Ok, let’s take a look at some of the best truck bed campers around at the moment.
There’s a lot to consider, so I’ve broken it down into bite size chunks.
In this article we’ll be looking at hard sided truck campers, also known as a “slide in camper”. From compact units to high end rolling cabins, let’s have a look at some popular choices.
What Is a Hard Sided Truck Bed Camper?
There are a few variations of the truck camper. The definition of a hard side truck camper, or slide in camper, is exactly what it says on the tin – a hard sided self contained living unit that you can mount straight onto the back of your pickup truck.
Different to pop up truck bed campers or truck tent campers, a hard sided truck camper has rigid, insulated walls made from either aluminum, fiberglass, or composite panels. Because of the solid walls you’ll get good protection from weather, road noise, and wildlife, making them ideal for all season trips away.
A good hard sided camper turns your pickup into a proper mobile basecamp, with a bed, kitchenette, dinette, and often a full or wet bath setup.
Hard side truck bed campers will give you plenty of home comforts and lots of manoeuvrability that other types of RV will struggle to match.
Why Choose a Hard Sided Truck Bed Camper?
Hard wall truck bed RV campers have a handful of advantages over other types of RVs.
All Season Usage:
Well insulated with solid doors, and often with dual pane windows to keep you comfortable in snow or desert heat.
Secure and Durable:
Solid walls will give you much better protection from bad weather and wildlife compared to a pickup tent camper or a truck bed pop up camper.
Compact Footprint:
They’ll fit entirely in your truck bed, so you could tow a trailer if needed, and park up anywhere your truck will fit.
Off Grid Ready:
Many newer models come with solar wiring, big water tanks, and dual propane systems.
Home Comforts:
A full kitchen, heating, air con, and even wet bathrooms are pretty common.
Types of Hard Sided Truck Campers
Non Slide Truck Bed Campers
These are traditional one piece units with no slide outs. They’re lighter, easy to maintain, and are generally pretty good on rough terrain.
Examples: Lance 825, Northern Lite 10-2, Bigfoot 10.4.
Slide Out Truck Campers
Slide outs will give you a lot of extra space, making room for a dinette, sofa, or extra storage. They give you pretty much motorhome luxury but are quite a bit heavier. Will need a ¾ ton or 1 ton pickup.
Examples: Host Mammoth 11.5, Lance 1172.
10 of the Best Truck Bed Campers
Ok, so in no particular order, here are some of the best truck bed campers around at the moment.
Lance 825
The Lance 825 is one of the smallest but well equipped hard sided truck campers, designed especially for short bed trucks. It’s only 16′3″ in total, and has a queen sized cab over bed, a little dinette that converts to another bed, and a full wet bathroom.
Dry weight is about 1,795 lbs, with all the fluids and standard gear it will come in at approximately 2,650 lbs, making a decent ½ or ¾ ton truck fine for this camper.
It will hold about 30 gallons of fresh water, and has insulated, aluminum framed walls for use year round.
Soaring Eagle Adlar 6.5
The Adlar 6.5 is a tough, lightweight hard side slide in camper made for short bed trucks. It weighs about 850 lbs dry, and will easily fit in a half ton truck.
Built with welded aluminum framing and a one piece fiberglass exterior, it is extremely durable and moisture resistant. Inside there’s a queen sized cab over bed, a dinette that converts into extra sleeping space, a 12 volt fridge, and optional lithium battery/solar prep.
With its small footprint, the Adlar 6.5 is an excellent choice for smaller trucks.
Northern Lite 10-2
The Northern Lite 10-2 is another really well made truck bed camper designed for year round use. This camper has a two part molded fiberglass shell, making it durable and leakproof, definitely designed as a true four season unit.
Dry weight starts around 3,435 lbs with a long bed truck configuration. Features include a queen bed, optional full wet or dry bath, loads of storage, a high end kitchen, and excellent insulation against cold weather.
The camper has a floor length of 10 ft 11 in and large tank capacities, giving you lots of comfort for a truck camper.
Palomino Backpack HS-2912
The Backpack HS-2912 is a hard side, premium slide in truck camper designed for full sized pickups. The floor inside measures 10′ 8″, with the overall length coming in at 20′ 0. It’s 8′ 2″ wide and 9′ 9″ high, and the dry weight is about 3,599 lbs.
Inside there’s a queen bed, lots of dinette/sofa space, a full wet bath, and a fully equipped kitchen.
The build is seriously heavy duty, with high density block foam insulation, Azdel wall board, frameless windows, and solar prep with lithium battery options, perfect for longer trips or off grid travel.
Lance 1172
The Lance 1172 is the flagship truck bed camper from Lance Camper, featuring a double slide layout for tons of interior space. It’s got an overall length of about 20 ft 4 in, and so you’ll need a long bed ¾ ton or 1 ton truck setup.
