If you are in the market for a truck camper, there are some models that have some slide-outs. Slide-outs allow for the small size of a truck camper to be expanded to offer more space. However, finding truck campers with slide-outs can be challenging, but we have done some research for you and have found five fantastic truck campers with slide-outs.
Our list of the best truck campers with slide-outs includes:
- Palomino RV HardSide MAX Truck Camper HS-2902
- Northwood Manufacturing Arctic Fox 811 Truck Camper
- Adventurer Campers 910DB Truck Camper
- Lance Camper REV Group 1172 Truck Camper
- Host Campers Mammoth Truck Camper 11′ 6′
As promised, all of these truck campers have slide-outs to increase the amount of living space inside them. While truck campers are usually very small and only have enough room for one or two people, these slide-outs allow up to four people to sleep inside comfortably.
As you continue to read this article, we will discuss what a truck camper is and some of the pros and cons of using one. Furthermore, we will go in-depth about each of the truck campers we have on our list.
What is a Truck Camper?
A truck camper is a small RV that acts as an extension or add-on to a pickup truck. Truck campers are also referred to as slide-in or pickup campers. Truck campers fashion onto the flatbed of a truck, which makes your truck look similar to a class C motorhome.
There are two primary types of truck campers; stationary and detachable. Stationary campers can be permanently attached to your truck’s flatbed, which provides increased stability during transport. Stationary truck campers can be unbolted for storage once you return home. Still, it is not advised to detach them at a campground as they do not have the stability to stand on their own. This job is left for the detachable truck campers.
Detachable truck campers are strapped and bolted down to your pickup truck’s bed for transportation. However, a detachable camper differs from a stationary camper because they are built to be detached and stand on adjustable feet. This allows for a detachable camper to be set up at your campgrounds while also allowing you to use your truck to explore and run errands like buying groceries and other supplies.
Truck campers are able to provide the same amenities as a motorhome. However, these amenities are extremely small in comparison. Furthermore, truck campers vary in length and can be anywhere from 8 to 20 feet long, including the over-cab extension. However, because truck campers need to fit into a truck’s flatbed, they are usually only 5 to 7 feet wide. Moreover, the floor of a truck camper needs to fit snugly into the flatbed, which will only provide 3 to 4 feet of available walking space. However, a truck camper with slide-outs will alleviate this issue.
Pros and Cons of Truck Campers with Slide-Outs
While truck campers with slide-outs may seem appealing with all of the extra space they provide, there are some things you need to know about them before you commit to purchasing one.
Pros of Truck Campers with Slide-Outs
- Slide-outs provide more room to move around and live in.
- Slide-outs allow truck campers to have more storage space.
- Slide-outs offer more space for a truck camper to have additional amenities.
The additional space provided by the slide-outs is their main feature. This extra space allows for a lot of additional features to be added. Unlike truck campers without slide-outs, truck campers with slide-outs will have a lot more storage space, amenities, and room for more people to sleep.
Cons of Truck Campers with Slide-Outs
- Slide-outs add a significant amount of weight to the truck camper.
- Truck campers with slide-outs are more expensive.
- Slide-outs are prone to leaks and mechanical failure if not properly maintained.
Standard truck campers can weigh around 2,500 pounds, which borders the weight limit of most trucks. However, slide-outs can significantly increase the weight of a truck camper. The lightest slide-out will add around 300 pounds, but most slide-outs are much heavier. This means truck campers with slide-outs can easily exceed 3,000 pounds and can only be hauled by the sturdiest of trucks. Furthermore, the immense weight of a truck camper with slide-outs can put extra stress on the chassis, frame, wheels, and suspension, which will shorten your truck’s lifespan.
While truck campers are relatively cheap compared to other types of RVs, slide-outs can add up to $5,000 to the upfront cost of your truck camper. Furthermore, because the slide-outs are prone to leaks and failure, you will need to do maintenance on a truck camper with slide-outs more often. For example, suppose a truck camper with slide-outs is not maintained correctly. In that case, the damage caused by leaks and mechanical failure will be costly.
5 Best Truck Campers With Slide-Outs
Now that you understand what a truck camper is and the pros and cons associated with owning one, we can get into the good stuff. Below is a list of the best truck campers with slide-outs that we could find. This list is in no particular order, and all of these campers should be considered the best of the best.
Palomino RV HardSide MAX Truck Camper HS-2902
This truck camper is 18’4” long and has enough room to sleep up to four people with the right floor plan. In addition, the HerdSide MAX uses a deep slide to house the convertible booth, which allows for more living space and a larger kitchen.
The outside of the camper comes equipped with several utilities, including an outdoor chowder, satellite hook up, additional outlets, and access to your water heater, propane tank, and freshwater storage. Furthermore, there is a camera above the door that allows you to look outside without needing to get up, and this camera can also be used while driving to see behind you when you need to back up or change lanes.
This camper has a bathroom directly to your left as soon as you enter the camper. Inside this bathroom is a sink with dry storage, a toilet, and a small shower. The kitchen is packed with high-quality amenities like a three-burner stovetop and oven, microwave, a large single bowl sink, and plenty of pantry storage space.
The slide-out section can be outfitted with different amenities, like a large and comfortable twin theater seating, an additional bed, or a small dining table. Further inside the camper is a queen-sized bed, a small tv, and plenty of more storage options, including a hang-up closet, drawers, and footlockers. Furthermore, you can outfit this truck camper with extra goodies like a solar panel and awnings.
