Truck bed campers provide an excellent middle-ground option for overland travel: they are smaller and more agile than RVs and travel trailers but more comfortable and luxurious than tents. Many even have toilets and showers, among other amenities. Plus, they can easily be removed from the truck. In this article, we’ll look at 7 of the best truck bed camper options that have both a shower and toilet.
7 truck bed campers with a shower and toilet:
1. Scout Kenai
The Kenai truck bed camper from Scout Campers can sleep 4-6 people between the main queen-sized sleeping space, two bunks made from the convertible dinette, and the available addition of a roof top tent (RTT) that’s accessible through a hatch in the camper. The camper is customizable and is available for both short and long bed full-size trucks.
The Kenai is built with an aluminum exoskeleton frame which means the camper is extremely durable as well as safe and comfortable for four-season camping. Since there is no wood in the structural components, the camper will never rot.
The Kenai doesn’t come with a shower or toilet standard, but both amenities are available as add-on options. The available shower is a portable RinseKit that’s heated and pressurized, which can be used inside with a snap-on privacy curtain or outdoors. A stainless steel drain pan funnels water directly to the outside of the camper.
There are two toilet choices: a Thetford cassette toilet or a Dometic portable toilet. The cassette toilet option is permanently installed and swivels in and out for use to preserve as much interior space as possible. It stows under a hinged shelf.
This off-road-capable camper is designed more for ruggedness and durability than plush comfort, so you will also need to add on features like a fridge, a cooktop, the rooftop tent if you need additional sleeping space, a heat source, and the shower and toilet. However, this allows you to customize the camper to your exact needs and keep your weight down as much as possible.
More info: scoutcampers.com
2. Lance 975
This truck bed camper has more of a traditional RV feel inside, with all the amenities you could want built in standard – including a slide-out! However, that means it’s quite large and heavy and therefore only suitable for heavy duty trucks with 8-foot beds, like Ford F-350s or Chevy 3500s.
A Lance dealer can help you determine if this model is compatible with your truck or if a smaller Lance camper would be more suitable. The Lance 975 has a dry bathroom with a marine toilet and a shower/tub separated by a shower curtain. There is also a small bathroom sink as well as a vanity. This is the closest to a house bathroom that you can get in an RV, let alone in a truck bed camper!
The cabover area is home to a queen bed with a skylight and closet space, and there’s a full (albeit tiny) kitchen with a stove, oven, optional microwave, sink, pantry space, and fridge/freezer. Opposite the kitchen and bathroom is a dinette in the slide-out which includes locking storage drawers under the seats.
An optional TV completes the interior amenities, and outside it has remote-controlled electric camper jacks and an exterior wash station. The camper is constructed with aluminum framing and laminated, insulated exterior panels. The roof is all one piece to prevent leaks and the windows are frameless, tinted, and insulated.
Other optional upgrades include a Fantastic Fan roof vent, a backup camera, lithium batteries and a solar panel for off-grid power, rear and side power awnings, keyless entry, and even a mountain graphic on the exterior of the camper.
More info: lancecamper.com
3. NuCamp Cirrus 820
The NuCamp Cirrus 820 is a happy medium between the two previous campers – it fits in a 6.5-foot truck bed, doesn’t have a slide-out, and has a condensed amenities package. This camper comes with a wet bath (shower and toilet share a space) that has a fold-down sink and a Maxxair vent fan to prevent excessive condensation. There is also an outdoor shower to clean up after those really muddy adventures.
The Cirrus 820 comes with a standard solar kit, a dinette that can be converted into a second sleeping area, a backup camera, a two-burner stove, a 3-way fridge, a microwave, and a pass-through window to the truck cab.
The body of the camper is aluminum framed and the sidewalls are laminated and bonded. The camper has remote-controlled electric jacks, a motorized 8-foot side awning, a roof rack, and a foldable access ladder. Plenty of windows make the relatively small interior feel spacious and open.
More info: nucamprv.com
4. Northern Lite 10-2EX LE
This camper from Northern Lite is made for use with trucks that have a long bed. It’s designed for four-season camping and built for comfort and luxury on the road. The dry bathroom has an internal door that separates the toilet and shower, and the shower has a built-in seat and a small sink.
The cabinets are built with solid plywood and have solid hardwood faces. Top of the line appliances make cooking a pleasure, including a stove, oven, microwave, and fridge/freezer. A queen bed in the cabover is flanked by storage compartments and closets, and there’s also a large closet opposite the bathroom as well as overhead cabinets above the kitchen and dinette.
The dinette is available as a U-shaped arrangement or a face-to-face setup with plush leatherette cushions, both of which can convert into a second sleeping area to accommodate up to four people total.
Two 185W solar panels come standard, as well as an air conditioner, two power awnings, electric jacks, a vent fan and skylight, a furnace, and gas or electric powered hot water. Options include a boat rack, a built-in generator, an upgraded wood interior, and glass thermal windows.
