How Much Does a Truck Camper Weigh? (18 Examples)

No matter what type of RV you’re looking at, weight is always one of the biggest factors to consider.

As the weight of an RV will impact just about every other aspect of your setup.

And truck campers are no exception to this rule.

As the weight of a truck camper will affect how big of a truck you need, cargo-carrying capacity, the driving performance, and handling of the truck, as well as the gas mileage of the truck.

But if you’re new to truck campers or thinking about buying your first truck camper, you might be wondering how much a truck camper actually weighs?

Truck campers can weigh as little as 1,000 pounds on the low end, to as much as 4,000 pounds on the high end.  But, in general, most truck campers will weigh between 1,500 and 3,500 pounds depending on their size, construction, and features.  

If you’re looking for specific truck camper weights though, keep reading.

As we provide 18 different truck campers and their corresponding weights below.

Truck Camper Weights (From Lightest to Heaviest)

What Affects the Weight of a Truck Camper?

Now that you’ve seen that there can be as much as a 3,000-pound difference between the lightest and heaviest truck campers.

It’s important to understand what affects the weight of a truck camper.

As this will help you better understand truck camper weights when shopping and looking for a truck camper to fit your particular needs.  

Truck Camper Size

The first factor that affects the weight of a truck camper is its overall size.

As truck campers come in a variety of lengths and widths in order to accommodate all the different size trucks and truck beds on the market today.

Including compact, mid-size, full-size, and heavy-duty trucks, which have truck beds that range in length from 5 feet to 8 feet long. 

As a small truck camper designed to fit into the back of a Ford Ranger will weigh far less than a large truck camper designed to fit into the back of a Ford F-250.  

Truck Camper Type

There are two main types of truck campers on the market today, including hard-sided truck campers and pop-up truck campers, which each have their own unique pros and cons.

But one advantage pop-up truck campers have over hard-sided truck campers is that they typically weigh sustainably less. 

For example, the Palomino SS-500 truck camper weighs about 300 pounds less compared to the nuCamp Cirrus 620 truck camper.

Despite the fact that they both have the exact same length of 12-feet 8-inches.

Thanks in large part to the lighter weight pop-up construction of the Palomino SS-500.  

Which is why truck owners, who are trying to keep the overall weight of their rig down, typically go with pop-up truck campers over hard-sided truck campers.  

Truck Camper Build-Out

Truck campers can be equipped with a wide variety of features and amenities, including everything from electrical systems, beds, dinette booths, kitchens, and even bathrooms.  

With some of the more high-end and luxurious truck campers, such as the Host Campers Mammoth and the Rugged Mountain Granite 11RL offering all of these features plus much much more.

However, there is a trade-off when it comes to features and amenities, and truck campers.

Because the more features you add to a truck camper the heavier and larger it becomes.

Requiring you to buy a larger and larger truck in order to accommodate the heavier and larger size, which can add considerable cost to the overall rig.

This is why some RV truck camper manufacturers such as SCOUT have opted to take a more bare-bones, modular, and minimalist approach to their truck camper build-outs and design.

In order to keep the overall weight of their campers to a minimum.

Allowing you to put their lightweight truck campers into a much wider variety of trucks, including mid-size trucks like the Ford Ranger and Toyota Tacoma.  

What is the Lightest Truck Camper?

The lightest truck camper on the market today is the SCOUT YOHO, which has a dry weight of only 958 pounds and a floor length of just under 6 feet.

Making it possible to fit this ultra-lightweight truck camper into most mid-size trucks including the Ford Ranger, Toyota Tacoma, and the Chevrolet Colorado.

Designed to be a minimalist truck camper, the SCOUT YOHO has everything you need and nothing you don’t for a weekend or even week-long camping trip off the beaten path.  

As the YOHO comes standard with every off-grid feature you would need for an extended camping trip in the backcountry, including solar power, a portable power station, and a 4.9-gallon water tank with built-in water filtration.