The HardSide MAX can fit into a 6’6’ or an 8’8′ bed, increasing its versatility. However, you can expect to pay around $33,000 for this truck camper.
Northwood Manufacturing Arctic Fox 811 Truck Camper
The Arctic Fox 811 is a high-quality truck camper that costs around $29,000 and is constructed with high-quality materials to increase its lifespan and resale value. This camper is 16’8″ long and has thick insulated walls to keep the inside temperature exactly where you want it.
The outside of the camper allows access to all of your utilities for repair and maintenance. Furthermore, there is an exterior shower, access to satellite outlets, extra storage compartments, and a sliding joey tray for those longer items. Each of the compartment doors is one inch thick to provide better insulation. This camper also comes equipped with a large automatic awning.
The bathroom in this camper is located directly to the left when you enter the camper. This bathroom is equipped with a sink, toilet, and shower. The bathroom has a surprising amount of room for you to move around while showering.
The kitchen comes equipped with a three-burner stovetop, oven, large single bowl sink, microwave, and a large amount of storage space.
The slide-out portion of this camper allows for a small dining table and booths for comfortable eating.
The bedroom area is located in the overhang section of the camper and sports a queen-sized bed and an impressive amount of room above the bed. Furthermore, you have the option to have either a 19 or 32-inch tv. Next to the bed is quite some storage space with cabinets and drawers.
Adventurer Campers 910DB Truck Camper
The Adventurer 910DB is an 18” truck camper that costs around $33,500 and is perfect for those who have a long-bed truck. The slide-out on this model is enormous and provides a bunch of extra storage space, a small dining table and booths, and a refrigerator.
The Adventurer 910DB has quite a few frameless windows that let in a ton of natural light. Furthermore, this truck camper has a fantastic bathroom equipped with a toilet, sink, storage space, and possibly the largest shower we have seen in a truck camper.
The kitchen sports a three burner stove top, stainless steel oven, a large two-basin sink, and laminated countertops. Furthermore, the kitchen is packed with storage space.
The bedroom sports a king-sized bed with ample clothes and camping gear storage. In addition, this camper can be outfitted with solar panels very quickly because the whole camper is prewired for solar power.
Lance Camper REV Group 1172 Truck Camper
The Lance 1172 is a monster of a truck camper and is over 20 feet long and has two slide-outs instead of one. This truck camper is pretty expensive, costing around $62,000.
On the outside of the Lance 1172 are the same features that the previous models on our list have, including maintenance access, awnings, an outdoor shower, and more. However, one unique thing about this camper is that it has a gas-powered generator. You can use this generator to recharge the RV batteries, which it does so very quickly.
Heading inside the camper, you will find the two switches to extend both slide-outs, a comfortable sitting area, and a dinette. In addition, the lounge area has extra storage under the couch, which you can quickly turn into an extra bed. Along with these amenities comes an incredible amount of storage space.
The kitchen is also fully stocked, with ample storage space, a three-burner stovetop, a convection oven, a two-bin basin sink, and a reasonably large microwave. The kitchen also sports a small section of the countertop that you can flip up to make more room for whenever you need it. The refrigerator is massive and sports a separate freezer.
The Lance 1172 also sports a large bathroom with a sink, dry storage, a toilet, and a shower comparable in size to the Adventurer 910DB. Finally, at the end of the camper is the bedroom with a queen-sized bed with extra storage space on the side.
Host Campers Mammoth Truck Camper 11′ 6′
The final truck camper on our list is the Mammoth by Host Campers. This camper is massive, nearly 20 feet long, and has three slide-outs, making this camper the largest on our list. Unfortunately, with that massive size comes a hefty cost of $65,000.
The outside is packed with the same access panels, awnings, and other amenities we previously discussed.
The inside is fantastic and is packed with luxury amenities made of high-quality materials. The three slide-outs vastly increase the amount of walking and living space. One slide-out houses a dinette with a table that you can move to adjust the height and distance from the bench. The bench in the dinette has some storage space, but it can unfold into a 6-foot long bed that is about the width of a twin bed.
The kitchen might look small but has nearly everything you could want. Inside the kitchen are a three-burner stove, stainless steel oven, a massive refrigerator, and the most storage space we have seen in a truck camper kitchen.
The bathroom is our favorite part of the Mammoth. The bathroom is the largest on our list and has your standard toilet, sink, and dry storage. However, this bathroom differs from the rest because it has a pocket door that closes it off from the rest of the camper and turns the bedroom into a master bedroom. Furthermore, the shower is simply amazing and has plenty of room to move around.
Finally, you can customize this camper to fit your needs. Host has a wide range of options that you can choose from, including a full-sized washer and dryer.
Final Thoughts
Truck campers are excellent and give outdoor enthusiasts an affordable and convenient retreat after a long day. Furthermore, the versatility provided by a truck camper simply outmatches all other RVs. Truck campers are an all-in-one package that allows campers to set up camp in smaller areas while letting them use their truck to explore. In our opinion, truck campers are the best RV for hunters and fishers who go on long trips.
We hope that our guide has provided you with everything you wanted to know about truck campers with slide-outs and that our list guides you to the perfect truck camper for you.
