My Tacoma Camper Home
The newer Toyota Tacoma’s make fantastic homes. I’ve finally got mine the way I want it, and can ‘t think of anything I’d change. It’s warm, comfortable, and private. Open the windows for a nice breeze. Blackout curtains so you can sleep in. Battery powered LED rope lights that use minimal power. A charger to charge the batter while driving. There are just so many things I love about this design. So let’s just jump right in, and I’ll give you the tour as I do some fall cleaning.
I used clips to attach a LED rope light to the ceiling. There is even a light switch to turn them on and off during the night. It’s a simple switch I bought from Walmart. The LED lights are key, I don’t like the blue color very much but they use minimal energy.
The truck come with an outlet in the back which you turn on from the cab. I use this to charge the battery pack while I drive.
Notice the notches already cut out into the bed? They are built in and perfect for 1inch tubing. My good friend Jaime welded these braces for me. The tubing is also essential, wood will sag terribly.
It took 2 sheets of plywood to make the actual platform. The piano hinges were a pain to put on but in the end I’m glad I did because it will fold up on itself and lay flat in the bed of the truck if I need to haul more.
The platform is a bit heavy, but once you have it laying on the tubing it’s really easy to position.
The combination of camper clips and the Tacoma bed rails make it impossible to open the platform while the bed is up without simply destroying the platform. You have to drop one side first and then the other before sliding it completely in.
The outdoor carpet was a good choice! It makes it not feel so homemade, and you don’t have to worry about splinters or anything.
I bought a 3.5″ full sized memory foam topper for the bed. Seriously, I love this bed and sleep fantastic on it. It might not be comfortable to every one but I love it.
The plastic containers fit perfectly and my current set up only uses 3, but you can use 4. I don’t know the sizes but they are easy to find at Walmart. To the right is the GoalZero battery which has been fantastic. I put velcro on the bed and bottom of the battery to prevent it from sliding around. I used insulation for blacking out the back window because the curtain left about 6 inches showing and my feet were handing out. That seemed weird so I cut the insulation to fit and have velcro holding it on when I sleep.
It’s a pretty simple set up but that’s what I like. As little fluff as possible, means less to get in the way. I’ve been living in here for over 50days now and I LOVE IT!!!