Truck Camper Build Process

[@AbandonedClassicsOne]

I'll echo other comments ... amazing build and love the design. very aerodynamic.

[@lylewood1492]

Thanks!

[@RachiMouf]

Great job ; very nice build 👌👏

[@lylewood1492]

Thanks!

[@lylewood1492]

We just got back from a 10-day 1800-mile trip out of Michigan, through Indiana, Illinois, and all around Missouri. We slept in the camper all 9 nights we were gone. Everything worked out great, even with a couple of torrential downpours while we slept. The truck (Ford F-150 4WD with 5.0 V8 engine) did pretty well on fuel economy. Bucking a headwind most of the way down, it started out at 17.5 mpg but then dropped to around 16 because of the headwinds. However, on the way back home, we got 18.5 mpg, and that was even with being stuck in traffic on Interstate 80 for over an hour. So I would say that the camper lowered the mpg by maybe 3 mpg, which isn't bad. All in all, we count it all a success.

[@lylewood1492]

I should also note that we drove slower to minimize wind resistance, usually around 63 mph.

[@dreamlookautodetailingauto3353]

Hey Lyle, I just noticed you're from Michigan! Cool! I grew up in the thumb area (very small town) of Michigan till I was 20, moved & now live in Utah. I miss fall time, Lake Huron beach & the fire flies there,,, Are you anywhere close to that area? I've been talking to you this whole time and didn't even notice till now, Lol...😉

[@jeffflicek5109]

Nice build! The back ground music makes it very hard to hear you narration though.

[@lylewood1492]

There is another version of it there on my channel that doesn't have music

[@lylewood1492]

@@dreamlookautodetailingauto3353 We live on the opposite side of the state - Muskegon, MI. Our house is about 5 miles from Lake Michigan

[@SISU889]

Looking at your build from the UK , lovely lines and utilizing every inch . You know your craft Sir !👍

[@lylewood1492]

Thank you!

[@cathyandgreg4239]

Very nice build and I must say how soothing the back ground music is to listen along to. Happy Camping.

[@lylewood1492]

Thanks!

[@2fast65]

Great video you sir are a true craftsman the camper turned out great have a great day be safe.

[@lylewood1492]

Thanks!

[@Rockfan10001]

Well done, sir! You are quite a craftsman and Margaret is a great seamstress. I love the murals you added for a finishing touch.

[@lylewood1492]

Thank you very much!

[@garycampbell-or8tr]

Did a very nice job, people take a lot of pride when they build it themselves. You should be very proud.

[@lylewood1492]

Thanks !

[@ern48]

Beautiful work, well done! Your PMF finish is the best I've ever seen.

[@lylewood1492]

Thank you!

[@koloasurf2012]

Nice build, love the lines on the outside of your camper. Very aerodynamic. Nicely done.

[@lylewood1492]

Thank you! :)

[@brettbickham9579]

You are a great craftsman! I love the design and clean lines. Enjoy!

[@lylewood1492]

Thank you! :)

[@ryam8962]

For the attachment of the plywood to the inside, did you put nailers on after you insulated?

[@lylewood1492]

Yes, I put in 1/2" x 1/2" strips. I attached the interior plywood with #4 wood screws, so I could remove the panels if I ever need access to electrical, lights etc.

[@ryam8962]

@ thank you.

[@FLYNRYAN1978]

Man , this is a cool design ! Great job !

[@lylewood1492]

Thanks a lot!

[@lylewood1492]

Thanks!

[@clint983]

Well done sir, having built a tiny house myself, i appreciate the thought and craftsmanship That goes into a build like this. Very clean.

[@lylewood1492]

Thank you!

[@dmason8078]

You did such a wonderful job. Very relaxing to listen to also. Beautiful!

[@lylewood1492]

Thanks, Dave ! :)

[@calitaco]

Looks just like ENDGAME's camper 7.0. But I like what you did with the interior better. I'm planning to build mine soon!

[@lylewood1492]

Thanks!

