Sherpa is a pretty rad truck, and we've taken it on some some pretty cool adventures already! But it really needed to be outfitted to fully meet our adventuring needs, so we got Sherpa a pack (aka topper and sweet bed build)!
We're not the first people to do something like this. Lots of people have been doing something similar in trucks, vans, buses, trailers, etc. In fact, while deciding how we wanted to go about this whole big idea, we used a couple different people who blogged or shared their stories and builds on the inter-webs as inspiration. We did a lot of reading on reddit about different set ups, drawbacks, roadblocks, that these people encountered. Some of them were very important to consider while others didn't apply to our idea of what we wanted to do with the truck.
Everyone has different wants, needs, and limitations when its comes to outfitting a rig. Everyone has different access to resources, different skill sets, and different availability or time constraints that play into how they go about their build. And depending on those constraints, each build turns out differently. For instance, if money is no object, buying all of your supplies and maybe even hiring out the labor are totally an option. If you're super skilled, you'd probably build it all yourself to your exact specifications, making modifications as you see if. But see, money is a huge object for us and I wouldn't peg us as the most experience handymen and we don't have tons of time given that we're working full time. That being said, here is how we did it:
Topper:
So why did we go with a bed topper over a camper or pop up? Well, we're all about practicality. That's why we went with the Tacoma in the first place. See, we're planning on keeping this truck for a long, long time. Like, until it dies. And we're not always going to be adventuring with it. One day we want to be hauling supplies to build our own house or pulling a trailer full of goats. In the big picture, we imagined that we'd find a topper to be more useful over the next ten years Sherpa will be in our lives than any other option.
We spent a good long time researching local topper dealers, the various brands available for our vehicle, and harassing multiple sales people asking for quotes, random info, and advise. After getting obscenely high prices, poor service, and sub-par quality options from several different places, we kept coming back to this jolly guy named Bill at S-Cargo Truck Caps in Loveland, CO, a charming real life "ma and pop" shop, complete with a sweet old pup that is more than happy to take a couple head scratches. We visited him several times and each time he was kind and patient and answered all of our questions with genuine interest in us getting the best topper for our needs without pressuring us into a sale. Eventually, we purchased a SnugTop Sport High Liner from Bill. Within a couple weeks, we got a call letting us know that it had arrived and was ready for install!
Bill installed our topper for us as soon as possible, even though his first grandbaby was born the day before (congrats again to you and your family, Bill!). Despite being short handed on the install, he still took the time to answer all of our questions about the topper, and walking us through the installation so that we knew everything there was to know about the new addition to our truck. He even went so far as to recommend that we get it covered under our auto insurance policy, something we wouldn't have even thought to do! We're always big on supporting local businesses, but finding a family business run by a man with a genuine love for his job just can't be beat! If you're looking for some add-ons to your truck in Colorado, we hope you stop by and give Bill a visit, it's worth it.
Platform: Now I'm sure you're curious about our build considering that we have a number of constraints that we're working under, specifically, funding. Luckily, we found a couple old table tops and wood scraps that were being disposed of that we were able to re-purpose for the build. After taking measurements of the bed, we cut them to size to form the two pieces that make up the platform.
We were going to just paint the platform and do what we could to seal it from moisture, but eventually we decided on some cheap indoor/outdoor carpet from Home Depot to cover it in. This gave it a super clean look and some added comfort and insulation. While we tried to avoid purchasing most of our building blocks, the carpet was one we felt was worth the $27 to have new. It even left us a little extra to add a rug to the garage our friends have graciously been letting us live out as of late!
Storage: Now, you're probably looking at this coming together and thinking, "That's not much space below the platform and there's no way Corbin will fit and Chelsea won't lose her mind down there." You are absolutely right. Our stuff is going down there. Corbin talked about paring down on stuff when we became homeless, and he wasn't kidding. Everything we use regularly, fits either under that platform or in the cab of the truck. Everything else lives in the smallest storage unit we could find. (Ironically, we didn't even fill said tiny storage unit.)
We found some relatively cheap plastic storage bins that, after playing the largest game of Tetris in my life, fit just perfectly in the bed under the platform. We each have two of the black bins for our personals and gear. The two long clear ones house our mess kit, knickknacks, food supplies, and miscellaneous gear.
In the cab, we've got some stowaway cubbies behind the passenger seats where we keep our "medicine cabinet" and other luxuries or more temperature/exposure sensitive goods. It's a pretty sweet set up, if you ask me.
End(ish) Result: We're in no way completely finished. I'm sure as we adventure and use our build we'll find ways to make little and big improvements alike. We've added some EL-Wire for long lasting but subtle lighting, a wooden cubby by the windoor for easy access and more storage, and some pull strings for the storage bins in the bed. We've built a custom foam mattress to add some comfort and a cargo net on the inside of the topper for even more storage. We've still got to figure out our additional power system and how we're going to go about not running the truck battery down unnecessarily, but I'm sure there will be a post dedicated to that once we figure it out. But for now, this is Sherpa's pack in all it's glory!