10 Best Truck Topper Camper Shells for 2023

The truck topper is the hottest trend in the overland truck market due to it’s exceptionally low weight and comparatively low price. Another reason, of course, is the popularity of mid-size and full-size pickup trucks like the Ford F150, Jeep Gladiator, and Toyota Tacoma. After all, you need a truck to carry a topper. When talking about trucks and campers, of course, payload is king. The trouble is mid-size and half-ton trucks lack it, which greatly limits what these trucks can carry. Payload ratings between 1,100 and 1,600 pounds is the norm. This limitation has inspired many manufacturers to build what is now popularly called the truck topper—a camper shell without a floor that sits on the bed rails of the pickup truck. At the 2022 Overland Expo West, we counted over a dozen companies producing such a “camper,” which makes choosing the right one difficult. In this article, we taken the guess work out of buying a truck topper by presenting what we think are the 10 best truck topper camper shells in the market. So without further adieu, are the 10 best.

1. AT Overland Atlas

The hands-down winner, the AT Overland Atlas delivers on features and adventure in a major way, yet weighs only 360 pounds. Unlike the traditional slide-in camper, the Atlas truck topper sits on top of the bed rails of the truck and has no floor. This new and innovative approach makes the camper lighter than a standard truck camper, yet still retains a comfortable sleeping platform for owners. The Atlas is built from CNC-cut and formed aluminum with a bonded honeycomb composite and features a distinctive wedge-style pop-top that provides up to 6 feet 10 inches of headroom and a 48×80-inch sleep platform with a 2.5-inch mattress that can support up to a whopping 500 pounds. Each topper is made with a durable FMVSS compliant canvas tent. Options include a light-blocking Thinsulate liner providing a 1.4 R-value, a cab slider window, a roof rack, side slider windows, Seitz “Euro-style” side windows (17×43 inches), side hatch doors (17×43 inches), rear lift gate insert window, a 12 volt power system, interior lighting, awnings, interior cabinetry with pull-out refrigerators and cooktops, forced air heating, and a color match to vehicle. Designed by AT Overland co-founder and truck camper designer extraordinaire Mario Donovan. Sold factory direct at the company’s headquarters in Prescott, Arizona or from select dealers nationwide. Pricing for the Atlas starts at a very affordable $14,300.

2. Four Wheel Camper Project M

Another favorite, the Four Wheel Camper Project M truck topper was designed for those who want a camper that is ultra-light, yet retains use of the bed for hauling gear, bikes, firewood, and material for home construction projects. This versatility allows the topper to be used both at home and on your truck camper adventures. Like all Four Wheel Campers, the Project M features an all-aluminum welded frame, aluminum siding, and a one-piece aluminum roof. The 425-pound topper features a fully insulated roof and sides, four large windows with screens and window covers, and an impressive 6 feet 6 inches of interior standing room. The best options include solar power and and a portable battery to power things like power portable refrigerators, computers, phones, and lights. Other options include top, side, and hitch racks for things like water or gas containers, shovels, Maxtrax, surf boards, kayaks, bikes, snow skis, etc. In the future, Four Wheel Campers will offer retrofittable, modular interior options like drawers and cabinets for organization, and racks for easy and safe transport of equipment and gear. Available in numerous colors in smooth, ribbed, or diamond-plate aluminum. Fits both mid-size and full-size trucks including the Toyota Tacoma, Ford Raptor and Ram Power Wagon. A Jeep Gladiator version will be coming soon. Pricing starts at a affordable $9,795.

