I’ve been looking for someone that has done this for a while. Do you prefer a particular type or brand of varnish for the cedar or anything will work? Also is your door heavy enough where you would consider using struts like on a cap you would buy, and if not do you use something else to keep it up? Well Alex, That will require a visit to some stores and a bit of figuring. With all variables, your design will be different I’m sure so I’m going to leave the estimate up to you.

Truck beds aren’t all the same, so it’s safe to assume that you won’t find a camper shell that fits every truck on the road. A few camper shells claim to be universal, but a custom fit is best. Make sure you vet the situation well and get a camper shell that fits just right.

My roof is a single layer of wood covered in roofing paper and then topped with heavy-weight water-proofed truck tarp. I think paper between layers hilda wood man of wood could be a potential problem if moisture ever got between the layers. I made one of those, about thirty years back, for my Lil red.

This step positions the front side of the truck topper. This is the easiest and most budget-friendly way to have a truck camper, though there may be fewer features. The concept is to use a simple truck bed topper while adding camping essentials like a sleeping platform and storage.

This was my first “shou sugi ban” project, which is just a fancy way of saying “I blowtorched the boards, then slathered them in Boiled Linseed Oil”. Burning the boards closes up the wood grain, makes them unfriendly to insects, and makes them look cool . The oil keeps them weather proof and from dry rotting. I’m retiring in a few months and looking to build out my F350 so I can migrate with the animals.