Bigfoot Mountain Guides: Custom Tacoma Truck Camper

Instead of an instruction guide, this post is for motivation and inspiration for others. There are DIY pages out there if one looks for them. And anyone who has questions should feel free to reach out to me. I built this during the winter and spring of 2024.

We previously traveled and camped on all our road trips with a 2014 Dodge Grand Caravan. It was a really reliable vehicle with many quirks but never any catastrophic issues or breakdowns. The engine and transmission were rock solid and I'd highly recommend that engine (Pentastar V6) or vehicle for anyone interested in a reliable vehicle. As a matter of fact it towed a snowmobile in a two-place trailer all over Quebec and Newfoundland during the winter. Studded snows and go. We took it down many dirt roads, and camped hundreds of nights in it.

The finished camper 2024. No solar panels yet

Deciding what to get next was a real challenge. I'm a bit of a minimalist and I wanted something small enough to be a daily driver but durable and reliable enough for more off-road, towing and winter usage. I settled on a 2023 Tacoma and contacted a dealer about getting the production run in the USA of their 2TR-FE 4-cylinder 4x4. Nine months later one arrived at the dealer and I was good to go (with a decent size loan to be sure). Yes, the 4-cylinder is a little underpowered (but so is the 6 and it has a lot to do with the transmission and gearing for fuel economy). It's also a really reliable gasoline engine, used around the world and in some cases running for a million miles.

I set about planning to put some type of lightweight pop-up truck camper on the Tacoma. My goal was to have it be as comfortable as the Grand Caravan, but with standing room (since I'm a fairly tall goofy bastard). I found quite a few camper choices. The GoFast Camper was too small for regular use. Super Pacific and AluCab were out of my price range. Oru Designs and Ovrland had some products that fit the bill. Not being thrilled about a 7,000 mile round trip to have one of these installed, and concerned about the cost of a new topper ($9-$12k plus the gas money for the round trip drive to the west coast USA), I did something I do a lot - dig deep on internet research.

I found threads on Tacoma World and Expedition Portal about folks building their own caps and I decided I would go that route. It seemed like I could construct the cap for about 1/3rd the price with lots of labor and trial and error.

After significant research I sourced extruded aluminum beams from Tnutz.com, found hardware online, and ordered ACM (aluminum composite material) for the exterior paneling. With a pile of parts, and having never done anything like this I set out constructing my camper.

15-series extrusions for the frame

I began with the lower box, which on my design, is actually separate from the camper (the tent portion up top is removable, and a flat top can be put on the box for non-camping parts of the year). This part was pretty easy because I opted for 90-degree angles for more upright storage space. Some people don't like the square shape because of aesthetics but I wanted simple construction and maximum space for storage, a bigger bed size and additional upright standing room.

Laying down the panels. VHB tape is permanent so care is needed

All the extruded aluminum I ordered was pre-cut, tapped and drilled, so all I had to do was assemble it. After frame assembly I began cutting the ACM paneling. The more tools you have the better this process goes. If I'd had a router I'd have just routed the edges afterward. Instead I carefully laid the panels in place (the way you lay countertop I think), peeling the VHB tape and setting the panel as I went. This process was laborious and required quite a bit of attention to detail. I chose to use 3M VHB on all the panels, and pre-drilled them so that the panels were also attached with some fasterners. I think next time around I'll just use VHB tape for most of the panels, the additional bolts probably aren't necessary.

The lower box with completed side hatch

Constructing the doors/hatches and getting them to work and fit properly with the hydraulic struts took quite a bit of trial and error to get right. I am sure there is a formula for strut positioning and strength and I most certainly did not use one.

Amazon and the local autoparts store were good sources for the gaskets and seals I needed to keep water out. After many deliveries and quite a bit of fussing around and cuss words I settled on door designs I could live with.

fitting the tent fabric

The final piece of the puzzle was the tent fabric. I used 600d polyester and used leftover ACM battens to hold the fabric in place. It's all removable, and I've yet to add the windows/screens but otherwise it works great.

The mostly-complete camper

I added Firestone Ride-Rite air bags for rear spring support, 200 watts of solar on the roof, and installed a 12v exhaust fan in the roof. Inside there is a 60" long drawer that holds all our kitchen kit and food(or all the climbing packs when not road tripping) and a small Ecoflow solar generator to power the fan and lights.

Does my franken-camper work? Yes! It's been great and we've now been two summers of camping and road trips in it. Is it perfectly waterproof? No it leaks a little both closed and open during heavy rain but this has been very manageable. Are there things I will change for version 2? Yes. There will most definitely be a version 2 with lots of changes.

How does the little truck handle the camper? I keep it on year-round and I average 19-22mpg with the summer tires. In the winter it's closer to 16mpg combined. With an enclosed extra height 6x12 and a snowmobile in tow the mileage is probably 12-13mpg. The winter tires are significantly heavier and my aim is lighten the wheels all-around for better fuel economy and increased responsiveness. Winter traction with the studded snows and the cap on the back is nothing short of exceptional. The vehicle is super solid and spacious for summer and winter travel and trips.