Tiny truck bed campers?

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Re: Tiny truck bed campers?

Postby dbhosttexas » Tue Oct 05, 2021 1:11 pm

cluttonfred wrote:I am surprised to hear folks recommend essentially "bigger is better" in a forum for Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers. The appeal of a small, light teardrop trailer for me is that it can be so much more economical than a larger trailer including the size and efficiency of the tow vehicle. The Maverick's 1500 lb load capacity and 2000 lb towing capacity in even the base model seem very workable to me if you keep those limits in mind. I took the suggestion of the flatbed trailer conversion video as inspiration only. I have also found a number of videos on foamie and traditional designs that gave me some ideas, including pop tops though I would prefer a simpler fixed design if I can make it work. I could also see a mostly fixed design with a pop top only to provide headroom over a small standing area.


I think you might be misinterpreting intent. I don't see folks saying bigger is better. Rather what I am saying, and others here seem to be saying is be cautious in design decisions made to convert this new mini truck platform to a camper. It absolutely can be done, but many traditional construction materials and methods will quickly add up to weight the Maverick is not built for, and the unibody design poses some camper design challenges that can, and should be overcome with smart design choices.

This is why I recommended that foamie construction be looked at. It's light, and easily worked with to overcome the design challenges the bodywork on the Maverick may pose...

The cross ways bed arrangement will allow what the OP is looking for, as would a hi top camper shell and one of those truck bed tent extensions, or tarp rigs to enclose the tailgate down / liftgate up sleeping configuration.

WIth the Maverick being a brand new platform to work with, entirely new territory is being walked into, and I for one am intrigued to see how the issues this platform poses for builders and how they work around them.

I would go 100% with the KISS principle, and take every ounce into consideration. Don't use for example a 2 burner liquid fuel COleman stove when you can use an isobutate backpackers stove at a few mere ounces. Design and gear choices that work with the platform...
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Re: Tiny truck bed campers?

Postby gudmund » Tue Oct 05, 2021 1:57 pm

:thinking: :thumbsup: to what was just said here :thumbsup: :thinking:
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Re: Tiny truck bed campers?

Postby Squigie » Tue Oct 05, 2021 6:45 pm

gudmund wrote:just my "opinion" and what I said - has now been stated here........ personally I would rather have 'more' than what is ever needed for a bit of 'overkill' in the long run.... (...)

How do you know that a Maverick is *not* all that Mr. Long will ever need?
You're on a soapbox with no foundation, beating your chest to an absent crowd.
The arguments are based upon a data set that was never provided.

Do you have any opinions on the actual question, and not just more hatred of FWD unibody vehicles?
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Re: Tiny truck bed campers?

Postby gudmund » Tue Oct 05, 2021 8:54 pm

..........W H A T E V E R ............... I can and do read also and have been reading up on the Maverick and it's development these last few years or so (and after all the problems Ford had with their Fiesta/Focus transmissions a few years back = I too am interested now in seeing how 'their' CVT in this Maverick is going to work out in the long run??? = Time will tell) Opinions are..... "just what they are" - opinions..... I always say = buy what "you" want or like, being I don't suggest to anyone to buy what I like or would want or own - I don't want to hear about it later when being told that "I suggested it" ............ again take care...... later

PS and YES, I "agree" with everything you stated in your first posting on this subject ......................
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Re: Tiny truck bed campers?

Postby cluttonfred » Wed Oct 06, 2021 12:36 am

Maybe we could return this thread to the actual topic at hand…. Does anyone know of any complete plans for foamie truck campers? Coming from a homebuilt aircraft background, I have seen designs like the Sky Pup ultralight that use foam shear webs bonded between wood cap strips to make light, rigid spars. I wonder if the same approach could be used to make a rigid wood and foam frame including a cantilever portion over the cab for a very light truck camper? Cheers, Matthew

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Re: Tiny truck bed campers?

Postby BigGoofyGuy » Wed Oct 06, 2021 3:36 pm

I found a site with a list of campers for small trucks. perhaps one of them is what you are looking for?
:thinking:
https://www.rvingknowhow.com/small-truck-campers/

some helpful information on making a camper for a small pickup truck?
https://outdoorfact.com/how-to-build-a-lightweight-truck-camper/
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Re: Tiny truck bed campers?

Postby BigGoofyGuy » Wed Oct 06, 2021 3:38 pm

there are some interesting ideas at this site.
https://www.itsoverflowing.com/diy-truck-bed-camper/
:thinking:
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Re: Tiny truck bed campers?

Postby RJ Howell » Thu Oct 07, 2021 5:54 am

My 1st build for the truck was a sleeper top. I wanted to learn how strong and how far I could push XPS foam. I earned a lot from that build! Only wood involved was inlaid plywood 1/4" where I knew I would attach something (rear door, awning, etc), none of the wood was structural.

Ended up making an extension tent over the tail-gate to gain a little more space.

http://tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=71879
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Re: Tiny truck bed campers?

