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Interior & ExteriorDiscussions about the interior, and exterior of your vehicle.
This is a discussion thread titled "Anyone with camper or info on campers", within the Interior & Exterior forum, part of the Technical & Vehicle Assistance Forums category.
I've looked into this a bit and others on the forum have as well. I'd suggest a search using the keyword 'camper'. I assume you mean a slide-in truck camper and will respond based on that.
One of the biggest limitations of the Tundra in this regard is the relatively low payload rating for the 4x4. I have a '01 4x4 Limited and its just over 1,400. There are a several good forums out there on truck campers and one of the hottest topics is whether it is safe and advisable to exceed your GVWR. Some feel you shouldn't while others feel wide safety margins are built into any truck and exceeding by 10 or 20% is acceptable.
I wanted to put a truck camper on my Tundra and found that the only option to stay at my GVWR when the camper was 'wet' (full of water and propane) was to only consider a pop-up. There are many brands out there and they weigh from 700# for a Four Wheel to 1,500#+ for the heavier ones. Unfortunately, I didn't like the idea of having to raise and lower everytime I wanted to use or the ability to 'camp' in a populated area.
I then looked at the lightest hard shell campers out there. Two are made of fiberglass: Northern Light and Bigfoot. Only Northern Light makes a short bed camper and the purported weight is a about 1,000#. The model is called 6'10" reflecting the length of the floor. It has a small cab-over bed and interior height is 5'11" I think. If you are tall you might feel a permanent crick develope in your neck. This camper is actually a little small in width for th Tundra as its made for smaller imports.
The other thing to remember is that any camper over 1,000# has to be combined with the weight of passengers, fuel, tie-downs, air bags, sway bar, bed mat and all the fun stuff you put in the camper. I would think this would put it well over the GVWR of the Tundra.
What did I do... I bought a hard shell fiberglass that is no longer made by Bigfoot. Very similiar to the Northern Lite in size and weight. It has fridge/freezer, 3 burner stove, heater, dinette and cab-over bed. I have weighed my truck and exceed GVWR by about 500#, or 8-9% when fully loaded. I have installed the Hellwig rear sway and air bags to keep the truck level when loaded. Of course any camper I considered was non-selfcontained, meaning no toilet, shower or holding tanks. That really boosts weight. I wish I was under GVWR but this was the best I could do with what I wanted.
I have links to the forums I mentioned and campers on a different PC. If you are interested I can post. Sorry for the long-winded response.
I have had 3 truck and campers in the past 5 years, all with 3/4 ton trucks. In general I loved each and every one of them, but
NOTHING compares to my new Tundra. I am currently considering the same thing, what do I get for the Tundra that is light enough and wont break the bank.
Fibreglass is the only way to go for weight, but costs a fair amount more.
I am convinced the Northernlite or Bigfoot is the way to go but finding a used one is difficult ,and new ones cost over 20,000.00
I have a 26 ft Springdale with a superslide. It is 6000 LBS. loaded. The Tundra that I have pulls without problems even up steep grades. And it is Quiet while it pulls....AWESOME truck
The reason I want a truck camper is I want to pull a boat as well.
I have a 71/2 ' camper that slides into the truck bed and comes out as far as 3" from the end of the tailgate.
It weighs 1100 lbs, and the boat weighs around 2800 lbs.
I have never tried the truck camper on my new truck yet but judging from what I see you guys are pulling I don't thing I'll have a problem.
I own a Tundra with a std cab and an 8 ft bed. I was considering buying a camper, but I found that most will not fit. The distance between the posts at the tail gate is too narrow for some campers. Also I could not find any manufactures that make any type of tie-downs for the Tundra.
Hallmark RV in Brighton, CO makes a very nice pop-up camper for Tundra shortbed, model is Milner MX. Popping it up and down is a breeze! I bought one last month with added airbags and frame mounts. You can view it on their website: www.hallmarkrv.com
I posted in a similar thread about slide in campers, but this is a longer thread, so I am bumping this up.
Question: The last post here is Jan 2004. Has there been an increase in the GVWR for the later model gen 1 or gen 2 Tundras since this time?
Has there been any other new slide in camper products since '04 that have been designed for the Tundras?
My buds all have big Fords and Dodges, but I am not going to budge from a Tundra if I can find a compatible slide in camper.
The smallest and lightest slide in that I could find was the Northern Lite 6'10 that has a dry weight of 1050 lbs.
It is on the small side, but it is the best fit, imo.
I am going to have to go on a diet....
Anyone with camper or info on campers
I have a Travel Trailer
just stare.....
Slide-in Campers
Pop-up camper
Linear Mode
