Can A Truck Camper Fit In A Garage?

A truck camper is a recreational vehicle that is fitted on the bed of a pickup truck. A camper serves as a small home to many, consisting of a bathroom, bed, and small kitchen. Truck campers are very economical.

In the US, 42 states consider them cargo vehicles, not RVs. Hence, they are exempted from RVs regulations and taxes. With a camper, you do not need extra parking space as with RVs and trailers, but this extra versatility comes at a cost.

Can A Truck Camper Fit In A Garage?

Campers come in different sizes and configurations. When a camper is mounted on a truck, its height may exceed the height of your garage door. Average garage doors have about 7 feet of clearance, and even a small truck camper is likely to exceed 7 feet once mounted on a truck.

But if your garage door exceeds 8 feet, you will be able to park your camper inside your garage. When designing your garage, it’s essential to consider this factor to ensure you will not have a problem when you want your camper inside your garage.

If your camper can’t fit in your garage while mounted on your car, you need to find a way to fit it in. A standard two-door garage measures 20 to 24 feet deep, while a typical camper can be as long as 21 feet. The length of a camper may not be the problem when you want to fit it in your garage, but the height surely will.

How Can I Store My Truck Camper If It Doesn’t Fit In My Garage?

When mounted, a camper adds on average about 9 feet to the height of your truck, which makes it probably impossible to fit in your garage while mounted to your truck. If that’s a problem for you, consider looking for different type of camper.

If you’re heart is set of a truck camper, and you really want to store it in your garage, you’ll need to remove it from your truck first. Most people have been able to solve this problem using a dolly.

Using A Dolly

The dolly should have the right specification to allow the camper to fit through the garage door. This completely erases the height issue.

The dolly should also have swivel wheels to enhance maneuverability. The swivel wheel should only be on the front to make it easy to control the dolly. Dollies are easy, but of course, you’ll need to remove your camper to use the dolly, and your truck is not likely to fit alongside it.

A camper weighs from 2,000 to 5,000 pounds. You need a procedure to dismount and place it on top of the dolly. First, you need to reverse your vehicle as far back as you can. This process provides more space for maneuverability.

Then use a winch to lift the camper off the truck’s bed. Ensure you disconnect all harnesses before lifting the camper. After lifting the camper to a height that allows you to reverse from under it, place the dolly underneath.

Ensure it is properly aligned to the camper. Lower the camper slowly using the winch until it rests squarely on top of the dolly. After making sure everything is in the right position, push it into the garage. A truck camper’s jerk can also be used if you don’t have a winch.

How Can I Attach A Camper To My Truck?

It may be a very challenging task to mount your camper on your truck. This has to be done on level ground. First, raise your camper until it is about 6 inches above the truck’s bed.

Make sure you lift the front part of your camper first, then hoist the rear side. Ensure you raise your camper high enough so that you can reverse your truck under it without hindrance. Always make sure that the back of your camper is never raised higher than the front to reduce the chances of it tipping over.

Secondly, slowly reverse your truck under the camper. Make sure you do not hit the camper’s jack. Connect any wiring before installing the camper.

It is easy to do so because there is still more space. After connecting the electrical wires, continue reversing your vehicle until the camper comes into contact with the front of your truck bed. Make sure the camper does not contact the truck’s bumper or taillights.

Slowly lower the camper onto your truck bed. Lower the back of your camper first, then the front. Lower a few inches at a time until it rests on the bed of your truck.

Secure your camper to your pickup by attaching the turnbuckles to the anchors on it and to the tie downs on your vehicle. Tighten the turnbuckles to about 300 lb.-ft.

Always make sure you confirm with your user manual the recommended torque before tightening. Make sure everything is correct before heading to the road.

What Are The Benefits Of Using A Camper Over Other RVs?

There are several benefits of using a camper instead of RVs or motorhomes.

Less Parking Space Needed

Most RVs and motorhomes require extra parking space, which may be costly. Trailers add on the length of the vehicle occupying twice or thrice the room a single truck would fill.

On the other hand, a camper is mounted on a truck bed hence would not need an extra parking space. This is a benefit whether you’re parking in a precarious mountaintop overview or parking downtown for a night out.

Greater Maneuverability

RVs and motorhomes are always challenging to drive. Motorhomes are usually long and would require a skilled driver to operate them.

But with the camper, you are driving a truck only with an added camper weight. There is no concern for extra length as with other motorhomes and trailers.

No Registration Fees

A total of 42 states in the USA classify campers as cargo rather than RVs. This means that owners would not need to pay registration fees or annual licenses that you would with RVs and Motorhomes. A camper would save you a lot of money that could have been used to pay for insurance, license renewals, and registration fees.

Affordable

Most RVs and motorhomes are very expensive to procure and operate. A camper is cheap and requires very little maintenance. You only need to maintain and fuel your truck to carry your camper. Campers don’t need registration fees in most states. You also don’t need extra parking fees with a camper.

Easy to store

A camper is small in size very little space to store. One person can unmount and move the camper to a storage facility without any difficulties.

That said, as we previously mentioned, storing your truck camper inside your garage can be difficult. Depending on your climate, this may or may not be an issue for you.

Boon Dock almost anywhere.

You can sleep or rest almost anywhere with a camper. All you need is to park your truck in a safe place. Taking your home with you and parking it anywhere you want is an increasingly popular lifestyle, especially in urban area where affordable housing may be scarce.

What Are The Disadvantages Of A Truck Camper?

Buying and installing a truck camper is not always the right decision for every traveller. Here are a few important considerations for you before you make the decision to invest in a truck camper:

Limited Off-road Capability

A camper increases the weight of your truck, limiting its ability to perform off the road. Your vehicle may also get stuck on mud or snow due to its added weight.

Truck campers are also very tall, which can make you top heavy. This can make you prone to tipping over if you’re facing serious terrain. There’s no faster way to ruin a day out than tipping your living quarters over.

Limited Space

Campers offer very limited space for even one person. You will have less sleeping and bathroom space in a camper. If you need more room, you can opt for a class C motorhome and a fifth wheel.

The storage space on truck campers is also limited, so this may not be the right home away from home for a large family or someone who has a lot of cargo to take with them.

Needs the Right Truck

Not all trucks are designed to carry a camper. You need to get the right truck, one that is compatible with your truck camper.

Most people start shopping for truck campers once they already have their truck, so if you happen to have one that’s not compatible, like a short-bed, you may already be out of luck.

Conclusion

Campers come in different sizes, configurations, and weights. Regardless of their size, they add almost 9 feet to the height of the truck marking it very hard to be fitted on a garage. Using a dolly is the best way to move your camper into the garage, but that requires removing your camper.