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Thanks! I used a total of 6 heavy duty ratchet straps - 2 on each of the front corners and 1 on each of the back corners. So 4 of the straps were secured to the stock tie down points in the truck bed, and 2 more of the ones in front were threaded through the knockouts in the front of the truck bed and fastened to the actual frame of the truck underneath. Hope that makes sense. We encountered some fairly high gusty winds on our trip to MO last June, and the camper didn't budge at all. We also put a 3/8" rubber bed mat down before mounting the camper, and I think that helps keep it from wanting to slide around at all.

@lylewood1492 Thanks, and yes it does make sense

@lylewood1492 How did you attach the straps to the camper itself. I have an 8 ft. bed on my 1999 F250 Superduty and would love to build one for it. I would like to extend the camper out to the end of the tail gate. Don't know if that is wise or not.

@@timkinney9690 I used these from Amazon - www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Q2J2Q6D/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

Bolted six of them to framing members on the camper. Yes, I think it would work ok to extend it out onto your tailgate. That would give you quite a bit more room

Yes, 6'1" inside. Thanks.

Yes, I can run a generator outside and plug into that black plugin on the back of the camper. I wired the 110v circuits with 12/2 with ground wiring. I have two separate 110v circuits in the camper - one comes in directly from outside through a dedicated circuit breaker, and the other 110v circuit comes out of the EcoFlow power station I use. The EcoFlow is powered either from the 110v shore power or by the truck's 12v system while driving. (I could also charge it via solar panels, but I haven't installed any of those yet.) The EcoFlow is an integrated system with a 768 watt-hour battery inside, so it provides 110v, 12v and usb outlets. I could choose to use any number of other integrated systems instead of the EcoFlow. Using an integrated system such as the EcoFlow simplifies things a lot, although there is still quite a bit to figure out in terms of the actual wiring of the camper. I hope this is helpful.

@lylewood1492 it is helpful, thanks! Ya, I'm thinking of adding at least 400-500 watts of solar on mine. I want to make sure I have plenty. So there is a plug-in cord charging your Ecoflow from the trucks charging system while driving, that's cool! Guess you plugged it in the black inlet on the rear of the rv? I'm trying to picture how long & what this cord looks like? Was it ordered through Amazon or a camper store?

No, it is a separate 12v cable coming out of the cigarette lighter socket in the truck cab. It runs back under the truck bedrail and into the camper and plugs directly into the back of the EcoFlow with the little yellow solar connector. Bought on Amazon.

​@@lylewood1492 Oh, I see! I also have that plug-in adapter on the bed of my truck. Good to know, thanks.

@@jaypence1911 Thanks!

Awesome! Thank you!

The main thing I would do differently would be to use cedar for the framing members instead of pine. Especially important would be to laminate 3 layers of 1/2" cedar for the columns and beams instead of using 3 layers of 1/2" plywood like I did.

@ Yeah, I’ve seen some others use cedar for their campers too, but they often go all out with cedar planks on the exterior walls as well. Personally, I think the look of smooth fiberglass, like you used, gives the camper a much cleaner and more polished appearance - definitely makes it stand out! The sleek, smooth walls just seem more professional and visually appealing. As for the weight savings, cedar would definitely be the right choice here. I think switching to cedar framing or even cedar plywood could save around 100-150 lbs. I’m curious, though - would you go with cedar plywood or solid cedar boards for something like this? Thanks for sharing your thoughts - really helpful!

@@yury.bushev I would use the cedar fence pickets - planing them down to 1/2" thickness, then gluing three layers together for the framing. That is what Dave Mason of Endgame campers did for his campers 6.0 and 7.0 . If you haven't seen his channel, you might want to look him up on youtube. I used the basic design of his 7.0 camper as the basis for my build.

Thank you! :)

Thanks!

I copied the designs from graphics I found online. Printed those onto inkjet transparency sheets, then projected them onto the camper using an overhead projecter. We then simply traced them using black paint. That's why they came out looking as good as they do. Like I said, we're not artists LOL.

@lylewood1492 aah...makes more sense now. Didn't really understand, and you didn't say that in the video. Ok, good to know. It turned out great!!

@@dreamlookautodetailingauto3353 Thanks! :)

Yes, I did use 2x2's for that framing. The XPS foam is 1 1/2" thick, bonded top and bottom to the 1/4" plywood for strength. If I had it to do again, I would do all of the framing in the camper with cedar to reduce weight.

​​​​​@lylewood1492 That's what I thought, thanks Lyle. I will keep the cedar in mind as well, lighter the better. I see you used 2x4s in certain areas. That can add weight,,, Also, what size are your windows? They all look the same in size. Do you have a link to this?

Correction - It was actually 1" framing and XPS instead of 1 1/2". Since the XPS was bonded on both sides to the 1/4" plywood, it is very strong and rigid. Although that gave less insulation value in the floor of the cabover, the 3" foam mattress that I sleep on provides adequate insulation.

@@dreamlookautodetailingauto3353 There were a very few areas where I used 2x3's for strength. Doing it again, I would probably use cedar in those places also. I don't recall what window sizes I used, although they are not all the same. It would take some digging to find that info again. Sorry, but I don't have time to do that right now.

@@dreamlookautodetailingauto3353 I looked back in my Amazon orders and found the links for the windows I used. Here they are: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09YJ7KGNR/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1 www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CLHCM7Q7/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1 www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09YJ6MVYZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

Good idea on an additional video. Regarding more insulation to cover the rafters, it was an intentional design aesthetics choice we made - we specifically wanted some of the framing showing instead of just finished wood panels.

