10 Best Truck Campers for the Ford F150 Half-Ton Pickup

The Ford F150 pickup truck—it’s been the best selling vehicle in America for over 30 years and the best selling pickup for over 40. Due to its sheer popularity and numbers, it makes sense to build a truck camper that can be safely hauled on this truck. It also explains why companies like Lance, Four Wheel Campers, Outfitter, and Hallmark have been willing to do it. When it comes to hauling a truck camper, we actually recommend doing it with a more capable truck like the Ford F250, but this isn’t always practical. Many Ford F150 owners have already paid-off their trucks and don’t want to invest in something bigger, heavier, and more expensive. Not only that, but many Ford F-150s are daily drivers and need to split time between work and play. Fortunately, truck camper manufacturers know this and have done their homework by building a wide variety of campers that are lightweight and easy to store. So without further adieu, let’s take a look at the 10 best truck campers for the Ford F-150 pickup:

1. Lance 650

When it comes to luxury and comfort for today’s Ford F-150, nothing compares with the Lance 650. The camper is also one of Lance’s best selling campers. It’s easy to see why. Not only does the camper provide a north-south queen bed and a full size wet bath with a sink, but it also features a large kitchen and a dinette long enough to sleep an adult. With standard equipment, the Lance 650 weighs just 1,700 pounds dry and 1,903 pounds wet. It has a floor length of 6 feet 10 inches long and offers a spacious 6 feet 9 inches of interior height. The tank sizes of this short-bed camper are excellent with 22 gallons fresh, 15 gallons grey, and 16 gallons black. We’re also big fans of Lance’s new exterior one-piece TPO nose cap, which gives the camper a sleek and aerodynamic look, the on-demand tankless water heater, and Lance’s new Easy Charge exterior charging center for quick battery charging. Versatile enough to fit on both 6.5-foot and 5.5-foot pickup trucks and a great little camper, the Lance 650 offers everything you could possibly want except for the excessive weight. Still, many F-150s will need to have the suspension upgraded and have higher rated wheels and tires installed to haul this luxury hotel around—unless, of course, the truck is already equipped with the heavy-duty payload package. We also recommend getting the 5.0L V8 for extra climbing power up hills and mountains. The base MSRP for the Lance 650 is $49,032. Available at top dealerships nationwide.

2. BundutecUSA Wild

A relatively new design by truck camper guru Rory Willet, the BundutecUSA Wild pushes the truck camper envelope in a big way. The Wild not only comes with a complete wet-bath, but also a large, grey water holding tank that makes using that wet-bath practical. With its gray aluminum exterior and black accents, it’s also a great looking camper. The Wild’s 7-foot floorplan features a kitchen and wet-bath on the driver side, a refrigerator with loads of storage on the front wall, and a full-length dinette on the passenger side. Standard features include a north-south 56×74-inch mattress with lift up under bed storage, a 21-gallon fresh water tank, a 17-gallon grey water holding tank, a NovaKool R3000 compressor refrigerator, a stainless steel sink, and window and door screens fine enough to keep out annoying “no-see-ums” bugs. BundutecUSA’s best options include a Zamp 160 watt solar power system, the BunduAwn wrap-around awning, and the revolutionary Truma Combi water heater furnace that not only saves on weight and space, but is also whisper quiet when in operation. Easily, one of the 10 best campers for the Ford F-150. At 1,610 pounds the BundutecUSA Wild is a bit on the heavy side with its rugged, all-wood construction, but it’s hard to downgrade a camper as well-equipped as the Wild, which is why it’s ranked so high. The list price for the BundutecUSA Wild is only $26,593, a real bargain when you consider all that you get for the money.

3. OEV Back Country 6.85

The Back Country 6.85 is one of Canadian-based Overland Explorer Vehicles (OEV) best selling models. This rugged, well-built, 1,345-pound camper features a proprietary composite construction with R8 insulation, and an aluminum extrusion system to help keep the weight down, while at the same time increasing the strength of the camper and nearly eliminating thermal transfer. The 6-foot 2-inch floorplan features a king-size bed, 6 feet 10 inches of headroom, a large kitchen on the driver side and an L-shape dinette on the passenger side. Features include a 20 gallon fresh water holding tank, a 20-pound propane tank, a Victron group-27 100 amp hour battery, a Dometic CFX DC compressor refrigerator, a Remo Removable Dinette Table, Redarc Manager 30 with display, a Truma AquaGo water heater, and a Truma Vario Heat furnace. The camper also comes with an outside shower enclosure bracket kit with universal adapters, four Reico Titan manual lift jacks, and four Torklift Anchor Guard Derringer tie-downs. Options include a 180 watt solar panel, a 125 amp hour lithium ion battery, and OEV light bar, OEV roof rack, and OEV king-bed extension kit with refrigerator. The Back Country 6.85 is designed specifically for half-ton trucks like the Ford F150, Chevy Silverado 1500, and Ram 1500. The Overland Explorer Vehicles Back Country 5.85 lists for $44,888 USD for the base model.

