Make a “Skate-Away” DIY Truck Camper

Build a DIY Camper! Use these plans to build a DIY truck camper that looks like a tiny house! It’s lightweight and perfect for small pickups!

Build a DIY Truck Camper

For me, tent camping is fun. Tent camping in the rain is not fun. Packing up musty camping gear is really not fun and putting that dripping wet gear in my car is definitely not fun.

Last year a light bulb went off in my head while I was packing up my car with cold wet camping gear. I need a truck camper! A truck camper would be waterproof (or at least I hoped it would be!)

A truck camper would be a little place to hang out if the weather wasn’t so great. It would also mean not dealing with wet camping gear.

And being self-contained all of my camping gear would be in one spot. Which means I could quickly take off for the weekend (or even a week) if the mood struck.

So I did what everyone does when they need something. I went to craigslist. There were pages of HUGE truck campers.

My truck is small just like my small workshop. Actually, my truck is considered mid-size, but even still none of these giant truck campers would fit in my pickup.

That’s when I had an idea. An idea wackier than my DIY air conditioner dresser! An idea crazier than my backyard poop bag dispenser disguised as a birdhouse! I’ll design and build my own DIY truck camper! Today I’m excited to share with you my “Skate-Away” DIY Truck Camper!

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How to Navigate This Post

This DIY camper build is a BIG project which means this will be a big post. To make it easier for you to navigate I created a table of contents below.

As I mentioned this is a big project and it has taken me much longer than I anticipated to write the instructions.

Please bear with me. I’ve included the estimated date in the table of contents that I hope to publish the plans.

And please don’t get upset with me. It’s entirely possible that I may have goofed up a step or typed the wrong measurement. If you noticed I made a mistake please send me a (polite) message here and it will get it corrected.

Before we get into how to build a DIY truck camper, be sure to click the subscribe button at the bottom of this page to sign up for my FREE weekly newsletter loaded with helpful pocket hole tricks, space-saving workshop ideas, clever DIY tips and more!

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DIY Truck Camper Design Concept

I’ve always wanted a camper. I love VW campers and even DIYed this flower power bus planter.

I also love those “canned ham” campers which were the inspiration for my vintage style camper napkin holder.

I dig those unique styles synonymous with the 50s, 60s, and 70s but I wanted a different style for my DIY camper.

DIY Camper Exterior

I wanted my homemade truck camper to blend in with the surroundings of the woods. I wanted it to look like a small cabin you might find in the forest.

For the cabin style look, I drew inspiration from another love of mine. Tiny houses!

I’m obsessed with tiny houses and without a doubt, a cabin small enough to fit in the bed of my mid-size pickup would be tiny!

To make the tiny cabin feel larger I designed the DIY camper with LOTS of windows.

I think the Skate-Away camper will have more windows than a manufactured truck camper. The windows will flood the tiny interior with lots of sunlight.

Lots of windows mean lots of window screens to let in fresh mountain.

The exterior of the homemade truck camper will be painted with colors inspired by nature.

I’m planning to use an exterior semi-gloss paint to protect the DIY truck bed camper from the elements.

And I plan to use my HomeRight Super Finish Max paint sprayer to apply a coat of primer and two coats of paint.

DIY Camper Interior

The interior of this homemade truck camper will be small but functional. For sleeping, I plan to use a full-size futon mattress.

During the day the futon mattress can be converted to a couch to be used as seating.

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DIY Truck Camper Wish List

I would love to make this homemade truck camper functional to use for an extended period of time. An extended period like a cross-country trip or this road trip that keeps you in 70-degree weather all year long.

Some of the things I would eventually like to include is a small place to cook a meal. I LOVE this Multifunction Breakfast Center.

It has everything I would need in one convenient little unit. You can make coffee, fry eggs and bake biscuits all in one spot.

How will I power the Multifunction Breakfast Center? Eventually, I think it would be cool to outfit the DIY camper with solar power.

I’m not familiar with setting up solar as a source of power so I’ll definitely need to do some research on this.

Another goal would be to add a small sink for washing hands and washing dishes. When the futon mattress is in the bed position there will be just a tiny amount of space left within the DIY camper.

This space could be used for a sink, but the sink will have to be really small. Finding a sink this small will also require some research.

To Be Determined

There are a few things I still have to figure out. The first is, how will I get the camper in and out of the truck? I’m thinking of using jacks like these attached to all four corners.

The second big question is how will I attach the camper to the truck? I like these bed clamps, but I took some measurements and it appears they won’t fit my truck. My second option is tie downs similar to these that attach to the frame.

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How to Build a Lightweight Truck Camper

As I mentioned earlier my truck is small, so I want to keep the weight of this DIY camper relatively low. My target weight for the DIY truck bed camper is less than 800 pounds. In order to keep the weight down, I took a different approach to design the walls of the camper.

For the DIY camper walls, I took some inspiration from my DIY cabinet doors. For my cabinet doors, I used frame-and-panel style construction.

Just as the name suggests a frame-and-panel is a panel surrounded by a frame.

