So you’re interested in buying a truck camper to pair with your Toyota Tundra half-ton pickup truck. When it comes to hauling a truck camper, the Tundra is a mixed bag. Sure the half-ton pickup offers a decent payload rating, but its also the only full-size pickup without an optional V8 engine—the largest that Toyota offers is a twin-turbocharged V6. Still, when it comes to comfort and good looks the Toyota Tundra is hard to beat. Of course, when it comes to hauling a truck camper, we actually recommend doing it with a more capable truck like a one-ton truck, but this isn’t always practical. Many Toyota Tundra owners have already paid-off their trucks and don’t want to invest in something bigger, heavier, and more expensive. Not only that, but a good number of Tundras are daily drivers and need to split time between work and play. Fortunately, truck camper manufacturers know this and have done their homework by building a wide variety of campers and toppers that are lightweight and easy to store. So without further adieu, let’s take a look at the 10 best truck campers for the Toyota Tundra pickup truck.
1. Scout Olympic 6.5
The best of the best. A revolutionary design by Washington-based Adventurer Manufacturing, the Scout Olympic 6.5 incorporates a number of portables to save on weight. These portables include a removable Dometic CFX3 75L refrigerator-freezer with WiFi, a 4.9-gallon removable water tank, a removable dining table, a Yeti Goal Zero 1500x lithium battery pack, and a removable propane cooktop. Standard features include a 175 watt flexible solar panel, a moon roof with a screen and solar reflective shade, a four-person dinette with sleeper conversion, and dual 5-pound propane bottles. The best options include a Thetford Cassette Toilet, a Newport Real Flame 4,500 BTU propane fireplace, and a Rhino Rack Batwing Awning. Particularly noteworthy, is that the Scout Olympic can sleep up to six people when you include the optional roof-top tent, an unheard of number for a truck camper let alone a camper this size. With a dry weight of only 1,081 pounds and an floor length of 6 feet 2 inches, the Scout Olympic works well with any short-bed, half-ton truck. Interested in a long-bed model? The company has that angle covered too with the Scout Kenai, which features a floor length of 7 feet 7 inches and a dry weight of 1,265 pounds. The starting price for the Scout Kenai base model is an affordable $23,990.
2. AT Overland Aterra Topper
A brand-new release by our friends at AT Overland. The Aterra Topper is unique in that it’s the only topper shell that features a standing room, hard-top rather than a traditional canvas pop-top. The topper, of course, is based upon AT Overland’s popular Aterra XL flatbed camper. “Basically what we did was took our Aterra XL, sliced the bottom off, altered it up a bit, and turned it into a topper using our composite technology, and came out with a cool, sort of toyhauler with a garage scenario,” said Mario Donovan, AT Overland co-founder and CEO. “The idea was that if you’re a motorcyclist, like me, you can actually get your motorcycle into this space, but it’s also wide enough for an ATV.” The Aterra topper weighs only 510 pounds and will fit any full-size truck with a 6.5-foot bed like the Ford F150, Ram 1500, and Toyota Tundra. Like the Aterra XL, the Aterra topper features a durable honeycomb composite shell with the classic Aterra shape. The topper’s large rear opening liftgate provides enough clearance to load a motorcycle or ATV into the truck bed. The lockable liftgate opens to 90 degrees and provides shading over the truck tailgate when open. The Aterra Topper also features a king-size bed with a 3-inch thick upholstery foam mattress, four Tern Overland double-pane windows each equipped with roller blinds and solar screens, LED strip lighting, USB and 12 volt power points, and a single 185 watt solar panel compatible with portable power stations like those made by National Luna and Jackery. The base price for the Aterra Topper starts at $20,500.