Postby cluttonfred » Thu Oct 07, 2021 7:02 am

Thanks for the links, good food for thought.

BigGoofyGuy wrote:I found a site with a list of campers for small trucks. perhaps one of them is what you are looking for?
:thinking:


RJ Howell wrote:My 1st build for the truck was a sleeper top....
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Re: Tiny truck bed campers?

Postby twisted lines » Tue Oct 12, 2021 4:58 pm

popper wrote:This is a pretty cool lightweight slide-in example linked below in a Tacoma.. and there are plenty more examples with vids. Gotta love the age of yt. This one is really neat though, under 500 pounds and decent enough space and slide out. I especially like the not smooth finish.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAGhUolw-i0

I'm with dbhost.. a foam build like this is just the ticket for applications where you need to keep weight down. If you make it big its going to be light. If you make it small its going to be even lighter.


I have a itch for a 4' pod like this :frightened:
And almost started with the pallet my Diamond plate was delivered on.
Racking up; And Rapin foam
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Re: Tiny truck bed campers?

Postby cluttonfred » Wed Oct 13, 2021 3:16 am

That is a neat build and very relevant to my interests, but I wonder about the joining method for the foam. The hot-wired finger joints (if that's the right name) are elegant but also quite a bit of work. Have folks found that butt joints with the right glue (stronger than the foam) are not reliable for foam to foam connections?

twisted lines wrote:
popper wrote:This is a pretty cool lightweight slide-in example linked below in a Tacoma.. and there are plenty more examples with vids. Gotta love the age of yt. This one is really neat though, under 500 pounds and decent enough space and slide out. I especially like the not smooth finish.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAGhUolw-i0

I'm with dbhost.. a foam build like this is just the ticket for applications where you need to keep weight down. If you make it big its going to be light. If you make it small its going to be even lighter.


I have a itch for a 4' pod like this :frightened:
And almost started with the pallet my Diamond plate was delivered on.
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Re: Tiny truck bed campers?

Postby Pmullen503 » Wed Oct 13, 2021 5:20 am

A properly glued butt joint would be as strong as the foam.

The finger joints would help alignment and make clamping assemblies much easier. The down side is you have all that filling and smoothing of those joints.
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Re: Tiny truck bed campers?

Postby Squigie » Wed Oct 13, 2021 10:36 am

cluttonfred wrote:Maybe we could return this thread to the actual topic at hand…. Does anyone know of any complete plans for foamie truck campers? Coming from a homebuilt aircraft background, I have seen designs like the Sky Pup ultralight that use foam shear webs bonded between wood cap strips to make light, rigid spars. I wonder if the same approach could be used to make a rigid wood and foam frame including a cantilever portion over the cab for a very light truck camper? Cheers, Matthew

5A1B6C77-5E27-4F95-9EA4-813532697E1C.jpeg

Since I have not built a foamie, I have no personal experience with such.
But my problem with the Sky Pup, and similar designs, is that any damage to the wood usually results in catastrophic failure or catastrophic repair. (Basically, 'rebuild that portion/assembly from scratch'.)

When you're looking at a monocoque camper built in such a way, there really are no subassemblies for the structure. You have to scab a repair onto it, or start over.
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Re: Tiny truck bed campers?

Postby cluttonfred » Wed Oct 13, 2021 10:52 am

I hear you, but I was not looking to optimize the structure to quite that degree. Basically I am thinking of using 1x2 lumber and 1-1/2" foam but gluing the wood between the foam to form beams with wood caps and foam webs in the walls of camper, not a monocoque structure at all.

Squigie wrote:Since I have not built a foamie, I have no personal experience with such.
But my problem with the Sky Pup, and similar designs, is that any damage to the wood usually results in catastrophic failure or catastrophic repair. (Basically, 'rebuild that portion/assembly from scratch'.)

When you're looking at a monocoque camper built in such a way, there really are no subassemblies for the structure. You have to scab a repair onto it, or start over.
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Re: Tiny truck bed campers?

Postby RJ Howell » Thu Oct 14, 2021 6:27 am

Another is building a unit much bigger than you (a bit smaller than mine) and is using a 1x frame system with XPS as it's core. Fiberglass'ed over to create a SIP of sorts. I don't see the need for the wood, as you can joint the foam with Gorilla glue (original) very well (what I use). He wants the points for pocket screwing each panel. His system is to after screwing the panels together to fiberglass that joint.

My 1st build had no additional support in the roof, just the 1.5" XPS. I did curve (stress) the roof to add a little strength. That worked well, yet I was just over 4ft wide at the roof. My new unit I have added struts (3) for additional support.

How you decide to join your panels will indeed be what you experimented with, your success/failure and what you are most comfortable with. We can direct you towards a system of build, but you still should take the time and 'bench test' a couple. It also builds confidence in doing it as you start the actual build.

I am a proponent for foam building. :thumbsup:

Looking forward to seeing a design and the start of the build!
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