Truck camper build

[mosquito]

Has anyone else built a sleeping area in the bed of there truck to hunt out of ? Im pretty much just doing this for the drive out there and back maybe a day or so at the end of are trip if we decide to stay longer. We have a shed/cabin booked for 5 days.

 

[kidoggy]

I generally just kick back the front seat and sleep there .I figure it won't be none to comfortable either way and I'LL get plenty of rest during my final dirt nap.

 

[RICMIC]

I have a post under "Other", and titled "Truck Topper Build". I see that you already have the topper, so the rest is easy. On my topper for the Dodge that I made several years ago, I have slept numerous nights in back, but those were all on solo trips where I have plenty of room to just lay down a pad. With your built-in that you started, it would be too tight for two (unless she's really cute.) Have also slept too many nights in the front or back seat, and don't chose to replicate that again. I tip the pad up while traveling and spread the gear out, but once I stop, it can be stacked up to make enough room. I mostly do this while on the road trip, but occasionally do so if I truck camp while hunting.

 

[mosquito]

Thanks ric ill check it out

 

[maine canoe guide]

I spent 6 weeks in Baja exploring in a Ford Ranger. I built a box about a foot tall that slid out like a big drawer. I packed almost everything in that food ,cooking stuff, clothes even an outboard. That drawer slid inside a platform where I slept. I had a lumber rack that I built a shallow box that held fishing rods, camp chairs, and a Zodiac inflatable boat. The rig worked fine but if the weather was good I slept in a tent. In a pinch tho or during a windy night I would sleep in the back. WAY better than sleeping in the cab. You don't need to put stuff in boxes use mesh bags that cram in corners better. Would be tight with two but solo worked like a champ.

 

[mosquito]

Little here ... little there = progress

 

[taskswap]

I built a set of drawers like that, and had good luck with something you might want to try. Instead of drawer slides or just plywood on plywood, I used UMHW tape. I found 3" wide rolls on Amazon and applied two strips each in the cabinet part of the setup. The drawers rode on top, there was minimal wear and tear and overall I was SUPER happy with it. Even with a couple hundred pounds of tire chains, tools, and random junk the drawers still slid smoothly.

The tape is very thin - I used this https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00823JFM6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1:

I've since upgraded to a Decked system but if I had to build truck drawers again, I would absolutely do this again.

 

[taskswap]

Sorry for the weird formatting, the site software was grabbing my link and trying to do something smart with it, but breaking the link.

 

[mosquito]

Don't worry about the link i just Googled umhw tape and found it . Its in the Amazon cart . I bought 5 yards for 6 bucks i think thats all i need . Thanks for the heads up ive never heard of that. It looks like the primary use is for wood on wood cabinets. thanks taskswap

 

[taskswap]

My pleasure. Yes, it's great for wood-on-wood cabinet drawers too. One piece of advice. Your drawers should have plenty of weight to hold the stuff in place, but the adhesive isn't exactly VHB. Make sure your surfaces are completely dust-free before putting it on.

I scrounged up a few photos I took. They're below. As you can see these are just 23/32" plywood boxes. I made the left narrower than the right so I could fit some larger items on the right side like my traction boards. The left drawer is full of canvas tool bags and probably weighs 250lbs between the tools, tire chains, winching gear, and other stuff. The drawers are 6' deep and can slide almost 100% of the way out without any issues. I only put the tape on the drawer box, and it worked fine. Two strips in each box did it.

.

The offset in the left box wasn't an accident. I was cheating-with-physics. Wherever you put the tape will dictate where the load of the drawer effectively bears. Those two locations coincided with high spots in my truck bed's corrugated deck.

I just "upgraded" to a Decked system ("upgraded" because it's nicer, and weatherproof, but stores way less than my weekend-hack shown above). All told I had the drawers for about 18 months of heavy use and abuse and when I gave it away that tape looked almost as good as when I installed it. You don't open truck drawers EVERY day - I probably pulled that slide out 30ish times? But still, a good run.

 

[maine canoe guide]

I'LL CHECK THAT STUFF OUT. There are all kinds of good ideas out there and thingsI have never heard of. Some of the newer industrial quality adhesives are just great. And GRK star bit screws are changing the building business here in Maine. Big nice fancy houses are being built without hammers....everything is GRK or air tools.

 

[mosquito]

One for me and one for my buddy. Most of are gear will go in the crew cab part of the truck. If we need to crash for a couple hrs on the way there or back we can

 

[mallardsx2]

Do you have those wax vampire teethe with the fake blood on them to go along with those coffins? lol

Good job. I am sure that will work well for you!

 

[mosquito]

Do you have those wax vampire teethe with the fake blood on them to go along with those coffins? lol

Good job. I am sure that will work well for you!

Well i didn't want to make one big bed ... i told him we weren't going to brokeback mountain ! Also put a battery compartment in to run 2 small 12 volt fans by the windows