The panel floats in a groove routed into the frame which allows the panel to swell and shrink with seasonal changes.

I could have designed the homemade truck camper with a more traditional interior frame and then attached an exterior plywood skin but this method would have increased the weight.

Instead, the frame-and-panel construction will allow me to use thin ¼” panels within the 1× material frames. This construction method will help me to keep the weight down.

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How to Make the DIY Truck Camper Panels

I’m trying to reduce the amount of plywood I use in my DIY projects, so I didn’t want to use any plywood in my DIY camper.

Instead of using plywood for the panels I’ll make my own panels just like I did for the DIY bathroom vanity and cabinet doors.

To make the panels I’ll use my bandsaw outfitted with a resaw blade to resaw pieces of 1×6. Think of resawing as splitting a piece of wood lengthwise and then opening it like a book.

After resawing, I will be left with pieces that were about 3/8” thick. Those pieces will be edge glued to form wide panels.

Once the glue is dry I will use my thickness planer mounted on my flip-top workbench cart to smooth the panel sections and plane them until they easily fit in the grooves.

Skate over to How to Make a Book-Matched Panel or watch the video below for more details about how I will make the panels.

No worries if you’re thinking you might want to make this homemade truck camper but don’t have a bandsaw or thickness planer. You can use 1/4” plywood instead of making your own panels. Not using plywood is just a personal preference for me.

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How to Make the Grooves

The frame-and-panel walls of this homemade truck camper have three main parts. The frame is made with rails (horizontal pieces) and stiles (vertical pieces). The panel fits into a groove that is cut or routed into the frame.

The groove is 7/16″ deep. The panel is a 1/4″ bigger than the opening on each side of the frame. This means the panel engages each groove a 1/4″. The remaining 3/16″ in the groove is filled with Spacer Balls. Spacer Balls allow the panel to move with seasonal changes.

The groove is made using a router, mounted in my Kreg Bench Top Router Table and a 1/4” straight cutting bit.

Step 1. Cut the Frame Parts

Use the diagram to cut the parts for the frame

Step 2. Rout the Groove for the Panel

Place the stiles and rails (with the pocket holes facing down) on your workbench. Use a pencil to mark the intersection where each stile meets the rails. I labeled each joint (A, B, C, D or 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.) Labeling will help to properly position the workpieces when routing the grooves and for assembling the frames.

The stiles will have grooves cut from end to end. The rails will have grooves that extend 7/16” past the pencil marks so they’ll match up with the grooves in the stiles.

Install a 1/4″ straight cutting bit in the router, and set the depth of the bit to 7/16”. Then adjust the router fence so the bit is centered from side to side on the edge of the workpieces.

Place a speed square against the fence and draw a straight line on the front and back edge of the router bit. These lines will be used when routing the grooves in the rails.

Place the workpieces with the joint label (A, B, C, D or 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.) towards the fence.

NOTE: Placing the label (letter or number) towards the fence will ensure the faces of the workpieces are flush to the front of the frame. In other words, if the stiles and rails vary in thickness the front of the frame will be flush and any irregularities will be on the back of the frame facing inside the camper.

Place the rail against the fence and lower the left mark on the workpiece over the left mark on the router table. Rout the groove by pushing the workpiece to the left until the right mark on the workpiece meets the right mark on the router table.

Rout the groove in the stiles from end to end.

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DIY Truck Camper Assembly Method

This homemade truck camper will be assembled with pocket holes and wood glue. There will also be a few locations where I’ll use a biscuit joiner or plate joiner in combination with pocket holes and wood glue.

Assemble the DIY Truck Camper Walls

This is probably the trickiest part of building this homemade truck camper. We have to keep a bunch of parts aligned (rails, stiles, and panels) while we’re trying to clamp everything together.

It never fails when I get one piece properly positioned that another piece moves out of position. Take your time. You’ll get it!

First, dry fit (no glue) all of the pieces by placing the stiles, rails, and panel in the clamps to be sure everything fits properly. If everything fits we can begin assembling. Place 2 Spacer Balls in each rail and 3 Spacer Balls in each stile.

Insert the panel into one of the rails. Do not apply glue to the panel. Apply glue to the stiles, and place the second rail over the panel and stiles. Clamp and check that all of the joints are properly aligned. Attach using 1-1/4″ pocket screws.

Attach one 1/2″ pin nail at the top rail and one pin nail at the bottom rail. This will prevent the panel from shifting. No glue will be used to attach the panel.

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Step 1. Cut the Rails

For the upper rails cut 2 pieces of 1×4 to 76-½”, rip to 3-¼” and drill pocket holes on each end. For the lower rails cut 2 pieces of 1×6 to 76-½” and drill pocket holes on each end.

Step 2. Cut the Stiles

For the outside stiles cut 4 pieces of 1×4 to 14-½” and drill pocket holes on each end. For the inside stiles cut 6 pieces of 1×3 to 14-½” and drill pocket holes on each end.

Step 3. Rout the Grooves

See How to Make the Grooves for the instructions for routing the grooves in the frame parts. I sealed the grooves with Zinsser BIN Primer to help protect them from the elements.