3. Supertramp Campers Flagship LT
Looking for a cutting-edge pop-up with all of the amenities including the latest tech? Then the Supertramp Campers Flagship LT is for you. Supertramp’s monocoque structure consists of a 100 percent composite fiberglass/epoxy shell using a vacuum infusion process for an optimum strength-to-weight ratio. The floorplan features a queen-size cabover bed, a full kitchenette, a dinette and a wet-bath. The camper also features a quick-disconnect jack system for serious off-roading and a pop-top that raises and lowers using four electric linear actuators in just 10 seconds. Standards for this space-age camper include a 330 watt solar power system, 24 gallon fresh water holding tank, a 5 gallon grey water holding tank, two 10-pound propane tanks, two thermopane windows with interior screens and shades, a heated basement, two Maxxair vent fans, a 65L Isotherm DC compressor refrigerator, a pull-out exterior stove, a portable cassette toilet, and a Truma Combi Eco water heater-furnace. Options of this high-end camper include a 400 amp hour lithium battery system, an interior and exterior shower, a 1,500 watt inverter, a 180-degree awning, and can be ordered in several colors and wrap combinations. The Supertramp Campers Flagship LT is made for full-size trucks with 6.5-foot and 8-foot beds with floor length of 82-inches and 100 inches respectively. Fully optioned-out, the camper weighs only 1,350 pounds, perfect for the Toyota Tundra. Without a doubt, one of the best truck campers for the Toyota Tundra, the camper lists for an affordable $59,975.
4. Four Wheel Camper Hawk
With a floor length of 6.5 feet and a dry weight of only 1,075 pounds, the Four Wheel Camper Hawk is a perfect match for the Toyota Tundra pickup truck. The Hawk features a 20-gallon fresh water tank, a fully equipped kitchenette, an east-west queen bed, a three-way 1.7-cubic foot reefer, and attractive yet durable interior woodwork. Customers can choose from one of three floorplans when ordering a Hawk—a roll-over side couch, side dinette, or a front dinette. For those want a more amenities, a cassette toilet and an outside shower can both be added as options. Interested in extending your time off-grid? Four Wheel Campers has that covered, too, by offering a 160 watt roof-mounted solar system, a dual battery setup, an 85-liter DC compressor refrigerator, and two 10-pound propane tanks. Four Wheel Campers uses a proprietary tie-down system consisting of four, zinc-coated eye bolts reinforced with steel backing plates that are mounted to the bed of the pickup. The advantage of having a hidden system like this is that it not only presents a clean look on the outside of the camper, but it also works great for driving off-road. Another Truck Camper Adventure favorite, the FWC Hawk lists for only $25,625, but don’t let the price fool you. This rugged, well-made camper can take you almost anywhere you want, and with its welded aluminum frame and aluminum exterior, will last for decades.
5. Outfitter Spire 8
A brand new, full-size offering from our friends at Outfitter RV. The Outfitter Spire 8 features everything that made the Apex and Juno models popular but with a number of enhancements to make the camper lighter and more nimble. These changes include removal of the heated basement, a smaller, 24 gallon fresh water holding tank, a larger 20 gallon grey tank, and a cassette toilet. Construction of the camper, however, remains the same as other Outfitter models and includes a foam core roof, a fully-welded aluminum frame with block foam insulation, vacuum bonded composite walls, and an electric roof lift with a manual override. Standards include a three-way 3 cubic foot refrigerator, a three-burner cooktop, molded countertops, a 20,000 BTU furnace, a north-south, queen-size bed, underbed storage, bed-side cabinets, an overhead storage cabinet, and an interior privacy shower stall and cassette toilet. With a dry weight of 1,850 pounds and a floor length of 8 feet 4 inches, the Spire 8 is perfect for half-ton trucks like the Chevy Silverado 1500. The best options include a 200 watt Renogy solar power system with a 30 amp Go Power PWM charge controller, a 30 amp Blue Sky Energy MPPT Charge Controller, and a Renogy 2,000 watt inverter with a built-in transfer relay. Battery options include a 12 volt AGM battery, dual 6 volt AGM batteries, and a Battle Born 100 amp hour lithium battery. Sold factory direct, the list price for the Outfitter Spire 8 is a cool $37,495.
