6 Largest Truck Campers That Will Blow Your Mind

When you think of “truck camper,” you might envision your grandfather’s weekend getaway vehicle – the one he took to go out to hunting camp or to go fishing. It was simple and a little cramped, with just a bed, stove, and a small table to eat at. It probably had that striped, off-white siding. Well, things have changed a bit since then, and now the largest truck campers can come with up to 3 slide-outs that make you forget you’re in the bed of a pickup truck!

In this article, we’re looking at the largest truck campers on the market that would make your grandfather drool. 

Large Truck Camper Considerations

The largest truck campers available today are big, and weigh in at well over 3000 pounds. Because of this, they require a one-ton or larger truck, usually a diesel and a dually, to carry that RV weight safely and legally. When thinking about getting one of these large truck campers, you’ll want to make sure your tow vehicle is compatible. 

Besides needing a substantial truck to carry these truck campers, it is also wise to look into possible suspension upgrades to ensure a stable ride. More robust sway bars and airbags are smart in order to have more control over your vehicle’s handling.

Benefits of a Large Truck Camper

The major benefits of these truck campers are their comfort and where you can take them, especially on longer trips. While their size limits extreme off-roading, they still get you into smaller campsites and further off the road than most other types of standard RVs, thanks to the 4×4 capability you can get in your truck.

The thing that is common among these large truck campers is that they all have slides or pop-outs. While a big reason for the massive weight, these are key to expanding the interior living space drastically. This allows for roomy features like dry baths, extra couches, and sleeping for up to 6 people.

The 2 Largest Eagle Cap Truck Campers

Eagle Cap was founded in 1969 by Erdman Epp and was acquired by Washington-based Adventurer Manufacturing in 2011. They make four truck camper models under the Eagle Cap brand name, all of which have slide-outs and two of which have 3 slide-outs: the Eagle Cap 1200 and the Eagle Cap 1165.

Eagle Cap 1200 Truck Camper

This is one of the largest truck campers Eagle Cap makes and has 3 slides – one out each side and the back. The Eagle Cap 1200 truck camper has the “above the bed” floor design, meaning that the floor doesn’t sit down in the bed of the truck but rather above.

This enables a flat open floor space – over 100 sq feet of it when all the slides are out! The overall heights of these truck campers are taller because of the higher floor, and this can mean that the center of gravity is higher. (Check out what a higher center of gravity means for driving a truck camper.)

This layout has two entrances to the bed area with the dry bath located in the center of the floorplan. With roomy counter-space in the galley and two couches off each other the other slides, this camper can host – and sleep – half a dozen people. 

The Eagle Cap 1200 weighs in dry at 4870lbs! With generous tank capacities of 66 fresh, and 34 each of black and grey, the wet weight well exceeds 5000lbs. 

Eagle Cap 1165 Truck Camper

The Eagle Cap 1165 is also a triple-slide unit above the rail, but the passenger side slide is only for the fridge and stove. A cool island galley comes out from a shared wall with the bathroom. The huge living area fills the 102” width with a dinette and large couch. 

The 1165 has a floor length of 11’11” and weighs in at 4917lbs – about 50 pounds heavier than the 1200 model. It has 66 gallons of fresh water capacity, and 10 gallons each more capacity in their grey and black tanks over the 1200 camper. Whoa!

The 3 Largest HOST Truck Campers

HOST Campers was started in 2000 by the sons of Jim Hogue and Frank Storch, the founders of the Beaver line of RVs. The sons, Dave Hogue and Mark Storch, grew up around RVs, as their fathers started the Beaver line with truck campers in 1966 before shifting more toward Class C and eventually Class A motorhomes. 

HOST Campers has 6 models of truck campers (2023) that are made in Bend, Oregon, all of which have at least 2 slides and 3 of which have 3 slide-outs: the Mammoth, the Yukon, and the Everest! 

These campers have lots of options and features that can be added – including king-sized beds! They are above-bed designs, so again their floors are above the top edge of the truck bed to provide that open-space feeling. We will dive into each of the largest HOST truck campers in this article, so first, the Mammoth.

