Slide-In Camper for 2.7L 1st Gen

Hey all... long time reader, but my first time posting here!

I’ve just launched a documentary fishing and travel project. I’m going to make an 8 episode series about a road trip next summer. The goal is to catch a fish in all of the lower 48 states in a single summer (10 weeks, 15,000 miles).

I currently own a 2002 2.7L, with a traditional LEER cap on the back, and I do a ton of camping out of it with my dog. That said, this trip is much longer than our normal weekend getaways.

I’m wondering if it is possible to put a slide in camper in the back of an 18 year old Taco. The payload (according to Toyota) is 1650lbs, but that seems pretty steep to me, especially if covering 15,000 miles in 70 days. I’ve been told that I’d like need to beef up my suspension, and I’m wondering what exactly this would entail and roughly how much it would cost? I’m also open to ideas other than a slide in camper, but I’m looking for something that will be as easy to use as possible and that would allow me to focus on fishing/driving/filming as much as possible.

Below are some more details about exactly what I’m looking for. Thanks in advance for any and all help! Let me know if you’d like me to clarify anything or give more info. If you’d like to check out the project, we are @talesofthe48 on Instagram and talesofthe48.com is our website.

What I’m looking for in a vehicle:
-comfortable and easy to sleep in and move around in. (i think the truck/cap is a bit more crammed than I'm wanting to be.
-easy to do computer/camera/office type work (a small table/seating area will more than suffice), but I can't imagine uploading and backing up footage and doing camera work too easily out of the back up my truck with the cap on there as it is now. ideally a bit more of a work space.
- an area where Wes (my dog) can hang out for chunks of time that will stay cool or can have an A/C unit running if I'm fishing/exploring an area where he can't be with me for a few hours (again another reason my truck wouldn't work as is- simply too hot for a dog in the summer heat)
-kayak needs to be mounted somewhere on the vehicle for the trip
-security: I'll have many thousands of dollars of cameras/computers/drones/fishing stuff with me. the more secure I can make this rig the better.
- fairly easy to drive/navigate back roads (the main reason I'm hesitant to bring a trailer... 15k miles is a long way to pull a trailer... at least in my mind, but maybe I'm wrong).
- something that looks fairly humble/affordable. i'm not looking to be the guy who rolls up in the rented luxery benz sprinter van that would retail for $100,000. I'm trying to do this in a way that has the feel that "anyone could do a trip like this." the less flashy and the more practical the better. i think this really is crutial to the feel and look of the project as a whole.
- i'm going to be really focused on traveling and fishing during this trip. while I'll be doing some cooking/camping, many of my meals will likely be on the road. I'm not too concerned with having a kitchen set up (maybe a simple camp stove), or running water, or a bathroom. I don't mind rest stop hopping at all, and don't expect to be completely out in the wilderness, needing to cook meals and have water for extended periods of time. i may go off the grid here and there for a day or two, but i'm not going to be reliant on having a fully functioning tiny house on wheels.
- a portion of this project is geared at advocating for the environment, so the better my MPG can be, the better.

 

Welcome to TW Ryan

 

Regarding your suspension...........

How many miles on the suspension that's under there now? How many miles on the truck overall? Is it up to snuff with maintenance of with ALL fluids, tires, brakes and other items that could strand you?

 

Oh sorry- knew i was forgetting something! Will likely be 220k miles on the truck by the time we depart (next June), and it got new rear leaf springs and had the frame fully replaced at 115k miles. Also had new Bilstein shocks put in about 5-7 years ago.

It’s up to date on all fluids/upkeep/undercoatings and all that jazz. Thanks y’all!

 

Do your self a favor get get a Full size Truck even better 3/4 ton.

Unless your real comfortable living in tight cramped conditions in the heat your going to want AC on those Frosty mornings you might even want heat .

It is nice to have room to cook and relax in those Monsoons when being under a tarp does not work when the water is flowing much to fast to fish.

Not saying a thing about weight but it adds up so very fast .

Just my thoughts

 

Camper setups are definitely heavy for 1st gens. And pretty small too. Maybe an add a leaf for the leafs as Toyota replaces them with the new frame, and timbrens too. But Like the other guy said realistically think about getting a bigger truck like a 3/4 ton if you want to have a better setup for a camper

 

Simply put, 1st gens aren't made for slide in campers.

Now, there are a few companies that make them within the weight limits of a Taco, but just barely, and that's a dry weight. Weight adds up real fast. Remember, cargo weight capacity includes the driver/passengers, fuel, etc, too.

If I were you I'd either go the route of a roof top tent/awning type setup, or get a bigger truck if you really want a slide-in.