4. nuCamp Cirrus 620

nuCamp’s first attempt at building a true half-ton capable truck camper in 2019 failed with the company releasing the excellent Cirrus 720 for 3/4-ton trucks instead. But where the Cirrus 720 failed, the brand-new Cirrus 620 succeeds. The Cirrus 620 weighs only 1,491 pounds dry making it an excellent payload match for most half-ton pickups. The floorplan features a refrigerator and a hideaway Thetford swivel cassette toilet on the driver side, a small kitchenette on the passenger side, and a small dinette and north-south queen size bed up front. The interior height is a shade over 6 feet 4 inches. Unfortunately, nuCamp designers were unable to shoe-horn a wetbath into the camper’s diminutive 5-foot 9-inch floorplan though you can take a shower outside using the company’s excellent Nautilus Water Management System. Standards include a 2.3 cubic foot DC compressor refrigerator, a 19-gallon fresh water holding tank, a 15-gallon grey water holding tank, the all-in-one Alde hydronic water heater and furnace, the Froli Modular Sleep System, one 5 gallon propane tank, a 210 watt solar power system, and a vented battery compartment large enough to hold two group-24 batteries. The general shape of the camper is very reminiscent of the popular and much larger Cirrus 820 model, though you won’t find anything like the 820’s rear bumper and entry steps on this model. Easily one of the 10 best truck campers for the Ford F150, the nuCamp Cirrus 620 truck camper lists for a $44,014. Available at top dealerships nationwide.

5. Four Wheel Camper Hawk

With a floor length of 6.5 feet and a dry weight of only 1,075 pounds, the Four Wheel Camper Hawk is a perfect match for today’s Ford F-150 pickup truck. The Hawk features a 20-gallon fresh water tank, a fully equipped kitchenette, an east-west queen bed, a three-way 1.7-cubic foot reefer, and attractive yet durable interior woodwork. Customers can choose from one of three floorplans when ordering a Hawk—a roll-over side couch, side dinette, or a front dinette. For those want a more amenities, a cassette toilet and an outside shower can both be added as options. Interested in extending your time off-grid? Four Wheel Campers has that covered, too, by offering a 160 watt roof-mounted solar system, a dual battery setup, an 85-liter DC compressor refrigerator, and two 10-pound propane tanks. Four Wheel Campers uses a proprietary tie-down system consisting of four, zinc-coated eye bolts reinforced with steel backing plates that are mounted to the bed of the pickup. The advantage of having a hidden system like this is that it not only presents a clean look on the outside of the camper, but it also works great for driving off-road. Another Truck Camper Adventure favorite, the FWC Hawk lists for only $25,625, but don’t let the price fool you. This rugged, well-made camper can take you almost anywhere you want, and with its welded aluminum frame and aluminum exterior, will last for decades.

6. Scout Olympic 6.5

A revolutionary truck camper design by Washington-based Adventurer Manufacturing, the Scout Olympic 6.5 incorporates a number of portables to save on weight. These portables include a removable Dometic CFX3 75L refrigerator-freezer with WiFi, a 4.9-gallon removable water tank, a removable dining table, a Yeti Goal Zero 1500x lithium battery pack, and a removable propane cooktop. Standard features include a 175 watt flexible solar panel, a moon roof with a screen and solar reflective shade, a four-person dinette with sleeper conversion, and dual 5-pound propane bottles. The best options include a Thetford Cassette Toilet, a Newport Real Flame 4,500 BTU propane fireplace, and a Rhino Rack Batwing Awning. Particularly noteworthy, is that the Scout Olympic can sleep up to six people when you include the optional roof-top tent, an unheard of number for a truck camper let alone a camper this size. With a dry weight of only 1,081 pounds and an floor length of 6 feet 2 inches, the Scout Olympic works well with any short-bed, half-ton truck. Interested in a long-bed model instead? The company has that angle covered too with the Scout Kenai, which features a floor length of 7 feet 7 inches and a dry weight of 1,265 pounds. The starting price for the Scout Olympic base model is an affordable $23,990.

