The Ford F-150 is one of the best-selling vehicles in the United States for over 30 years, and for more than four decades, it has topped the list of the best-selling pickup trucks.
Because of its popularity, manufacturers have created numerous truck campers that you can haul using your Ford F150. There are many varieties of campers that are lightweight and easy to store created to suit the different tastes of different people.
Before we see the best campers for F-150, lets see what it is capable of and whether you can really put a camper on it.
Can You Put a Camper on a Ford F-150?
Many people wonder if their Ford F-150 can haul a camper. The answer is yes. Ford F150 pickup truck is a superior truck that is suitable for pulling campers.
However, the truth is that a Ford F-150 is a half-ton pickup truck and is not suitable for hauling large truck campers. It is ideal for hauling truck campers that are small and lightweight.
It is therefore advisable to haul campers that have a weight that ranges between 5,000 to 8,000 pounds. Bed length for this pick up truck is generally between 66 to 99″. You also need to consider this while choosing the camper.
The factors that affect the hauling weight are:
- The rear-axle ratio.
- The gear.
- The engine type.
- The addition of any available options.
Here are the top 10 best truck campers that you can haul using your Ford F-150 pickup truck.
| Truck Camper | Weight | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Four-Wheel Camper Hawk | 1075 lbs | $18,995 |
| Lance 650 | 1700 lbs | $23,738 |
| Bundutec Wild | 1610 lbs | $18,600 |
| Capri Cowboy | 750 lbs | $7,995 |
| Phoenix Mini Max | 1180 lbs | $37,000 |
| Alaskan 6.5 Cabover | 1390 lbs | $29,039 |
| Outfitter Caribou Lite 6.5 | 950 lbs | $19,995 |
| Hallmark Milner 6.5 | 1212 lbs | $36,995 |
| Scout Olympic | 1161 lbs | $19,980 |
| AT Overland Sumit | 340 lbs | $10,200 |
1. Four-Wheel Camper Hawk
This truck camper is one of the best campers available for the Ford F-150. It has a dry weight of 1,075 pounds and has a 6.5 feet floor length.
Check all the specification here.
It has a superior aluminum exterior and an aluminum frame that makes this trailer camper highly durable.
It comes fully equipped with a 3-way foot reefer that measures 1.7 cubic feet, an east-west queen bed, a fully equipped kitchenette, beautiful and durable interior woodwork, and a 20-gallon freshwater tank.
- The camper offers a customers three-floor plans that they can choose from – a front dinette, a side dinette, or a roll-over side couch.
- There are also plenty of amenities such as an outside shower, a cassette toilet, among others, that can be added to meet the customer’s needs.
- This truck camper offers two 10-pound propane tanks, a dual battery setup, a roof-mounted solar system of 160 Watts, and an 85-liter DC compressor refrigerator.
These campers use a proprietary tie-down system consisting of four eye bolts that are zinc-coated and have steel backing plate reinforcement mounted to the pickup’s bed. This hides system makes it ideal for off-road driving and also presents a clean look.
2. Lance 650
The Lance 650 is a great truck camper explicitly built to provide luxury and comfort to the customer. The Lance 650 camper makes a great combination with the Ford F-150 as it is easy to drive.
Check Lance 650 truck camper specifications here.
It is a popular truck camper for many and is among the most popular rental campers of Cruise America.
- This truck camper comes fully equipped with a north-south queen bed, a large kitchen, a long enough dinette for an adult to sleep comfortably, and a full-size wet bath with a sink.
- The Lance 650 has an average dry weight of 1,700 pounds and a wet weight of 1,903 pounds with standard equipment. It is spacious with an interior height of 6 feet and 9 inches and a 6 feet 10 inches long floor length.
- It features three different tanks: a 15-gallon grey water tank, a 22-gallon freshwater tank, and a 16-gallon black water tank.
It features a one-piece exterior TPO nose cap that gives the trailer camper an aerodynamic and sleeker look and a tankless water heater. To enable quick battery charging, it has an exterior Easy Charge charging center.
3. Bundutec Wild
It is a great and one of the best truck campers available in the market right now. It has a dry weight of 1,610 pounds and features a floor plan of 7 feet.
