![SONY DSC](https://images.cheaprvliving.com/camper-truck_shaver.jpg)
This is one of the few photos that show the “porch.” The rear overhang was long enough I could leave the door open in the rain and stay dry inside.
Pros and Cons
Before we begin, let me tell you how the homebuilt camper turned out for me. I built it in 2004 and had it on the truck until 2010 when I tore it apart (and threw it in the dumpster) because I switched to the cargo trailer. Of the 6 years I had it, I lived in it for 3 years and I loved it! I thought it was a perfect little home. In all that time I never had a problem with it. It was tough as nails and I after an initial problem never had a single leak! I drove it on some tremendously bad roads and it handled them all like a champ. I can promise you that the design and construction of this camper will last forever! However, I had two major problems because of the camper:
- It was too heavy for my F150. By the time I loaded it up with everything I own, it weighed about 7400 pounds which was way over the 6200 pound Gross Weight of my 1993 4×4 F150. It would have been fine on a ¾ or 1 ton, but too much for a ½ ton.
- I used the 2×4 walls of the camper as shelves and after 6 years the walls of the bed of the pickup collapsed from the weight. All the weight of the camper rests on the sidewalls of the bed of the truck and they simply broke and started to sag. By the time that happened I had already decided to get rid of it so I don’t know what it would cost to repair it. If I were to build another camper I would not use the walls for storage and I would probably build it with 2x2s and 3/8 inch plywood to greatly reduce its weight. Hopefully that would prevent the sagging bed wall problem.
Why build your own camper?
![Camper-Cabover](https://images.cheaprvliving.com/camper-cabover.jpg)
This is the opening into the cab-over that I used for storage. I built it for Alaska use so it has 2 inches of styrofoam insulation on walls and more in the roof. I used the walls as shelves: bad idea!
- I bought my roof vent for $5 at a garage sale.
- I got the ladder for free at another garage sale.
- I bought the windows off Ebay for a fraction of their price new.
- I got one window for free out of a wrecked shell.
- All of the screws came from garage sales.
- My Honda generator came from a classified ad.
As I had the money, I bought the lumber and supplies I needed. One paycheck bought the walls, another bought the roof, another bought the windows, and so on until it was done.
Customization: Most used campers I could afford had a full kitchen, bath and dinette and I didn’t want any of that. All I wanted was a big open space with just what I wanted and nothing more. Building my own allowed that.
Gas Mileage: The sheer weight and size of most used campers mean that they will drop you mpg a great deal. My homebuilt camper had surprisingly little impact on my mpg.
How to Build a Camper
Building the Walls:
The drawing to the right (and larger below) is a view of what your wall will look like. On the top is an exploded view of the pieces you will need to build the wall. On the bottom is a view of the wall assembled but without the plywood. I can’t give you lengths of the cuts because every pickup bed is different. While you will have to do the measuring for your truck, the basic ideas will be the same for every truck. I am assuming you will want an overhang over the cab with the very aerodynamic front “scoop”. I didn’t have a scoop when I first built this camper, and I regretted it the first time I drove it. The wind buffeted the truck so badly that I added a scoop within the week. One huge advantage of building your own camper is better gas mileage and this is one of the most important things you can do to get that better mileage.
The wall will be built in two parts. The lower part has a 2×4 the length of your bed on the bottom, and a longer 2×4 on top that is the length of the scoop. The height of the bottom half of the wall depends on the height of your pickup cab. You need the cabover to be at least 2 inches above your cab or they will rub each other when the frame flexes. For example, I have a 7 foot bed on my F150 so my bottom 2×4 is 7 foot long and the top is 8 foot long so I have a 1 foot cab-over. When I realized how badly I needed one, I added a scoop
![SONY DSC](https://images.cheaprvliving.com/camper-right-inside.jpg)
Looking in from the back door at the right hand shelf-unit. The pickup bed was 7 feet long and I made the bed I slept on 4 feet wide. That left 3 feet at the end of the bed where I built a shelf unit. On the right side was the kitchen. On the floor was my cooler, above it was my stove, and above it was storage.
Once built, screw the two halves of the wall on top of each other. Once you have the walls framed, lay them on top of the plywood and trace around them to know where to cut. The easiest way to cut plywood is to lay some 2×4’s on the ground, drop the plywood on top of the 2×4’s, get down on your knees on top of it and make your cuts. Raise the blade so it just barely cuts through the plywood. When the blade pulls through it will splinter the wood, so put the good side down so the framing will cover the splintered cuts and the outside will look nice. If your wall is longer than 8 feet you will have to have a joint. Make sure there is a 2×4 centered below the joint to screw into. If there is a joint, put it at the back so that the piece covering the cabover is solid, that will add to it’s strength. I find it easier to paint the plywood before I mount it on the wall. Use 1 5/8 inch deck screws to attach the plywood.