Dry weight runs about 4,063 lbs, it has big tank capacities with a 42 gal fresh water tank and a 35 gal grey/black tank.
The Lance 1172 has plenty of features, but some of the stand outs are a theatre style sofa, a queen cabover bed, a stainless steel three burner cooker, and solid top counters. One of the best truck bed campers, definitely worth its reputation.
Nucamp Cirrus 620
The nüCamp Cirrus 620 is a super lightweight truck camper made to specifically fit a half ton pickup. With a dry weight of around 1,565 lbs, it has plenty of modern amenities in its 12′ 8″ length.
Inside there’s a queen sleeping area, a dinette that turns into another sleeping area, a well equipped kitchenette, and a cassette toilet, making it ideal for two people.
It has high quality cabinetry, composite flooring, and you have a choice of solar and lithium upgrades. Whether you’re just away for the weekend or going for longer adventures, the Cirrus 620 is a great choice for lightweight design and all season capability.
Northwood Arctic Fox 865
The Arctic Fox 865 is a four season truck camper designed for heavy duty trucks and serious adventurers. With a dry weight around 2,641 lbs, it will fit long or short bed pickups and has an overall length of 17′.
Built on a fully welded aluminum frame with corona treated fiberglass shell, which makes the camper really tough and water resistant, it also has high density foam insulation.
Inside there’s a queen bed, full wet bath, a three burner cooktop, and room for solar if you want it.
The 865 is a premium built truck bed camper ready for off road adventures, with plenty of comfort as well.
Bigfoot 10-4
The Bigfoot 10-4 truck bed camper is a tough, all weather truck camper with a molded fiberglass shell and excellent features.
It has a floor length of 10′6″ and an overall length of about 17′11″, dry weight is around 3,220 lbs.
Standard features are a 30,000 BTU furnace, insulation with 1½″ high density EPS foam, and electric jack controls.
Inside is a queen cab over bed, large rear panoramic windows, and big tank capacities (fresh – 39 gal, grey – 32 gal, black – 21 gal).
Designed for long bed trucks, the 10-4 has plenty of home away from home comfort with adventure capability.
Northstar Laredo SC
The Northstar Laredo SC is a non slide truck camper made for short and long bed pickups, giving you some serious comfort in a pretty small footprint.
The standard dry weight is approximately 2,090 lbs and an internal floor length of 8′ 6″, it’s designed for ½ ton (and larger) trucks.
Inside there’s a queen bed, a full wet bath with a cassette toilet, a 3.5 cu ft compressor fridge, and a 41 gallon fresh water tank.
Its narrow 7′ width make it perfect for forest roads or tight camping spots, but still has all you need for an extended stay.
Host Mammoth 11.5
The Mammoth 11.5 is a luxury triple slide truck camper built for long bed ¾ or 1 ton pickups.
It has an internal floor length of 11′ 4″ and an overall length of 19′ 3″. The structure is 100% aluminum, with vacuum bonded insulated walls, and a fiberglass exterior.
It has huge tank capacity – 65 gal fresh, 51 gal grey, and 32 gal black tanks for some serious travel time. Inside is all premium finish and high quality. Solid surface countertops, a full dry bath, sofa and dinette, and an optional king size bed or washer-dryer.
The Mammoth 11.5 is a high end truck bed camper capable of full time living with some serious home comforts.
Pairing the Right Truck and Camper
The dry weight (unloaded) of a truck camper varies from around 800 lb to 5,000 lbs.
The lightest hard side truck camper is currently the Tuktut from Scout Campers, coming in at only 634 lbs!
For reference, I’ve put together this quick table guide with a couple of popular trucks in their class.
Always triple check your truck’s payload capacity.
| Truck Type | Camper Type | Example Models |
| Mid Size (Tacoma, Ranger) | Lightweight Hard Sided | Soaring Eagle Adlar 6.5 |
| Half Ton (F-150, Silverado 1500) | Compact campers under 2,000 lbs | Cirrus 620, Lance 650 |
| Three Quarter Ton (F-250, Ram 2500) | Mid range or luxury non slide | Arctic Fox 865, Bigfoot 10.4 |
| One-Ton (F-350, Ram 3500 DRW) | Large or slide out luxury units | Host Mammoth, Lance 1172 |
Truck Bed Campers For Rent
Thinking of investing in a truck camper? Why not try before you buy? Type in truck campers and have a look through the listings on Outdoorsy.
If you like exploring without many limitations, a hard side truck bed camper is one of the most versatile platforms on the road.
For quick getaways, the Cirrus 620 or Lance 650 are perfect.
For longer term stays, take a look at the Northern Lite 10-2 or Bigfoot 10.6.
And if you want all the bells and whistles, you won’t go wrong with a Host Mammoth or Lance 1172.
Hard sided truck bed campers are heavier and a bit more expensive than a pop up, but for all season comfort they’re worth the extra money.
