Truck Campers That Turn Pickups Into RVs

© Adventurer ManufacturingTruck Campers
Pickup trucks have been the best-selling vehicles in America for almost 40 years. At work or play, pickups function as the motive multitool for everyday life: business vehicle, family car, stuff hauler — and a truck with a slide-in camper in its bed creates an instant RV. In these trying times, if the spirit moves and awakens a sense of adventure, a pickup / camper combo could be a step toward Nirvana, or at least a bit of freedom. What follows are some of the most functional and highest quality truck campers that turn pickups into RVs — at multiple price points for many budgets.

© Adventurer ManufacturingAdventurer 89RBS
Starting Retail Price: $32,000 (est.)
Vehicle Size: Full-size, three-quarter ton and up
Truck bed size: 6 ft. or more
Camper Weight: 3,122 lbs.
Built in Yakima, Washington, Adventurer has been in business for 50 years. The campers have aircraft-quality aluminum frames, closed-cell block foam insulation and extruded aluminum walls to create a watertight, durable space. The camper is 8 feet 9 inches long, and has numerous high-quality build features including a 3-year structural warranty.

© Adventurer ManufacturingAdventurer 89RBS Interior
Ceiling Height: 6 ft. 6 in.
Bath: Wet
Toilet: Dometic foot-flush
Slideout: Yes
The 89RBS has a rear-bedroom, slideout design providing an amazing amount of usable space in a small footprint. The slideout opens up considerable floor space and houses both a 7-cubic-foot refrigerator and a dinette that converts to a bed. The unit also has a queen-size bed over the truck cab as well as dual nightstands; the galley has stainless steel appliances and a double sink; and the wet bath has a shower.

© Alaskan Camper LLCAlaskan Campers 8.5 Cabover
Starting Retail Price: $33,149
Vehicle Size: Full-size, half-ton and up
Camper Weight: 1,805 lbs.
Designed by RV entrepreneur R.D. Hall, Alaskan Campers have been around since 1958. Billed as the “only hard-sided pop-up camper,” Alaskan campers are both innovative and extremely functional. The sides and roof of Alaskan campers telescope up and down hydraulically, providing full protection when off-grid and in bear country. These truck campers are truly the product of form following function.

© Alaskan Camper LLCAlaskan Campers 8.5 Cabover Interior
Ceiling Height: 6 ft. 3 in.
Bath: No (Outside shower $175 option)
Toilet: Cassette ($815 option)
Slideout: No (it slides up)
Inside, the Alaskan 8.5 camper features a Nova Kool refrigerator, Thetford stove/oven, stainless steel sink, maple laminate surfaces as well as maple hand-sanded trim, a 27-gallon water tank, linoleum flooring, a Maxxair vent fan, and handcrafted cabinetry with dovetail-joint drawers.

© Bahn CompositesBahn Camper Works
Starting Retail Price: $350,000 (est.)
Vehicle Size: Any
Camper Weight: Depends on size
A manufacturer out of Hood River, Oregon, BCW makes fully custom campers for short-, long- or flatbed trucks. The BWC website says they charge for time and materials as well as a builder’s fee, with most camper quotations coming in around (gulp) $350,000. Obviously this is no cookie-cutter camper. Bahn also sells their seamless, yachtlike truck camper shells alone at a cost of about $35,000 with an 8-week delivery time. The shop will also do as much or as little to the shells as clients request: window and door installs, plumbing, wiring, etc.

© Bahn CompositesBahn Camper Works Interior
Ceiling Height: Custom
Bath: Custom
Toilet: Cassette or composting
Slideout: No
Inside, Bahn units are custom built so they reflect exactly what customers want in their campers. Bahn builds campers with a keen eye on the payload and other requirements of the truck on which the camper will travel. Amenities include indoor/outdoor kitchens, 100 percent custom layouts with king- or queen-size beds — even bunk beds. Build times for custom truck campers are 4–10 months.

© Bigfoot IndustriesBigfoot RV 2500 Series 10.6
Starting Retail Price: $45,000
Vehicle Size: Full-size, half-ton and up
Camper Weight: 3,200 lbs.
Bigfoot Industries of Armstrong, BC, makes two series of truck campers: the 1500 and 2500, both available in short and long-bed versions. The shells are 2-piece fiberglass units with a folding access-assist handle, LED lighting, a cab-thru window, a roof rack and ladder, a skylight and a Fantastic fan.

