consider adding a tiny, lightweight, hardside camping trailer that will sleep 2 + 2 and easily towed by your one-ton. They are around. Here's a sample: (i was close to pulling the trigger on this model about 20 yrs ago to tow behind my Jeep CJ8)
http://www.fiberglass-rv-4sale.com/for-sale/early-80s-13-burro-travel-trailer-3950-near-kewaskum-wi
or this:
http://www.parkliner.com/
Now if you can find a place to store one of these you will have, while traveling, not an RV but an RV compound! It's been done before. Form follows function.
regards, as always, jefe

Good idea there Jefe.
I've also seen a brand called "A-Liner". They're those hard sided pop-up A-frame style towable campers. Small size to be easily towed and no canvas.