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timmy_thetundra

Rank II

Contributor III

404
Vancouver, WA, USA
First Name
Michael
Last Name
Klann
Member #

31161

Hey everyone!

My partner and I have been spending the last few months building up a 2021 Toyota Tundra (second picture) for off-road use and eventually to live in. Our goal is to replace the bed with a flatbed and get a camper to sit on it like the first picture. Being that lead times are what they are… we probably would be able to get out hands on a camper until mid 2023 maybe into 2024.

My question is what are y’all working with? Have you done something like this before? Do you have something similar? What is your experience with this lifestyle? And do you full time in it?

Thanks in advance!

Miranda & Michael
@timmy_thetundra
 

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Roam Bearded

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We considered long and hard about going with a slide in FWC or ATC for our upcoming changes. Instead, to save weight (for one reason), we've opted for an OVRLND Camper shell. We're excited to get into this next build and see how we make it ours.

I really like the flatbed campers and certainly see us going that route in the future. Looking forward to seeing your build come together.
 
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DRAX

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IIRC, this YouTube video is about the truck in your first pic. I'm assuming you've watched it already, but if not then this will give you some insight into that build and the owners.

 
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grubworm

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grub
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worm
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Hey everyone!

My partner and I have been spending the last few months building up a 2021 Toyota Tundra (second picture) for off-road use and eventually to live in. Our goal is to replace the bed with a flatbed and get a camper to sit on it like the first picture. Being that lead times are what they are… we probably would be able to get out hands on a camper until mid 2023 maybe into 2024.

My question is what are y’all working with? Have you done something like this before? Do you have something similar? What is your experience with this lifestyle? And do you full time in it?

Thanks in advance!

Miranda & Michael
@timmy_thetundra
love your tundra!

as a kid back in the early 70s, my father, mother and i traveled the country and lived in an 11' slide in camper on the back of a '65 pick up. we lived in it until i was in the 5th grade and although it was pretty cramped, it worked well and i never missed a meal or went without a shower..so it was an alright experience. if i had to go the camper route, i would probably go with the slide in because as we did many times, we could jack it up and drive out from under it and have the empty pick up for use. sometimes we would stay for months in one place, so detatching like that was very handy.
 
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timmy_thetundra

Rank II

Contributor III

404
Vancouver, WA, USA
First Name
Michael
Last Name
Klann
Member #

31161

Yessss, we are super familiar with them! They are half of our inspiration to complete this build. But I was more curious about what all everyone has for rigs and their experiences

IIRC, this YouTube video is about the truck in your first pic. I'm assuming you've watched it already, but if not then this will give you some insight into that build and the owners.

 
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timmy_thetundra

Rank II

Contributor III

404
Vancouver, WA, USA
First Name
Michael
Last Name
Klann
Member #

31161

Hey everyone!

My partner and I have been spending the last few months building up a 2021 Toyota Tundra (second picture) for off-road use and eventually to live in. Our goal is to replace the bed with a flatbed and get a camper to sit on it like the first picture. Being that lead times are what they are… we probably would be able to get out hands on a camper until mid 2023 maybe into 2024.

My question is what are y’all working with? Have you done something like this before? Do you have something similar? What is your experience with this lifestyle? And do you full time in it?

Thanks in advance!

Miranda & Michael
@timmy_thetundra
love your tundra!

as a kid back in the early 70s, my father, mother and i traveled the country and lived in an 11' slide in camper on the back of a '65 pick up. we lived in it until i was in the 5th grade and although it was pretty cramped, it worked well and i never missed a meal or went without a shower..so it was an alright experience. if i had to go the camper route, i would probably go with the slide in because as we did many times, we could jack it up and drive out from under it and have the empty pick up for use. sometimes we would stay for months in one place, so detatching like that was very handy.
Thanks for your story! We considered the slide in, but it seems you also lose quite a bit of floor space when doing it that way too, I think. With the flatbed you can also take it off and raise it, but it just takes a lot more effort since it’s bolted in. that’s super cool that you spent your childhood like that though! What a unique experience!
 
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timmy_thetundra

Rank II

Contributor III

404
Vancouver, WA, USA
First Name
Michael
Last Name
Klann
Member #

31161

We considered long and hard about going with a slide in FWC or ATC for our upcoming changes. Instead, to save weight (for one reason), we've opted for an OVRLND Camper shell. We're excited to get into this next build and see how we make it ours.

I really like the flatbed campers and certainly see us going that route in the future. Looking forward to seeing your build come together.
Ahhh yes! Those are also a really good option. Plus, it leaves more space for customization. Have you guys started your build yet?
 

