8 Cheap Truck Campers: Attach to Your Truck & Go Camping

Recreational Vehicles (RV) can be interesting and fun vehicles to own.  Unfortunately, they can be very expensive, and they give you limited options on where you can actually go camping.  Fortunately, you do have several options when procuring a camper for yourself. In this article, I will go over some of the best cheap truck campers that are small and functional for you to hit the road.

What Types of Small Campers Are There?

There are some incredible lightweight options that you can take pretty much anywhere you can take your truck!  There are two different types of truck campers that you can use to go camping which is smaller in size than your average camper:

1. There are campers known as full-frame truck campers. These campers attach to your truck and can be backed in and out of pretty much any campground.
2. There are pop-up tents. These types of campers are situated on the top of a truck bed

What Are the Advantages of Using a Small Camper Over an RV?

These wonderful little campers are normally big enough to fit around two people and their camping gear, but they are not huge.  This is so that you can maneuver them easily into and out of smaller areas.  Each different kind of camper has its own benefits and drawbacks, but both kinds definitely have huge benefits over using an RV.

The biggest advantage that these small campers have over the RV is that you can go further off-road with them for a better camping experience.  You do not have to pull them into a lot, or empty septic systems, you drive your truck into a spot and either pop your tent up or gently back it into the spot.  You can take these types of campers into places and RV could never get and over roads, an RV could never drive on.

What Brands of Small Campers Are There to Pick From?

Thinking about all of this can get difficult and making your choice can be even more difficult.  Check out this list for a few products that you might be able to use if you would like to try pop-up or full-frame campers instead of a huge RV:

Treehouse – Snap!Outfitters

The company Snap! Outfitters manufactured the camper called the Treehouse due to the fact that there was a high demand for a feature-rich camper but no company had developed a product to suit that need. The Treehouse itself was tested for one full year before it was ever released to the public, and it took two more years for another company to come up with a product to even slightly match it.

The treehouse has a carpeted sleeping deck.  This deck can be accessed just a few steps from the truck bed. The Treehouse also has four hydraulic pistons. This makes it much easier to open and close the camper because two pistons open the camper up, and the other two pistons close the lid.  It was definitely designed to be easy to use the camper, with swing open side hatches and barn door style rear entry.  These are both features that you can only get with this company.

This aluminum camper has a lot of features and it is fully customizable.  It is of popular opinion that the best feature is the awesome ladder that goes from the sleeping platform to the bed of your truck.

Summit – AT Overland Equipment

The company AT Overland Equipment makes truck campers that are very well known and high-quality.  As a company Overland used to make adventure trailers and they have become extremely popular within the camping community. The products that they created originally have the great off-roading ability, however, later they expanded their product line.  The new line features camper vans that, as of 2020, have gained over 3 years of experience.

AT Overland has come out with a new Summit camper. It comes with the wedge style that was shown to and has been well known by campers since 2018. The summit resembles the design structure of the previous product, the Habitat, though the Summit has storage beyond belief, plus it allows campers the ability to store equipment on the top.

The Summit has enough space for an adult to sleep without feeling like they are inside of a little box.  Having the ability to move the mattress creates a lot of space within the camper.

The Summit was created with a very durable honeycomb composite.  It also comes complete with a special layer of aluminum, causing this camper to be one of Overland’s best campers yet.  The way that the Summit was made makes it a very lightweight camper that has impressive strength, and great insulation for those exceptionally cold camping trips. It comes equipped with a bed that has fits the dimensions of a queen-sized mattress and is 2 inches thick.  This amazing bed can be pivoted upward when you are not using it as well.

Pop Top – OVERLND

This is a company that is well known for the designs that they come up with.   These campers are fully customizable, meaning the customer has the ability to get it however they want to.

This is a very light-weight camper that comes with a pop-top shell. It is weighted about the same and has the same versatility that a basic camper shell has.

This camper has plenty of space for a taller person to be able to move around, plus it includes comfortable sidewalls the allow the interior to live up to its full potential.

Leentu Campers

Leentu isn’t the oldest company in the business, but they have been making some pretty big waves since they opened in 2015.  This company hit the nail on the head with their two prototypes that were made to be used in all sorts of different weather conditions and on different types of terrains.

These campers are light-weight, aerodynamic, comfortable, and spacious.  The fact that this camper is so light-weight and aerodynamic is what makes it easy to get into smaller areas that you are unable to get bigger campers into, and over terrains that you would never think to take an RV on.

The engine in this camper has a fuel efficiency that makes it worth its weight in gold and you could not hope for more room for your gear. There are two different models of this camper, standard and enhanced.  Both versions of this camper come equipped with a bed that can be converted into a seat quickly. The standard edition has LED lighting, a ventilator, and charging ports, while the slightly more expensive model boasts that it comes equipped with solar panels.

Go Fast Campers Platform

This camping system is amazing for people who want off-road adventures in difficult to get to areas.  You will be able to get to your camping gear easily in the bed area and this is an extremely lightweight system.

Degrading seals might have been an issue on some of your other campers but not this one.  This camper has a special roof sealing system that does not use any type of glue or sealants.  It also features a durable honeycomb composite floor.  Both the floor of this camper and the roof are impact resistant as well. The Platform is easy to keep clean and in good condition because it comes with mattress covers that can be simply removed, plus the convenient tent fabric allows for simple cleaning with a hose.

The space is big enough for two adults that are at least 6 foot 6 inches to fit comfortably and you can remove the floor panels to change the way campers can sleep and sit.

The Drifter – Vagabond Outdoors

This company has over 14 years of experience making smaller pop-top campers for people who do not want huge campers or RVs. Over the years they have made a perfect camper with all of the experience that they have gotten. The Drifter is their newest design and it comes with a new wedge-style.  It also comes equipped with a standard cab window. This window gives the camper enough space to crawl into the truck from the truck bed.

The bed that comes with this camper is extremely thick plus it comes with waterproof covers. This design wouldn’t be complete without its three windows that are meant for an airy and open feel. They can be fully closed if you want to block out any kind of light.

Bundutec Wild

This is a truck camper that can be used separately from your truck. If you want, you have the ability to park this camper in a campsite pretty much anywhere. It comes equipped with a tank that holds water and it has a design that is made to fold-up for easy transportation.  This will keep everything compact and it will be easy to move around.

The camper itself is built with an aluminum finish that is more durable than most of the siding that is found on campers.  This camper comes fully loaded with features like a compressor refrigerator, a kitchen, and a stainless-steel sink. It also has a solar panel system that can be extremely helpful in a pinch with no power.

Northstar 650

This camper is a truck camper, which means you can park it and unhitch it from your truck.  This can be helpful because you do not have to take your camper sightseeing with you. If you are going to be taking longer journeys this camper is perfect for you.  It comes equipped with everything you could ever hope for including a 7.5-gallon water tank, a bed, a water heater, a shower, a refrigerator, and a swing-away table.

It is a tough and durable little camper that is able to go over rough terrain. As with all products, this camper has its pros and cons.  One con about this camper is that is kind of dull, but that can be fixed with a little bit of decoration from you.

Make your choice

No matter what choice you make you will be able to find something to suit your needs.  Whether you are looking for luxury, space, portability, or durability, a pop-up or small truck camper may be what you are looking for.