© Bigfoot IndustriesBigfoot RV 2500 Series 10.6 Interior
Ceiling Height: 6 ft. 4 in.
Bath: Yes, shower
Toilet: Foot flush
Slideout: No
The Bigfoot 2500 Series camper interiors come with a 30,000-BTU furnace, a queen-size bed, an oven with a 3-burner cooktop, a double stainless steel sink with hi-rise faucet, and a molded fiberglass shower. A porcelain toilet is an available upgrade.

© Capri CamperCapri Camper
Starting Retail Price: Cowboy $7,995; Retreat $12,495
Vehicle Size: Midsize or larger (8 ft. bed, 6.5 ft. or 5.5 ft.)
Camper Weight: 1,700 lbs.
A Texas company in business since 1969, Capri builds two types of high-quality camper units: the Retreat, a large cabover model; and the Cowboy, a non-cabover, smaller topper. The Retreat includes five camper windows with a passenger wall escape window, interior and exterior LED lighting, a choice of exterior and interior colors and finishes, 110-volt outlets, and a 30-amp power plug in the exterior wall.

© Capri CamperCapri Camper Retreat Interior
Ceiling Height: 6 ft. 4 in.
Bath: Optional shower
Toilet: Optional
Slideout: No
The Retreat interior has two beds: a queen-size in the cabover and a full-size lower. The starting price also includes cabinetry, woodgrain flooring and a Fantastic fan. Customers then add an additional package (Primary, Premium or Works) at increasing price points. Primary add-ons include a rooftop air-conditioner, a refrigerator, a sink, a table and manual jacks ($4,395). The Premium ($5,795) adds a shower and the Works ($8,595) adds an A/V system, shades and a flush-mount sink to the rest of the features.

© Adventurer ManufacturingEagle Cap 1165
Starting Retail Price: $53,000
Vehicle Size: Full-size, one-ton
Camper Weight: 4,931 lbs.
Eagle Cap was purchased by Adventurer Manufacturing in 2011, so the commitment to quality is as high or higher than the Adventurer series. A unique aspect of this 1165 is its “above the bed rail” floor design — thus the interior floorplan is not defined by the pickup truck’s bed sides.

© Adventurer ManufacturingEagle Cap 1165 Interior
Ceiling Height: 6 ft. 4 in.
Bath: Dry
Toilet: Freshwater
Slideout: Yes
The Eagle Cap 1165 can sleep 5–6, so this is by far the biggest unit on our list thus far. The 1165 interior features not one but THREE slideouts containing a dinette, sofa and refrigerator and cooktop. The spacious interior has a kitchen with island containing a stainless steel sink. The dry bath has a separate fiberglass shower, a freshwater foot-flush Dometic toilet, a stainless steel sink and a skylight.

© Four Wheel CampersFour Wheel Campers Swift
Starting Retail Price: Topper $9,295; Shells $13,295; Full Campers $19,995
Vehicle Size: Midsize, 5 ft. bed
Camper Weight: 935 lbs.
The name Four Wheel Campers has been around since 1972. The company, in Woodland, California, has three platform options for their units: slide-in, flat-bed or topper, which bolts to the top of the truck’s bed rails, offering versatility as well as a wide range of price points. The Swift slide-in is a model for midsize trucks with 5-foot short beds.

© Four Wheel CampersFour Wheel Campers Swift Interior
Ceiling Height: 6 ft. 4 in.
Bath: Opt. ext. shower
Toilet: Opt. cassette
Slideout: No
Four Wheel Campers has an incredible philosophy about trucks and truck campers, their function, design aesthetic and customer focus. Their products are also priced well and their website offers many ways for shoppers to see and configure a unit right for their needs.

© Go Fast CampersGo Fast Campers
Starting Retail Price: Standard Platform $6,450
Vehicle Size: Midsize (see website)
Camper Weight: 300 lbs.
Perhaps the hippest of hip camper companies, Go Fast Campers has a philosophy part Ralph Waldo Emerson and part Emerson Fittipaldi: Be naturally self-reliant, and be quick about it. Go Fast units are lightweight, configurable, and durable. The base camper includes the pop-top camper assembly, operable side panels, a mattress, choice of base color, and an installation kit for the customer’s specific vehicle.

