So I just got my first vehicle (pretty psyched). I am planning on getting a cap for the back and building up the floor in the bed to create storage and a sleeping/living space which i will be occupying for extended periods of time. I'm sure you all have had some experience in this and i am looking for some advice, pictures, plans, whatever...

The Truck Submitted By: Will Anglin on May 12, 2008

Anyone?

I know this isn't exactly what you are looking for but it should give you some good ideas.

www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.html?topic_id=563313&msg=5>>>

Don't forget the disco ball and rotating bed!

I've tricked out a number of vehicles, including a truck w/ topper and a couple of vans. When I set up my truck for living, I built a bed on top of the wheel wells, used my crash pad for a mat and built a giant box/drawer underneath that pulled out and had all of my stuff in it. I've seen a number of people do the drawer thing and it works best with wheels. My buddy put roller blade wheels on his to make it super easy to pull out.

I also installed a power inverter, strung LED lights in the topper and put in some drapes. If you can afford it, the topper to get is one that pops up because you get a ton of headroom for living/hanging out.

Here's a link to what we did to our most recent van, which may give you some ideas. The awning is something I had also intended to do to my truck and it's one of my favorite features of our van.

Have fun.

Here's one you can do for less the $100. If you can find some scrap lumber you can do it for the price of a couple of cam straps.






Notes:

Use a hight top shell. Headroom is nice but the taller back window is crucial.

The boards sit on top of the lip of the shell so there is enough room to slide in the big action packers.

Split the bed length-wise and you can get 2 bikes in the back.

Stack the boards and sit low with the bed as a table if the weather is bad.

The whole thing is attached with 2 cam straps. It comes out in 30 seconds.

Get a gsff or make one with a window washing pole (doubles as a clip stick) and a painter's hook. You can pull things out of the front without crawling in.

Make sure your cab has a "contractors" window on the side. They flip up like the tailgate window and make for easy access to the stuff in the front. If the contractor's window is on the right, make the fixed side of the bed on the left.

I think setting up the bed on the wheel wells to get more head room is over rated. Unless you're planning on spending a lot of non-sleep time in the back you're much better off with better storage underneath. On most of my road trips everything is under the bed.

If you have the cash, get a MSR Parawing (www.trailspace.com/gear/msr/19-parawing/). It's the best piece of nylon I've ever had and refuses to blow down (Cheaper nylon tarps will blow down.) if it's staked well (I nail it down with 2' pieces of rebar.). I set it up and back the tail of the truck under it and have sun and rain protection.

Good luck and post up some pictures whe it's done.

Mal

Edit:
I found a cool LED light bar for $15 that velcros to the carpet liner on the shell (important! It's the grey stuff that lines the topper. Don't buy a bare shell.) It'll stick anywhere inside and I glued a couple of patches of velcro to the top of the tailgate glass and I stick it there for when I'm cooking. Lights up the whole tailgate.

I've also added some Yakima side rails because I have a platform top rack now. These are bolted through the topper and I put bolt hangers on the inside to clip stuff to.

Yes, that is a bottle opened screwed to the bed post and, yes, that is an old chalk bag hanging there to catch the bottle caps.

www.trucknutz.com/

anyone that drives a truck needs a set of these. i put them on my tercel. doesn't work quite as well

This guy pretty much has it as dialed as you're going to find with good directions too...

www.bajataco.com/bajataco.html

Thanks a lot, i'll post up the pics when its done!

