iKamper Skycamp + Billie Bars? Wishful thinking or a decent idea.

I want to get a iKamper skycamp 3.0 and I'm really digging the Billie bars setup, i've talked to them and got the official rating on them is 400lbs dynamic/800lbs static. I've heard of them withstanding 1000lbs out in the world.

I will have two dogs and two adults, and with the tent i think that's a base weight of 560lbs.

Am i wishful thinking with billie bars? Should I just get a bed rack?

Yeah I'm aware the skycamp will hang off the truck like a foot or something and I'm cool with that.

Love the idea of quickly detaching to use my bed, and still being able to run my tonneau cover.

 

560 lbs with you and dogs in it is static weight. You'd be well under the 800 static rating. The tent will be way under the 400 lbs dynamic when you're driving. Where are you seeing a problem?

 

Suppose I'm just overthinking it haha.

 

Yup. You'll be totally good with that setup.

 

I have an iKamper Skycamp mini 3.0 that's travelled safely for many thousands of miles mounted to the Thule crossbars on the Perrycraft Dynasport rails on the aluminum checkerplate Mountain Top tonneau on my 2015 DCSB. Keeping the iKamper within the streamlines of the cab roof has meant no effect from winds or drag on mileage. It's a clean way to go.

And I really like the iKamper. It's a superbly made product. Not a single thread out of place on mine.

 

Looks like a good setup. I also love my skycamp mini, but my eye twitches at your being backwards.

 

I've traveled with it both ways, and have no problem looking at the Skycamp as an ambidextrous fitment. It really only depends on which side one wants the ladder. It's surprised me how that detail becomes a non-factor in any campsite I've used. (I thought passenger side would work out best, but it's equal either way.)

Trust me -- mounting it like this looks LOTS cleaner than having the thick end of the wedge out the back.

 

Yours is mounted lower than mine, so that may be.

I prefer mine with the front forward, but so long as it's not in full traveling speed wind I don't see how it'd be an issue.

 

For a high-mount -- like on a roof or an elevated bed rack -- where the iKamper Skycamp is being hit directly by the headwinds from driving at highway speeds, it probably makes sense to put the smaller end of the wedge leading. For a at-cab-level mount like mine, the streamlines look a lot better with smaller end trailing.

Compare this version to the image above.

 

Just get some bed stiffeners for good measure

 

It's on a Taco. It looks good either way.

 

Looks awesome, i really like the iKamper offerings, looks like a quality unit.

It's on my agenda for SURE.

 

I ran a tepui kukeman on billie bars over the factory tonneau for about a month on a road trip from colorado to oregon and back. my tent and the ikamper are similar in weight, maybe a 20lb difference. it was me, my fiance, and 30lb dog, so maybe a little lighter than you. i didnt have any trouble with anything shifting or sagging. i ran my same tent on a kb voodoo rack for a couple years before and the only difference was how high it was on my truck.

i would recommend some kind of drawer or slide unless your tonneau cover is retractable. getting to something in the bed under to the cover near the cab is a pain.

im selling the bars since i got an alucab contour shell. the billie bars were just a temporary solution for me for that oregon trip (im selling them in colorado if you're interested)

 

Do you guys run bed stiffeners?

 

i have an iKamper Mini 2.0 that i have used well over 100 nights in all conditions and overall i mostly like it (dont love it) and its holding up so-so but definitely has longer term wear issues. i have mostly solved the issues myself with no help from iKamper as their service is beyond terrible. they will avoid doing anything warranty related even within the warranty period and everything will be your fault. i probably wouldnt buy another one due to the lack of warranty and support alone but YMMV.

also beware of iKamper "reviews" that are either sponsored or by someone who has 2 nights in it and talks about how durable it is.

 

Not the first I’ve heard of one of the “name brand” tent companies having horrible customer service. And yet everyone talks about the tents you can buy straight from China not having long term support

 

yep at least those Chinese tents are cheap so you can adjust your expectations accordingly.

iKampers response to my queries while in the 2yr warrantly period... we dont cover problems during regular use.

what other use is covered then? irregular use? acts of God? car accident damage? you know those will get a very quick NO as well.

 

Love your RTT setup. What rack do you have on your bed? I might end up copying your setup!

 

It's a CaliraisedLED mid height rack. Love it, but need to get the verticals redone. Powder coat on them wasn't great out of the box. I contacted @CaliRaisedLed about it and they were supposed to be making changes to quality control, but idk if they did. That was a couple years ago.