Go Fast Campers Interior
Ceiling Height: Andre the Giant (per website)
Bath: No
Toilet: No
Slideout: No
With a cool website and pithy statements such as “You bought a truck, not a shed” and “You didn’t leave home to play house,” Go Fast interiors are basically bare-bones but infinitely configurable. And Go Fast offers a new product called the Flight Deck, which is a partition that sits above the wheelwells of the truck bed to create a flat storage floor with space for stowage underneath between the wells — basically to further organize gear and accessories under the sleeping tent.

© Hallmark ManufacturingHallmark Laveta
Starting Retail Price: $26,900
Vehicle Size: Midsize, short-bed trucks
Camper Weight: 1,212 lbs.
A camper for short-bed midsize trucks, the Laveta is a molded fiberglass unit with a one-piece fiberglass pop-top roof. Built like a fiberglass boat, the camper is customer-configurable which choices of interior framing and cabinet materials. Oak cabinets are standard but options are available. Other standard features include LED interior lighting, insulated soft walls, a manual crank roof mechanism, a propane furnace and DSI water heater and refrigerator.

© Hallmark ManufacturingHallmark Laveta Interior
Ceiling Height: 6 ft. 8 in.
Bath: Exterior shower (opt.)
Toilet: Opt.
Slideout: No
The Laveta interior has a dinette, galley and sink, a 3-burner stove, a 3-gallon water tank and a queen-size bed over the cab. Many options are available including a refrigerator, solar hookups, battery upgrades, sophisticated awning systems, skylights, generators, camper jacks, etc.

© Host IndustriesHost Campers Tahoe DS SB
Starting Retail Price: $54,000
Vehicle Size: Full-size, one-ton, short-bed crew cab
Camper Weight: 3,590 lbs.
Manufactured in Bend, Oregon, the Host Tahoe has an all-aluminum frame, a fiberglass exterior with vacuum-bonded foam-insulated walls, floor and ceiling. The unit also has insulated locking exterior storage compartment doors.

© Host IndustriesHost Campers Tahoe DS SB Interior
Ceiling Height: 6 ft. 6 in.
Bath: Dry
Toilet: Foot-flush
Slideout: Yes
Inside, the highly configurable Tahoe has a rear bathroom in the driver’s-side slideout and a sofa and refrigerator in the slideout on the opposite side of the camper. Other standard features include a queen-size bed over the cab as well as a wardrobe and closet on opposite sides of the bed. (A king-size bed is available.) Standard features are amazing and too numerous to list here, suffice it to say this rig is loaded, and it has a ton of options including many entertainment features.

© Lance CamperLance 650
Starting Retail Price: $25,000
Vehicle Size: Full-size, half-ton, 5- and 6-ft. beds
Camper Weight: 1,700 lbs.
Another camper built in California, the Lance 650 is for short-bed, full-size trucks. The unit has aluminum frame construction, Adzel interior walls, ducted heat, LED lighting, a tankless water heater as well as a one-piece PVC roof. Exterior options include electric jacks with wireless remote, a powered awning, and keyless entry.

© Lance CamperLance 650 Interior
Ceiling Height: 6 ft. 8 in.
Bath: Dry
Toilet: Plastic foot-flush
Slideout: No
Even without slideouts, the Lance 650 has a spacious interior that includes a U-shaped dinette, an ample galley, and a deluxe queen-size bed. Other interior appointments include solid-surface countertops, hardwood-framed cabinets with fingertip latches, an 18,000-BTU furnace, a stainless steel sink with a high-mount faucet, a wall clock and a key hanger.

© Northern Lite Truck CampersNorthern Lite 8-11EX LE
Starting Retail Price: $47,000
Vehicle Size:
Camper Weight: 2,832 lbs.
Built in beautiful British Columbia, Northern Lite truck campers are two-piece clamshell fiberglass units that are 4-season ready. Standard exterior equipment is extensive and includes air-conditioning, 7-foot powered rear awning, a cab-thru window, electric jacks, and a Fantastic fan, to name a few items. New standard features for 2021 include dual 185-watt solar panels, a wireless backup camera, a 10.5-foot powered side awning, a removable third step and an exterior 110-volt outlet.