[@jaypence1911]

Nice lightweight build. Looks great also!

[@lylewood1492]

@@jaypence1911 Thanks!

[@williamsantiago7303]

Well done job sir, what a awesome job! The piano in the background sounds great. Keep up the good work. 👍

[@lylewood1492]

Thanks! :)

[@dreamlookautodetailingauto3353]

I thought your camper build was exceptionally great! Very well made! Love the piano music! Did you happen to make plans, dimensions, etc on paper?...I don't know how long it took you to build, but I can tell by your work that you are precise & picky on how it looks, which is a good trait! I have looked at other builds on youtube, & all just seemed to build a simple box, or if it does have a overhead bed they are just very simple looking. If your going to build one just go all out & make it nice inside, as you did. I think yours came out as good as Endgames camper 7.0 build. But love your cabinets, microwave you added & also the fridge to be installed later. Bravo to you! 👏👍

[@lylewood1492]

Thank you! I spent 6 months building the camper - from late October 2023 through late April 2024. I did not make any written plans, just mainly copied the basic design from Endgame's 7.0 camper build and figured it out as I went along. I am a semi-retired professional piano technician and rebuilder of 45 years experience, which requires quite a bit of precision, so that carried over into the camper build.

[@dreamlookautodetailingauto3353]

​@lylewood1492 I prefer the way you added cabinets & the microwave. The 5mm plywood to the interior wall looks cleaner to hide everything. Good job! Really wish you had build plans, bummer! I wanna build one for my truck. How much money do you think it took to build?

[@lylewood1492]

All totaled, including the 12 volt refrigerator, microwave, Stetson porta potty, and four camper jacks and everything else as you see in the video, I have about 5,500 into it.

[@dreamlookautodetailingauto3353]

@lylewood1492 Wow! So inexpensive compared to what dealers charge (around $25,000) for a brand new one. Crazy! Worth building one yourself.

[@KMcFarty]

well done!

[@lylewood1492]

Thanks!

[@SilentPrepperFL]

Great video... thank you for sharing....

[@lylewood1492]

Thanks!

[@mikebarbieri4151]

Excellent, build. Even though it was probably cheaper, would you build it again or buy?

[@lylewood1492]

I would build it again. There's a lot of satisfaction, for me at least, in having constructed somethin from scratch that I can be proud of. And I like knowing how everything was done, and that shortcuts weren't taken. Thanks.

[@markleonard4062]

What a wonderful build you have there. You're patience and attention to detail are impressive. Yours is the second build I've seen where the cabover is attached to the last post/gambrel which I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around as far as the canti-levered support it gets. Am I correct in believing that the support isn't just from the post/gambrel, but a combination of all attachments to it from preceding members, and the exterior paneling? Do you notice any deflection when weight is applied?

[@lylewood1492]

The exterior 1/4" plywood along with the XPS foam that is bonded to it provides a great deal of strength and stability. It appears to be very strong in every respect. Haven't noticed any deflection at all. And actually, the interior 5mm plywood probably adds a degree of strength also. When we were raising the camper to load it on the truck bed, I had two of the camper jacks under the cabover until we got it high enough to put all of the jacks under the "wings" of the camper. No evidence of any deflection at all. We camped overnight in it a few days ago to give it a test run before hitting the road with it, and it performed as hoped and expected. I slept in the cabover bed and felt very secure and comfortable.

[@Northwestshenanigans]

Yes, I have the same concern. These connections never seem to include connection detail photos.

[@davidbrown9784]

I plan to copy your beautiful build. totally awesome !

[@lylewood1492]

Thank you. I have to give credit to Dave Mason of Endgame campers for the design that I basically copied

[@bobblangland9031]

Fantastic job!

[@lylewood1492]

Thanks!

[@gonzalofigueroa9925]

Amazing skills, congratulations both of you did a great job. Enjoy your camper

[@lylewood1492]

Thanks!

[@rijmenammerart1100]

a view from belgium :-) what a beautiful build , great work, now enjoy :-)

[@lylewood1492]

Many thanks!