Check all the specifications here.
The Bundutec Wild truck camper has black accents and a gray aluminum exterior that enhances its beauty.
- It comes fully equipped with a complete water bath accompanied by a 17-gallon grey water holding tank to make the use of the wet bath practical.
- The front wall features a refrigerator with ample storage space, a full-length dinette located on the passenger’s side, and a wet bath and kitchen on the driver’s side.
The truck camper’s standard features include a stainless steel sink, a NovaKool R3000 compressor refrigerator, door, and window screens, a 56″ x74″ north-south mattress has to lift under the bed storage, a 17-gallon gray water tank, and a 21-gallon freshwater tank.
This truck camper also features a Zamp solar power system of 160 Watts, a water heater furnace designed by Trauma Combi that is quiet while operating and saves on space and weight, and the superior BunduAwn wrap-around awning.
4. Capri Cowboy
The Capri Cowboy truck camper is among the best trailer campers designed for the Ford F-15 and has a dry weight of only 750 pounds.
This camper’s standard features include a 12 V charging station, multiple exterior and interior 110 V Alternating Current (AC) outlets, wood-grain flooring, three windows, three overhead cabinets, a Fan-tastic vent, a dedicated 12 V system of batteries, and a 48″ x 80″ east-west bed.
Check all the specifications here.
The Capri Campers company offers customers an option referred to as the “Cowboy Premium Package” that includes blackout shades, manual jacks, a hand-pump sink, a DC/AC compressor refrigerator a Polar Cub 9200 air conditioner.
- Other options include a 5-gallon propane tank, a 12V water pump, a DSI water heater with 4 gallons, a freshwater holding tank with a capacity of 10 gallons, a furnace, an exterior shower, and a stainless steel sink having an assembly of a chrome faucet.
- These truck campers feature an attractive aluminum exterior with a diamond pattern. You can order this exterior in 10 distinct base colors that have different colored stripes and accents.
Capri Campers offers customers three options for interior wood paneling – the Pecan, Ridge Pine, and Weathered Cedar – and can be arranged to suit the 5.5-foot, 6.5-foot 8-foot truck bed lengths.
Its main disadvantage, however, is its interior height, which has a length of 5 feet.
5. Phoenix Mini Max
It is a great and arguably one of the coolest Ford F-150 trailer camper available in the market right now.
This truck camper has a floor plan of 7 feet and weighs 1,180 pounds. Its tube cage frame is made from double-welded aluminum, filled with high-density foam, and has one-piece crane fiberglass and a pre-laminated thick shell on the exterior for protection.
- The Phoenix Mini Max floor plan features a small kitchenette located on the passenger side, a wet bath on the driver side, a large dinette forward, and a 60″ x 80″ east-west bed.
- Its highlights include a grey water holding tank that has a capacity of 8 gallons, a Thetford cassette toilet, a domestic compressor refrigerator of 1.9 cubic feet, and a freshwater tank that has a capacity of 18 gallons.
It has a birch cabinet with a clear coat finish, integrated power inverters, Rotopax fuel-water containers, a low profile air conditioner, floodlights, a rear ladder, roof racks, and different size solar power systems.
The Phoenix Campers company is also one of the few camper companies that can custom paint your truck.
6. Alaskan 6.5 Cabover
Idea for this short bed truck camper came to their owner when people starting asking if they had such a camper during a RV show. Alaskan had campers that were suited for long bed trucks and this particular hard sided camper was born to serve those fisherman or hunter customers that were mostly using short bed trucks like Ford F150.
Check specifications here.
This camper is a hard sided one and has no canvas whatsoever. This makes it great for winter use as canvas can be extremely hard to RV with when the temperatures go below 0.
- Alaskan has been around for several decades but they have kept the design that looks similar to what it used to be. Same applies to Alaskan 6.5 as well. The design and look, looks old but the quality has improved a lot. It is a solid built camper with material that is pretty standard in the industry.
- With a dry weight of 1390 lbs this truck camper is perfectly suited for your short bed 1/2 ton truck Ford F-150.
- Alaskan 6.5 packs in a good number of features and also has a good interior room.
- The headroom of around 6’3 is pretty awesome and will accommodate upto 4 people for sleeping.
