Custom Camper Maximizes Space

Custom Camper Maximizes Space Roy Bertalotto customized a pickup camper so he could go off-road or simply go on rougher back roads. Having traveled with a wide variety of pickup campers and trailers, he knew just what would fit his needs. “I wanted a small, lightweight camper just right for one person,” says Bertalotto. “I also wanted to keep the costs under $10,000.” When he ran across a 50-year-old Maine topper camper for $1,000, he grabbed it. The camper topped out at 9 ft., 6 in. high and 6 ft., 3 in. wide. It was 8 ft. long, but Bertalotto’s 2021 Ram 2500’s bed was only 6 1/2 ft. He filled in the difference with plywood walls covered with repurposed aluminum diamond plate. While the exterior was in good shape, the interior was well-worn. He gutted it and converted it from sitting on bed rails to a slide-in-the-box style with an interior substructure. All construction was 2 by 2-in. studs and 3/8-in. plywood. Bertalotto used only four sheets of plywood for the whole build and stapled low-cost carpet to the aisle sides and floor. He started with center aisle walls about a foot from either wheel well. “I don’t need much floor space as I’m only inside the camper when cooking, changing clothes and sleeping,” explains Bertalotto. “Plus, the space between the aisle walls and the sides of the truck bed provides lots of storage.” On the driver’s side of the aisle, he has an 8-ft. long, 24-in. wide counter with a twin-size bed on the other side. At the end of the center aisle sits a 30-gal. water tank with a 12-volt water pump. An above-counter, dorm room-type mini fridge sits on top of the counter at the front of the camper. The other end of the counter extends over a storage area for a camper’s toilet. Placement of the sink and a small gray-water storage tank next to the toilet gives Bertalotto about 4 ft. of counter space for a coffee maker, toaster and butane stove. A 5,000-Btu air conditioner extends through the rear wall above the counter, with a TV and accessories mounted above the A/C unit. The camper is also equipped with internet and hotspot connectivity. Storage under the bed holds a portable infrared grill, a propane-fueled 2,000-watt generator, and an insulated box for three 100 Ah batteries for his rooftop solar array. In the space between the end of the bed and the rear door, Bertalotto boxed in a 20-lb. propane tank with a removable lid. An electric board on the wall above the propane storage hosts controllers for the rooftop solar panels, a 1,500-watt inverter and a 40-amp DC-to-DC charger that takes power from the truck when it’s being driven. The rear wall holds a propane (zero clearance) heater, a clock, and temperature readouts for inside and outside the camper. With storage always at a premium, Bertalotto added storage bins underneath the rear of the camper. He welded up a rack on an 18-in. receiver tube that slips into the truck’s receiver hitch to support them. This makes it simple to remove them if he wants to tow a boat or another trailer. Bertalotto modified a painter’s stepladder to hinge beneath the door to get in and out. When not in use, it swings up and locks to the door with a gate latch. “When it’s down and the padlock is installed, someone can’t put it up and lock me in the camper,” says Bertalotto. For extended details on the camper build and later modifications, visit Bertalotto’s website and YouTube channel. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Roy Bertalotto, Dartmouth, Mass. (www.rvbprecision.com; YouTube: roybertalotto6355).

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