7. Hallmark Milner Overland

Introduced in 1969, the Hallmark Milner Overland has stood the test of time as an enduring classic. Like all Hallmark campers, the Milner is constructed of a durable yet attractive molded fiberglass composite exterior topped with a low-maintenance, one-piece molded composite roof. In spite of its stout construction, the camper still only weighs 1,212 pounds dry. Standard Milner features include a 60×80-inch east-west bed with under bed storage; a large, 30-gallon fresh water tank; molded one-piece counter tops; exclusive big view double windows; a three-way 3.8-cubic foot refrigerator; a 5-gallon propane tank; attractive overhead cabinets with Tambour doors; and a battery compartment large enough to hold AGM or Battle Born lithium batteries. The list of options Hallmark offers is just as impressive and includes a 12 gallon gray tank, a 5-gallon black tank, a cubby large enough to store a portable toilet, a north-south bed, a shower pan for indoor showers, a 4.2-cubic foot compressor refrigerator, and a Zamp 160-watt solar suitcase. Hallmark even gives you options on the look of the interior cabinetry. All of their campers come standard with Oak or Amber Bamboo cabinets. Cherry, Blond Bamboo, Maple, and Hickory cabinetry are also available for an additional $1,200. Coosa composite cabinetry is available for an additional $2,000 if it’s wanted. Better yet, Hallmark campers come with a 5-year structural warranty, one of the best in the entire industry. A venerable classic, one of the 10 best truck campers for the Toyota Tundra, the Hallmark Milner Overland lists for $44,695.

8. Alaskan 6.5 Cabover

Can’t decide between a hard-side or a pop-up? Well, look no further. The good folks at Alaskan make a hybrid camper that’s a little of both. Unlike the traditional pop-up truck camper, which has canvas sides, the patented pop-top on an Alaskan camper features a one-piece, “solid wall” design with a hydraulic mechanism that raises and lowers the entire top of the camper with a simple flip of the switch. First introduced in the 1970s, the Alaskan 6.5 has stood the test of time with a floor length of 6-foot 5-inches and a wet weight of only 1,550 pounds, perfect for short-bed half-ton pickups like the Ford F150, Ram 1500, and Chevy/GMC 1500. The Alaskan 6.5 Cabover’s floorplan is simple yet highly functional with a front dinette and kitchen on the driver side and a refrigerator and optional Thetford cassette toilet on the passenger side. The camper, of course, features Alaskan’s breathtaking birch interior with contrasting leather dinette, and Hehr’s radiused windows. There is no wet-bath, of course, but the camper has everything else needed to camp comfortably including a 20 gallon fresh water holding tank, a Thetford two-burner cooktop, a stainless steel sink, a NovaKool 2600 refrigerator, two 12 volt Maxxair fans, one AGM battery, a Suburban 4-gallon water heater, and a Truma VarioHeat furnace. Options for this classic camper include Zamp 90 watt solar panel, an outdoor shower, a group 31 AGM or lithium battery, a Polar Cub A/C, and a larger NovaKool 3.5 cubic foot refrigerator. Sold direct from Alaskan’s Winlock, Washington factory. Lists for $37,190.

9. Soaring Eagle Adlar 6.5XL

A super lightweight hard-side from a brand new company, Soaring Eagle. The Soaring Eagle Adlar 6.5XL weighs only 1,200 pounds dry (1,700 pounds wet) and is made especially for half-ton trucks like the Toyota Tundra. Featuring an aluminum frame and fiberglass walls, the shape of the Adlar 6.5XL is aerodynamic, and this, along with the low weight, means the camper with acheive excellent fuel mileage on the highways. The “XL” variant of the Adlar features a roomy cab-over bed area and increased ceiling height offering more living space. Standards include a 30-inch wide dinette, a 44×80″ cabover sleeping area, passenger side and driver side counter tops, and a large wardrobe, while additional storage can be found in the dinette seats as well as in the passenger-side overhead cabinet. Additional features of the Soaring Eagle Adlar 6.5XL, include a portable toilet, durable diamond vinyl flooring, a microwave, underfloor storage, window blinds, and LED ceiling lights. Options include a north-south pull-out bed which expands the main bed to 80-inces in length, a low-amp draw air conditioner, a MaxxAir 12 volt fan with rain sensor, a Blackstone Griddle, 160 watt and 320 watt solar power packages, a 100 amp hour lithium battery, a Dometic CFF35 DC compressor refrigerator, electric jacks, quick-detach jacks and more. The camper features the bare essentials to camp comfortably off-grid, meaning no fresh or grey water holding tanks nor a wet-bath, just a portable toilet. Sold from select dealerships nationwide for an incredibly low MSRP of $19,500.