Thanks!

Thank you! I spent 6 months building the camper - from late October 2023 through late April 2024. I did not make any written plans, just mainly copied the basic design from Endgame's 7.0 camper build and figured it out as I went along. I am a semi-retired professional piano technician and rebuilder of 45 years experience, which requires quite a bit of precision, so that carried over into the camper build.

​@lylewood1492 I prefer the way you added cabinets & the microwave. The 5mm plywood to the interior wall looks cleaner to hide everything. Good job! Really wish you had build plans, bummer! I wanna build one for my truck. How much money do you think it took to build?

All totaled, including the 12 volt refrigerator, microwave, Stetson porta potty, and four camper jacks and everything else as you see in the video, I have about 5,500 into it.

@lylewood1492 Wow! So inexpensive compared to what dealers charge (around $25,000) for a brand new one. Crazy! Worth building one yourself.

I used Titebond II thinned with 25% water.

Thanks

Yes, it ended up being heavier than I hoped - 940 lbs

Thanks!

Thank you!

Thanks!

A simpler way to make WHAT ??

(From a previous question further down in the comments) - The landscape fabric I used was just a medium quality fabric, nothing particularly special about it. If I had it to do over again, I think I would have stayed with the traditional method using canvas drop cloths. The landscape fabric was a bit more difficult to get to stick securly around corners than organic fabric, as it wasn't possible to iron it down to the extent you can do with cotton. But all in all, it still turned out quite nice and has a pleasing sheen.

@@lylewood1492 thank you. how many gallons of titebond2 did you use?

@@deanvandress4693 I think I used 4 or 5 gallons

Thanks! Yes, dry weight came in at 940 lbs. More than I had hoped for, but I tend to overbuild things, such as using the 3 layers of plywood for the studs and beams instead of using cedar like Dave of Endgame Campers did. But it is still relatively lightweight and the truck handles it very well.

Thank you! :)

@@lylewood1492 beautiful work!! VIVA USA!!

@@SebastianSantarone Thanks!

Thanks!

Thanks. Dry weight came in at 940 lbs

Does that include cabinet doors, main door, electrics and dry plumbing or is it just the basic finished unit? Fantastic build by the way.

Includes all of the above

@@lylewood1492 Thank you

Thanks! All totaled, we have about $5700 into it. That includes all the construction materials, the 12v refrigerator, EcoFlow power station, dual fuel cook stove, the porta potti, aluminum step ladder, the truck bed mat, and so on.

Because I always tend to "overbuild" projects, it came in a bit heavier than I hoped - dry weight is 940 lbs. Still qualifies as light weight for a truck camper, and gas mileage isn't badly affected at all.

Thanks!

Thanks! Yes it was both fun and challenging to build. We are very pleased with how it turned out, and it was great on our first trip a few weeks ago.

Thanks!

Yes, I considered all of that in my design. My tailgate locks with the key fob. So if the truck doors are locked, I can trip the lock strikers on each end of the tailgate and then it's not possible to shut and latch the gate. However, if we were inside and the truck wasn't locked, someone could possibly shut the tailgate. For that reason, I fabricated a simple long hook that I can reach out of the back door window and catch the tailgate handle to pull it up and unlock and let the tailgate down. That hook assembly will be inside the camper at all times, just in case.

Thanks! :)

I think Dave has the shore power set up on his campers also

I used Loctite PL Premium 3X construction adhesive for bonding the XPS to plywood.

Probably not quite as well as actual fiberglass, although some have had it last a decade or more on their trailers etc. I expect to need to topcoat it again with acrylic latex paint in a few years.

Thanks!

Thanks! :)

Poor Man's Fiberglass - top coated with acrylic latex paint. There are many videos about how to do PMF on TH-cam.

Here is a video by probably the foremost expert on PMF on TH-cam, Lucy. th-cam.com/video/S3JIyhbdi-Q/w-d-xo.html

@lylewood1492 I send her videos. From what she does and a few other. As you and a few others put glue over the fabric. She does glue put fabric then it's off to paint

@@122amazonls5 There are variations in the method to do PMF. Many videos are on TH-cam. I recommend taking time to view different ones and then decide on what approach you want to take.

@lylewood1492 how is the surface lasted on yours

@@122amazonls5 So far it is doing very well, however, it is still quite new, as I only completed the camper and brought it outside in late April 2024. We have taken a 10 day trip where there was a lot of weather variation, including some heavy rainstorms. It held up perfectly through that. Time will tell how it will do in the long run, but my expectation is that it will continue to be fine.

Thanks David. Dry weight came in at 940 lbs

I should also note that we drove slower to minimize wind resistance, usually around 63 mph.

Hey Lyle, I just noticed you're from Michigan! Cool! I grew up in the thumb area (very small town) of Michigan till I was 20, moved & now live in Utah. I miss fall time, Lake Huron beach & the fire flies there,,, Are you anywhere close to that area? I've been talking to you this whole time and didn't even notice till now, Lol...😉

Thanks!

All I did was install plastic splitting wedges (used for felling trees) between the rear leaf springs and the overload springs. There are TH-cam videos on how to do that. It seemed to make the ride more stable.

Thank you

Thanks!

I copied a lot of the aspects of a camper built by Dave Mason of Endgame campers. You can find his channel here on TH-cam

Thanks!