You can put all the heavy duty springs and airbags you want on your truck, but that doesn't make it able (legally speaking) to carry more weight than it's stock gvwr.

 

Here's mine for everyone to check out.

 

Welcome to TW, Ryan. I've never owned a 1st gen, but have had a 2nd and 3rd. I looked into slide ins for my 3rd gen and from what I recall, the weight of the slide in alone put me at GVWR. Add myself, wife, dogs, supplies and water and it was far over. Lots of people far exceed their GVWR, but I believe it is asking a Taco to do something it was not designed for, and you should expect related issues to arise.

I also have an F350 that weighs in at 9k pounds and it handles the weight quite well and gets 12mpg (6.2 gas). With the weight/wind resistance you are talking about on a taco, you will probably get about the same mpg, but you will be white knuckling the entire time.

I think you'd be best served with a 3/4 or 1 ton. Skip the 1/2 tons and step into the HD gas world for the same (or less) money than a 1/2 ton. Those trucks are designed for carrying weight.

 

Not a first gen, but here’s a few pics of my 3rd Gen doing exactly what you’re talking about! Slide in camper, fishing machine!

these are from my most recent solo trip up the the Adirondacks hiking into back country brook trout ponds.

I love my taco and camper, plus my pack boat weighs less than 20lbs so even with two on the roof it still pops up no problem.

All that said the taco isn’t gonna be easy to use with a camper. Not even sure a first gen will do it. If your set on the taco I’d go truck cap and dirt bag it. If your set on a camper I’d consider a bigger truck. Either way I’m down to watch your series. Gonna be on YouTube???

 

Thank you all so much for this info. Just out of curiosity, I’ve asked around a bit, and I’ve recently heard about this company “Deavers” that makes custom leaf springs replacements/upgrades... theiretically, if I were to buy an old 1,000lb slide in, remove the toilet, sink, stove, microwave (probably 250-350lbs of stuff) and really just make it bare bones so it’s just some storage space, a table/bench style seating, and a bed, and the weight was around 600-700, would I be looking at a more comfortable number? Even with 500 pounds of gear (i won’t have nearly that much) and me and my dog, I’d be well under the 1650. And then if I invested in beefing up suspension for some extra stability. Just seeing if it’s something I can make work with my truck if I really go bare bones on the camper.

Thanks again everyone for your input!

and yes @YOTA 4X4 , the series will be on youtube or Vimeo once it’s done! In the mean time if you’ve got Instagram check us out if you’d like @talesofthe48... also- i see the cheeky reel in your photo- they’re actually one of our main sponsors!

 

Airlift bags will get the job done and are cheap and easy to install. If you upgrade the springs to handle the weight, and then end up removing the camper later, it will ride poorly until you add weight or remove the heavier springs. Airlift bags can be adjusted for no weight or for whatever you want to put back there. One thing to note though--I highly recommend adjusting the LSPV once you get the air bags dialed in. The LSPV will not know that you have extra weight back there and will not enable the extra braking power to be diverted to the rear wheels. It is far better (and safer) to have the extra braking power available when carrying the extra weight. Just don't forget to return it to the factory specs when you take the camper out.

Also, I am a 3rz fan, but with an auto trans and the extra weight you'll struggle in the rockies.

 

I'm hooked!

For a little inspiration and maybe you can reach out to Chris for additional advise...

https://youtu.be/5BWc65M3-t8

and another one, but different person...
https://youtu.be/uAMHLX-jI0M



*** Also check out the FB pages Truck camper & DIY homemade truck campers.

 

Rad. I’m definitely down to watch. Those cheeky reels are actually pretty nice. I bought two of the boost packs, which included 3 spools (total in each pack) they were buy one get one free and came with fishpond reel cases. I really only use them for trolling so between the two sets i own i have 6 spools with various line weights (mostly sinking) for trolling. TBH i like them a lot for what they are. Very much looking forward to your series sounds like it’ll be done up professionally. Good luck.

Yes Deavers will help your load capacity, though nothing changes your GVWR, they handle the weight better. I have +660 lb OME leafs with a set of air bags on mine, my camper weighs 1100 lbs filled. Again a first gen will be a bit lighter duty. I’d build as light weight as you can, mine does very well out here on the east coast but i can’t run 90mph across Utah like I could with my Go Fast Camper that was on it previously since that was MUCH lighter.

 

Not sure of your budget but as I mentioned in my previous post we had a Go Fast Camper preciously. Might even be worth contacting GFC and seeing if they have a demo model or a used one that was exchanged for repairs they could let you use for the trip and than return. They are pretty big on the social media type marketing so if you featured it in all the episodes and returned it at the end they might consider that a heck of a deal. The GFC opens up all the bed space and is very very light. I assume you’re running at least two vehicles for a crew of 4? What’s the other vehicle?

