Gen 1 Slide in Camper

Is anyone running a slide in camper for trips in their Gen 1?

I am looking into refurbishing one and would like to know how the fuel mileage is affected, is there a size i need and is it worth it?

 

A dually rear axle would be beneficial.
Toyota found that out way late.

 

I built a permanently mounted camper in place of my bed. You can see it in my avatar or build thread.
For a truck my fuel mileage is garbage. For a 4x4 camper it's pretty good. I'm looking at around 13-14mpg.
The biggest hit is from wind resistance at speeds over 65mph.
I'm also running 33" mud terrain tires and full armor.
I'm hoping to gain a few mpg's back this fall with a regear but lose a few with a supercharger so I'll be right where I am now but at least the truck will be able to get out of it's own way.

I believe the 4 Wheel campers Eagle model might be a good fit. I may be wrong on that.

 

Your truck is amazing you did an awesome Job! I am thinking of running~31s to try to and keep the mileage better but even 13 isn't that bad!

 

You probably saw this already ?

https://youtu.be/uAMHLX-jI0M

 

I like this one better.

https://youtu.be/5BWc65M3-t8

 

Here's a little info I found while googling:
https://www.truckcamperadventure.com/5-best-campers-for-the-toyota-tacoma/

Although they are going about it all wrong. NONE of the slide-ins they mention will fit on a Tacoma, I mean, if you want to drive it anywhere... Yes, they physically fit, but even the lightest slide-in they show weighs 800# dry (the Bobcat). That leaves ~300 pounds for occupants, gear, armor, etc... Their favorite one has a max weight of 1100# that only leaves 50 pounds for occupants, etc... Then these guys go on about needing to make sure you stay under the payload ratings, but apparently don't understand that the payload rating includes occupants and gear (the sticker they post even says that very clearly). These people are high.

Back to reality....

Tacomas are not known for their load capacities. You're likely going to have a hard time finding a slide-in that is of a moderately useful size and fits in the relatively small Tacoma beds and sit within weight ratings. No amount of HD springs or airbags changes that weight rating.


So IMO, you kinda have 2 options:

Do what @otis24 did and replace the bed with a 'ute camper thing.

Or go with something like a flippac or one of the other flip-open camper shells.

If you're dead set on a slide in your 3rd option is a bigger truck.

 

Excellent points!

Slide ins tend to be very wide. If you go any kind of trail where your truck leans it will make your truck super super wide.

That's why I built my side walls of the camper sloping inward at 3.5 degrees and it slopes further inward at the top.

 

This is different from the typical pop up camper that everyone else has. It’s an ‘80s Six Pac hard side camper. Something else to consider.

 

Yup. It was basically designed for the japanese trucks and small American trucks before everything started getting bigger. Four Wheel Camper discontinued the Eagle model a few years ago, maybe around 2015 or so. I like it for the gen1 because the side overhang is pretty minimal and not much wider than the truck. Definitely less width than the stock side view mirrors. I think the Bobcat made by All Terrain Campers in Sacramento is almost an exact replica. The guys who started that company used to work for FWC many years ago. The next size camper at FWC is a Fleet model. Many taco owners have them, but the are 6 inches wider. Weight needs to be considered if you are concerned. I'm not, but my Eagle dry weight (no propane tank and water) is 875 pounds. As jbrandt pointed out, the loaded weight with passenger is considerably higher than the rated gvw. Also the taco lean is accentuated because of how the camper is laid out with frig, propane and water all on drivers side. OP get an old, one strip out the interior and start fresh with an empty shell and redesign to fit your needs. Keep the center of gravity as far forward, balanced and low as possible if you do a redesign.

 

My gas mileage w/camper is 14-15 highway at 70mph. without camper 17-19.

Recent thread on slide-ins here here: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/show-me-your-slide-in-campers.674940/

 

Check out wanderthewest for ideas, types, etc. You can get lost going down this rabbit hole. have fun:
https://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/forum/17-truck-campers/

 

Good info! Thanks!

 

Did you upgrade your rear springs for the weight?

 

Thank you very much!

 

This is pretty much mandatory.

My truck sags with 3 or 4 bags of concrete in the bed. 3-4x that amount and you're going to be riding on the bumpstops with stock springs.

Being a slide out, probably what would make the most sense are airbags. You can reduce the pressure when the camper isn't there, so it'll ride like normal. You can even use a bike pump to inflate them (an electric pump is obviously preferred, though, lol).

As I was talking about before, air bags don't increase how much weight the truck can carry (max GVWR), but it helps the truck handle that set amount of weight when needed.

 

Those pictures are a couple of years old, has my old bullbar, stock leaf springs/front coils/15” tires on it. My truck currently has Dakar leaf springs & AAL, but haven’t added air bags or Load E range 16’ tires yet. Hard side slide in campers that will fit on a Tacoma 6”+ truck bed are not easy to find since most of the campers of that size were made in the ‘90s or early 2000’s and newer campers are also more expensive. There’s also the weight factor and since most of the forum members want to go offroad loaded with their camper & gear, the preferred slide in camper are pop up campers. I also used to own an ‘80s FWC Fleet camper that needed work and sold it off to a guy in Canada.