The Front Wall:
Here is a drawing of my front wall (larger photo below the post). The top is an exploded drawing of all the components. I have included the plywood on the outside to show why you have to add an inch to the plywood. The heavy black lines with the 3 1/2 below it is the two outside walls. The front wall (the one behind the cab) on my camper was 72 inches wide. But I built the framing 64 inches wide to fit between the two outside walls and cut the plywood for the front wall 72 inches wide to cover the two side walls and their plywood sheathing. The height of the plywood is only high enough to cover where the two 2×4’s
![Camper-Front](https://images.cheaprvliving.com/camper-front-226x300.jpg)
You are going to need some help to assemble the side and front walls. They will each be done and painted by now. If you are going to have a window in the front wall, you will have already mounted it (if it extends out, you planned ahead to leave room for it didn’t you?). Lift each side wall up onto the bed, a few feet from the front, and screw the pre-measured and cut 2×6’s that run across for the roof. The 2×6’s lay flat on their side. With friends holding each wall in place up on the bed of the truck, screw the front wall into both side walls. Using 1 5/8 deck screws, screw the overlapping plywood into each side wall. Next, slide the whole unit forward into it’s final position. Be very careful in all this as it is pretty easy to have it slide off.
Once in position, drill a 3/8 inch hole down through the plywood and through the top of the bed rails. Use 3/8 by 2 1/2 inch grade 8 bolts with nuts and lock washers to attach the camper to the truck. Three on each side wall and 2 on the fro
nt wall will make it very secure.
The Roof:
Most roof joists stand on their end for greater strength. I decided to lay mine flat for simplicity of attachment and to keep overall height as low as possible. I made up for that by adding more joists running across. The joints of the plywood should run across with the 2×6’s so you can screw down into them, which means you need a 2×6 centered every 4 foot. I cut the plywood so it over-hung over each side 1 inch. Caulk the joint underneath all around. You will probably want at least one vent which is standardized at 14 inches by 14 inches. So plan on having 14 and 1/8 inches between at least one set of joists. Put the vent in before you waterproof if possible.
To waterproof the roof:
First, I used a good latex caulk on all the joints. Next I applied Henry’s Roof Patch (from Home Depot, looks like black tar) and slathered it liberally over the joints and around the vent. After the Henry’s, I painted the roof with the blue paint I had used to paint the walls (exterior latex I bought at Walmart). Over that I put down 3 coats of the white, elastic Snow Seal for RV’s. It has worked perfectly, never had any leaks, not a drop. Shows no sign of wear even now. Surprisingly, the joints at the corners of the walls were troublesome for me. So I caulked them with silicon and got a roll of putty tape from the RV store and put that on. Then I screwed a 1×3 board over the tape as a decorative cover. Looks good and really seals them. No more leaks. I left the tailgate down and a 3 foot overhang over the roof making it a porch.
The Back Wall:
The back wall is pretty straight forward. First, measure the inside distance between the two side walls. Mine was 64 inches. I wanted my door to be 36 inches wide. So I needed to build two 14 inch walls to screw into the end of the two side walls. Then you use hinges to attach the door to one side and a padlock and hasp on the other wall. For added strength I made the walls about 5 inches shorter than the side wall and put a 2×4 across between the walls and screwed into it from the side walls an the two 14 inch back walls.
![The side-walls are actually two walls built separately and then stacked on top of each other and screwed together. I never had any sagging of the overhang.](https://images.cheaprvliving.com/camper-wall-exploded.jpg)
The side-walls are actually two walls built separately and then stacked on top of each other and screwed together. The plywood then goes over it and adds even more strength. I never had any sagging of the overhang. The top view is an exploded view with just it’s component parts. Because every pickup is different, you will have to do your own measuring for your truck..
Thanks for this post. I have wanted to build my own camper for years, but, recently I found a great deal on CraigsList and have postponed my DIY plans for now. Seeing how you did it is a great confidence booster. So many people in my life are “nay-sayers” I need positive input. Thanks!
Bodhi, with a little luck you can find a used one that is better and cheaper than anything you can make. Hopefully you have done just that!
Bob
I have thought of doing this for a while now Bob instead of buying a van. Decisions, decisions. I know it would be a lot cheaper in the long run because no moving parts to worry about…. As you know, I put my own solar up with no holes in the roof of my TT, and since I have a 3/4 ton p/u with a 1 ton suspension underneath, I just might do this when I go back to my home base in Oct. I figure without any mishaps (is that possible?) and with proper planning, it should take about 2-3 weeks to build, or is that overly optimistic?
Fred, take a look at the pics, it is a tiny space! The bed was 6×7 so I had 42 square feet (plus a small amount over the cab). Its true minimalism!
Yeah, I think you could do it in that time. Just plug away at it every day. The painting would slow you down a bit while you waited for all the coats to dry. The Southwest sun will destroy it so I had lots of pain on it.
