Want to use your truck on your wild camping escapades, without compromising on comfort?
A truck camper can transform your truck into a mini RV. No need to set up a big tent outside or sleep on the truck’s bed in your bivvy bag anymore. Just hop on inside, have a shower, make dinner in the galley and then fall into a soft bed for the night.
The best truck campers make the ultimate overland vehicles – mount your off-road tires, pop the camper on, pack your favorite gear and plenty of food, and you’re off into the wilderness for as long as you like.
The best bit? You can still tow a boat, horse trailer, ATV or snowmobile.
Tempted? Then read on!
In this article, we’ll look at why truck bed campers are so amazing, the types of campers available on the market, and the benefits and downsides of truck campers.
We’ve also selected the best truck campers for sale at the moment, so you can start looking at the different models available.
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The best truck campers for sale right now
Get ready for some awesome truck bed camper inspiration – we’ve selected the very best truck campers on the market to help you choose your favorite.
1) Lance 1172 Truck Camper – From $63,626
- For: Flat-bed trucks
- Type: Hard-side, multi-slide (2)
- Weight: 4,174 lbs (dry)
- Sleeps: Up to six
Features: Double-bed, dining area that turns into a double bed, full-size sofa, galley, dry bathroom and cabinets and 8ft headroom.
Let’s start with the biggest, most luxurious truck campers of them all – the Lance hard-side truck campers. We went all out and chose the 1172 model, which features two slide-outs, but they also offer single-slide and smaller, non-slide models.
The 1172’s truck bed camper slide-outs, which make room for the dining area and sofa, are electric and controlled by a remote, so they’re super easy to set up.
The bed is big and there’s storage all around it for clothes and gadgets. The bathroom’s size is impressive, especially considering it’s a dry bath. The windows are big, making the interior extra bright.
The 1172 truck camper comes with fresh (42 gallons), grey (35 gallons) and black (35 gallons) water tanks as well as a water heater and a heating system. The galley is really a kitchen – it boasts a big refrigerator and even a dedicated trash compartment.
Among the options are a generator, solar panel, satellite dish, awnings and more. This pickup camper is truly a mini motorhome.
Find out more about Lance – they offer both short and long bed hard-side truck campers.
2) Explore Backpack Truck Bed Camper SS-1500 by Palomino – From $12,595
- For: Flat-bed trucks
- Type: Soft pop-up
- Weight: 1,910 lbs (dry)
- Sleeps: Up to three
Features: Double-bed, galley, wet bathroom, dining area that turns into single bed, ample cabinets and 45-gallon freshwater tank.
The Explore Backpack SS-1500 soft pop-up truck camper by Palomino makes a great budget option for the cost-conscious camper. The cheaper price doesn’t mean it features fewer amenities than any other of the best truck campers.
There is a practical kitchenette, a snug dining area, a comfortable double bed and a wet bathroom, so all your needs are taken care of. It comes with a refrigerator, fan hatches and fresh (15 gallons) and black (7 gallons) water tanks.
Due to the soft pop-top, the walls around the bathroom don’t go all the way up to the ceiling, which offers slightly less privacy. There is however a shower curtain you can slide around the cabin.
Read more about Palomino – they build both hard-side and soft pop-top campers.
3) Real Lite Truck Camper HS-1910 by Palomino – From $20,695
- For: Flat-bed trucks
- Type: Hard-side, non-slide
- Weight: 3,037 lbs (dry)
- Sleeps: Up to three
Features: Double-bed, galley, wet bathroom, dining area that turns into a single bed and ample storage.
The Real Lite HS-1910 is an affordable non-slide hard-side truck camper built by Palomino. It’s set up very much like the SS-1500, with the added bonus of extra headroom and bigger tanks.
Overall, this best truck camper is more spacious and has more storage.
