Some people spend their weekends replacing a faucet or hanging a new shelf inside their truck camper.
Robert Hallock spends his weekends redesigning entire RVs.
If a cabinet doesn’t provide enough storage, he rebuilds it. If the suspension isn’t up to the task, he fabricates a better one. If the truck doesn’t have enough storage, he redesigns the bed. If the electrical system falls short, he doubles its capacity.
After one look at Bob’s meticulously customized 2025 Host Cascade 10.6 and equally impressive Chevrolet 5500HD hauler, it quickly becomes apparent that he’s never been content leaving “good enough” alone.
His philosophy is simple. If you can imagine a better solution, build it.
Around the Truck Camper Adventure Rally, however, most people simply know his rig by another name.
Bobzilla.
It’s an appropriate nickname for one of the most extensively modified truck camper rigs we’ve ever featured.
A Lifetime of Building Things
Long before Bob became known for building incredible truck camper rigs, he was learning the skills that made them possible.
Growing up in the foothills of New York’s beautiful Catskill Mountains gave him an appreciation for the outdoors, but it was his military service that shaped him into the fabricator he is today.
Bob spent twelve years in the U.S. Army as a tank mechanic, where he learned diesel mechanics, welding, fabrication, and the importance of solving problems with his own hands.
“When you’re working on tanks,” Bob explained, “you learn pretty quickly how to make things work.”
Those skills would prove invaluable decades later.
After leaving the Army, Bob couldn’t find work as a mechanic, so he accepted a position with a utility company, eventually spending thirty years as a power lineman before retiring.
Along the way he married Angie, whom he met while stationed in Georgia in 1980. Today they’ve been married for more than 43 years, have raised two children, and are proud grandparents to four grandchildren.
Retirement didn’t slow them down.
If anything, it accelerated their adventures.
Coming Full Circle
Bob and Angie’s RV journey began in 2000 with a truck camper.
Like many RVers, they eventually wondered whether the grass might be greener elsewhere.
Over the next 26 years they owned four different truck campers, a Class A motorhome, a Class C motorhome, a tag-along travel trailer, and two different fifth wheels.
Each offered something different.
Each taught valuable lessons.
But after experiencing virtually every style of RV, they arrived back where they started.
Truck campers.
“We began our camping experience in a truck camper,” Bob said, “and loved it so much that we eventually returned to truck campers permanently.”
Today they live full-time in one.
For the past seven years they’ve been full-time RVers, initially splitting their time between a 2018 Landmark 350 fifth wheel and a truck camper. For the past 18 months they’ve lived exclusively in truck campers—first in a 2015 Eagle Cap 1165 and now in their customized 2025 Host Cascade 10.6.
It’s proof that sometimes the first choice turns out to be the right one all along.
Why the Host Cascade?
When it came time to replace their Eagle Cap, Bob knew exactly what he wanted—and what he didn’t.
The biggest issue? Schwintek slide mechanisms.
“We were tired of constantly repairing them,” Bob admitted.
The Host Cascade immediately caught his attention because Host uses Lippert’s heavy duty slide mechanisms instead. That alone was enough to move the Cascade to the top of the list.
But there was much more to like.
Unlike most truck campers, where the recliners face toward the cabover bed, the Host Cascade positions its recliners facing the rear of the camper.
That seemingly small change completely transforms the living area.
Instead of staring toward the bedroom, Bob and Angie enjoy panoramic views through windows on three sides while relaxing in their recliners.
The Host Cascade also features a unique L-shaped dinette, a spacious full shower, a 12-volt Dometic refrigerator/freezer, and a whisper-quiet 12-volt air conditioner.
For full-time truck camper living, it checked nearly every box.
Nearly.
Because Bob was already planning modifications before they even brought it home.
Making a Truck Camper Feel Like Home
Weekend campers can tolerate little inconveniences.
Full-time campers cannot.
Living in a truck camper every day changes how you look at storage, organization, and comfort.
Bob immediately began transforming the Host into a home.
One of the biggest projects involved removing part of the dinette seating and replacing it with a beautifully crafted buffet.
The buffet features two deep storage drawers, a permanent home for the coffee maker, and one particularly classy touch—a custom-built wooden wine box.
“It’s one of our favorite additions,” Bob said.
The upgrades, however, didn’t stop there.
The factory recliners were replaced with upgraded RecPro recliners, and Bob built large storage drawers underneath them. Those drawers now hold much of the couple’s clothing, eliminating the need to climb into the cabover every morning to retrieve clothes.
He also built a full-length storage drawer beside the bed for additional organization.
Even the bedroom closets received attention.
Bob removed the solid center panels from the closet doors and replaced them with decorative metal ventilation grates, dramatically improving air circulation inside the wardrobes.
Outside, he constructed a sturdy 24×24-inch entry platform complete with Torklift six-step stairs.
The result feels less like climbing into an RV and more like walking into a small home.
Every modification has a purpose. Nothing was added simply for appearance.
Meet Bobzilla
If the camper is impressive, the truck underneath it is downright extraordinary.
Bob’s 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 5500HD has been transformed into the ultimate truck camper hauler.
He started with an 8-foot Knapheide flatbed.
Then he stretched it to an impressive 9 feet 6 inches.
Custom storage compartments were added.
A full-width rear bumper step followed.
He then fabricated a double-slide mechanism specifically designed to carry his propane grill.
The modifications continued underneath the truck. Bob designed and welded his own dual-airbag suspension system with one airbag mounted ahead of the rear axle and another behind it to better control ride quality.
To complement the airbags, he removed three leaf springs from the suspension and uses an onboard Viair 200 PSI four-port air compressor with in-cab controls to fine-tune air pressure depending on road conditions.