6. Hotomobil Gladiator STD
Looking for a modern, well-insulated camper? Then the new Hotomobil Gladiator STD is an excellent choice. The sleek, European styling and one-piece fiberglass body stands out in stark contrast to the more ponderous, fiberglass campers made by Northern Lite and Bigfoot. What also makes the German-import stand out is the bedliner texture that’s resistant to scratches. Nobody in the North American market offers anything quite like it. While the Gladiator STD is the company’s largest short-bed truck camper, yet it’s light enough to be hauled on full-size trucks with lower payload ratings. This means the 1,700-pound camper can be hauled on any appropriately-rated half-ton pickup truck like the Toyota Tundra. The Gladiator offers everything needed to comfortably travel and explore off-grid, including a spacious large cabover bed, a 90L DC refrigerator, a well-equipped kitchen with a two-burner stove, a diesel water heater and furnace, a comfortable U-shaped dinette, and a wet-bath with storage cabinets and a raised bathroom sink. Standards include a stealthy tie-down system that eliminates outriggers, a 23 gallon fresh water holding tank, jacks that can either be removed or flipped in the up position, a side-mounted awning, a lithium battery, a 205 watt solar power system with an 20 amp MPPT charger controller, a rear ladder, a cassette toilet, and an optional roof-top tent. Hotomobil offers two Gladiator sizes for full-size pickups: the STD for 6 foot 6 inch truck beds and the LB for long-bed trucks with 8-foot beds. Available in six colors and two finishes. The list price for this stylish, European import is $40,000. Can be ordered either factory direct or from dealers.
7. Phoenix Level Series
Interested in a semi-custom pop-up to haul on your Toyota Tundra? Well, the good folks at Phoenix Campers build perhaps the coolest looking truck campers in the industry. Customers start with a base model like the Level 1 and add only the options that they want. The 7-foot floorplan features an east-west 60×80-inch bed, a large dinette forward, a wet-bath on the driver side, and a small kitchenette on the passenger side. With a dry weight of only 1,180 pounds, construction consists an all-aluminum double welded tube cage frame, stuffed with high density foam, and protected by a tough outer shell of pre-laminated thick, one piece Crane fiberglass. Level Series highlights include an 18-gallon fresh water tank, a Thetford cassette toilet, an 8-gallon grey water holding tank, and Dometic 1.9 cubic foot compressor refrigerator. The standard cabinet color is birch with a clear coat finish, but more exotic cabinet materials like bamboo can be ordered. Popular options include integrated power inverters with a built-in transfer relay, solar power systems of various sizes, roof racks, a rear ladder, flood lights, a low profile air conditioner, and Rotopax fuel-water containers. They’re also one of the few companies that can paint your camper a custom color to match your truck. The design is so exquisite it even works well on mid-size trucks albeit with smaller holding tanks. Comes in two versions: the Level 2 version comes with a water heater and shower, while the Level 1 does not. Pricing for the Phoenix Pop Up Camper Level 1 starts at a cool $32,995.
8. OEV Back Country 6.85
The Back Country 6.85 is one of Canadian-based Overland Explorer Vehicles (OEV) best selling models. This rugged, well-built, 1,345-pound camper features a proprietary composite construction with R8 insulation, and an aluminum extrusion system to help keep the weight down, while at the same time increasing the strength of the camper and nearly eliminating thermal transfer. The 6-foot 2-inch floorplan features a king-size bed, 6 feet 10 inches of headroom, a large kitchen on the driver side and an L-shape dinette on the passenger side. Features include a 20 gallon fresh water holding tank, a 20-pound propane tank, a Victron group-27 100 amp hour battery, a Dometic CFX DC compressor refrigerator, a Remo Removable Dinette Table, Redarc Manager 30 with display, a Truma AquaGo water heater, and a Truma Vario Heat furnace. The camper also comes with an outside shower enclosure bracket kit with universal adapters, four Reico Titan manual lift jacks, and four Torklift Anchor Guard Derringer tie-downs. Options include a 180 watt solar panel, a 125 amp hour lithium ion battery, and OEV light bar, OEV roof rack, and OEV king-bed extension kit with refrigerator. The Back Country 6.85 is designed specifically for half-ton trucks like the Ford F150, Chevy Silverado 1500, and Ram 1500. The Overland Explorer Vehicles Back Country 5.85 lists for $44,888 USD for the base model.
