poptop camper + tacoma + ski storage = ????

[mntlion]

have a 2006, 4wd, 4 dr, short box tacoma, and a finch. This leaves me about 5" "back deck" with the tail gate down.

So the goal is a 2 month long skiing road trip, living in camper some of the time, and in warmer places some of the time with 4 pairs of skis, between 2 people.


problem: Skis are all long 180-195cm, and with the short bed they fit in the bed, at an angle, just barly. no way they will fit inside the camper, plus I don't want the melting snow mess.

I Dont want the skis inside the truck for the same reason. No room, and mess.

Dont want the skis on the roof of the camper, as it make the roof much harder to lift, skis are exposed to road grime, visible to others, and hard to take on/off due to the height

My idea is a ski box, vertically mounted on the back of the camper? Anyone done this? only have it on the passanger side, as the furnace vents on the other side..

any other briliant ideas for locked, sheltered, long ski storage?

picture is similar to my rig.

[El Chupacabra]

If you attach a Rocketbox-type box vertically on the back of the camper, it'll stick up higher than the roof of the camper. And you'll have to secure the skis inside the box somehow, so they don't all fall out when you open it.

Best option I can think of is to mount a Rocketbox on the roof, carry a folding stepstool if you need it for reaching into the box, and if you don't have them already, add the pressurized struts that assist in lifting the roof. I think you can add "stronger" struts (higher pressure) to help in lifting the roof with a load on it.

I have seen ski racks fitted to RV ladders, so I guess you could do something like that. But the skis will take a beating from road salt back there.

[ill-advised strategy]

I think you should build a 7-8' X 4' X 6" box for the bottom of the bed underneath the camper. You slide your skis into it and it serves as a step/tailgate sort of thing under your door...

This isn't an original thought, I recall Plake had something like that for his national roadtrip(s) in the early 90s.

[skimaxpower]

Could you mount some of these to the outside, next to the back door of the camper?
Holds fat skis
Vertical mount
Cheap
Would probably load easier than a cargo box...

[harpo-the-skier]

What EC said. I added the gas struts to my 2000 four wheel camper last summer when I put solar panels up there. I got the weaker struts. They are plenty strong but I haven't put my roof box and skis back up there since. If you get the stronger struts, you will have a hard time lowering the roof if there when there is nothing on it. You can get a step that will fit onto your rear tire that will let you access the inside of the box with the roof down. I have a step ladder that folds in two dimensions to access the box when the roof is up.

If you attach a Rocketbox-type box vertically on the back of the camper, it'll stick up higher than the roof of the camper. And you'll have to secure the skis inside the box somehow, so they don't all fall out when you open it.

Best option I can think of is to mount a Rocketbox on the roof, carry a folding stepstool if you need it for reaching into the box, and if you don't have them already, add the pressurized struts that assist in lifting the roof. I think you can add "stronger" struts (higher pressure) to help in lifting the roof with a load on it.

I have seen ski racks fitted to RV ladders, so I guess you could do something like that. But the skis will take a beating from road salt back there.

[MakersTeleMark]

What about a fold down hitch mount with a rocketbox mounted on top of that?

[Caucasian Asian]

A couple guys in Golden have a camper van with a vertical box on the back that looks like a coffin for their snowboards. Neat idea, but might be a touch tall for your application.

I would go look into building a box to fit under your camper.

[El Chupacabra]

I think you should build a 7-8' X 4' X 6" box for the bottom of the bed underneath the camper. You slide your skis into it and it serves as a step/tailgate sort of thing under your door...

This is a good idea. Two concerns --

(1) on the short bed Tacoma, how long would the box stick out underneath the camper? Box needs to be large enough to fit 190cm skis, per mntlion's post.
(2) IIRC, the FWC mounts onto the plastic bed Tacoma with reinforcing plates and hardware bolted through the floor of the camper. The ski storage platform box needs to be strong enough to secure the camper to the truck bed. Maybe 3/4" plywood? What would that weigh? 2nd gen Tacoma doesn't have a lot of payload capacity to start with.

[philth]

I have a hard sided truck camper for my 2000 tundra. I created a lockable ski storage on either side of the camper in the bed above each wheel well. Simple and bomber. I posted pics here somewhere.

Edit…your shortbed may be an issue..

