lot of good data here. I am in the process of designing a slide in camper. I live in Japan so I can't go to the corner RV store and buy a slide in camper for a F350 DRW. (hell for any vehicle for that matter, they just do not exist her.)

I started with a small tow behind camper with my F150 but after 10 years it (camper) is worn out. then i bought the F350 and picked up a flat trailer to use as a toy hauler and now i want a slide in to go with it.

so I looked at buying from the states but could not get any sellers to even consider loading a truck camper into a conex box for shipping, even when i offered a reasonable amount of money to them. I did some research on alibaba for custom camper builders in china, but the price they want just do not make sense considering the cost of materials and the lack of warranty.

It was almost worth it for me to fly back to the states and buy a junk long bed half ton truck and throw a camper on the back of it and junk the 1/2 ton truck when it arrived here, just the thought of flying back to discover the camper I was planning on purchasing was not as described stays my hand in that regards.

So I am sure I will have plenty of asinine questions to pose for you all, so stand by to stand by!

Ken

 

Have you looked Northstar? I seem to recall reading somewhere that their non basement campers are a good fit for shipping containers and as such, are routinely imported to Australia. P.S., I bought one last year, and am impressed with the design, functionality and build quality.

 

Two issues: getting a seller to put it in the container and sending it to the port. many folks have no clue about shipping outside CONUS and even if you spoon feed them the answers, they still act like I am a special needs child in need of an education.

2nd issue is I could probably get a new unit shipped from a large dealer or from the factory, but that is awful pricey.
pros: pay once and cry for ten years...
Cons: Cost... pay once and crying for the next ten years, the cost of a new truck camper in the states is quiet expensive. 37k~41k listed for a 8' northstar thats a lot of money for a toy.

leaks: I want one without slide out sides,(guaranteed leaks and electrical issues) roof top A/C (leaks, ****ty power hogs/overhead clearance ).
without pre-installed solar panels and batteries The roofs these days are all plastic coated (i think its called epmd or something like that) and all i hear are horror stories about leaks and trying to get it fixed properly. This may be on pull behinds only, not sure as I have not researched it in over twn years, thats when I last i looked it.

so getting a camper without all of the above equates to buying one of a few models currently offered new, or buying an older one without the slides that nobody has molested. why the campers are not made strictly from FRP is beyond me, you can make a mold and blow in FRP resin and glass and pop out totally waterproof upper shells cheap, easy, waterproof and reasonably priced...yet they offer stuff that is leaks constantly...

sorry for the rant, i just miss the days when made in America meant quality.. i do no see it in a lot of things these days especially for the price. So that leaves me with used and hopefully unmolested roof, and convincing the seller to agree to ship it. Obviously cash would change hands first, but even with that caveat, nobody ever bit.

 

This is a very fascinating thread.

I don't want to derail a build thread but you don't seem to have abandoned the idea of shipping one so I'll ask away. Have you tried getting someone from the states to help in the buying process? How involved is the shipping process, and which port(s) would be acceptable for shipping? Since you're willing to build your own, and considering your ideal shell, have you considered just buying an older simple model and restoring it? Any idea how much it would cost to ship a truck camper, and would shipping it on a truck simplify the process enough to pay for the truck like you mentioned?

 

Some ideas for you:
https://www.truckcampermagazine.com/...und-the-world/
https://www.truckcampermagazine.com/...d-the-world-2/

 

while i have not totally discounted the idea of shipping one, there are a lot of issues with buying one from the states, least of which is sight unseen and the ability to beleive what a salesperson would claim.

next a container from the states pre-covid was about 3k. not sure what it is now, but it has probably doubled due to fuel costs. I import enough stuff from various countries for my work so I am somewhat knowledgeable.

I have contacts for several freight forwarders that either I have used, or one of the companies I am tied into with have used. though none of them have ever shipped something as oddball as a truck camper.
issues are would need to have a cradles made for it to ride on while in the conex., that or it would have to go open deck on a smaller tramp freighter, which does not bode well for anything to be honest. the first question that I have been asking sellers is how tall does it sit with its jacks lowered all the way? you have two basic sizes for containers, standard and hi-cube. the high cube has a few more inches in overhead height. 7'9" vs 8'10" for the high cube. the next question is does it have things that could be removed to make it lower? such as rooftop a/c, storage racks or rails, etc. so far I get a lot of people who are not willing to even consider the idea, so it tends to be a non starter. I do not want a popup, I used to take my camper close to the major ski resorts and become a ski bum for a week or two at a time staying in my camper, not going to even consider that with a pop up. its too cold here and I am too old for that.

currently going back and forth as to if I should skin it with thin gauge sheet steel or FRP. I have used FRP over the years for various repairs but nothing this large scale, so there would be a learning curve and hickups regardless. if I skin it with thin gauge steel its easier in a lot of ways.... secure one end of the steel use 3m panel bond and then stretch the steel tight and let the panel bond cure, trim off excess and treat it like any other car panel in regards to finishing. the panel bond is sandable and paintable so its a known quantity to me. biggest thing to me is total weight and then CG. I can take a bill of materials and get a rough calculation of the CG, but with computer modeling it could easily be off by several orders.

the final option would be to order one form china as at least they will ship it. they want the business, so far RV trader has been pretty worthless for me and even a couple of the forums I am aware of have little to offer in the for sale department.

thanks for the interst and the bump.

 

I can't exactly understand it but it seems like these people build truck campers in Japan: https://www.mystic.ne.jp/camper

 

interesting, you learn something new each day. They make campers for the little 660 cc K trucks and van conversions, and they import used units from the states to sell to truck owners. (thats what it apears like according to google translate.) I will have to go visit the closest shop tomorrow.

thanks. now i wonder just how much they are trying to charge... they have no prices listed on the website that i could find... should be interesting i will report back later with news.