Mammoth Truck Camper

The HOST Mammoth differs from the other 3-slide models in that it has its entry door on the back wall of the RV. As a result, the side slide is bigger and the rear slide is smaller.

The shower is located in the middle of the camper and has a pass-through design bathroom on the driver’s side slide that can enter into the bedroom. This model features a larger dinette and a couch/theatre seating option in the rear unless you opt to turn this into a laundry center or wardrobe.

The HOST Mammoth floor length is 11’ 6’’ and dry weight comes in at 3955lbs. Tank capacities are 65 fresh, 51 grey, and 32 black. Propane capacity is 15 gallons. 

Yukon Truck Camper

The HOST Yukon has the passenger side entry door, making the rear slide bigger than the Mammoth’s. This rear slide consequently holds the main seating area, either in the form of a dinette, couch, or theatre seating. The smaller driver’s side slide has the pass-through bathroom that now shares the space with the couch/wardrobe/laundry center options.

The HOST Yukon truck camper floor length is 11’ 5’’ and dry weight is 3955lbs – the same as the Mammoth. It also has the same tank capacities as the Mammoth with 65 fresh, 51 grey, and 32 black. 

Also be sure to check out the floor-to-ceiling window on the drivers side in the picture below!

Everest Truck Camper

The HOST Everest Truck Camper is very similar to the Yukon with it’s passenger side entry door but swaps the galley with the dinette so the kitchen is now on the driver’s side. However, the fridge remains on the other side of the camper. 

The HOST Everest truck camper is a little lighter than the other three-sliders with a dry weight of 3890 lbs. We’re not quite sure where the 65lbs was lost in comparison to the other models by just looking at the floorplan, because it is the same floor length as the Mammoth at 11’6’’. Tank sizes are again the same with 65 fresh, 51 grey, and 32 black. 

Lance 1172 Truck Camper

Lance Campers has been making truck campers since 1965. This California-based company also makes travel trailers, but their legacy is rooted firmly with their truck campers, of which they have 10 current models (2020). The 1172 is the biggest of these models, and Lance’s flagship truck camper.

The Lance 1172 truck camper has 11’ 11’’ of floor length, meaning it overhangs the end of a long-bed truck. It has two slide-outs, one on the driver’s side of the camper that contains the dinette and one out the back of the vehicle that has a sofa that converts into another bed. It has a dry bath, a queen bed, and 6 cu. Ft. refrigerator. It has 42 gallons fresh water capacity and 35 gallons of each grey and blank tank capacity, so it enables longer periods between fills and dumps.

The 2023 Lance 1172 truck camper weighs in at 4318 lbs dry with standard equipment and 4772 lbs once you fill that 42 gallon fresh water tank and propane. 

Watch this video that walks through the production process of the 1172 truck camper.

We took this camper all the way to the Arctic Ocean and all over Alaska. Watch it in action in our Go North video series on Amazon Prime and YouTube.

Honorable Mentions: 

Arctic Fox 1150 Truck Camper

The largest truck camper that Northwood Manufacturing makes is the Arctic Fox 1150 Truck Camper. Northwood Manufacturing also makes travel trailers and fifth wheels under the Arctic Fox, Fox Mountain, Desert Fox, and Nash brand names. They also make the Wolf Creek Truck Campers, but all are smaller.

The Arctic Fox 1150 isn’t as big as the other truck campers listed here as it only has one slide. However, it does weigh in over 3000 lbs (3358lbs dry, to be precise) and has a floor length of 11’4’’, so it’s worth consideration as another large truck camper brand option. The single slide is located on the passenger side of the vehicle and holds the dinette and fridge space.

With 59 gallons of fresh water, it exceeds the water carrying capacity of the Lance 1172. For its other tanks, it has 35 grey and 42 black capacity, plus carries 60 lbs of propane. The Arctic Fox comes with an option of having either a wet or dry bath area and has a rear entry door. 