The big double bed is surrounded by cabinets and drawers, the sofa is large with comfortable seats, while the kitchenette has a double sink and a three-burner stove. The HS-1910 comes with fresh (45 gallons), grey (20 gallons) and black (20 gallons) water tanks.
If this pickup camper isn’t big enough for you, check out the slide-out models Palomino makes.
4) Arctic Fox 1150 Truck Bed Camper by Northwood – From $32,286
- For: Flat-bed trucks
- Type: Hard-side, single-slide
- Weight: 3,953 lbs (dry)
- Sleeps: Up to three
Features: Dry bathroom, double-bed, kitchenette, 6ft 7in headroom, optional bunk and TV.
The Arctic Fox 1150 is a hard-side single-slide truck bed camper that offers all the amenities you’re looking for, with some extra space. Everything inside this camper is thought out for taller people who need space to move around.
Features you’ll love: the generous shower, the big galley with ample surface space and oven, the huge refrigerator-freezer, the windows on both sides of the double bed and the storage space.
The Arctic Fox 1150 comes with fresh (59 gallons), grey (35 gallons) and black (43 gallons) water tanks, so you can be on the road for longer.
Read more about Arctic Fox campers – they offer more floor plans for their hard-side single-slide truck campers.
5) Grandby Pop Up Truck Camper by Four Wheel – Form $19,695
- For: Full-sized trucks
- Type: Slide-in, soft pop-up
- Weight: 1,095 lbs (dry)
- Sleeps: Up to four
Features: Double bed, 6ft6in headroom, kitchenette and seating area.
If you’re looking for a more compact pop up truck camper to mount on your full-sized truck, the Grandby might be the camper for you.
It’s a slide-in, soft pop-up model, so it’s rather nimble when in driving mode. This makes it very aerodynamic and won’t alter the height of your truck by much.
The interior of this best truck camper is cozy, with a double bed on top of the truck’s cabin, a kitchenette on the left-hand side of the camper and a seating area that turns into a small double bed on the right. The galley has a burner, sink and medium-sized refrigerator.
Beware: there is no bathroom, but you can add an outdoor shower as an option.
Find out more about Four Wheel – they build both slide-in and flatbed pickup campers.
6) Travel Lite 960RX – From $21,120
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- For: Full-sized trucks
- Type: Hard-side, non-slide
- Weight: 2,060 lbs (dry)
- Sleeps: Up to three
Features: Double bed, 6ft 6in headroom, dining area that turns into a double bed, kitchenette and wet bathroom.
Another option for full-sized trucks is the Travel Lite 960RX hard-side truck camper. This beauty extends over the sides of the truck, giving you a little extra space than the Grandby.
The interior is modern and features all the amenities you need – Travel Lite managed to pack a lot in the small space.
The 960RX comes with a functional kitchenette, decent size refrigerator, wet bathroom, small dining table, sofa and fresh (25 gallons), grey (8 gallons) and black (6 gallons) water tanks. There’s also an impressive amount of storage for such a small camper.
Read more about Travel Lite – they offer both cabover and non-cabover trucks.
7) Cirrus 920 – From $38,467
- For: Full-sized trucks
- Type: Hard-side, non-slide
- Weight: 3,530 lbs (dry)
- Sleeps: Up to three
Features: Wet bath, dining area, double bed, kitchenette, AC, generator, heating and TV.
If your budget can stretch a little further, you’ll want to check out the Cirrus 920 best truck camper For a hard-side, non-slide model for full-size trucks, it’s very spacious. The dinette is located in front of the galley, which features all the appliances you need.
The Cirrus 920 standard version boasts a lot of modern comforts, such as AC, heating and a generator. The wet bath in this truck bed camper is well thought-out and the camper comes with fresh (38 gallons), grey (32 gallons) and black (18 gallons) water tanks.
Find out more about Cirrus truck campers.