I have to tell you, if I had your truck I would get a Capri Camper instead. Lots more room, not much more weight. With a slide-in you can take it off and leave it at camp or put it in storage.
As far as I am concerned the only reason to build your own is money–if you can’t afford anything else!
Bob
Love the “how to” information. I’m a DIY kinda guy and you’ve got a knack for clear writing. Thanks.
Happy 4th.
Thanks CAE. Ive decided to have 3 posts a week: 1) How-to, DIY 2) second can be anything 3) Sunday philopsophy of some kind. Hopefully everybody can find something they like and ignore what they don’t.
Bob
This post was quite helpful. I’m planning to hit the road full-time later this summer or early fall. (Actually, I planned to go full-time last winter, but life sometimes gets in the way.) I carefully read your recent series on various types of vehicle. I’m still debating a bit, but it’s definitely between a van and truck with a custom camper. Both have advantages, but the truck might win for easier maintenance (the tiny engine compartments on vans make me shudder) and because all of my family lives in places where it snows half the year. While I don’t plan to be north again in winter, it would be nice to have 4×4 just in case.
Thanks again for a great and useful post!
I agree Robert. The hood of a pickup is a pretty compelling reason to buy a pickup when you try to anything under the hood of a van! In the southwest the sand is a compelling reason to have 4×4. The side of the road can look firm and then you are buried to the axles. Then in the spring and the fall if you go up to the National Forests, you can get slammed with an early or late snowstorm. Mud is also a very big deal everywhere around here after a rain.
Many times I would have been in a world of hurt except I just locked in the hubs, put it in 4×4 Low and drove away. But, you add a lot more mechanical problems with the transfer case!
Bob
I admire those who have the ability to build things themselves no matter what it may be, but as Dirty Harry said, “a man’s got to know his limitations” and I know mine. I have neither the ability, experience, temperament or desire to build things. If forced in to it I know it would become such a chore for me that I would find ways to put it off and there would be no joy in the process. If it takes working an extra year to buy something more finished, then that’s what I will have to do.
Nothing wrong with that Steve! I believe that in every way a Capri Camper is better than my home-built camper, except I couldn’t afford one then. So you do what you have to do.
Bob
A little late here, but might I suggest going to the library and looking for a book on “glue and screw” plywood boat building. Many of the ideas here are exactly how I’ve built plywood boats in the past. You will get lots of ideas on how to build and more than a few on how to build it lighter too.
Bob – thanks for posting your camper plan here! I have a 4×4 1995 Dodge Ram with 8′ bed. I noticed that you recommended the Capri to Fred because he has a 3/4 ton truck. Before I decide to use your plans here, do you recommend a camper for a 1/2 ton? Like you, I just want a basic empty shell – not a kitchen, bath, etc. I need to carefully consider pros/cons of building vs. buying. Thanks for your blog here!
Scout, one thing to bear in mind is that the Gross Vehicle Weight Ratings (GVWR)of all American trucks have been going up. My 1993 F150 had a GVWR of 6200 lbs, and it usually weighed about 7500 lbs. But a newer F150 may well have a GVWR of 7500 lbs. So the first thing you need to do is go out and look at the door jamb and see what the GVWR of your truck is. Since it is a 1995, I suspect it will be low. If it is, then NO, I don’t recommend anything but the very lightest camper for it and wood is not light. A tall fiberglass shell would be ideal! Constantly driving 1000 lbs over gross does very bad thing to all the systems of the vehicle. It won’t mean sudden catastrophic failure, but it will mean parts will constantly wear out and fail prematurely. It will just nickel and dime you to death.
Bob
Hey Bob,
Thanks for the feedback. I just checked and my Rear GVWR is only 3600 lbs., and the front is 3850. Since you mentioned the Capri brand, I checked them out and their Model 42 is 500 lbs., so this seems like a good solution in regards to weight. Their repuation for quality of construction appears to be very high so am looking around now for a used one and then add a roof AC/heater. Thanks again for the feedback!
Scout, you might want to get your truck weighed on a scale that can do each axle separately and know what it weighs now. Remember that almost all the weight you add will go on the rear axle. The Capri is hard to find used! I’ve only seen one ever.
Bob
Bo, you are a real inspiration.
I had a high top A R E fiberglass installed on my 2018 1/2 ton Silverado in April 2019. I had them install headliner which made it look good. Since then, I have built a 36 inch wide bed length wise being I am 6 feet long (tall). The bed frame is 12 inches tall. I built cabinets on the right side from the floor up to the top of the truck side wall. The cabinets are shallow. But will serve their purpose. I installed a long pull-out storage drawer underneath the bed.
I’m not sure what to do about heating and cooling. There are sliding windows on both sides of the topper. I plan to soon purchase a Coleman camp stove and I have the ice chest and a few utensils.
That is Bob you are a real inspiration.