 

Hey all! Still learning how exactly to format my posts so I can reply to everyone- so bare with me. First of all- thanks so much for lending your wisdom to this project. It sounds like if i invest in the suspension of the truck, and really get a camper i can gut and get the weight down to 600 or 700 pounds, i should be in the clear.

@YOTA 4X4 ive definitely been eyeing the GFC. I’ll reach out to their marketing department and see if there’s any interest. If not, I’ll keep my eyes pealed for a used one. In terms of the air bags you’ve got on yours, could you link me to the make and model you’re using? Or if you know of a version you’d recommend for a gen 1, could you point me in the right direction?

so in short, sounds like you’d recommend an increased leaf spring package as well as some airbags? The is a whole new world for me!

So pumped to know you’re excited about the project! If you want to message me your email, i can add you to our email list. No spammy stuff, but we send out an update and some nice images every once in a while to update people about the the projects where abouts. Also, if you’re ever in the market for new cheeky stuff, let me know! I don’t get any kickbacks or anything, but they gave me a 50% off promo code to share with friends and family- so just holler! Thanks again man- all of this is SO helpful!!

 

i actually stumbled upon both of those videos last night, and they were so helpful, and I emailed Chris as well with some questions about his suspension! We’ve got completely identical trucks, so hoping to hear back from him. Thanks so much for sharing in the excitement! Will absolutely check out that FB page.

 

Dan, this is all SO HELPFUL. Thank you! What would your thoughts be on doing some minor leaf spring additions (as Yota described) and then also doing air bags? This will definitely be a camper that (other than the 10 weeks im on the road) will be coming off and going on fairly regularly, as this truck is also my daily driver. Ideally id like something that is a quick(ish) adjustment on and off, so your note about the extra leaf springs making things tough to handle when the campers not on there is really helpful. Any specific brands or models of air bags you’d suggest for this project?

And in terms of the LSPV, from what I’ve read, that’s just an adjustment that i could make, as opposed to needing to purchase and add on anything, correct? The system is already in place, it just needs to be adjusted property for the added weight, yes?

also, the truck is a manual trans, so I’ll have that going for me when out in the mountains.

thanks again!!

 

Hey man, yeah I recommend heavier leafs AND bags for the reasons mentioned above. I have a set of DayStar cradles and Firestone Riderite bags. I think the whole setup was maybe $300. My wife and I installed it in my garage in a few hours. Super simple.

I actually signed up on your website for updates so i don’t forget about this by next summer. I am pumped for you it sounds like a very cool project.

I think you’ll find the community in here very willing to help you. Keep this site in mind if you ever break down or get stuck. There’s a very good network of people here that’ll come help you in short order of something goes wrong, since you’re going to be on the road so long this may come in handy.

Good luck with everything don’t hesitate to ask any questions you might have. And i might take you up on that Cheeky Reels offer, I’ve kind of wanted to try a limitless.....

 

Hey Ryan,

I'm happy to help out any way I can. Keep in mind that there are nuances to these discussions and opinions abound. I'll highlight some pros and cons, and you can make up your own mind.

First, Airlift bags and Firestone bags are of roughly equal quality and cost--go whichever way you feel like on those. The install is simple and reversible.

Second, I would personally go without the extra springs, or perhaps with just an overload spring because I like having the factory ride when unloaded. The downside, is that if your airbag fails for some reason(very unlikely, but certainly possible) then you'll be way down in the rear until you can repair it. Again, I didn't worry about as I am pretty confident about being able to execute repairs on the fly and the airbags are very robust.

If I was going to add springs, I would only add an overload spring--this is the type that is not engaged at all until the rear end starts to sag. This method retains factory ride quality when unloaded, but also provides some extra load carrying capacity if your airbags happened to fail. The potential added value is that if you wanted to get a load of firewood or lumber when the camper is out, that spring would help out even without inflating the airbags.


As far as the LSPV goes, yes, it is just an adjustment, and not a particularly hard one---Just remember to reset to factory specs when you unload or you will find that the braking performance is very dangerous with the back wheels locking up way too early.


The manual trans will certainly help, but with the weight and the added wind resistance, you will certainly have some slow miles. Pics below show my 80 series with bags inflated and deflated. I did not adjust the LSPV for that trip and with the bags deflated, the brakes were great, when I aired them up, the brakes sucked. Trailer brakes are the obvious answer in that situation, but not an option in yours.