He also fabricated a massive front winch mount capable of carrying a winch rated for 20,000-pounds.
Inside the cab, Bob removed the rear seat to create significantly more storage. The factory center console disappeared as well, replaced by an ICECO refrigerator located conveniently between the driver and passenger seats.
Because Bob and Angie often wear wide-brimmed hats during their travels—and especially at the Truck Camper Adventure Rally—Bob even built dedicated hat holders inside the cab.
Then came perhaps the most dramatic transformation. Working with DBL Design, Bob converted the truck from a dual-rear-wheel setup to Continental MPT 335/85R20 super singles. The conversion significantly improved ride quality and dramatically increased off-road capability.
A heavier custom hitch now supports the truck’s massive 41-inch spare tire.
Additional soundproofing and insulation have been installed throughout the cab doors and walls, with plans to insulate the ceiling next.
Full-length side steps fabricated from ATV loading ramps make climbing into the truck easier, while grab handles mounted between the cab doors provide extra assistance.
Dual water filtration systems—one at the exterior water connection and another beneath the kitchen sink—ensure clean drinking water no matter where they travel.
King shocks are already on order to complete the suspension package.
Apparently, Bob still isn’t finished.
Serious Power for Serious Boondocking
Electrical independence has become one of Bob’s highest priorities.
His current system includes four 100 amp hour Battle Born lithium batteries, providing 400 amp-hours of usable capacity.
An impressive 1,200 watts of rooftop solar continuously replenish the battery bank.
Power management comes from a Victron MultiPlus 3,000-watt inverter/charger paired with a Victron LI-BIM 12/12-18 amp smart DC-DC charger.
For those rare occasions when Mother Nature refuses to cooperate, a quiet 2,500-watt Onan generator stands ready as backup.
Even so, Bob already has his next upgrade planned. Soon the battery bank will grow to approximately 900 amp-hours, giving the couple enough stored energy to comfortably operate their whisper-quiet 12-volt air conditioner while camping far from shore power.
For Bob, bigger batteries don’t simply mean more electricity. They mean more freedom.
Bobzilla Earns Its Name
Bob and Angie didn’t build this rig to spend weekends parked in RV resorts. They built it to explore.
So far Bobzilla has carried them through Alaska, Canada, and 48 U.S. states.
Only Oregon and Hawaii remain on the bucket list.
The truck has crossed Texas beaches, tackled New Mexico sand dunes, climbed Colorado’s breathtaking Million Dollar Highway, and navigated the Shafer Trail’s legendary switchbacks in Canyonlands National Park.
It has also conquered both the Alaska Highway and the rugged Cassiar Highway.
The roughest stretch? Without hesitation Bob points to the section between Destruction Bay in the Yukon and Tok, Alaska.
“It was brutal,” he recalled.
Fortunately, Bobzilla was built for exactly those kinds of roads.
There Is No Perfect Truck Camper
After owning virtually every style of RV imaginable, Bob has reached a conclusion that may surprise many shoppers.
The perfect RV doesn’t exist.
Every manufacturer makes compromises.
Every owner has different priorities.
Rather than endlessly searching for perfection, Bob believes owners should buy the RV that comes closest to meeting their needs—and then personalize it.
That’s exactly what he’s done with every RV he’s owned.
The Host Cascade simply became his latest canvas.
He admits there are still a few things he’d like to change. He wishes the black tank were positioned differently. He’d also like to see an overhead vent fan above the cooktop.
And while condensation has been more noticeable in the Host Cascade than in previous campers, he recognizes that every truck camper design involves tradeoffs.
His biggest wish?
“I wish more manufacturers would switch to the Lippert slide mechanism.”
The Road Ahead
Although Bob has already visited nearly every corner of North America, he isn’t slowing down.
Another trip to Alaska is already in the works.
Canada still has plenty left to explore.
Driving all the way to the Arctic Ocean ranks near the top of the bucket list.
Mexico is calling.
Oregon still needs to be checked off the map.
And while Hawaii isn’t exactly truck-camper friendly, Bob laughs that he’d love to take Bobzilla there if someone could figure out how.
Bob’s Advice
Perhaps the best advice Bob offers has nothing to do with fabrication, solar systems, or suspension design.
It’s about getting started.
“Our first truck camper was a small Coachmen on a stock Chevy 1500 pickup,” he recalled.
For years they rarely traveled more than 40 miles from home.
Weekend camping slowly evolved into week-long vacations. Those vacations eventually became a lifestyle.
Today their truck camper is their full-time home.
His message is simple: don’t wait until retirement. Don’t wait until you can afford your dream truck. Don’t wait until everything is perfect.
Start with what you can afford. Take weekend trips. Learn what works. Improve your rig over time.
As Bob’s remarkable journey proves, today’s modest camper could become tomorrow’s dream rig.
Every Window Holds a Different View
Spend enough time talking with Bob Hallock and it’s easy to understand that all the fabrication, welding, cabinetry, suspension work, and electrical upgrades aren’t really the story.
They’re simply tools.
The real reward comes each morning when he and Angie open the shades.
Some days they overlook an alpine lake.
Other mornings it’s a desert sunrise, a mountain meadow, an ocean bluff, a quiet prairie, or a waterfall tucked deep inside a national forest.
“One of the great things about this lifestyle,” Bob said, “is that every day we can have a different view.”
For Bob and Angie Hallock, that’s what truck camping has always been about.
Not finding the perfect truck camper.
Building one that allows them to enjoy the next adventure.
Readers interested in following Bob and Angie’s travels can find them on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram, where Bob also shares many of his fabrication projects and build ideas through his popular “DIY With Bob” video series.
And if history is any indication, Bobzilla’s next modification is probably already taking shape in his workshop.
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