It Works for Us: Simple Truck Camper Mods and Fixes for Comfort and Efficiency

Marcia and I are on our third truck camper, a BundutecUSA Roadrunner, and like so many others, we find ourselves giving a tour of our rig to other truck camper owners or interested folks in campgrounds during our travels. What often amazes us is the reaction of others to simple things that we have done to make our rig “ours.” I guess that we’ve become used to them through daily use and they’re no longer a big deal. On the other hand, we’ve responded the same way while seeing similar mods to others’ rigs. Here are some things that work for us.

Maximizing space: getting things out of the cupboards

Rigs vary greatly in size and our hard-side falls into the compact category with a beam of only 7 feet 6 inches. Space is obviously at a premium in most truck campers and we’ve made a concerted effort to get as much out of the cupboards and drawers as possible, freeing up that space for other items. In addition, it makes some things more accessible and handy.

Looking at the accompanying photos, note the black wire racks mounted on the walls in the galley area, which mostly contain spices and other cooking items like honey, hot sauce and so on. Purell is also stored here. Frequently, campers store these essentials in tubs or loose in cupboards. Moving them into racks makes them handier. Using kitchen sponges and wash cloths keeps them from rattling around and in place. Still other wire racks hold daily essentials like bug spray and skin lotion. Just use your imagination and you’ll find plenty of other items that you want to keep handy. A word of caution: make sure that the wall for mounting racks is substantial or has wooden backing so they won’t pull out of the wall. Source: Amazon and others. Note: I have a love/hate relationship with Amazon.com. They’ve been good to us, but I hate what they’re doing to small mom-and-pop businesses throughout the country.

I’m sure that you have a drawer for large kitchen utensils like spatulas, spoons and ladles. Okay, now how many times did you engage in combat with said drawer when one of those handy items got out of place and jammed the drawer shut? While browsing through Amazon.com, I came across a teak utensil holder with teak utensils. Some were items that I would never use, so I tossed those. To avoid the battle of the utensil drawer, I mounted the teak holder to the galley counter with Tack-It, a surprisingly strong, pliable adhesive that secures it to the counter. Does it work? After eight months of use, including driving on forest service roads, the utensil holder hasn’t budged a bit. I know of others who has used Tack-It to keep Keurigs in place.

Organizing cupboards and open locker spaces

We use small tubs to categorize items. One is for drinks such as coffee, tea and Crystal Light. It also contains Splenda, coffee cups and other drink powders. It’s a simple matter to take out the entire tub for use in the morning.  Still others contain snacks, instant potatoes, instant ramen, gravy mixes and rice dishes.

There is a large cupboard over our galley that contains a percolator, nested pots and pans and a Keurig. We found that the fine assortment of frying pans always migrated in the wrong place and disorganized our carefully planned arrangement. I added a piece of pine that keeps them in place and nested according to size. It works wonders.

Our camper came with three nice hanging lockers. However, when we travel we typically don’t have anything that requires wrinkle-free hanging. T-shirts, sweatshirts, jeans and jackets are folded or rolled. In order to take them more useful, the largest hanging locker was turned into a pantry by adding shelves. The two in the cabover each received a shelf, as well. Items in duffels are placed in the area below the shelves.

I’m not aware of how many truck campers that have lights in lockers and cupboards. Lighted LED strings or ropes are cheap and easily installed. On such LED string placed under our galley easily illuminates the huge storage space there, including the silverware drawer.

Improvements in the Head.  Hey, I’m a boating guy, too!

In our truck camper, the bathroom (or head) is very small, as in tiny. Yes, we had the option of a larger size, but that would have taken space away from the dinette area. We rationalized that we spend a lot less time in the bathroom than a lounging area, so went with the smaller bathroom. I’m kind of a big guy and found the opening too small to comfortably enter. First, I ditched the clunky accordion door, which helped, but not enough. Solution: out came the Sawzall! I took about 1.5 inches from the perimeter on all sides and cleaned up the edges with new molding. Great, but what about showering? Marcia made a shower curtain that Velcro’s in place at both top and bottom. It works perfectly!

Also, there’s a flat area behind the toilet that looked like wasted space to me. A piece of Starboard, synthetic wood-like stuff typically used for marine applications was added to make a shelf for towels and other bathroom gear, also freeing up cupboard space, once again.

