Quote Originally Posted by mjplewak View Post
Hey Gang,

I am acquiring a Toyota Tundra and I am wondering what experience people are having with truck campers and what I should look for? I am not 100% sure what the truck can handle yet, but any advice would be good and if anyone is selling something for under $2k that would be suitable, I would like to know if you are on Vancouver Island or the Lower Mainland.

I know I want an 8ft camper, that is clean as I plan to take my girls with me hunting. But I am not looking for anything massive. I am not worried if it needs work too.
I bought a 8' "project camper" out of a farmer's field. It had some damage from water getting in via the front clearance lights and front window. The wood where the rear jacks attached was also soft and one rear jack didn't work. It only had a two burner stove in it and the fridge and furnace were gone.

It took me about six weeks to get it all fixed up and weather tight (being retired helps). I'm not a very skilled carpenter , but have a bunch of tools. I replaced all the rotted wood and two jacks. All in for the rebuild it cost me including jacks (most expensive item) about $1200. I removed all the old decals and repainted it with a roller. We've used it on several trips including one to the Organ Pipe National Monument in southern Arizona from southern BC. Eighteen nights in a row is our record.

The unit weighs about 800 pounds empty and around 1100 fully loaded. I only pack a few gallons of water and have one 10lb propane tank. I converted the fridge space and furnace space into storage areas. The smallest Buddy heater keeps it nice and warm. My half-ton GMC handles it just fine. It's pretty basic but it was a pretty cheap project. Keeps us warm and dry.