© Northern Lite Truck CampersNorthern Lite 8-11EX LE Interior
Ceiling Height: 6 ft. 4 in.
Bath: Dry
Toilet: Freshwater
Slideout: No
The Limited Edition standard equipment includes a microwave, leatherette seating surfaces, a solid sapele table, a queen-size bed, an LCD TV, a 3-burner stove, a heated “basement” storage tray, an 18,000-BTU autolight furnace, a gas/electric hot water heater, and an LED light package.

© Northstar CampersNorthstar 8.5 Arrow U
Starting Retail Price: $33,305
Vehicle Size: Three-quarter ton, short bed
Camper Weight: 2,480 lbs.
Northstar has been building truck campers in Cedar Falls, Iowa, since 1955. Priding themselves on quality materials and exacting build techniques, Northstar makes pop-up and hard wall campers as well as Lagun table systems for their own units and other RV manufacturers. The 8.5 Arrow U comes with Happijac 4-corner jacks, fiberglass siding, a lined generator storage compartment, a walk-on rubber roof and thermal pane windows.

© Northstar CampersNorthstar 8.5 Arrow U Interior
Ceiling Height: 6 ft. 8 in.
Bath: Wet
Toilet: Cassette
Slideout: No
Inside, the 8.5 Arrow gets a refrigerator, a microwave, a double sink, LED lighting, an interior shower with a cassette toilet, a skylight in the bathroom, a Lagun swiveling table system and a 6-inch gel memory queen-size mattress. Optional equipment includes air-conditioning, a digital TV, a rear awning, a 3-burner stove with oven, electric corner jacks, a 170-watt solar panel and controller, and a fold-down bunk over the dinette.

© Northwood ManufacturingNorthwood Arctic Fox 1150D
Starting Retail Price: $35,000
Vehicle Size:
Camper Weight: 3,358 lbs.
The Northwood Arctic Fox has all aluminum frame construction, continuous panel fiberglass construction, an arched ceiling, a slideout dinette and perhaps the best feature of a slide-in truck camper: a dry bath with a separate shower. Standard exterior features are extensive and include frameless windows, an electric awning, an exterior shower and 12-volt disconnect.

© Northwood ManufacturingNorthwood Arctic Fox 1150D Interior
Ceiling Height: 6ft. 7 in.
Bath: Dry
Toilet: Freshwater
Slideout: Yes
The Arctic Fox has been in production for years, and the 1150D is one spacious unit. The slideout houses a dinette, 7-cubic-foot refrigerator and a wardrobe; it can also incorporate an optional bunk bed to make the Arctic Fox a 4-person camper. The interior also has USB ports, a queen-size bed, a porcelain foot-pedal toilet, and an interior command center.

© NuCamp RVNuCamp Cirrus 820
Starting Retail Price: $35,000
Vehicle Size: three-quarter or one ton, 6-ft. bed
Camper Weight: 2,916 lbs.
The NuCamp Cirrus 820 has some significant upgrades for 2021. Standard exterior features include hard-side fiberglass bonded to Azdel side walls on aluminum framing. The new reinforced basement is covered in diamond plate and the size updated so the 820 no longer needs a bed riser. Exterior storage areas now have motion-sensor lighting. The 820 has electric jacks with a remote, a backup camera, an exterior shower, an 8-foot side awning with LED lights and auto-retract, as well as a two-step entry system with a Fiamma access handle.

© NuCamp RVNuCamp Cirrus 820 Interior
Ceiling Height: 6 ft. 6 in.
Bath: Wet
Toilet:
Slideout: No
The 820 Cirrus has an open, modern vibe with light-stained solid wood cabinets, a spacious dinette, a queen-size bed and lots of storage space in overhead cabinets. The camper also includes a Nautilus water management system, a wet bath with a fold-down sink and shower as well as a MaxxAir fan, air-conditioning, Alde heat and hot water, a deep kitchen sink, a microwave, and a counter-height refrigerator. The 820 has so much standard equipment that the only options are a rear awning and a Lagun table.