3. Hiatus Campers Truck Topper

Easily, one of the 10 best mid-size and full-size truck topper camper shells for 2023. The Hiatus Camper Truck Topper is truly innovative and deserves a top three ranking. The Hiatus camper’s unique, lightweight design offers all of the benefits of today’s truck topper without the use of canvas for a better four-season experience. “A lot of the pop-up truck campers currently on the market have canvas sides,” explained Erin Sofinowski, co-owner of Washington-based Hiatus Campers. “Our folding, hard-wall design insulates you from the cold, stands up to wet and snowy weather better, and provides a barrier from wind and external noise. Another thing that sets our camper apart is the double-back door, which makes it easier to get in and out of the camper and does a better job keeping dust and water out of the camper compared to the lift-up window and tailgate entry seen in other toppers.” The Hiatus Camper is fully insulated, mounts to the bed rails of the truck, and provides a comfortable four-season camping experience. The heaviest camper weighs only 500 pounds. The camper can be adapted to fit any make, model, and size of pickup truck, including the popular mid-size Toyota Tacoma and full-size Ford F-150. The innovative, patent pending design features a large bed that can comfortably sleep two, which slides-out, and can be assembled in seconds. For a mid-size truck, the sleeping platform is 50×74 inches and for a full-size truck 56×74 inches. Standard features include locking double doors, lift assist gas struts, a Fan-Tastic Vent Fan, overhead LED lighting, an integrated third brake light, and Yakima tracks. Pricing for the mid-size variant starts at $15,500.

4. Go Fast Camper Platform Camper

A top name in the truck topper industry and worthy to be included in this survey, the Go Fast Camper Platform Camper comes in three sizes depending on the size of your truck. The “standard” size is made for mid-sized trucks like the Ford Ranger, Jeep Gladiator, and Toyota Tacoma, while the “XL” version is made for full-sized short-beds like the Ford F150, Ram 1500, and Toyota Tundra. Full-size long-bed trucks with 8-foot beds get the appropriately named “8-Footer Camper.” All Go Fast Platform Campers offer a whopping 7.5 feet of head room, and come with an upholstered 2-inch mattress that works with what the company calls its “Transform-A-Floor” modular floor system. The sleeping dimensions are surprisingly large with 50×90 inches for the standard model, 56×90 inches for the XL, and 56×90 inches for the 8-Footer. The weights are surprisingly light too, with only 270 pounds for the Standard, 300 pounds for the XL, and 320 pounds for the 8-Footer. The Go Fast Camper Platform Camper top is activated by pulling two levers and pushing the roof of the tent up a few inches. From there, the gas struts take over, fully releasing the tent the rest of the way. It only takes a few seconds. Collapsing the tent is just as easy, just pull down on the tent fabric, hit it inside the extruded aluminum hinges, close the latches, and you’re on the road. Closed, the tent measures just six inches in height, making it perfect for your off-road truck camper adventures. Pricing for the Go Fast Camper Platform Camper starts at $7,700.

5. AT Overland Summit

Without a doubt, one of the 10 best truck toppers for 2023. The Summit is another top entry from our friends at AT Overland. Unlike the Atlas, which offers a traditional pop-top tent, the Summit features a wedge-style tent for great interior head room. Like the Atlas, however, the Summit is built from CNC-cut and formed aluminum with a bonded honeycomb composite and features a distinctive wedge-style pop-top that provides up to 8 feet of headroom and a 48×80-inch sleep platform with a 2.5-inch mattress that can support up to 500 pounds. Each topper is custom made to order. The Summit features a durable, fire-retardant canvas tent that is breathable and waterproof. For cold weather, an optional fire-retardant, light-blocking, Thinsulate™ liner is available with matching window openings and a R value of 1.4 (34-36-degree heat retention). This combination of materials makes the Summit comfortable, whatever the weather. Other options include a cab slider window, a roof rack, side slider windows, Seitz “Euro-style” side windows (17×43 inches), side hatch doors (17×43 inches), a rear lift-gate insert window, a 12 volt power system, interior lighting, awnings, interior cabinetry with pull-out refrigerators and cooktops, forced air heating, and a color match to vehicle. Easily, one of the top 10 mid-size and full-size truck topper camper shells for 2023. Designed by AT Overland co-founder and truck camper designer extraordinaire Mario Donovan and sold factory direct at the company’s headquarters in Prescott, Arizona or at select dealerships nationwide. Pricing starts at a very affordable $13,200.