when i graduated from college, i also bought a toyota, and built a topper out of plywood, 2x4's and fiberglass. it was pretty awesome because:
1) it drew a lot of attention - people actually remembered meeting me, or even seeing my truck in different states, and i was always gawked at on the highway.
2) lots of headroom
3) i got to build all kinds of custom features that you just can't get in a van or with a normal fiberglass topper.
4) toyotas are amazingly reliable, repairs are easy, and parts are cheap.
and it sucked because:
1) it drew a lot of attention - my rule for my journey was that i never paid for sleep. this meant trying to go stealth in a big eye-catcher. the crazy appearance put me in a couple of unfortunate situations that i think may not have happened if it had been a more subdued vehicle.
2) it was too big, and i carried way too much shit in it. i was always rummaging through crap that i rarely used.
if i was to do it again, id use a large fiberglass topper, carefully weather-sealed, and id build a sleeping shelf on top of the wheel wells. in my mind, the most important thing is only having what you need to make you comfortable, and nothing more.
for me, this does not include: a cooler, a light source in back (bring a headlamp), tv, stereo, stacks of books, sixteen extra t-shirts, etc.
it does include a stove, a spare selection of kitchen instruments, and a bottle of biodegradable kitchen soap. fill a small sealable container of spices and a well-sealed bottle of olive oil. keep everything clean and organized. the only thing to go crazy on is extra blankets.
embrace libraries and two dollar theaters for books and movies, and hit up local bars for a cheap beer and tv watching. sit at the bar, and you'll meet a lot of cool people who you wouldn't have met hanging out at climbing areas.
deciding whether to build it as a two person sleeper is tough. if you just built the half shelf, you'd have more space to hang out back there on rainy days, id maybe build a little chair to sit on. id be tempted to just put in a single, but then i was always extremely happy to have the double when i did have a guest.
good luck and make sure to post what you end up doing.

I vote for malcolm's set up. It's fast, cheap and you're going to need all the money you can get for GAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've lived out of a few vehicles (my preference is toyo vans) in the last 12 years and my only advice is: don't bring too much stuff.

have fun

Oh come on...you don't think you need a camera to monitor the undercarriage of your truck with a mini LCD screen inside? I don't know what crack you guys climb but you need some better stuff.

i recently installed the half-deck (as dumb as it sounds, inspired by steph davis' set-up: www.highinfatuation.com)...awesome! put a half deck in the cab end, sleep on pads underneath --- you have a table, plenty of room to hang out in crappy weather, still lots of storage (when on the road) and usuable space (when not on the road), still very stealth. i like the set up.

sweet, i have the same truck (an 02?) just to let you know caps from newer s-10's also fit pretty well as long as you put an old bike inner tube across the top of the bed near the cab(otherwise water can seep in) and there are cheap one's floating around since they don't make s10's anymore. truckbedz has a website with 70$ inflatable beds to fit the tacoma. good luck

Make sure you include some of the amenities that this traveling vehicle has:

www.urbanclimbermag.tv/videos/videoInfo.php?video=914

So I've got the cap and built the frame in the bed, but now I am bed ridden after having my tonsils taken out. So I though it would be interesting to see everyone else's climbing rigs. So post up those pictures and let the stories fly!

For "drawers" under the bed deck, the easiest thing I have come up with is six Rubbermaid platic bins with cord strung through the handles. I clip them together with old 'biners so that they can be easily pulled out. In my short bed, full-size pick up I can still slide two sets of skiis down the middle and put fuel etc. behind the wheel wells. I find I can pack almost all my gear under the deck and have my bed set up. It also makes the truck look empty-- so less chance of a break in. For a bed I used "surplus" closed cell foam with a three inch open cell pad on top. Fit it out with sheets and a nice pillow and it's better than the bed at home. Also, a magnetic LED work light that plugs into the lighter plug can be "stuck" anywhere on the outside of the vehicle for cooking.

For lighting I was just going to use some battery powered LED lamps, like the new Black Diamond one. Do people typically use this method, or something more permanent? I have seen some with auxillary batteries, that seems like overkill for my needs/budget


EDIT: also, what is a good way to secure the drapes? Velcro?

Haha...Bottle openers seem pretty mandatory

The bottle opener is definitely a nice touch!

I'm a fan of modularity. My vehicles come and go like toasters, and I have to use them for more than just camping. So Rubbermaid bins, cots, etc - things that are removable - are goodness. I have a place in my garage where I store the conversion kit(s) to make my vehicle how I need it for a particular task. Part of the idea is to be able to transform it in less than 10-15 mins or so w/o help. Just something else to consider.

if you have a 6ft bed a futon mattress will fit perfectly on the back. Consider getting one of the toppers with a higher roof so you can have some head room during rainstorms. Next keep your eye out a good will and buy one of those monster 1980's walmart roof boxes and store things like stove, cooler etc in there. Cost is next to nothing and sleeps two well. This is what I live out of in the winter and its great. Another thing to consider when getting a topper is if your doing winter stuff get the topper lined with that carpet or whatever it is to keep in the heat.

I haven't quite figured out how to stop the suspension from rocking all over the place. Any ideas Hank?

you must use the rocking motion to your advantage and make all of your friends sleeping by themselves in bivy sacks jealous.