[@d512295]

Very nice, I can tell you take pride in your work. Great job.

[@lylewood1492]

Thanks!

[@d512295]

After mounting and using the camper, how does the poor man's fiberglass hold up at the corners? I've been curious about how slight movements in the wood effects the places where there's a long 90° angle/seam?

[@lylewood1492]

@@d512295 seems to be doing okay at this point

[@ourspanishadventures]

Nice build great finish. Enjoy your lovely camper ❤

[@lylewood1492]

Thanks so much! 😊

[@ShmeegleSon]

awesome!

[@lylewood1492]

Thanks!

[@bruceb6262]

Very well done i think its the nicest one i have seen, and you're innovative build technique . Could you share your dimensions and any more build pics. Thank You

[@lylewood1492]

Please ask me again in about two more weeks and I can give you more information

[@thecabinguy3006]

Great job. Beautiful work. Will the PMF hold up as well as real fibreglass?

[@lylewood1492]

Probably not quite as well as actual fiberglass, although some have had it last a decade or more on their trailers etc. I expect to need to topcoat it again with acrylic latex paint in a few years.

[@SebastianSantarone]

From Argentina Excellent

[@lylewood1492]

Thank you! :)

[@SebastianSantarone]

@@lylewood1492 beautiful work!! VIVA USA!!

[@lylewood1492]

@@SebastianSantarone Thanks!

[@gc1914]

great job real pretty 😊

[@lylewood1492]

Thanks!

[@fishcrazy82]

Beautiful work roughly how much cost do you have into the project?

[@lylewood1492]

Thanks! All totaled, we have about $5700 into it. That includes all the construction materials, the 12v refrigerator, EcoFlow power station, dual fuel cook stove, the porta potti, aluminum step ladder, the truck bed mat, and so on.

[@oper827]

Thanks for sharing. Very nice and strong build. Is the door also covered in PMF? What particular landscape fabric did you use?

[@lylewood1492]

Thanks! Yes, the door is also skinned in PMF. The landscape fabric I used was just a medium quality fabric, nothing particularly special about it. If I had it to do over again, I think I would have stayed with the traditional method using canvas drop cloths. The landscape fabric was a bit more difficult to get to stick securly around corners than organic fabric, as it wasn't possible to iron it down to the extent you can do with cotton. But all in all, it still turned out quite nice and has a pleasing sheen.

[@oper827]

@@lylewood1492 that is good to know, thanks!

[@cartsquads47]

So the 1/4" plywood you used on the exterior is that the same as Luan sheathing? Or is it different?

[@lylewood1492]

It was actually 5 mm plywood, not Luan.

[@MrPePeLePuo]

I appreciate your explanations

[@lylewood1492]

Thanks!

[@World-BearingTurtle]

Decent! good

[@lylewood1492]

Thanks!

[@andrewkvasnak183]

Outstanding, great build. What glue did you use for XPS to plywood? Which Titebond for the PMF, 2 or 3 and did you add water? Thank you.

[@lylewood1492]

I used Loctite PL Premium 3X construction adhesive for bonding the XPS to plywood. I used Titebond 2, but if I was to do it again, I think I would pay the extra and use Titebond 3, as it is fully waterproof, whereas T2 is only water resistant. I did thin it about 25% with water.

[@andrewkvasnak183]

@@lylewood1492 Thanks for responding, just watched your other video too. You're the second person I've seen use landscape fabric. I did a test piece with Titebond II and it's bullet proof, stuck like crazy with just one application of glue. I did some research on Titebond III and they recommend it for areas that are continually. so I think multiple coats of II is fine, good paint is important. Titebond III does have a longer work time though and they say to thin it by 5%. Does your tailgate lock off your key fob? My doesn't, so I'm going to go with operable port hole or dutch door just in case someone shut my tailgate while I was inside! Enjoy your travels.