SCOUT YOHO Video Walkthrough

But one of the best things about the YOHO is its modular design, which allows you to add individual accessories and features to the base truck camper, depending on your particular needs and camping style.

Including such features as a Dometic CFX3 45L fridge/freezer, portable indoor/outdoor cooktop, Rhino-Rack Batwing 270 degree awning, hanging storage bags and water packs, portable Dometic toilet, and even a Newport Real Flame 4.5BTU gas fireplace, which provides four-season capability to the camper.  

For even more information on the SCOUT YOHO and to see other SCOUT models check out SCOUT’s website by clicking here.  

And to see other lightweight truck campers, check out our article “The 7 Lightest Truck Campers You Can Buy!“.

What is a Truck Topper Camper?

While the SCOUT YOHO from above is the lightest traditional RV style truck camper, there actually is another sub-type of truck camper that’s even lighter called the truck topper camper.  

Truck topper campers or pop-top truck campers as they’re sometimes called bridge the gap between a standard truck topper and an RV-style truck camper.

As they combine the lockable storage area of a truck topper shell with the versatility of a rooftop tent to provide a basic livable interior space when the tent pop-top is raised.

And while truck topper campers can take many different forms, most utilize the bed of the truck to provide a basic camper that usually includes a bed, interior standing room, and a few fold-down shelves that can be used either for sitting or shelf space when in camp mode.

Making the pop-top camper ideal for anyone looking for a basic versatile lightweight camper.

Because while the truck topper camper doesn’t offer near the amenities or luxuries of a more traditional RV style truck camper, they do offer several unique benefits.

Including ultra-lightweight construction, as most truck topper campers weigh less than 500 pounds.

And a very versatile design, as most pop-top truck campers can be used just like a standard truck topper when not in camp mode, to provide an enclosed lockable storage area for your truck.  

What is the Heaviest Truck Camper?

The heaviest truck camper available today is the Host Campers Mammoth, which has a dry weight of 3,955 pounds, an exterior length of 19 feet 3 inches, and a floor-length of 11 feet 4 inches.  

Making the model name ‘Mammoth’ fitting for this camper, as this is one of the largest, biggest, and most luxurious truck campers you can buy.

As the Host Campers Mammoth offers numerous features and amenities rarely found on standard truck campers including three separate slide-outs, multiple seating areas, a large kitchen with plenty of counter and storage space, and a lowered side entry door for easier entry and exit.  

Host Campers Mammoth Floorplan

But the luxuries and amenities don’t stop there as this truck camper also comes standard with a 30,000 BTU forced air furnace, enclosed heated holding tanks, a full three-piece dry bath, electric jacks with wireless remote, and a 45 Amp AC/DC power converter with battery charger.

For more information on the heaviest truck camper, make sure to check out Host Camper’s website by clicking here.  

Can a Half-Ton Truck Carry a Camper?

Half-ton trucks like the Ford F-150, Chevy Silverado 1500, and the Dodge Ram 1500 are some of the most popular trucks on the market today, thanks to their excellent versatility, performance, and capability.  

As they offer a variety of interior cab options and bed lengths, provide a good amount of power and towing capability, all while keeping the price reasonably affordable.  

Half-ton trucks are also great for carrying a truck camper, thanks to their larger truck beds and ample payload capacity, which usually ranges from 1,200 to 2,300 pounds depending on the truck and how it’s optioned out.

Half-Ton Truck Campers (Lightest to Heaviest)

• Palomino SS-500 – 1,197 Pounds
• Northstar 600SS – 1,258 Pounds
• Hallmark K2 – 1,261 Pounds
• nuCamp Cirrus 620 – 1,500 Pounds
• Lance 650 – 1,700 Pounds
• Adventurer 80RB – 1,762 Pounds
• Northstar Laredo SC – 2,090 Pounds
• Outfitter Apex 8 – 2,130 Pounds
• Northwood Wolf Creek 890 – 2,284 Pounds

Best Truck Campers for the Toyota Tacoma

The Toyota Tacoma is a mid-size truck with a payload capacity between 1,050 and 1,685 pounds and has a truck bed that ranges in length from 5 feet to 6 feet, depending on how it’s optioned out.