Mirrors! Oddly enough, our rig didn’t come with any, but that’s easily fixed. There are many sizes available with an online search. We put a round one in the bathroom and a rectangular model on the inside of the pantry door. With that door open and the light over the door turned on, it’s a great place for me to shave and be near the sink. While I’d like to say I comb my hair there, those days are long gone, unfortunately. Note: buy a stick-on mirror and be sure to clean the mounting area with rubbing alcohol. The optical quality is not topnotch, but not bad, either. Good news: they’re light years better than fun house mirrors!

Shoe Storage

Quite often truck camper owners store shoes in the wheel well area on each side of their rig, accessed by small doors at floor level. Unfortunately for chronologically-gifted folks like me (read old), that necessitates getting down on my knees. For footwear more frequently used, I’ve created a couple types shoe storage mounted in convenient, out of the way areas near the floor. One is hinged and tips out to access the shoes and another is mounted under a cupboard overhand, which doesn’t need to be hinged. See photos for detail.

Accordian Step Storage

We’re on our third set of accordion steps, Glow Light Steps by TorkLift International. That’s on three rigs, by the way. The reaction of others to these steps in campgrounds is almost comical at times. We’ve heard some declare, “OMG! those steps scare me!” It’s almost like they expect them to rip themselves off the truck to chase them down and bite them. Still others see them as so rickety that they’ll fall apart when in use. I’m not sure why. I’m 75 years old and find them to be sturdy and easy to use, never having had a problem with them.

A couple things for safety though, always grab the safety rail or ladder when using them. Also, when exiting the camper, walk down backwards and also use the rail. Note: we often tow a Jeep or boat, so I’ve avoided porches or landings that would necessitate the use of extended hitch arrangements, thus the use of accordion steps.

Okay, now how to secure the steps while driving. There is a small stainless steel cable tether which will hold them in a collapsed position, but I’ve seen these fail. I cringe at the idea of extended steps being dragged down the highway. A good friend of mine up with a great idea. Jamie had an old draw bar in his shop which he cut off a bit longer than the receiver. He then fabricated a cradle to hold the collapsed and secured steps. Using a captured pin device, the steps are securely attached and easily deployed. Photo shows details of the device.

Security on the Road

This is a major topic and could take up thousands of words, but I’d just like to mention a couple things. One is a company called Console Vault, which makes a small vault which is secured in the console of your vehicle. It’s made of steel and uses the entire space of the console. Mine has a rotary lock which is easily accessible and pretty quick. When we leave the vehicle, we also close and lock the OEM cover for the console. Most vehicle break-ins are smash and grabs. If the typical thug encounters a locked OEM console cover, he might pop it with a big screw driver or small pry bar, but be deterred when seeing something more substantial underneath. Yes, a determined guy with time and the right tools could defeat it, but that’s probably unlikely in most cases.

Another similar company is Tuffy and they have more applications than Console Vault. Spend some time on-line and see what’s out there. Whether you have guns, cash or other valuables, complicating a theft is probably your best bet.  Also, if a thug is concentrating on a secure area, it might keep them from searching for other unconventional hiding spots. I’m not going to go into more strategy on our particular plans because my momma didn’t raise no fool!

Warning: your key fob just might betray you! We all know that from a certain distance your truck’s brain (huh?) recognizes your key fob which allows you to unlock your door by merely lifting the door handle. But did you know that if your key fob is inadvertently close to the door that it can be opened? We had a big shock when we discovered that with a key fob tossed onto one of the coffin lockers on either side of the bed, the mere lifting of the door handle opens your truck’s cab! We did some experimenting and now put our key fobs toward the rear of the camper, never the cabover.

Fun Stuff!

Our first truck camper, whose origin will remain nameless, had next to no graphics on seemingly acres of bare white fiberglass. I came up with some graphics for the nose and sent a photo of them to the company president who condemned them by replying, “man, those are sure tacky!” So much for customer relations. Anyhow, here are some graphics that I’ve put on our current rig. The side graphics are truly custom and fun, at least to us. The one on the rear is available online.

That’s it fellow campers! Here’s hoping that some of this might be new to you and helpful, if not, you’re way ahead of us. Consider sharing what works for you; we’re all in this together. Remember, it works for us! We hope it works for you.