[@lylewood1492]

@@andrewkvasnak183 Yes, my tailgate locks with the key fob. So if the truck doors are locked, I can trip the lock strikers on each end of the tailgate and then it's not possible to shut and latch the gate. However, if we were inside and the truck wasn't locked, someone could possibly shut the tailgate. For that reason, I fabricated a simple long hook that I can reach out of the back door window and catch the tailgate handle to pull it up and unlock and let the tailgate down. That hook assembly will be inside the camper at all times, just in case.

[@VAQUEJADASEMFRONTEIRAS]

Very nice 👍

[@lylewood1492]

Thanks!

[@felipefigueroa9449]

My compliment excellent Bill outstanding

[@lylewood1492]

Thanks!

[@timkinney9690]

Awssome build. How did you secure the camper to your truck? BTW, I enjoyed your background music.

[@lylewood1492]

Thanks! I used a total of 6 heavy duty ratchet straps - 2 on each of the front corners and 1 on each of the back corners. So 4 of the straps were secured to the stock tie down points in the truck bed, and 2 more of the ones in front were threaded through the knockouts in the front of the truck bed and fastened to the actual frame of the truck underneath. Hope that makes sense. We encountered some fairly high gusty winds on our trip to MO last June, and the camper didn't budge at all. We also put a 3/8" rubber bed mat down before mounting the camper, and I think that helps keep it from wanting to slide around at all.

[@timkinney9690]

@lylewood1492 Thanks, and yes it does make sense

[@timkinney9690]

@lylewood1492 How did you attach the straps to the camper itself. I have an 8 ft. bed on my 1999 F250 Superduty and would love to build one for it. I would like to extend the camper out to the end of the tail gate. Don't know if that is wise or not.

[@lylewood1492]

@@timkinney9690 I used these from Amazon - www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Q2J2Q6D/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

[@lylewood1492]

Bolted six of them to framing members on the camper. Yes, I think it would work ok to extend it out onto your tailgate. That would give you quite a bit more room

[@markleonard4062]

Thank you so much for the reply and information. One last hopefully easy question. Did you build it so that the wings sit on the bed rails for support/stability, or do they float?

[@lylewood1492]

The wings set about 3/4 of an inch above the bed rails. The camper rests entirely on the base of the camper in the bed of the truck

[@markleonard4062]

@@lylewood1492 incredible. I think I now understand the cabover attachment and strength based on your prior description, but if I'm seeing it correctly the only place the base of the wings are attached are at the tub wall vertical section. I can see the strength against the front of the bed/cab because it runs the width, but everywhere else isn't clear to me. I hope that you don't mind, but can you clue me in?

[@lylewood1492]

Keep in mind that virtually everywhere on the exterior of the camper, the plywood skin gives a great deal of strength and stability. So there is that. But also, on the front portion of the wings, there are 2 2x3's laid flatways that span the entire width of the camper. Those form the framing for the front bench inside the camper. That together with the stiffness provided by the plywood on the vertical portions of the front of the tub including up to the floor of the cabover gives a great deal of strength and stability. Once the camper was framed and skinned with plywood, I could lift up any of the four corners of the camper and there was no discernible deflection. Everything was tied together securely. Even on the back of the camper with the door framing in place, the plywood on either side of the door along with the stiffness provided by the rafter beam made it all very stiff and strong.

[@markleonard4062]

@@lylewood1492 thank you for taking time to reply and describe what makes it all work. I'm in the process of determining what I'm looking to build and trying to understand it all before I do.

[@lylewood1492]

I hope my explanations make sense and are helpful to you in planning your camper build.

[@d512295]

Nice camper. Im in the middle of building mine, same type composite technique. I like the PMF material. What is the inside cab over height without mattress? I'm struggling with this area, overall height vs weight vs comfort.

[@lylewood1492]

It measures about 28" where it starts sloping down toward the front of the cabover section, sloping down to about 20" where the forward storage compartment is. I can't quite sit completely up on the edge of the cabover bed, but that works ok for me. It's a little less than I might have preferred, but it was more important to me to keep the overall height of the camper as low as possible. Interior floor to ceiling height of the camper is 6'1".

