Light Slide in Campers for F150 Lightning EV.

[EaglesPDX]

Getting buried on the towing discussion. Here are the eight light slide in campers that will work with F150EV with enough left over to tow a 5k# boat trailer.

8 Best Pop-Up Truck Campers for Half-Ton F150-1500 Trucks

For me, hot shower and inside toilet are the keys to using it long term so that puts me in the higher weight ones but still under the 1,800# payload. It's mostly going to be a weekend camper.

Biggest concern I have for the pop tops is the canvas(?) flexible part being water proof. We get some powerful wind and rain days, will it keep the rain out?

I'd also want to replace the "casette" head with an electric Incinolet which should match up with an EV truck.

I think Phoenix Minimax would be my choice. They do "semi-custom" so I'd try remove the king bed for bunks and pick up interior room.

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[runawaytruck]

I'm in the same boat, trying to figure out if the Lightning is a practical choice with a lighter camper. Currently have an F350 with a hardsided Northstar Laredo SC but haven't used a pop-up model yet. Would love to trade down to an electric or hybrid F150 and a lighter camper, but in either case it does seem you would have to get a popup to stay within payload ratings. And even then it will be close with many if not most of the ones on that list.

Remember, you need to add the weight of any passengers, gear, water, propane, camper options, batteries, solar panels, etc to the dry weight of the camper - and it still needs to come in under the payload rating of the truck to be considered safe. Any options on the truck will likely decrease the payload rating from the stated maximum payload. On top of that, many if not most truck campers weigh more than advertised, especially when options are included. It's possible that the lighter ones on this list do weigh what they advertise, but you'd want to make sure to get an accurate weight before buying if you're going to be close to maxing out your payload.

I woudn't worry about the soft walls being waterproof - they should all use waterproof fabrics which will keep the water out. The larger issues are going to be:

1. What is the range when the payload is maxed out and you have a camper sticking up above the cab causing more wind resistance? Is that far enough to get where you want to go?
2. How easy or difficulty is it to pop the top up or down while it's raining/snowing/hailing? And then you need to remember to dry it out afterward it gets wet, so it doesn't mildew.

 

[EaglesPDX]

I woudn't worry about the soft walls being waterproof - they should all use waterproof fabrics which will keep the water out. The larger issues are going to be:

More the wind forcing rain through seams and window seals. It pushes the water in places you’d think were safe.

On the weight ,I‘m hoping to customize it (they advertise ”semi-custom”) and be able to take out some weight. Don’t need a stove, just a microwave. Incinolet weighs 100 so likely a wash it and stove. Wonder if I could use the Incinolet to heat water as byproduct? Water cooled toilet.

Cover it with flexible solar, 1kW for the roof. Another 500W with PV awnings for when stop. That‘s 10kWh a day should run the camper summer and winter. Can also use it for the truck if it gets low or boost the trailer when the F150 has juice to spare.

Then start working on the electric boat which will have bigger tow load. By then F350 EV will be out with 500 mile range towing with a solid state battery.

 

[runawaytruck]

The Truma Combi heater/water heater is a newer option that some camper manufactures are now using to save some weight and space. The TCA guy has a post about that as well. They do make a version of it that can run on electricity as well as propane. Not sure how much solar/battery capacity you'd need to run it entirely on electricity in the winter though - may not be practical.

Microwaves take a lot of power to run, have you run the numbers on that to see if it's practical? I guess if you're mainly going to campgrounds where you can plug in that could work well. We have a microwave in our camper and have never used it as we are never plugged in. An induction cooktop may be an option to consider as well. A lot depends on how you're going to use the camper...

Re waterproofness - Sure, it's a valid concern, but people have been using popups forever, and the reputable manufacturers know how to make them fully waterproof (and insulated, etc) at this point. Maintaining that waterproofness over time may be more difficult and costly than with a hardside though. If you are in a wet climate then mold/mildew would be a serious concern. I'm in a mostly dry climate - while we do get some big storms, things tend to dry out quickly once it stops, so that's not as much of a concern for me.

Definitely looking forward to the electric F250/350 with much more battery capacity, that will be a game-changer for camper hauling/towing. May be a while though by the look of things...

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