Truck bed or topper campers

I'm considering getting a truck bed camper of some sort for my 1st gen Tacoma Xtracab (6' bed). I already have 210,000+ miles on the truck, though, and my understanding is if I get something that fits this truck, it won't fit anything else but a 1st gen once it dies. Is that correct?

Thank you.

 

Are you talking about a shell or a slide-in camper

 

I was looking at a used Radica Moonlander that was custom-built for a 1st gen, and wondering what I would do with it after my truck died. Then I started wondering about something of the sort more generally. I'd like to get something with more space than just my Snugtop, but I'm not sure if it's worth the investment if I won't be able to resell or reuse it.

 

Look around for a used Softopper. I see them occasionally on Facebook market place and OfferUp. A lot of people prefer those over camper shells for their convenience and storage capabilities including me. I’m never getting rid of mine.

 

Thanks. I don't know that that would give me any more space in the bed than my current Sungtop does. It's the same size as a regular topper, right?

 

Well its definitely never going to be a good investment, purely financially. Campers are like boats in that regard. I mean my shell was like $200 off facebook, it had to have been at least 5x that new.

Depends on the market for the camper, Flippacs and Wildernest campers for Tacomas still fetch a few thousand even when they're like 20 years old and worn. Those offer a lot more space than a Moonlander though.
The moonlander has a vertical wall at the cab, so it doesn't have to match the cab angle like on a shell you want to seal to the cab. I bet you could throw it on an older Ranger. Bed dimensions are roughly the same for pre-95 Toyota Pickups too, not sure about newer tacos. I ran a shell from a Toyota Pickup for a couple years, didn't seal at the cab but still 'fit'.
Tacoma accessory market is pretty damn strong, even just within the 1st generation.

 

Sorry I didn’t see that you mentioned you already had snugtop. In that case disregard. Ya they’re basically the same size.

 

As I understand it, the GFC pop-ups/wedge style for the 2nd gen tacos will fit the 1st gen as well. Brackets might be a little different but they are compatible. More than a couple of 1st gen tacos on here with them.

A couple of links to get the brain gears turning -


https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/alucab-canopy-on-1st-gen-anyone-have-one.773717/#post-27646707

https://forum.gofastcampers.com/t/for-sale-2002-tacoma-access-cab-with-v2/29636

https://gofastcampers.com/blogs/pro-team/toyota-tacoma-4306

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/gfc-camper-q-a-and-visual-history.769124/

 

The Softopper is designed to be the same height as the cab of your truck but the beauty is really in the retractability! You can easily retract it and open up your truck bed in just minutes, allowing you to haul taller gear when you need to. Please let us know if you have questions!

 

Many slide in campers will also fit into 2nd and 3rd gen Tacomas. They’re manufactured based on bed length, width, and wheel well width. Some slide ins from a Ranger or Colorado would likely fit a 1st gen Tacoma.

 

Flippac's suffer from the "sardine tin can opener" disease when not taken care of. Water gets in, the mild-steel hinges rust and then the bolts into the untreated wood rots and the torsion bar rips things apart.