[@d512295]

@@lylewood1492 Thanks, I'm looking at the cab over starting at 48" from bed of the truck and going up. (Ford F-250) With 2" of EPS on the roof, 1" on the cab over floor and 4" mattress, I'm looking close to 7' 4" at it's highest point to comfortable. It just seems huge.

[@lylewood1492]

@@d512295 As I remember, I made the bottom of the cabover floor 46 1/2" from the bed of the truck. I still have a couple of inches clearance between the cabover and top of the truck cab.

[@yury.bushev]

Wow, the 940lb looks great for this kind of camper, but could you answer the question: what would you change now to save some weight?

[@lylewood1492]

The main thing I would do differently would be to use cedar for the framing members instead of pine. Especially important would be to laminate 3 layers of 1/2" cedar for the columns and beams instead of using 3 layers of 1/2" plywood like I did.

[@yury.bushev]

@ Yeah, I’ve seen some others use cedar for their campers too, but they often go all out with cedar planks on the exterior walls as well. Personally, I think the look of smooth fiberglass, like you used, gives the camper a much cleaner and more polished appearance - definitely makes it stand out! The sleek, smooth walls just seem more professional and visually appealing. As for the weight savings, cedar would definitely be the right choice here. I think switching to cedar framing or even cedar plywood could save around 100-150 lbs. I’m curious, though - would you go with cedar plywood or solid cedar boards for something like this? Thanks for sharing your thoughts - really helpful!

[@lylewood1492]

@@yury.bushev I would use the cedar fence pickets - planing them down to 1/2" thickness, then gluing three layers together for the framing. That is what Dave Mason of Endgame campers did for his campers 6.0 and 7.0 . If you haven't seen his channel, you might want to look him up on youtube. I used the basic design of his 7.0 camper as the basis for my build.

[@blackspruceroutes]

Very nice work!!! What is final weight?

[@lylewood1492]

Thanks. Dry weight came in at 940 lbs

[@frankfaubert1927]

Does that include cabinet doors, main door, electrics and dry plumbing or is it just the basic finished unit? Fantastic build by the way.

[@lylewood1492]

Includes all of the above

[@frankfaubert1927]

@@lylewood1492 Thank you

[@nancylillie9089]

Just saw your camper build video. We have always had campers, but now our building our own for our flatbed truck. What type of glue did you use for the XPS board? What type of waterproof glue did you use as the coating for the poor man's fiberglass?

[@lylewood1492]

I don't remember the brand of adhesive, but it was in caulking tubes and rated for gluing foam board. I know Dave at Endgame Campers likes Great Stuff adhesive. For the PMF, I used Titebond 2, which is water resistant. Probably would be better to use Titebond 3, which is supposed to be waterproof. (Sorry for the delay in answering - we were gone to Florida in the camper) :)

[@davidheiter6310]

Hi Lyle. Wonderful camper. Have you had a chance to weigh it?

[@lylewood1492]

Thanks David. Dry weight came in at 940 lbs

[@deanvandress4693]

What type of landscape fabric did you use? Brand name? Material type? Weight? Etc.? Any tips or lessons learned when applying the PMF?

[@lylewood1492]

(From a previous question further down in the comments) - The landscape fabric I used was just a medium quality fabric, nothing particularly special about it. If I had it to do over again, I think I would have stayed with the traditional method using canvas drop cloths. The landscape fabric was a bit more difficult to get to stick securly around corners than organic fabric, as it wasn't possible to iron it down to the extent you can do with cotton. But all in all, it still turned out quite nice and has a pleasing sheen.

[@deanvandress4693]

@@lylewood1492 thank you. how many gallons of titebond2 did you use?