DRAX

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Advocate I

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Monticello, IL
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Hogan
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Whittall
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Yessss, we are super familiar with them! They are half of our inspiration to complete this build. But I was more curious about what all everyone has for rigs and their experiences
Will be following your progress/discussion on this. My wife and I plan to full-time (or do some very extended trips) in a couple of years or so, but we'll be going the route of an off-road trailer. We thought about the 4WD ambulance or similar route as well as the pop-up truck camper, but what turned us off to those are the same complaints we had about camping with an RTT; In order to drive away from camp we'd have to pack everything up in order to do so, whether it's for a day trip/adventure or to head into town. We weighed the pros and cons of the off-road trailer route vs vehicle-based camper and the trailer won. Not suggesting you reconsider your plans, we all have our own wants and needs, just tossing out what we decided on. :) The FWC or similar setup would definitely be great, and setup/teardown doesn't get much easier, but we just can't justify the cost as we'd have to get a full-size truck with sufficient payload in addition to the camper and that is just more than we want to spend and we don't want to finance anything.

Anyway, excited to see where your build goes! Good luck!
 
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Roam Bearded

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2,191
Ogden, Utah 84403, United States
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Ahhh yes! Those are also a really good option. Plus, it leaves more space for customization. Have you guys started your build yet?
Not yet - we just sent in our options list. I believe we should have it around April, in the meantime I'm getting our solar system researched. Beyond that we really want to get some real world use out of it so we have a good idea of what our build should entail. We don't want to jump the gun until we know how the space can function for us.
 
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timmy_thetundra

Rank II

Contributor III

404
Vancouver, WA, USA
First Name
Michael
Last Name
Klann
Member #

31161

Ahhh yes! Those are also a really good option. Plus, it leaves more space for customization. Have you guys started your build yet?
Not yet - we just sent in our options list. I believe we should have it around April, in the meantime I'm getting our solar system researched. Beyond that we really want to get some real world use out of it so we have a good idea of what our build should entail. We don't want to jump the gun until we know how the space can function for us.
Oh nice! I remember when I lived out of my TT for awhile I had it custom made. It took about 5 months. But being that lead times are what they are right now, I hope you get it sooner rather than later.

And nice! I’m exited to see what y’all do with it. It’s like all the van people, I love the van builds… I just don’t have the patience to build it myself lol
 

timmy_thetundra

Rank II

Contributor III

404
Vancouver, WA, USA
First Name
Michael
Last Name
Klann
Member #

31161

Yessss, we are super familiar with them! They are half of our inspiration to complete this build. But I was more curious about what all everyone has for rigs and their experiences
Will be following your progress/discussion on this. My wife and I plan to full-time (or do some very extended trips) in a couple of years or so, but we'll be going the route of an off-road trailer. We thought about the 4WD ambulance or similar route as well as the pop-up truck camper, but what turned us off to those are the same complaints we had about camping with an RTT; In order to drive away from camp we'd have to pack everything up in order to do so, whether it's for a day trip/adventure or to head into town. We weighed the pros and cons of the off-road trailer route vs vehicle-based camper and the trailer won. Not suggesting you reconsider your plans, we all have our own wants and needs, just tossing out what we decided on. :) The FWC or similar setup would definitely be great, and setup/teardown doesn't get much easier, but we just can't justify the cost as we'd have to get a full-size truck with sufficient payload in addition to the camper and that is just more than we want to spend and we don't want to finance anything.

Anyway, excited to see where your build goes! Good luck!
Right… this was something that I’ve considered as well. I actually lived out of a TT (T@B 400 Teardrop) for about a year and towed with an FJ Cruiser. I loved the FJ, and for as nice as it was to be able to unhitch, there was a lot of things I hated about it.

1. It’s a separate entity with its own problems. I ordered it and, by like 6 months of having it, had already fixed pretty much everything on it by warranty.
2. If you ever wanted to stop through a drive thru line, you can cause you’re in tow. You’ve gotta pull over, get out, etc. and I guess you never realize how inconvenient that is when you are in a rush to get across the US in a certain time and you have an over anxious dog
3. Towing always equals more gas. I mean, if your tow vehicle is a diesel truck, then the tow really wouldn’t matter. But if it’s anything else, you’ll spend a lot more gas dragging things along.

These were my top 3 against getting another trailer. The small just-bed off-road trailers are nice and compact, but they can be stolen easier and it’s a little more complicated to clear things on a trail. But other than that, their lightweight and convenient. I think it’s a great route if you’ve considered all of the risks…. But nothing in life is without some kind of risk. :)

I can’t wait to follow you’re journey, though! I hope the TT works for you and if you find yourself in the PNW, let us know!
 
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Explorer I

847
Macedon Ranges, VIC, Australia
First Name
Chantal
Last Name
ChB
Hey everyone!

My partner and I have been spending the last few months building up a 2021 Toyota Tundra (second picture) for off-road use and eventually to live in. Our goal is to replace the bed with a flatbed and get a camper to sit on it like the first picture. Being that lead times are what they are… we probably would be able to get out hands on a camper until mid 2023 maybe into 2024.

My question is what are y’all working with? Have you done something like this before? Do you have something similar? What is your experience with this lifestyle? And do you full time in it?

Thanks in advance!

Miranda & Michael
@timmy_thetundra
We love the idea! In fact we are doing something similar but we are located in Australia.
The idea is to have a flatbed tray and to put a slide on camper on something like in the images below.

Looking forward to see what you end up with.
1642394988980.png1642395267053.png