Eagle Cap 1160 Truck Camper

While not as big as the 1200 and 1165 models, the Eagle Cap 1160 only has 2 slides and weighs in at 4659lbs – which is still larger than the largest Lance truck camper! It has tank capacities of 66 gallons fresh, 44 grey, and 44 black. It still has the wide 102” Eagle Cap Exclusive width, 11’11” floor length, and the above-rail floor design. 

The Largest Truck Camper

The largest truck camper really depends on the criteria you’re most interested in for your situation. However, we can probably all agree that between slides, weight, exterior height, floor length, and width, the Eagle Cap 1200 and Eagle Cap 1165 are the largest truck campers on the market!

While the 1200 has a standard king bed, 4″ more of floor length, and slightly larger slide-outs, the 1165 has a greater dry weight and bigger grey and black tanks. With 3 slides and a dry weight of 4870lbs and 4917lbs respectively, these are the biggest, heaviest, and largest truck campers out there. 

Large Truck Camper Comparison Table

The 3 triple-slide HOST Campers we talked about are also all very large, and with full water, propane, and gear could definitely push up over the 5000lb mark loaded. They also measure 6 inches taller than the next closest truck camper.

The Lance 1172, while only having 2 slides, comes in next with a dry weight of over 4000 lbs. Although technically the Eagle Cap 1160 is bigger, we wanted to make sure another brand was represented. And we think the 1172 is pretty big from personal experience.

Note that each of these rigs comes with a different set of standard features, different builds, and different layouts. By adding options, your weight can increase even more, and you need to account for that in your selection of a compatible truck to carry it.

While you might be looking for a large truck camper, think about some of the other things that are important to your use case to help you narrow down your choices from here. 

What Is the Largest Pop-Up Truck Camper?

Pop-up truck campers are truck campers that have collapsible roofs. They give you extra head space when they’re set up and more overheight clearance when you’re on the road. They usually have a highly-durable canvas material for the walls and a lifting mechanism that is either electrically or mechanically deployed. These campers are generally smaller, don’t have slides, and weigh much less than hard-sided truck campers.

However, Alaskan truck campers are notable for their hard-side pop-up design. Due to the hard-sided materials and more robust lifting mechanisms that go with it, the largest pop-up camper is the 10′ Alaskan Cab-Over Truck Camper. It has a dry weight of 1985 lbs and a wet weight of 2250 lbs.

Second, we have the largest Northstar pop-up truck camper, the 2023 Northstar 850SC with a dry weight of 1785 lbs and an overall length of 15 feet. The final large pop up truck camper worth mentioning is the Hallmark flatbed truck camper that can be built out to be up to 2800 lbs, depending on options.

How Much Does A Large Slide-In Camper Cost?

A very large new truck camper like one of these typically cost between $50,000 – $85,000, and possible more depending on the options and package you choose to add on. If you don’t have a capable truck right now, remember to factor in that big diesel dually into your RV budget, as well!

Is The Biggest Truck Camper the Best?

Is bigger always better? 

When it comes to truck campers, or any RV for that matter, it all depends on what you want to do with it. So, the best truck camper is going to be one that enables your adventure and provides you with the level of comfort you need. 

For some, getting way out in the boonies with an intense off-road truck camper may be the best option – but that isn’t going to be true for the person who wants a dry bath, lots of counter space, and a big comfy couch to relax on at the end of the day of exploring.

For us, we loved having the extra space that the larger Lance 1172 truck camper provided for our 6-month Alaska expedition to the Arctic Ocean. We also had 2 dogs with us, and they needed the extra floor space to be comfortable, too. We were able to go everywhere we wanted with this setup, we just needed to be mindful of our height and weight when off-road. 

No Matter Which One You Pick…

The best thing about truck campers though? You still drop the camper if needed! So if you want to go down that windy two-track, you can unload the truck camper and go in just your truck. So, whatever size and capabilities you prioritize in your truck camper, you still have way more versatility and flexibility than practically any other RV out there. 

Do you have one of these large truck campers? We’d love to hear your thoughts! Drop us a note in the comments below what you think of these truck camper beasts.

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