More info: northern-lite.com
5. Northstar Pop-Up 850SC
This camper is 8.5 feet long and can fit both short and long truck beds, although they are meant to be used off the truck for camping. The 850SC has a pop-top roof that preserves fuel economy while in motion but still provides plenty of interior height to comfortably stand and move around. The camper has a wet bath with a shower and cassette toilet sharing a space, and an outdoor shower as well.
A queen bed and a convertible dinette provide sleeping space for 3-4 people, although there is an option to add another tip-out bed for additional space. Opposite the wet bath is a wardrobe and a kitchen space with a two-burner stove, sink, and fridge.
There are many additional options available, such as detachable or permanent wrap-around rear ends for short truck beds, electric jacks, a stereo, air conditioning, an upgraded fridge, and a sub-zero package that includes heavier-duty insulation on the pop-up tent portion as well as the walls and windows.
More info: northstarcampers.com
6. Lance 650
This Lance camper is designed for smaller trucks with beds that are 5 or 6 feet long, such as Nissan Titans, Toyota Tundras, or Ford F-150s. The Lance 650 has a wet bath, a queen mattress, a 3-way fridge, a two-burner range, and a tankless water heater.
Optional equipment includes a microwave, rear and side awnings, remote-controlled electric jacks, a solar panel and lithium battery, a TV, a backup camera, air conditioning, and a roof vent fan.
This is basically a smaller version of the Lance 975, with the same beautiful interior and massive windows for the spacious feel. This model has a U-shaped dinette that converts into a 32×76-inch bunk, sleeping up to three people total. The 650 has 22 gallons of fresh water, plus a 15-gallon gray water tank and a 16-gallon black water tank.
More info: lancecamper.com
7. Adventurer 80RB
The 80RB camper from Adventurer has a wet bath featuring a Dometic foot-flush toilet, a one-piece fiberglass shower pan, a vent fan, and a skylight. There is also an outdoor shower with a spray wand. This camper is made for trucks with beds between 5.5 and 8 feet in length. It can sleep up to 3-4 people with a queen bed in the cabover area and a roll-over sofa that becomes a 40×72-inch bunk.
The galley kitchen includes a two-burner stove with a residential-grade range hood, a Dometic fridge/freezer, and a high-neck faucet in the round stainless steel sink. Available options include air conditioning, a power rear awning, a scissor step, wireless jacks, a stereo system, a microwave, and an upgraded interior decor package.
This camper has 15 gallons of fresh water, and 6-gallon black and gray water tanks. The water heater has a capacity of 4 gallons.
More info: adventurercampers.com
How to choose the best truck bed camper for your needs
Naturally, one of the biggest considerations when choosing a truck bed camper is whether the camper is compatible with your truck. The length of your truck’s bed makes a difference for which campers will fit, and the weight rating of your truck bed is also important.
For instance, some campers require that your truck has duallies to safely support the weight. If you have a short truck bed and choose a long camper, you may need to add on a rear-end piece that includes secondary brake lights and turn signals so they are easily visible.
Another consideration is whether you want a hard-sided camper or a pop-up camper. Pop-up campers generally weigh less, have a lower center of gravity, are cheaper, and don’t impact your gas mileage as much. On the other hand, hard-sided campers are more durable, have better insulation, and are more sound-proof.
Some truck bed campers also have slide-outs, which is an additional moving part that is perhaps less durable, but offers more interior space. Slide-outs are also one more thing to set up when you get to a campsite. But, especially if you are traveling with a family, the extra interior space can be super valuable.
Wet Bath vs Dry Bath
Obviously all of the campers on this list have bathrooms, although there are campers available without bathrooms that are smaller, lighter, and/or have more room for other amenities. As demonstrated above, there are two types of bathrooms: wet and dry baths.
Wet baths are basically a shower stall that also has a toilet and possibly a sink in it, while dry baths have a separate shower stall and toilet space. With a dry bath, the toilet does not get wet every time someone showers, although they do require a larger overall space.
Sleeping capacity is another important consideration. Most truck bed campers have queen-size main beds in the cabover portion and potentially another single or double sleeping area that can be created by converting the dinette into a second bed. Make sure that the truck bed camper that you choose has enough sleeping capacity for your entire traveling party.
Finally, consider the weather rating of the camper. Many hard-sided truck bed campers are rated for four-season camping, but if you plan to camp in really inclement weather, you may want to upgrade to beefier insulation, add backup heat sources, and ensure that your plumbing will not freeze.
However, as I mentioned above, there are pop-up truck bed campers that have sub-zero packages to make them suitable for year-round camping even in very cold weather.
Closing Thoughts
If I was to choose one of the options from this list, I would probably go with the Lance 650. It has nearly all of the amenities of the Lance 975, but it’s small enough to fit on a smaller truck and it doesn’t have any slide-outs, which make me nervous in terms of leak potential and just being another moving part that can potentially break.
The Lance 650 seems to provide the best balance between durability and maneuverability, and the massive windows make the space feel so much larger than it is.
Up Next In Truck Campers:
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Cat is originally from Seattle, WA but has traveled around the US and Canada full-time in a self-converted school bus with her boyfriend Aaron since April of 2018. She enjoys rock climbing, paddleboarding, hiking, and generally being outdoors!
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