And because of this, the Toyota Tacoma can only carry the lightest of truck campers, due to its limited payload capacity and smaller bed sizes.

However, thankfully, more and more truck camper manufacturers today are making lightweight and ultra-lightweight truck campers and truck topper campers that mid-size trucks like the Toyota Tacoma can carry.  

Which is great news, because this means they are more options than ever when looking for a truck camper that a mid-size truck can handle.

Top Truck Campers for the Toyota Tacoma (Lightest to Heaviest)

• GFC V2 Platform Camper – 300 Pounds (Truck Topper Camper)
• AT Summit – 340 Pounds (Truck Topper Camper)
• Four-Wheel Pop-Up Campers Project M – 352 Pounds (Truck Topper Camper)
• SCOUT YOHO – 958 Pounds (Truck Camper)
• SCOUT OLYMPIC – 1,133 Pounds (Truck Camper)
• Palomino SS-500 – 1,197 Pounds (Truck Camper)
• Northstar 600SS – 1,258 Pounds (Truck Camper)
• Hallmark K2 – 1,261 Pounds (Truck Camper)
• SCOUT KENAI – 1,370 Pounds (Truck Camper)
• nuCamp Cirrus 620 – 1,500 Pounds (Truck Camper)

Best Truck Campers for the Ford F-150

The Ford F-150 is a full-size half-ton truck with a payload capacity between 1,745 and 2,238 pounds and has a truck bed that ranges in length 5.5 to 8 feet, depending on how it’s optioned out.  

This means the Ford F-150 can handle and carry a wide variety of truck campers, due to its higher payload capacity and larger truck bed sizes.

Top Truck Campers for the Ford F-150

• SCOUT OLYMPIC – 1,133 Pounds
• Northstar 600SS – 1,258 Pounds 
• Hallmark K2 – 1,261 Pounds
• SCOUT KENAI – 1,370 Pounds
• nuCamp Cirrus 620 – 1,500 Pounds
• Lance 650 – 1,700 Pounds
• Adventurer 80RB – 1,762 Pounds
• Northstar Laredo SC – 2,090 Pounds
• Outfitter Apex 8 – 2,130 Pounds

Are Truck Campers Top Heavy?

While truck campers tend to have a low center of gravity, with the bulk of the truck camper’s weight resting inside the bed of the truck.

A truck camper will have an impact on the handling and performance of the truck and can make the truck itself top-heavy while driving.  

Which can make it more challenging to keep the truck under control when making aggressive turns or emergency braking.

So if you plan to drive a truck with a truck camper loaded in the back, there are few things you should keep in mind to help avoid accidents and to ensure you arrive safely to your destination.  

5 Driving Tips You Should Know When Carrying a Truck Camper

1. Truck campers and especially hard-sided truck campers add substantial height to a truck.  So when driving with a truck camper, you need to be aware of your overall rig height and watch out for low bridges, overpasses, and branches.
2. When driving with a truck camper you need to be much more mindful of the wind and crosswinds.  As a truck camper will get pushed around a lot by the wind, due to its larger profile.  Which can make it more challenging to maintain control of the truck.  So if you’re driving in windy conditions make sure to slow down and perhaps even pull over and wait out the wind, if it’s especially windy.  
3. Truck campers add a lot of weight to a truck, which will have a big impact on braking and stopping.  So whenever you’re carrying a truck camper, you always want to leave plenty of distance in front of you to allow enough time and space to stop in an emergency braking situation.  
4. Due to the added weight of a truck camper, it’s also a good idea to shift into a lower gear when going downhills to help slow the truck and save your brakes, and while going uphill to provide extra torque and power for climbing.  
5. Having a truck camper in the back of a truck will also make the truck much more top-heavy, which can cause a lot of body roll while driving and especially while turning.  So when driving with a truck camper, make sure to slow down over uneven surfaces and while going into turns to reduce body roll and maintain better control.