8' bed, What to look for to retain tailgate?

[Vectraguy]

I am going to get a USED/older truck camper at some point but do NOT want to remove the tailgate from my 14 F250. It has the old man step and the back up camera. I will, at some point want to drop the camper and use the tailgate with my softopper when out of town.

I want a wet bath, I can do a soft side or a hard side but really don't want a giant camper, just need a wet bath with AC on the roof.

I plan to tow my UTV (or boat) and plan to leave a genny on the trailer on hot days so I can have the AC on while I am out riding/ fishing. The tailgate staying on is a deal breaker, I am not removing it.

It seems a LOT of these units put some sorta drain or pipe under the rig, even the Bronco 1500 (perfect example) with a cassette toilet still has the obtrusive black pipe / valve hanging down in the way for the shower.


What campers with a wet bath offer a flat floor all the way back?

[wrvond]

I'm sad to see nobody has replied to this question since I'm pretty much in the same boat.
I've got a 2017 F350 dual rear wheel that I'd like to put a camper in, but I don't want to give up my tailgate either.
It seems all the units I look at have some kind of overhang at the rear and I can't have that.
Good luck with your search!

[Bedlam]

You are probably going to have to look at campers for mid size trucks. Most likely these will be the length you want but will need the bottoms built up under the base so it clears your full sized truck cab and bed rails.

[Divingbiker]

I have a F350 truck. I also wanted to get a smaller truck camper that would fit entirely inside my trucks 8 foot bed. I found a Livin Lite truck camper with a 7 foot bed length that was a perfect fit for my needs. The all aluminum frame construction of this unit kept the overall weight down. Advantages of having the smaller truck camper include:
1. Keep the tail gate in place, nice to have the back up camera
2. I have enough storage space behind the camper with the tail gate closed to store a gas can for the generator and other small items.
3. Without the bumper overhang of a larger truck camper, I have the ground clearance to go to more remote off road places.
4. The weight of the smaller truck camper is much less that the rated capacity of my F350.
5. I can tow a boat or trailer if needed.
6. The unit I have has a wet bath and is totally self contained with the tailgate closed.

We also have a larger motorhome in addition to the truck camper, and still use it often. But I really like to take the truck camper into areas that we couldnt go to in our larger bus. It's been fun to take boondocking.

Here are a few photos of how the camper looks in the truck.

[zb39]

What about an adventurer 80RB? I think that might work.

[Vectraguy]

Originally Posted by zb39

What about an adventurer 80RB? I think that might work.

That floorplan is perfect, it looks like what I envision a truck camper to fit like. I do not understand the thinking of most hard sided brands putting those wings and tail lights on, I see no serious advantage yet it eliminates so many trucks.


The thing is, finding one of those used in the midwest may be a trick.

[Vectraguy]

Originally Posted by Divingbiker

I have a F350 truck. I also wanted to get a smaller truck camper that would fit entirely inside my trucks 8 foot bed. I found a Livin Lite truck camper with a 7 foot bed length that was a perfect fit for my needs. The all aluminum frame construction of this unit kept the overall weight down. Advantages of having the smaller truck camper include:
1. Keep the tail gate in place, nice to have the back up camera
2. I have enough storage space behind the camper with the tail gate closed to store a gas can for the generator and other small items.
3. Without the bumper overhang of a larger truck camper, I have the ground clearance to go to more remote off road places.
4. The weight of the smaller truck camper is much less that the rated capacity of my F350.
5. I can tow a boat or trailer if needed.
6. The unit I have has a wet bath and is totally self contained with the tailgate closed.

We also have a larger motorhome in addition to the truck camper, and still use it often. But I really like to take the truck camper into areas that we couldnt go to in our larger bus. It's been fun to take boondocking.

Here are a few photos of how the camper looks in the truck.

I like how it sits flat, and has no side wings.
I have an 8' bed and would not mind a longer floor, if it stops at the end of the bed or at the middle of the gate would be fine with me so long as it does not crush a tank or valves. I would even be fine with sliding it back just to dump at the dump station (If I had power jacks).

[KD4UPL]

There are very few campers that will allow you to keep the tailgate. S&S used to make one about 20 years ago but I don't remember the model.
By widening the rear and extending a big past the tailgate opening it makes the bathroom and it's associated plumbing much easier to engineer.