6. OVRLND Campers Truck Topper

Without a doubt, one of the 10 best truck topper camper shells for 2023. This Flagstaff, Arizona-based company revealed its first pop-up truck topper at the 2018 Overland Expo and hasn’t looked back since. Unlike the traditional slide-in truck camper, which easily weighs over 1,000 pounds, the base model of the OVRLND Camper weighs only 300 pounds, making it light enough to be safely hauled on any mid-size or full-size, half-ton truck, including the Ram Power Wagon. The camper features a vertical pop-top with a canvas height of just under 28 inches and comes standard with a pull-out, north-south 60×80-inch queen bed. The vertical walls of the camper maximize usable space and feature an aluminum “T track” on either side that can be used to secure and mount kitchen counters, stoves, and equipment to provide additional functionality, features, and comfort. Moreover, the topper’s internals can be easily be removed should the owner need the truck to haul plywood, firewood, or any other gear. This can’t be done with a regular slide-in camper. OVRLND Campers are custom-built, so owners can pick from a number of options available such as roof rack tracks, solar power, windows, awnings, extra bedding height, cabinets, counters, rear barn doors, lift jacks, etc. The frame is constructed using welded aluminum tubing, making it easy for interior or exterior hard point mounting of Jerry cans, propane cans, or other recreational equipment. The tubing construction also makes it easy to add 1-inch insulation for thermal protection against the elements. OVRLND Camper pricing starts at $6,900 for small/mid-size trucks and $7,600 for full-size trucks.

7. Topo Toppers Mesa

Topo Toppers is better known for its flagship model called the Badlander, but the Ventura, California-based company is equally proud of its brand-new model called the Mesa. The Mesa is built on the same high-quality foundation as the Badlander, but removes the non-essentials to offer a bomb-proof, customizable, lightweight camper shell at a highly competitive price. The Mesa is made of 1/8-inch formed aluminum sheet metal, making it extremely strong and lightweight—the base model weighs in at only 250 pounds. The roof is made of a single sheet of formed aluminum, with an aluminum substructure, which adds even more rigidity. The camper side’s are tapered with the truck bed, with custom dies to form sleek radius bends that compliment the truck and ensure a perfect fit. Topo Topper never cuts corners. Each camper is designed, programmed and laser cut specifically for each truck model ordered. The company also sources the highest quality, American-made and patented, marine-grade performance fabric that is abrasion resistant, breathable, and comes with a 10-year fade warranty. The Mesa features two zippered side wall tent windows and a 2-inch, high density foam mattress with a wider sleeping area—51 inches wide x 80 inches long—compared to the competition, with enough space to get up and down from bed without needing to remove a bed panel or disturb your partner. It also features keyed tailgate door locks and two tent stash pockets for snacks and for your phone. The Mesa can be purchased at an introductory price of only $6,250 for mid-size trucks.

8. Super Pacific Switchback X1

A different approach to truck topper design, the Go Fast Camper (GFC) Platform Topper offers a “cabana” rather than a pop-up tent. At only 135 pounds, the Platform Topper is also incredibly strong, capable of supporting a 4,500-pound Ford F250 pickup truck. GFC’s Platform Topper achieves this lightweight strength by employing a tubular aluminum space frame reinforced with billet aluminum parts. That spreads loads evenly across the entire perimeter of a pickup truck’s bed. All connections in that space frame are bolted rather than welded, eliminating the potential for stress fractures. Up top, a pressure-formed aluminum load halo supports a 1-inch thick thermoplastic honeycomb roof panel. That panel is translucent, allowing light to enter the topper, while reflecting solar radiation and providing insulation, which helps keep loads from overheating. The load halo includes T-track accessory mounting rails on all four sides, allowing owners to mount lights, awnings, tools, or other accessories. The T-track also supports up to four of GFC’s Beef Rack crossbars, which each offer 200 pounds of dynamic load, and also feature T-track on top, and underneath, enabling even more accessory mounting options. The GFC Platform Topper can be custom-sized for each specific make and model of pickup, including the Toyota Tacoma, Ford Ranger, and Jeep Gladiator. Those will be followed shortly by the Ford F150 (including the EV Lightning). Lists for only $3,995.