- It is given custom made mattress that is pretty awesome as well.
It scores very nicely on storage and cabinet space. The camper is provided with features like refrigerator, stove, water tank, battery, propane tank to name a few.
Alaskan has been serving its customer base since a long and people who use them always have good things to say about them. Generally, truck campers can last a very long and so is the case with Alaskan camper.
Unlike motorhome these campers don’t have engine that can malfunction. You need to do the recommended maintenance with respect to roof, floor and walls apart from taking care of other internals like water lines, kitchen amenities and other appliances.
Here are its dimension and other important parameters.
Length : 10 feet
Width : 8’8″
Height : 6’3″
Fresh water tank : 15 gallons
Propane : 20 lbs
Dry weight : 1390
7. Outfitter Caribou Lite 6.5
The Outfitter Caribou Lite 6.5 is one of the lightest and lowest profile trailer campers in the Outfitter Manufacturing series, having a dry weight of 950 pounds.
Check all the specifications here.
- This camper’s construction consists of a boxed aluminum frame that is fully welded, composite walls that are vacuum-bonded, and a full walk-on roof.
- It has maximum insulation in the hard walls and maximum insulation in the soft walls.
- It features a full-size cabover bed that can transform on pulling into a queen-size bed.
Its highlights include solar reflective windows, attractive birch interior cabinets, doors, a three-burner cooktop, a 16,000 BTU furnace, a torsion assisted lift system, and a 3-way refrigerator of 1.9 cubic feet, a 5-gallon propane tank, and a 24-gallon freshwater tank.
Its notable options include:
- Air conditioner.
- Yakima roof rack.
- King Dome satellite dish.
- solar power system of 95 Watts.
- Tundra DC compressor fridge of 3.8 cubic feet.
- An outside shower.
- 5-gallon cassette toilet.
It comes with a LIFETIME structural warranty.
8. Hallmark Milner 6.5
The hallmark Milner 6.5 is another best truck camper for your ford F150 pick up truck. This is a truck camper that is packed with several features and options that makes it a great choice but it is slightly higher on a pricing range though.
Check all the specifications and details here.
You get different options in cabinetry and infernal material with a little higher price but it is a personal choice. I will talk about those features below.
To start with this campers is equipped with modern features like LED lightning, power crank lift system (this is optional though with little higher cost), solar panel support, a single piece molded fiberglass roof that requires very less maintenance.
The external body is also fiberglass frame structure that gives it a solid built. Even then the body dry weight of this camper is pretty less to around 1212 lbs. This is very surprising and makes it easy to haul using your 1/2 ton truck.
- It also comes with 5 year warranty which is nice if you compare tin other truck campers in the industry.
- Another thing i like about this camper is the water capacity which is 30 gallons. Propane too is big, its 30 lbs which is nice and if you are boondocking then you really need such a large propane tank.
- With a floor length of 80″ and overall length of 140″ this isn’t a very big camper and yet provides a good interior room.
Though, i said this is good camper, it does cost a little higher with a base price of $36,995.
I had mentioned about options, these options are mostly with respect to cabinetry and internal material choices. Standard cabinetry material includes wood but one can go for aluminum or coosa with additional costs of upto $4000 for coosa and $2000 for aluminum.
In cabinetry you get options that includes Oak, Blond, bamboo, Bamboo, Hickory, Maple and Cherry.
Below are standard features for this camper:
- 12 volt compressor refrigerator
- Double view big windows
- optional camper jacks
- crank system for lift
- under the bed storage and cabinets
- LED lightning
- dual battery storage
- Propane tank of 30 lbs
9. Scout Olympic
Priced at around $19,980 this truck camper is a great option for minimalistic traveler who want to go on RVing adventure. Its a compact camper that can sleep upto 6 people.
It is packed with several features that you would need and it also avoids features that people do not need generally. This makes the camper utilize the space efficiently and therefore it is priced under $20,000
With an overall length of 12′ and width of 8′ this camper weighs just about 1161 lbs. For boondocking, it has a freshwater tank of 4.5 gallons capacity.
