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Last Updated on September 5, 2024 by Paul Clayton
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Can A Truck Camper Fit In A Garage?
One common concern for potential buyers when considering the purchase of a truck camper is whether it can fit in a garage. This is an important question to address, as many people want to store their camper safely and conveniently when it is not in use.
- Garage size and truck camper dimensions matter.
- Standard garages may not fit larger vehicles.
- Two-car garage: 24×24 feet; Single-car: 12×22 feet.
- Truck campers vary in length and height.
- Compact: 6-22 feet; Height: 6-9 feet.
- Consider the camper’s dimensions versus the garage’s dimensions.
- Clearance height is crucial for fitting the camper.
- Standard garage door: 7-8 feet height.
- Check the camper’s height against the garage door’s height.
A truck camper is typically mounted on a truck’s bed. It can also be used in two ways: attached to a truck and free-standing on its jacks and legs.
Thankfully, there are several camper sizes in today’s world, ensuring that people can find something that suits them and gives them the required space. There are even truck campers for just about every pickup size there is.
Finding a suitable camper, from small trucks to massive 1-ton-rated trucks, has become much more manageable.
So, can a truck camper fit in a garage? When the truck camper is mounted on your truck, it’s unlikely to fit in your garage.
Even modestly small pop-up truck campers will be between 7 and 8 feet once mounted, with the average garage door being around 7 feet, which leaves little room for maneuvering.
Types of Truck Campers
It is possible to purchase truck campers with extended walls.
Extendable, slide-out walls used to be a feature of only Class A motorhomes. However, even truck campers can provide additional living space. This feature can only be applied when the truck camper is stationary.
To get moving again, all that has to be done is a single retract of the slide-outs. The slide-outs can be controlled using a single switch or button.
If you want additional space but do not like slide-outs, consider a popup camper. As its name states, you can pop open the top section of the camper once you park, giving you more room.
There are several benefits and advantages associated with truck campers. For one, a truck camper can be a great way to dip your fit into the RV life pool without spending an arm and a leg.
Truck campers have been developed to prevent additional disruption to storage, parking, and driving that a regular truck might cause. Additionally, given that you need a truck, you can boondock anywhere.
If one thing comes to mind when people think about purchasing RVs, it is how and where to park them, as RVs are bound to take up additional space.
Anything you attach using a hitch will likely stick out the back of a truck. You will have to search for additional parking spaces when you move around.
This means you might have to release your trailer every time you want to rest or use up extra parking spaces to ensure that your trailer does not obstruct traffic flow.
This problem happens with the fifth wheels and travel trailers, but it does not occur with truck campers.
With a truck camper, you can park just about anywhere, given that it fits right in your truck’s bed.
While this is all good for when you are camping, what about when you are not? If you cannot leave your truck camper in your truck bed, place it somewhere until you need it again.
Typically, a garage is the first place that comes to mind.
Storing a Truck Camper in a Garage
You can keep your truck camper out of the driveway into a protected area in a home with multiple vehicle garages. This is quite useful if you live in an HOA area where statutes state an RV of any type has to be kept in a garage hidden from view.
The problem is, what if your truck camper does not fit into the garage? A standard two-car garage can be 20 to 24 square feet, and an average truck camper can be as long as 21 feet. So, based on length, it is possible to fit a truck camper in a garage.
A problem that might arise is the height of the garage. Since the truck camper is unable to do it by itself, it would mean that it has to remain in the truck’s bed until it is reversed into a garage.
Most truck campers add at least 9 feet to the height of a regular truck, making the garage inaccessible while the truck camper is mounted.
The way to fit your truck camper in the garage would be to dismount it, but how do you maneuver it to do so?
Using a Dolly
A quick search on RV forums will show that many people have this problem. However, the majority of them have been able to solve it using dollies.
The dolly can be made to specification, as it has to perfectly fit and cradle your truck camper in the right places to ensure structural damage does not occur.
The dollies need to have swivel wheels, as that can make maneuvering much easier. Some circles prefer to put swivel wheels on all four corners, while others prefer to put them at the front.
Doing so is more about preference than anything, as some believe having swivel wheels only at the front can help you accurately control the direction of the dolly.
Process of Lowering the Truck Camper to the Dolly
If you are building a dolly for your truck camper, it is better to create one that fits the camper so that the camper sits on the dolly’s frame with the wheels directly under it.
Doing this will enable you to reverse as far back as possible to ensure the dolly and the truck camper are as close to the garage as possible.
Remember, you could have to push something that weighs anything from 2000 pounds to 5000 pounds. Below is the process required to place the truck camper on the dolly:
- Reverse as far back as you can
- You will need a winch to lift the truck camper off the bed of the truck
- Lift it just enough for you to reverse from under it after disconnecting all tethers
- Place the dolly underneath it. Ensure that it is properly aligned
- Slowly lower the truck camper using the winch. Make adjustments if necessary
- Once the truck camper is firmly on the dolly, move it into the garage for storage
Ideally, if you do not have a winch, you can use the truck camper’s jacks to hold the camper off the truck so you can drive away and fit the dolly underneath it.
What Size Camper will Fit in my Garage?
There are a few factors to consider when finding the right size camper to fit in your garage. Teardrop trailers, pop-up campers, and small travel trailers are often the best options for storing campers in a standard one-door garage.
These campers are compact enough to fit within the dimensions of a typical garage, usually 8′ tall, 22′ deep, and 12′ wide.
If your chosen camper is smaller than these measurements, you can confidently store it in your garage without any issues.
It’s essential to carefully measure the dimensions of your garage and compare them to the size specifications of the camper you are interested in to ensure a proper fit.
Wrapping Up
When determining whether a truck camper can fit in a garage, the garage’s size and the camper’s dimensions are crucial factors to consider.
Standard garages are typically designed to accommodate regular-sized vehicles and may not have enough space for larger ones. For instance, a two-car garage usually measures around 24×24 feet, while a single-car garage is usually around 12×22 feet.
Truck campers come in different lengths and heights, ranging from compact sizes of 6-22 feet to heights of 6-9 feet. Therefore, it is essential to compare the dimensions of the camper with those of the garage to determine if it can fit.
One of the most critical factors is clearance height, particularly for garage doors. Standard garage doors generally have a height of 7-8 feet.
It is essential to check the camper’s height against the garage door’s height to ensure enough clearance to fit comfortably inside.
In conclusion, the ability of a truck camper to fit in a garage depends on the garage’s size and the camper’s dimensions.
Standard garages may not be suitable for accommodating larger vehicles, and it is essential to compare the measurements of the camper and the garage.
Clearance height plays a crucial role, and it is essential to ensure that the camper’s height is compatible with the height of the garage door.
By carefully considering these factors, one can determine whether a truck camper can indeed fit inside a garage.
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