9. Soaring Eagle Adlar 6.5XL
A super lightweight hard-side from a brand new company, Soaring Eagle. The Soaring Eagle Adlar 6.5XL weighs only 1,200 pounds dry (1,700 pounds wet) and is made especially for half-ton trucks like the Toyota Tundra. Featuring an aluminum frame and fiberglass walls, the shape of the Adlar 6.5XL is aerodynamic, and this, along with the low weight, means the camper with acheive excellent fuel mileage on the highways. The “XL” variant of the Adlar features a roomy cab-over bed area and increased ceiling height offering more living space. Standards include a 30-inch wide dinette, a 44×80″ cabover sleeping area, passenger side and driver side counter tops, and a large wardrobe, while additional storage can be found in the dinette seats as well as in the passenger-side overhead cabinet. Additional features of the Soaring Eagle Adlar 6.5XL, include a portable toilet, durable diamond vinyl flooring, a microwave, underfloor storage, window blinds, and LED ceiling lights. Options include a north-south pull-out bed which expands the main bed to 80-inces in length, a low-amp draw air conditioner, a MaxxAir 12 volt fan with rain sensor, a Blackstone Griddle, 160 watt and 320 watt solar power packages, a 100 amp hour lithium battery, a Dometic CFF35 DC compressor refrigerator, electric jacks, quick-detach jacks and more. The camper features the bare essentials to camp comfortably off-grid, meaning no fresh or grey water holding tanks nor a wet-bath, just a portable toilet. Sold from select dealerships nationwide for an incredibly low MSRP of $19,500.
10. Hiatus Camper Truck Topper
The unique, lightweight design of the Hiatus Camper offers all of the benefits of today’s truck topper without the use of canvas for a better four-season experience. “The pop-up truck camper market is dominated by canvas sided models, so our folding, rigid pop-top really stands out” explained Erin Sofinowski, co-owner of Washington-based Hiatus Campers. “Our fully hard-sided design insulates you from the cold, stands up to wet and snowy weather better, and provides a barrier from wind and external noise. Another thing that sets our camper apart is the option to upgrade to the double-back door, which makes it easier to get in/out of the camper and does a great job keeping dust/water out of the camper.” The Hiatus Camper is fully insulated, mounts to the bed rails of the truck, and provides a comfortable four-season camping experience. The campers weigh 460-550 pounds depending on truck size. The innovative, patented design features a large bed that can comfortably sleep two, which slides-out, and can be assembled in seconds. For a mid-size truck, the sleeping platform is 50×74 inches and for a full-size truck 57×74 inches, but if customers opt to upgrade to the vertical lower frame they will gain 11 more inches of width. Standard features include slider windows with screens in the pop top, a cab pass through window, a side access door, a roof vent, fixed window in the tailgate compatible door, an integrated third brake light, and Yakima tracks. They also offer the option to customize your camper, including adding electronics, extra windows, awnings, and customizable frame options. Pricing for the full-size version starts at $17,000.
Read This Before You Buy
Before purchasing your camper, make sure your Toyota Tundra can handle the extra weight. When it comes to hauling a truck camper, the payload rating trumps all other performance numbers including horsepower, fuel-mileage, and torque. For a 2023 Toyota Tundra, this rating can be a low as 1,600 pounds or as high as 1,940 pounds. This means the camper you buy, plus passengers and gear, must be below this number. Determining the payload rating of your Toyota Tundra is easy. It can be found either on the driver side door jamb sticker (pictured here) or can be determined by taking the truck to the scales and subtracting the weight of the truck from the truck’s GVWR. You’ll also need to ensure that the wheels and suspension are up to the task of hauling a camper. This is because only a fraction of factory Toyota Tundras are made to do it. In order for this truck to carry more weight, light truck (LT) load range D- or E-rated wheels and tires and air bags at a minimum will be needed. Aftermarket suspension mods like these won’t officially increase your truck’s payload rating, but they will make hauling your camper easier and a whole lot safer.
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