YTread Logo
YTread Logo

Compact Pickup Camper - Vanlife without a Van

Feb 22, 2020
Over the past year, I've relied on everything from tents to hotel rooms to RVs to stay in while I'm traveling. Now I'm starting to see why van life is such a big deal. When you have a van, you can park it anywhere and go to sleep. The vans fit into regular parking spaces and integrate. For mountain biking or any other outdoor activity, they are stealthy and hard to beat. While I would love a truck, I can't justify another vehicle at this time. I need some van life without a van. On YouTube you'll find thousands of different setups for camping in SUVs, trucks, and everything in between.
compact pickup camper   vanlife without a van
These videos demonstrate that you can camp, or rather cramp, in almost any vehicle. In fact, some of these builds are so inspiring that they might make you envious of someone who lives in their car. My car is a 2017 Honda Ridgeline, which I use for everything from hauling bikes to hauling lumber to towing. So whatever you do with it should be temporary and easy to break down. Being that it's a truck, my best bet is to throw a shell on it and sleep in the back. The bed is only 5 1/2 feet, but my mat fits diagonally. So that's a start.
compact pickup camper   vanlife without a van

More Interesting Facts About,

compact pickup camper vanlife without a van...

For shelter, I decided to use this soft ornament. I didn't even know they existed until I traveled west, where I saw them everywhere. It's easy to put on and take off, surprisingly durable, and can even fold up like a convertible. It doesn't offer security like a hard shell would, but it sure beats pitching a tent. So with the help of my soft bedspread, sleeping pad, and a few other things, my Ridgeline has everything I need to get through the night, but cramps just aren't my style. To get the most out of my truck, we'll need to build something.
compact pickup camper   vanlife without a van
The last thing Johnny built for us was a butcher block shaped like an access ramp. Although it worked very well as a cutting board and a trampoline, it offered no real use. Today's project will be really practical. You know it's about to fall when Johnny pulls out Google Sketch Up. By making a 3D model, we could experiment with different ideas before cutting a single piece of wood. Our design took into account that the mat would be diagonal. We decided to build a triangular cabinet, with storage, running water, and USB charging. We designed the door to open from the top, since the sleeping bag would get in the way of anything else.
compact pickup camper   vanlife without a van
Two small shelves would be placed on the door, which would also act as support legs for the work desk. For fresh water we decided to use this pressurized beer growler, which would sit on top. Below, a metal bowl as a sink. With the computer model taking shape, I was very excited about this build. Johnny used relatively thin plywood to save weight. Most of the pieces were just rectangles and triangles, but the countertop was a little more complicated. You would need a hole for the sink, plus a tricky indentation to hold the growler in place. To do this, we use Johnny's CNC machine, which uses a computer model to mill shapes out of wood.
Making these cuts without a CNC would be entirely possible, but not easy to do accurately. Believe it or not, but that CNC machine is not Johnny's best shop tool. This is. It's a fucking laser. We used this to etch our channel logos on the sink lid, which I'll show you later. It's time to assemble the cabinet. Johnny is using this machine to drill pocket holes. Since we use thin plywood, these pocket holes are the strongest way to hold everything together. With the basic shape together, we did a test fit on the bed to see how things fit together.
The time had come to move on to the details. This hole is for the USB port, which would go on the front of the case near me while I sleep. I got this port on Amazon, which simply fits into the hole and stays in place with a nut. These cables will feed into a storage battery at the back. For additional storage inside the cabinet, we screwed glass jar lids to the bottom of the counter. We felt really interested after doing that. Lastly, we installed the small shelves that would support the workstation. To anchor the cabinet, we used this carabiner, which features a locking nylon rope.
It's not high tech, but it works. The cabinet fits perfectly and there is enough space on the other side of the bed for a cooler. Since the cabinet opens from the top, I never have to worry about my sleeping bag or pillow getting in the way of its opening. Once set on the ground, it works surprisingly well as a workstation. Even the glass jars do their job exactly as intended. I honestly thought this project would be fun and the kitchen sink would be totally impractical and good for YouTube entertainment, but I'm starting to really like the concept.
For personal hygiene, cooking or simply filling a glass of water, you will feel at home. When I want more counter space, I can use this amazing sink cover. All of my driving gear and tools normally go in this under-bed storage compartment, so this cabinet can be totally dedicated to clean clothes, toiletries, snacks, and whatever else I need for a few days on the road. Needless to say, I am very happy with this cabinet. Now I can spend the night anywhere, comfortably! Although we used computer modeling, a woodworking YouTuber, his CNC machine, and a damn laser, a less refined version of this could be built with just a drill and a saw.
As a solution for a short box

pickup

, this may be the only way to do it. Thanks to Johnny for making this project possible. To see the actual build in more detail, subscribe to Crafted Workshop, which I linked in the description. I also left a link to our latest project, the cutting board kick ramp. I know this video was a little different, but camping is a very important part of mountain biking or any other outdoor sport. I want to know what you guys think in the comments section, but I also want to start a discussion about camping as it relates to mountain biking.
Thanks for traveling with me today and we'll see you next time.

If you have any copyright issue, please Contact