8) Northern Lite 10-2EX Limited Edition Truck Bed Camper – From $54,995
- For: Full-sized trucks
- Type: Hard-side, non-slide
- Weight: 3,285 lbs (dry)
- Sleeps: Up to four
Features: 8ft standing headroom, double bed, dining table that turns into a double bed, wet bathroom, two 100watt solar panels, AC, back and side awnings, external speakers, heated basem*nt, TV, stereo and microwave.
Well, if you’re looking for a hard-side, compact truck camper that comes complete with all the options you can think of, then the Northern Life 10-2EX Limited Edition is the one for you.
The number of options that come as standard in this truck bed camper is unreal – AC, a powerful solar system, heated basem*nt, a water heater, TV and microwave. You won’t have to buy any upgrades for this beast.
Every space is ample and comfortable – the kitchenette has plenty of appliances and a good prepping area, the dry bathroom is well set up and the bedroom is super cozy. It comes with fresh (36 gallons), grey (40 gallons) and black (18 gallons) water tanks.
Read more about Northern Lite – the build campers for both short and long bed trucks.
9) Alaskan Truck Camper 10’ Cabover – From $33,399
- For: Full-sized trucks
- Type: Hard-side, pop-up
- Weight: 1,985 lbs (dry)
- Sleeps: Up to four
Features: Hard-side pop-up combination, one-piece roof, double bed, sofas that turn into a double bed, 27 gallon freshwater tank and over 6ft headroom.
Alaskan Campers offer a different breed of truck bed campers. They call it a telescopic hard-shell camper; it’s what we call the hard-side pop-up type.
Hard walls pop up to extend the camper’s height. The extra walls rise up from the middle of the camper’s body, rather than the top, which means the roof and top walls are one single piece.
The 10’ Cabover is the biggest model they offer and comes with a double bed, two sofas facing each other with plenty of legroom, a kitchenette, a big double bed and a WC closet that you can open when you need the toilet.
The camper doesn’t include a bathroom, so you can install whichever portable toilet you prefer.
The 10’ Cabover also comes with a different interior layout – a side dinette that turns into a single bed and much more storage on the galley side of the camper.
Read more about Alaskan Campers – they offer telescopic cabover and non-cabover trucks.
10) Adventurer 910DB Truck Camper – From $32,305
- For: Full-sized LB trucks
- Type: Hard-side, single-slide
- Weight: 3,352 lbs (dry)
- Sleeps: Up to five
Features: Electric bunk, large U-shaped dining area that turns into a double bed, king-size bed, dry bath, kitchenette with oven, TV, electric slide-out, water heater and outside shower.
Talk about good value for money! The Adventurer 910DB single-slide truck bed camper features all the comfort you’ve come to expect from a truck camper, plus some incredible luxuries, for a very reasonable price.
They boast a California king size bed and a big U-shaped dining/sleeping area with an optional automatic fold-out bunk on top of it, so you can sleep up to five people. The galley has a three-burner stove, a large sink, an oven and a refrigerator.
The water heater, combined with the indoor and outdoor shower, will allow you to shower in comfort anywhere. The storage under the seats is accessible from both inside and outside.
The 910DB comes with fresh (44 gallons), grey (31 gallons) and black (31 gallons) water tanks.
Options include AC, solar system, microwave, stereo system, roof rack, awnings and more. You could transform this camper into a mini RV in no time.
Find out more about ALP – they have versions for both long and short bed pickups.
11) Bigfoot RV 25C10.6E –Pricing available on request
- For: Full-sized trucks
- Type: Hard-side, non-slide
- Weight: 3,180 lbs (dry)
- Sleeps: Up to three
Features: 6ft 4in headroom, double bed, dining area that turns into a single bed, dry bathroom, kitchenette, rear electric awning, water heater, thermal windows, outdoor shower, microwave and stereo system.
Bigfoot RVs are another rather lavish option for your truck camper. The 25C10.6E is designed to bring you as much comfort as possible.
