Best construction technique for a truck camper?

[dustboy]

Hello all, what I want to build isn't much different in construction from any TD, I figure this is the place with the most expertise. Hope nobody minds that this camper won't have its own wheels.

I've been involved with the cargo conversion section for a long time, but I'm looking toward my next rig. Our CTC is nice and all, but we have missed out on quite a few backcountry destinations because my Honda Ridgeline can't pull our trailer up some of the steep and rough roads.

What would be the best construction method/material for a truck camper? The goal is a shell that is rigid, durable, and very lightweight.

I own a cabinet shop so I have all kinds of tools, machinery, and plenty of space to build in. Even a 4x8 CNC router that is really good at cutting curves and angles in sheet material.

I did a quick sketchup model of the outer shell. Thanks for your ideas!

Ridgeline camper.jpg (56.89 KiB) Viewed 3298 times

[flbikejunkie]

I'll be watching as I own a ridgeline myself.[SMILING FACE WITH SMILING EYES]

[dales133]

I'd be using ACL if I was you. You should check out some aussie designs this type of campers very common here.you could form that shape easily out of 3 sheets

[dustboy]

ACL (aluminum composite laminate) is what I was thinking too, I just didn't know the name. Anybody know where to buy this stuff in the US? How thick? How do you bond the sheets at the corners?

If it's not too expensive I would just buy the sheets, but it wouldn't be too hard to lay up my own with some rigid insulation and some .040 aluminum sheet.

flbikejunkie, the Ridgeline is not the ideal platform for a camper but with the tailgate down I think we can eke out enough space for the 4 of us to sleep comfortably. The rear suspension will definitely need airbags or helper springs...not that there is much on the market for the truck. Even if I keep the loaded camper under the truck's rated 1,100 lb bed capacity, the suspension will be sagging a lot.

[Tom Kurth]

Don't know if you have or are looking for plans but one of the on-line boat plan sales sites has camper plans as well. I think Glen-L but I'm not sure.

Best,
Tom

[angib]

Don't know if you have or are looking for plans but one of the on-line boat plan sales sites has camper plans as well. I think Glen-L but I'm not sure.

Yes, Glen-L. And they have a nice photo tutorial on an older plywood truck camper:
http://glen-l.com/campers/fairhaven-constr-1.html

[VijayGupta]

RE: where to find ACL: My neighbor is a sign maker and I believe this is the stuff he was using on a sign this week (went over to help with the cutting). He got it from the local plastics distributor. His sign supply shop also carries it. Two places to begin the search.

[dales133]

Yea sign places will sell it.
Usualy comes in 3mm or 4 mm thick and can be v grooved and folded for seamless joins

[aggie79]

I believe it is more commonly referred to as "ACM" - aluminum composite material. Some have a solid core. Some have a corrugated core. These are a few of the trade names for sign material: Aluma-Corr, Alumalite, Alumet ACM, Nu-Alum, Omega-Bond, Polymetal, Pro-Lite, Signabond Lite, and Alucobond. It is also available as a commercial building exterior material, but these are special runs and not stock material.

[noseoil]

Super light & strong would be a honeycomb panel. It can also be super expensive to go along with the weight & strength and have different joining problems, adhesives and a whole new layer of technology to learn as you go.

I like the idea of a design like the one above. You could use 4/4 poplar for the skeleton framework, 1/8" baltic birch for the interior skins & a thin aluminum skin for the exterior. Since you already have the woodworking background, it just makes sense to use what you've learned & apply it to a different type of shape.

It's still just a box....

[dustboy]

If the ACM is 4-5mm then what does the rest of the wall look like? Does it still have wood framing and insulation?

I could build a stick-and-plywood camper in my sleep, but won't it be heavy? Seems like a lot of the commercially made campers start at 1,000 lbs dry and go up from there. The smallest Camplite is 950 lbs and it is all aluminum and composites.

I could laminate thin aluminum sheet on 2 sides of 1" rigid insulation. Wood frame at the edges for attachment to adjacent panels. These guys built a camper out of Nida-Core which I think is a honeycomb product, and mitered and joined with resin: http://thesupercamper.blogspot.com/ Like noseoil said, a tricky and expensive way to build..

[AzAv8r]

Have you seen this? Build of a hard-sided pop-up truck camper for off-road use. A whole bunch of videos of the build:
http://www.hookedupfilms.com/huf-adventure-vehicle/

[dales133]

If you used acl and v grooved and folded it you could avoid a frame almost entirely and glue foam on the inside then your covering of choice.
I'm getting some soonish, as soon as I've got some spare cash and I'll show you it.
My stuff is left over off building cladding and 4 mm solid core 3000mm x 1500mm

[jstrubberg]

What about foam with a thin 'glass shell over the outside? I bet you could get down to just a few hundred pounds for the shell.

[dustboy]

Hmm. The Honda manual explicity states "Do not use your Ridgeline to carry a slide-in camper." No whys or hows, but I assume it's a weight issue. To accommodate 200 lbs gear, 200 lbs water, maybe some firewood, this camper realistically needs to have a dry weight of under 700 lbs. Does that really even seem possible?

Here are the materials that have come up so far:

-wood frame/plywood interior/sheet aluminum exterior: easy to build, cheap, probably heavy
-carbon fiber: lightweight, not much fun to work with, not part of my skill set. $$$$
-ACL: still don't understand the construction techniques involved or the advantages. Seamless folded miters are cool when you can fit the whole box on one sheet, but this box is way bigger than that. How do you join edge seams?
-foam core sandwich: probably needs to be balanced with same materials both sides. FRP skin/rigid foam insulation core? Is there a real weight advantage over wood/plywood?
-What about a canvas foamie?