[skimaxpower]

6 or 8 inch PVC tube (like contractors and fishermen have) that you could mount horizontally, along the side of the camper, above the truck doors? It would stick out, but no further than the side mirror. It would protect against road grime, and get around the shortbed problem.. Just a thought.

[mntlion]

some good ideas. I'll check out the under camper storage box, but will have to make it narrower to have the tie downs still work.

and the PVC tube might be an option too. will looks like I have bazokas on the side of the camper..


and have to see how tall a ski box will sit on the camper.

[Tye 1on]

6 or 8 inch PVC tube (like contractors and fishermen have) that you could mount horizontally, along the side of the camper, above the truck doors? It would stick out, but no further than the side mirror. It would protect against road grime, and get around the shortbed problem.. Just a thought.

After puzzing over this for an entire bottle of wine...hang on, i need a beer.

ok, back. Sierra Nevada Ruthless- Rye IPA. yum.

Tough fkn constraints there dude!!! I also started thinking about using the sides after practicality ruled out the top and bottom, and the back has some tricky logistics when opening/closing.

Don't think even 8 inch PVC would hold more than one pair of modern skis, maybe tho?

I was picturing more along a 4"x8"x2' angle iron between the camper and bed, with some brackets sticking out that could be firm locking attachments. And then a bungie/camlock system at tips and tails, and having one on each side that held a ski bag w/2 pairs of skis. Then the skis would be bagged up so to ship them back up to hockeyland before hitting the beaches...

mmmmmmm beeeeer....
skibee grad trip? Great adventure idea...

[skimaxpower]

Don't think even 8 inch PVC would hold more than one pair of modern skis, maybe tho?

Inserts?

[Caucasian Asian]

Waitaminit. You've got a small lift on that little 4x4 right? Why not mount a rocketbox UNDERNEATH the truck?

[nickwm21]

Gunna have to go with 10" or 12" pipe... not 8.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using TGR Forums

[kidwoo]

As if you needed another reason to justify the awesomeness of Rax skis.

They fit in the glove box.

[MakersTeleMark]

Bolt a rocket box to this. You don't lose clearance, and you can lower it to the ground to access the camper and load the box.

http://www.quadratec.com/products/92...Fc9AMgodUyoAGw

[steelhead]

mntlion - take a look at the url copied in below. It is from Wander the West and talks about converting an adjustable speaker stand from Guitar Center into a tool for raising the roof on FWC campers. We bought one recently after adding solar to the top of our Fleet - it works really well and does not take up much room. It would easily raise the roof with a box with skis on the roof. Now that we have one we will probably go with a rocket box now for our skis rather than just carrying them on the Yakima rack because road grime is an issue. Good luck with this project.

http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/t...tar#entry88379

[mntlion]

thanks for all the ideas guys. Will see what next winter holds

[Jason4]

Why not use an old style hitch mounted bike rack and then mount a small rocket box to the bars that would normally hold a bike? There are even hitch racks that swing out of the way. You'd probably want to paint the corners bright orange so you don't forget that it's back there and catch it on a tree/building/car when wiggling through tight allies. I don't think a box would be more than 7 feet long so you should be well within the maximum width allowed on the road.

Something like this but strip off the bike pads and put on a box:
http://www.yakima.com/shop/bike/hitch/swingdaddy

[flatNshallow]

...
and the PVC tube might be an option too. will looks like I have bazokas on the side of the camper..

Add nose cones and tail fins and people will think you have booster rockets or surface to surface missiles... either way they'll gtfo of your way.

If you go with the under camper box, maybe welded Al and bolted to the bed, this could effectively give you a longer bed...

[skimaxpower]

Add nose cones and tail fins

Now this is necessary, whether or not they contain skis. Your camper totally needs booster rockets.

[hutash]

A box mounted on the roof of the camper is the simplest solution. I have a Sportsmobile with a roof box mounted, and raising the top is not a big deal. The only problem is if I leave the skis in when the top is up it is hard to get things out, so I usually take the skis out before popping the top.

Having the roof box also makes it a year 'round storage for camping/climbing trips.

[wolfelot]

Good luck with this project and have fun on what's sure to be a most excellent trip!

[mattiaswij]

Do you have any space between the roof of the car and the bottom of the alcove of the camper similar to the picture? If the camper is wide enough you might be able to build a small box for that space and stick your skis in sideways? Maybe it wont fit 4 pair of skis?