This is reflected in every detail – even the shower has a proper sliding door, rather than a curtain. The standard equipment it comes with already makes it a comfortable ride.
This hard-side non-slide model for full-sized trucks is pretty spacious. It features a dry bath, a kitchenette with a big sink, a three burner stove and an oven, a big refrigerator-freezer and a lot of windows all around the cab.
The tankage is impressive, with a capacity of 50 gallons of fresh water, 24 gallons of grey water and 19 for black water.
Find out more about Bigfoot RV – they offer campers for both short and long bed trucks.
Why buy a truck camper?
The best truck campers are also known as truck bed campers and pickup campers. In Europe, they call them demountable campers, in Australia tray campers.
A camper can be a great addition to your truck, if you want to use it to go out camping while keeping the truck at a manageable size to park and store.
A truck camper offers much of the same amenities typical of an RV, without the price tag, vehicle size, and poor maneuverability.
It will add a comfortable bed, a kitchenette, a dining area and a bathroom to your trusty truck. What luxury! You won’t miss the comforts of home or a campground, so you’ll be able to stay off-grid for longer.
A camper can transform your truck into the perfect wild camping platform, wherever you want to go – a dusty desert, muddy forest or snowy mountain.
Check out this article if you’re interested in an overland truck camper.
The different types of best truck campers
There are two kinds of truck campers for sale at the moment: hard-side and pop-up. They both have benefits, so you’ll have to choose the right type for you, based on your needs and preferences
Let’s look at each option.
Hard-side
Hard-side truck campers have solid walls and a fixed top, just like an RV. These are great for insulation and have better soundproofing. They’re also bigger than pop-ups and therefore feature more amenities, such as dry or wet baths.
Hard-side campers require a minimum of 2,500 pounds of payload. They add some height to the profile of your truck, limiting access to some roads or tunnels.
Some of these truck bed camper models can even increase in size once you’ve parked, thanks to slide-outs that reveal a dining area or a bathroom. You can choose between:
- Non-slide, which is just the camper cab as it is, without any slide-outs
- Single-slide, on which one wall extends out to allow for space for a refrigerator or dinette
- Multi-slide, which features two or three slide-outs to add more spaces.
Bear in mind that the more slide-outs you opt for, the more wear and tear on the structure of the camper, which means more maintenance is required to keep it in good condition.
Pop-up
Pop-up truck campers are lighter and have a pop-top, which extends the camper’s height by about a third.
When the camper is in the driving position, your truck has a low profile and center of gravity. This means less wind noise and drag, which equates to better driving performance and lower fuel consumption.
The lighter weight of pop-up campers means they can still be used on extreme off-road terrains, where hard-side campers wouldn’t dare venture.
Pop-up campers tend to be cheaper and can be installed on nearly any half-ton or full-size truck on the market. They can even suit mini-trucks, such as the Toyota Tacoma, Nissan Titan and Chevy Colorado.
There are two types of pop-up campers:
- Hard-side, which come with a pop-up roof made of wood and aluminum panels and hard windows
- Soft-side, which have a pop-up roof made of waterproof vinyl fabric and PVC windows.
Hard-side pop-up campers require a minimum of 2,000 pounds of payload, preferably more. Soft-side pop-up campers can be installed on half-tons or mini-trucks
Cabover vs Non-cabover
Both hard-side and pop-up campers can either be cabover, or non-cabover.
On cabover campers, the roof extends forward, on top of the truck’s driving cabin – this is usually where the full-size double bed is located.
Non-cabover campers are more compact and sit behind the truck’s driving cab, without protruding on top of it.
They are lighter and simpler than cabover campers, but less spacious. Non-cabovers don’t feature toilets and often don’t have full standing headroom, nor as much storage.
Pros of a truck camper
While pickup campers are super cool and versatile, there are positives and negatives about them – every adventure vehicle is a compromise.
Make sure a truck camper is right for you by evaluating both pros and cons.