© Phoenix Pop UpPhoenix Pop Up Campers L2
Starting Retail Price: $22,500
Vehicle Size: Full-size, half-ton and up
Camper Weight: 1,500 lbs. (approx.)
Each Phoenix camper is a custom unit built to size for a customer’s particular vehicle, from a Toyota Tacoma pickup to a Unimog overland monster. The truck campers feature woodless construction and are raised and lowered by four hydraulic electric jacks at each corner. Campers have double-welded aluminum frames and fiberglass siding. Phoenix pop-up campers are not sold at dealerships; they are factory direct to the consumer.

© Phoenix Pop UpPhoenix Pop Up Campers L2 Interior
Ceiling Height: Customizable
Bath: Optional
Toilet: Optional
Slideout: No
Standard interior features of a Phoenix camper include a queen-size bed, LED lighting, privacy curtains, underbed storage, sheet vinyl flooring, a screened entry door and a Fantastic fan. Phoenix truck campers can be customized to fit any customer requests, and they design and build each one according to customer needs. A few options include air-conditioning, Lagun table legs, ladders, awnings, heaters and generators.

© Perry Stern, Automotive Content ExperienceTalus Expedition Gear CampPack Camper
Starting Retail Price: $11,900
Vehicle Size: Most full-size or midsize pickups
Camper Weight: 700 lbs.
Started by two brothers in Boise, Idaho, Talus Expedition Gear offers products that assist pickup truck campers with getting outdoors and away from it all. The nugget of Talus is its drawer approach to pickup camping. They build all-weather, self-contained units that slide into the beds of most full-size and midsize pickups. The systems can be purchased with or without a 23ZERO bed-top tent that integrates with the compact system and within the dimensions of the truck — a plus when going off-road in tight quarters.

© Perry Stern, Automotive Content ExperienceTalus Expedition Gear CampPack Camper Interior
Ceiling Height: 4 ft. 1 in. at peak
Bath: No
Toilet: No
Slideout: Sorta
The CampPack in-bed drawer system contains electric power, running water, a Dometic refrigerator drawer, a Dometic sink and 2-burner stove, a 100 amp-hour AGM battery (with meter), a power inverter and a battery charger, as well as one standard 120-volt outlet, a 12-volt automobile auxiliary outlet, and a two USB ports. Depending on the truck bed size, the unit also includes two or four kitchen drawers and one large gear storage drawer. Bonus: a night-sky compliant camp light located beneath the kitchen drawer.

Tiger Adventure Vehicles Bengal 4 x 4
Starting Retail Price: $150,000
Vehicle Size: Full-size, heavy-duty pickups
Camper Weight:
Tiger Adventure Vehicles of South Carolina builds the Bengal. It rides on a full-size, heavy-duty truck platform such as the Ford F-350, Chevrolet Silverado 3500 HD or Ram 3500 and gets incorporated right onto the truck frame so it is not a slide-in unit. It has skidplates for off-roading and options include a winch, brush guards, exterior lighting and upgraded suspension.

© Provan IndustriesTiger Adventure Vehicles Bengal 4 x 4 Interior
Ceiling Height: 6 ft. 5 in.
Bath: Wet
Toilet: Yes, composting or cassette
Slideout: No
The Bengal interior has an open galley with a 2-burner cooktop, a wet bath with a shower and porcelain toilet, solid maple cabinets and a convection microwave.

© Vagabond Outdoors LLCVagabond Outdoors Drifter
Starting Retail Price: $7,250
Vehicle Size: Midsize
Camper Weight:
The all-aluminum Drifter is another go-anywhere pop-up truck camper designed for rugged off-road adventure. The one-piece pop-up roof creates a tent that is polyester-coated vinyl with three windows. Other standard features include glass cab and rear windows with locks and an LED light strip.

© Vagabond Outdoors LLCVagabond Outdoors Drifter Interior
Ceiling Height: 8 ft. at peak
Bath: No
Toilet: No
Slideout: No
The interior of the Drifter can be described as Spartan but spacious. It has a 3-inch foam mattress in the rooftop tent. Options include upgraded windows and doors, solar hookup, more LED interior lighting, and L-track roof mounts.

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