10. Phoenix Level Series

Interested in a semi-custom pop-up to haul on your Ford F-150? Well, the good folks at Phoenix Campers build perhaps the coolest looking truck campers in the industry. Customers start with a base model like the Level 1 and add only the options that they want. The 7-foot floorplan features an east-west 60×80-inch bed, a large dinette forward, a wet-bath on the driver side, and a small kitchenette on the passenger side. With a dry weight of only 1,180 pounds, construction consists an all-aluminum double welded tube cage frame, stuffed with high density foam, and protected by a tough outer shell of pre-laminated thick, one piece Crane fiberglass. Level Series highlights include an 18-gallon fresh water tank, a Thetford cassette toilet, an 8-gallon grey water holding tank, and Dometic 1.9 cubic foot compressor refrigerator. The standard cabinet color is birch with a clear coat finish, but more exotic cabinet materials like bamboo can be ordered. Popular options include integrated power inverters with a built-in transfer relay, solar power systems of various sizes, roof racks, a rear ladder, flood lights, a low profile air conditioner, and Rotopax fuel-water containers. They’re also one of the few companies that can paint your camper a custom color to match your truck. The design is so exquisite it even works well on mid-size trucks albeit with smaller holding tanks. Comes in two versions: the Level 2 version comes with a water heater and shower, while the Level 1 does not. Pricing for the Phoenix Pop Up Camper Level 1 starts at a cool $32,995.

Read This Before You Buy

Before purchasing your camper, make sure your Ford F-150 can handle the extra weight. When it comes to hauling a truck camper, the payload rating trumps all other performance numbers including horsepower, fuel-mileage, and torque. For a Ford F-150 with the heavy-duty payload package, this rating can be a low as 1,844 pounds or as high as 3,270 pounds. This means the camper you buy, plus passengers and gear, must be below this number. Determining the payload rating of your Ford F-150 is easy. It can be found either on the driver side door jamb sticker (pictured here) or can be determined by taking the truck to the scales and subtracting the weight of the truck from the truck’s gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR). You’ll also need to ensure that the wheels and suspension are up to the task of hauling a camper. This is because only a small number of factory F-150s are made to do it. One 4×2 Ford F-150 super crew that we recently looked at illustrates this shortcoming with a mediocre 1,760-pound payload and ill-equipped p-spec (passenger-rated) tires (see photo). In order for this truck to carry more weight, light truck (LT) load range C or D wheels and tires and a set of Hellwig Helper Springs at a minimum will be needed. Aftermarket suspension mods like these won’t officially increase your truck’s payload rating, but they will make hauling your camper easier and a whole lot safer. Of course, some of these changes might not be needed if your F-150 is already equipped with Ford’s “heavy-duty payload package.”

Best In-Class Payload?

Ford is correct when they say that the F-150 offers “the best-in-class payload” with a rating of 3,270 pounds, but that doesn’t mean every cab style and bed-size configuration can get it. The only way you can get that lofty payload rating is by buying a 4×2 F-150 regular cab, long-bed truck, one of the ugliest trucks in the market. Unfortunately, the much better looking 4×2 SuperCrew 6.5 and 4×4 SuperCrew 6.5 styles offer less payload with a maximum of 2,900 and 2,650 pounds respectively (the Raptor is even worse at 1,200 pounds). When it comes to hauling a truck camper, payload is king, which is why you want more of it. This is why we always recommend buying a one-ton truck to start with (most one-ton trucks like the Ford F-350 offer a 4,000-pound payload and that’s optioned out). The simple truth of the matter is that a half-ton truck like the Ford F-150 wasn’t designed and built to haul a large truck camper. Indeed, when it comes to hauling a truck camper, the Ford F-150 is better suited to go small and light, which is why we recommend so many pop-ups in this list.