Here are the advantages of buying a camper for your truck.
You can take it off
If you want to use your truck for work or as a car during the week, you can easily take the truck bed camper off when you’re back home. Just disconnect it from the truck, extend the “legs” and drive off. Being able to take it off means you essentially have two vehicles: a truck and a mini RV.
You can still tow your toys
With the right size truck, you can still tow your favorite adventure gear – be it a boat, a snowmobile, a jet ski, a motorcycle or an ATV.
You can travel to more remote locations
Thanks to the off-road capabilities of a truck, you will be able to go further and venture to remote locations, far from the popular campgrounds. A truck bed camper will give you access to wilder, quieter spots to camp.
You can boondock in it
Camping off-grid on a truck camper is comfortable and easy, thanks to the batteries, water tanks, galley and bathroom. Test your truck’s tires and suspension by driving deep into the wilderness and enjoy the comfort of the camper’s amenities.
Cheaper than a motorhome
Truck campers are cheaper to buy, maintain and park than a motorhome. You won’t regret having a pickup camper when going to a popular campground and you’ll save dozens of Dollars per night.
Easy to store
Pickup campers are usually quite compact, so you can easily store them next to your truck or leave them on and park your truck in its usual spot.
Great maneuverability
Unless you go for a huge model, the camper won’t add a lot to the size of your truck, especially on the sides. This means you’ll still be able to make those tight turns.
Cons of a truck camper
Like with any camping vehicle, there are trade-offs too. Let’s look at the disadvantages of a truck camper.
The truck’s performance may be affected
The off-road ability of your truck may be affected if you go for heavier models with lots of options. The heavier the camper, the bigger the effect it will have on your truck’s driving performance.
The driver seats stay separate
Unlike on a campervan, RV or a jeep camper, a truck camper will keep the driving seats separate from the camper. Some campers come with a small window that opens into the back of the truck’s cab, but it’s not big enough to step through.
This means that you’ll have to step outside to access the camper whatever the weather and if the passenger feels tired and fancies a nap, they’ll likely have to sleep in their seat.
You’ll need to do maintenance
Some models require regular maintenance. We’re talking about the slide-out and pop-up versions – these can develop wear and tear quite easily, so it’s important you check on moving parts often and fix things right away.
Limited storage
With the camper on your truck bed, full of amenities, some of which maybe slide out, you won’t have a whole lot of space to store your food, clothes and gear. You may need to get a trailer if you want to take a lot of gear with you.
Speaking of gear, find out what you need for truck bed camping in this post: The Best Truck Camper Accessories For Life On The Road.
Questions and answers about truck campers
What’s the difference between a pickup camper and a truck camper?
None – truck campers and pickup campers are the same thing. This means you’ll be allowed into anywhere a pickup camper is allowed.
What model is best for my truck camper?
You will need to look at the specifications of the camper and your truck’s payload to find out whether your truck is suitable for the campers you like.
As a rule of thumb, the bigger and heavier the camper, the bigger truck and payload you’ll need.
Can you ride in a Truck Camper?
It depends on state laws. Generally, yes, you can ride inside, but do check what the rules in the state you’re traveling in are before you travel. Here’s a handy link where to find out.
Shall I go for wet bath or dry bath?
Look at the dimensions of each option – is the wet bath the same size or bigger overall than the dry bath? If so, the wet bath will probably have more arm and legroom for showering and sitting on the toilet.
Decide based on your preference – do you prefer to have a bath that’s a little bit more cramped where the water stays in the shower “room”, or a wet bath that is bigger but where everything gets wet? It’s up to you.
Ready to shop for the best truck camper?
Do you know which model you want? Will you go for hard-side, soft pop-up, or hard-side pop-up?
Whatever your preferences, with such an amazing, wide array of options, you will be spoiled for choice, so you can’t go wrong.
Buy your favorite model, mount it on your truck, and get off-grid to discover new untouched places.
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