[@lylewood1492]

@@deanvandress4693 I think I used 4 or 5 gallons

[@MajicFeet]

What is the finished weight of this build? It looks like a lot of heavy wood may have been used

[@lylewood1492]

Yes, it ended up being heavier than I hoped - 940 lbs

[@lylewood1492]

We returned last week from a 2800 mile trip from our home in west Michigan to Florida and back. The camper performed wonderfully. For more information, see the video I posted this week on the channel, highlighting the small electric microheater we used to maintain comfortable warmth on some very cold nights. If KZbin will allow it, here is the link to that video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h33OmJd-jrRjjMU .

[@dreamlookautodetailingauto3353]

Forgot to ask before...Is your tub & floor of the cab over section of the camper framed with all 2x2s? How thick is your xps foam for this?

[@lylewood1492]

Yes, I did use 2x2's for that framing. The XPS foam is 1 1/2" thick, bonded top and bottom to the 1/4" plywood for strength. If I had it to do again, I would do all of the framing in the camper with cedar to reduce weight.

[@dreamlookautodetailingauto3353]

​​​​​@lylewood1492 That's what I thought, thanks Lyle. I will keep the cedar in mind as well, lighter the better. I see you used 2x4s in certain areas. That can add weight,,, Also, what size are your windows? They all look the same in size. Do you have a link to this?

[@lylewood1492]

Correction - It was actually 1" framing and XPS instead of 1 1/2". Since the XPS was bonded on both sides to the 1/4" plywood, it is very strong and rigid. Although that gave less insulation value in the floor of the cabover, the 3" foam mattress that I sleep on provides adequate insulation.

[@lylewood1492]

@@dreamlookautodetailingauto3353 There were a very few areas where I used 2x3's for strength. Doing it again, I would probably use cedar in those places also. I don't recall what window sizes I used, although they are not all the same. It would take some digging to find that info again. Sorry, but I don't have time to do that right now.

[@lylewood1492]

@@dreamlookautodetailingauto3353 I looked back in my Amazon orders and found the links for the windows I used. Here they are: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09YJ7KGNR/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1 www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CLHCM7Q7/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1 www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09YJ6MVYZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

[@rgnewlife6622]

Very very nice blessing

[@lylewood1492]

Thanks!

[@thomashathaway3534]

Beautiful camper. The loud and obnoxious piano detracts from an otherwise nice video. Still gave a thumbs up. 👍

[@lylewood1492]

Thanks. By the way, for those complaining about the music, the same video is available on the channel with the music muted.

[@dreamlookautodetailingauto3353]

​@lylewood1492 never mind them... I thought your piano music was nice! Pleasant & calming!

[@trafficjon400]

a commercial build. 👍

[@lylewood1492]

Thanks! Out on the road, several people have asked me what company did the custom build for me. It feels good to tell them I built it myself, inspired by the design of camper 7.0 by Dave Mason of Endgame Campers.

[@122amazonls5]

Id like to hear more on the poor mans fiberglass

[@lylewood1492]

Here is a video by probably the foremost expert on PMF on KZbin, Lucy. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iWSteqyel8mcY7M

[@122amazonls5]

@lylewood1492 I send her videos. From what she does and a few other. As you and a few others put glue over the fabric. She does glue put fabric then it's off to paint

[@lylewood1492]

@@122amazonls5 There are variations in the method to do PMF. Many videos are on KZbin. I recommend taking time to view different ones and then decide on what approach you want to take.

[@122amazonls5]

@lylewood1492 how is the surface lasted on yours

[@lylewood1492]

@@122amazonls5 So far it is doing very well, however, it is still quite new, as I only completed the camper and brought it outside in late April 2024. We have taken a 10 day trip where there was a lot of weather variation, including some heavy rainstorms. It held up perfectly through that. Time will tell how it will do in the long run, but my expectation is that it will continue to be fine.

[@Osovagabundo]

👍🙏💪🍾🥂🇨🇵🇨🇱🐻

[@scott5747]

Good job except the music bed. We really don't need it.

[@lylewood1492]

Each to their own. I prefer music.

[@lylewood1492]

Here is the same video with the music muted: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l3Wcqp-dhqyGa68

[@scott5747]

That was nice of you. Cheers