Step 4. Cut the Panels

Cut 8 panels 15” x 16” from ¼” plywood or see How to Make the Panels for more information. I sealed the edges of the panels with Zinsser BIN Primer to help protect them from the elements.

Step 5. Assemble the Lower Side Walls

Follow the DIY Truck Camper Assembly Method for the instructions to assemble the lower walls.

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Step 1. Cut the Rails

For the upper rails cut 2 pieces of 1×4 to 76-½” and drill pocket holes on each end. For the lower rails cut 2 pieces of 1×6 to 76-½” and drill pocket holes on each end. For the middle rails cut 2 pieces of 1×4 to 69-½” and drill pocket holes on each end.

Step 2. Cut the Stiles

For the outside stiles cut 4 pieces of 1×4 to 39” and drill pocket holes on each end. For the inside stiles cut 12 pieces of 1×3 to 17-3/4” and drill pocket holes on each end.

Step 3. Rout the Grooves

See How to Make the Grooves for the instructions for routing the grooves in the frame parts. I sealed the grooves with Zinsser BIN Primer to help protect them from the elements.

Step 4. Cut the Panels

Cut 8 panels 18-1/4” x 16” from ¼” plywood or see How to Make the Panels for more information. I sealed the edges of the panels with Zinsser BIN Primer to help protect them from the elements.

Step 5. Assemble the Upper Side Walls

Follow the DIY Truck Camper Assembly Method for the instructions to assemble the upper walls.

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Step 1. Cut the Window Stiles

Cut 8 pieces of 1×4 to 39” and drill pocket holes on each end. 4 of these stiles will be used for the Entrance Wall and 4 will be used for the Cab Wall.

Step 2. Cut the Middle Rails

Cut 4 pieces of 1×4 to 17” and drill pocket holes on each end. 2 of the middle rails will be used for the Entrance Wall and 2 will be used for the Cab Wall.

Step 2. Cut the Bottom Rails

Cut 4 pieces of 1×6 to 24”. 2 of the bottom rails will be used for the Entrance Wall and 2 will be used for the Cab Wall.

Step 3. Rout the Grooves

See How to Make the Grooves for the instructions for routing the grooves in the frame parts. I sealed the grooves with BIN primer to help protect them from the elements.

Step 4. Cut the Panels

Cut 6 pieces 18-1/4” x 17-1/2” from ¼” plywood or see How to Make the Panels for more information. 2 of the panels will be used for the Entrance Wall and 4 will be used for the Cab Wall. I sealed the edges of the panels with BIN primer to help protect them from the elements.

Step 5. Assemble Window Subassemblies

Follow the DIY Truck Camper Assembly Method for the instructions to assemble the window subassemblies.

The window subassemblies attach to the doorway assembly with pocket screws. We’ll need a right and left window assembly (see diagram above). Drill pocket holes along one edge of each assembly.

Step 6. Make the Gable Frame Pieces

Cut 2 pieces of 1×4 to 78” (1 of these will be used for the Entrance Wall and 1 will be used for the Cab Wall).

Cut 4 pieces of 1×4 to 47-7/32” (about 47-¼”) and cut a 67.5-degree angle on one end and a 22.5 degree angle on the other end. 2 of these will be used for the Entrance Wall and 2 will be used for the Cab Wall.

See How to Make the Grooves for the instructions for routing the grooves in the frame parts. I sealed the grooves with BIN primer to help protect them from the elements.

Step 7. Cut the Gable Panels

On 2 pieces of ¼” material (plywood or see How to Make the Panels) measure 62-7/32” (about 62-¼”). Divide this measurement in half (31-7/64” – about 31-⅛”) and then measure up 12-57/64” (about 12-15/16”). Connect this point to the other points to form a triangle and cut using a circular saw. 1 panel will be used for the Entrance Wall and 1 will be used for the Cab Wall.

Step 8. Assemble the Gables

Follow the DIY Truck Camper Assembly Method for the instructions to assemble the gables.

Step 9. Assemble the Entrance Wall

Cut 4 pieces of 1×4 to 64-½” and drill pocket holes on one end. 2 pieces will be used for the Entrance Wall and 2 pieces will be used for the Cab Wall.

Cut 1 piece of 1×6 to 23”, rip to 4-¼” and drill pocket holes on each end.

Apply glue to the 23” piece, clamp to the 64-½” pieces and attach using 1-¼” pocket screws to form the doorway assembly.

Apply glue to the window subassemblies, clamp to the doorway assembly and attach using 1-¼” pocket screws.

Apply glue to the tops of the window/door assembly, clamp to the gable and attach using 1-¼” pocket screws.

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Final Thoughts

Thank you for stopping to check out my biggest, craziest DIY project yet. A DIY truck camper! Please follow #skateawaycamper on Instagram for Skate-Away Camper sneak peeks and build progress pics.

If you found this information helpful, would you please pin it to Pinterest? Other DIYers would appreciate it and I would too! Thank you – Scott