Dream Camper Shell and Rack Set Up Help/Advice

Hey everyone-

I finally just traded in my lovely Honda Fit, and taking the leap to begin building out my dream truck/adventure mobile. I'd love some advice.

I bought a 2013 Tacoma Access Cab 4X4. I found it with only 17k miles on it, and stupid cheap! it's a dream come true!

Now, I've been looking at what type of shell I want to put on it so that I can start to build a bed frame, storage, etc. in the back and hit the road.

Here's my stipulations:

I have 2 dogs that I do NOT want to put in the cab. I'm TIRED of so much dog hair in my life. Obviously, while they are riding in back, I won't have my bed/clothes/etc. set up. I need to figure out a way to store my bed, and have their beds available when I'm in transport.

I've read other threads about not going for the cab-level shells because head room is so crucial. I would love to be cozy and have that extra head room, especially if I'm sharing the space with dogs or another person.... BUT, I really need a rack on top for my 12'6" SUP board. I can't do a rack on top of a taller shell and have the nose of the board sticking so far out, unsupported.... Any advice??

I have some friends that are hangglide pilots, and they have an extended rack coming off the front of their car to support their long gliders, but I wasn't sure if that would work the same on the truck/high top shell?

Any ideas? I'm fine with putting my bikes on a tail gate rack, but how to transport the SUP while also having headroom in the camper is stumping me...

THANKS!

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...ith-at-overland-drawers.427626/#post-12268787

here is a start. I would just search for "customer camper shells" on google and here on TW to get ideas. Its a "for you, by you" product and you should look at as many as you can to get ideas. Then i would ask for advice on how to make features work with other features...

Welcome and good luck with you shell! Also everyone here will tell you that threads are useless without pictures.... So lets see some pictures of your new truck!

 

Here is a great thread to give you ideas.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/show-me-your-shell.13598/

 

Thanks so much! I've definitely been scoping out how others are doing it. I saw a rack on top of an above cab shell with 13ft sea kayaks on it... so I guess it wouldn't as unstable as it seems in my head, but... I think i'd still like more support for the fiberglass SUP.

And here she is

 

You could always mount another cross bar to the cab of your truck or you can also add a front receiver hitch and mount one of theses to it as well http://www.titanramps.com/truck-bed...eceiver.html?gclid=COjKpv21sMwCFdgKgQod3n4DKA. That should let you haul your 12'6" SUP.

 

Check out Rack-It racks. They are kinda commercial looking but they make what you are looking for. Over the shell and extended. Had one on my Ranger for my small sailboat and kayak. Many commercial guys, plumbers, contractors, etc us them so they are always on Craigslist.

 

I've carried 12'6" sup boards no problem! Definitely do not need an extender. I'm a prone paddler, so I always carry my 12' board with zero issues. The pic shows. 9'2" longboard on it. Can't find a pic of it with paddleboards.

My bed setup is clearly setup for a 1 person weekend warrior, but use your imagination.

I ordered the shell to my specs, and the extra head room is absolutely necessary even for solo missions!

 

I really like the old-school design of your Bel-Aire Camper - especially the roof vent, which will accept a fan. I wanted a Bel-Aire, but it would have meant a 1200 mile drive from Austin to pick it up and install. So, I went with a locally available Leer 180. It has about about 5 inches more head room than a cab-hi shell.

 

Glad ya got it figured out . And thanks for the compliments

 

Can you measure how much higher the roof of the shell is compared to the roof of the cab? Is it around 6"?

Do your side windows have screens? Or are they just fully open sliding windows?

Is the front window a drop down window?