Below ate some of the features of this camper:
- Aluminum framing
- propane tanks
- LED lighting
- Tie down system
- Moon roof
- 110V outlets
- Smoke detectors
This is a perfect camper if you want to enjoy the outdoors and go boondocking. Its low weight makes it easy to haul and also wouldn’t put much pressure on your F-150 pickup efficiency.
It comes with good features that can also make it a good enough camper to live year round with some added insulation for very cold winters.
10. AT Overland Sumit
Unlike other options in our list this pop up camper is a light weight basic option that does not have floor of its own. The camper is a super lightweight shell that can be customized as well.
Its base price starts at $10,200.
OT summit is a designed to be waterproof and also breathable. It provides sleeping space for 2 people. The closing and opening is handled by gas springs and the overall structure is good enough to handle high winds.
- It comes wit built in mattress that can be fitted on the truck bed. The mattress remains in position even when the caper is closed.
- The overall setup of the camper hardly takes around 10 minutes and is super easy to install.
- Another great thing is there are several customization options with added price. But, it really helps you to make the camper as per your needs.
What you get in base price is the most basic but you can added several features like extra insulation, bigger mattress, awning, roof rack, vent fan, solar prewired and many others. Check out the customization features here.
Can You Tow with Ford F-150?
If you are wondering if your Ford F-150 is suitable for towing, the answer is yes.
Modern 1/2 ton trucks are quite capable and tow between 9000 to 10000 lbs when equipped with proper towing resources.
Ford F-150 can tow between 5000 to 11300 lbs based on the engine and tow package.
Having said this, it is based on the year model. Not all ford f150 are same. For example, the 2004 year model f150 engine was bad and wasn’t really capable.
Also, if you want to tow travel trailer higher than 12,000 lbs or fifth wheel then its better to go for a better capacity truck like f250 or f350.
Below are the best Ford F-150 engine options for towing:
3.5 L EcoBoost V6 Engine
It is the best Ford F-150 engine for towing and hauling. Its properties include:
- It uses a ten-speed SelectShift automatic transmission.
- It has a Horsepower of 400 HP.
- It offers a torque of 500lb.-ft.
- It has a maximum towing capacity of 14,000 lbs.
- It has a maximum payload of 3,250 lbs.
5.0 L Ti-VCT V8 Engine
This engine is among the best Ford F-150 engines for towing and has the following properties:
- It uses a ten-speed SelectShift automatic transmission.
- It has a Horsepower of 400 HP.
- It offers a torque of 410 lb.-ft.
- It has a maximum towing capacity of 13,000 lbs.
- It has a maximum payload of 3,325 lbs.
3.5 L PowerBoost Full Hybrid V6 Engine
It is one of the best Ford F-150 engines that are suitable for towing. Its engine’s properties include:
- It uses a ten-speed SelectShift automatic transmission.
- It has a Horsepower of 430 HP.
- It offers a torque of 570 lb.-ft.
- It has a maximum towing capacity of 12,700 lbs.
- It has a maximum payload capacity of 2,120 lbs.
As we have seen above, many truck campers are suitable for a Ford F-150. They have different features, capabilities, and each offers a different level of comfort and luxury. Always consider these properties before purchasing to ensure you get the one that is suitable for your needs.
So, should you tow a travel trailer wth your F-150 or rather have a camper on on top of it?
Well, personally I would always prefer a truck camper as it provides distinct advantages but travel trailer has a solid advantage as well.
You can tow a lengthy trailer that can provide seeping capacity for several people. Truck camper dimensions will be limited and so will be the sleeping capacity.
As we saw above the capacity of F-150 to pull will depend on the model you have as different engines have different towing capacity. Newer models are much more capable.
Is F-150 best truck for hauling truck campers or travel trailers?
Its good but not the best. If you already own it then there are number f options as we saw above. But, if you are yet to buy a truck then I would suggest to go for a high capacity one, if you want it for RVing.
There are several other high capacity trucks that can do better job. Here are some for your reference.
- F-350
- GMC Canyon
- Nissan Titan
- Chevrolet Silverado
- Ford Ranger
Conclusion
Choosing a camper for your F-150 truck is important specially because of the limitations with the F-150 in terms of its capability to haul that much weight as well as the truck bed dimensions. Hopefully you will find your next camper in the list I presented.
