Will an Outpost Fit Your Truck?
Two campers. Two different trucks. Two questions that decide everything. Payload and bed size. Give us a minute and you will know exactly where you stand.
Outpost 6.5
- Truck class: some half-ton trucks and larger
- Bed length, tailgate closed: 6′ 6″ and longer
- Shorter bed: works with the tailgate down or removed
- Dry weight: approximately 1,560 lbs
- Built for: nimble trips, lighter rigs, more truck options
Outpost 8.0
- Truck class: three-quarter-ton trucks and larger
- Bed length, tailgate closed: 8′
- Shorter bed: works with the tailgate down or removed
- Dry weight: 1,965 lbs (with four jacks included)
- Built for: longer stays, more space, more capacity
Taylor walks the entire process on a real truck with a tape measure. It was filmed with an Outpost 6.5, but the two checks are identical for the Outpost 8.0. Only the numbers change, and those are all listed below.
Factor 1: Payload
Payload is how much weight your truck is rated to carry. Not tow. Carry. Your number is on a sticker inside the driver side door jamb, and it is specific to your exact truck, right down to the cab and engine. Use that one, not the number from a brochure or a forum.
What each camper weighs
- Outpost 6.5. Approximately 1,560 lbs dry, or roughly 1,730 lbs with the 20 gallon fresh tank full.
- Outpost 8.0. 1,965 lbs dry, or roughly 2,330 lbs with the 40 gallon fresh tank full.
From there, account for your people and the gear you actually travel with, then check it against your sticker. That part is yours, and it is the piece most people forget.
Both campers are completely propane free, so there are no tanks to fill, no tanks to weigh, and no tanks to hunt down on a Sunday in the middle of nowhere. Water, people, and gear are the only things that move the number.
Factor 2: Bed Size
Each Outpost was designed around a specific bed length, and each one will still work on a shorter bed with the tailgate down or removed.
Outpost 6.5
Built for a full-size truck with a standard 6′ 6″ bed, tailgate up and closed. Running a 5′ 5″ or 5′ 7″ short bed? It still works with the tailgate down or off, and we have owners doing exactly that. Want to put it on a long bed with more storage for gear, we have owners doing this too.
Outpost 8.0
Built from the ground up for the 8′ long bed, which means you can finally close your tailgate on a camper this size. On a standard bed it still works with the tailgate down or removed, because we put the heaviest components as far forward as we could.
Why closing the tailgate is worth caring about
It sounds like a small detail. It is not.
- You can secure gear along the sides of the camper above the wheel wells
- The tailgate becomes one more way to lock things down
- Most modern trucks build steps into the tailgate, so getting in and out gets easier
- You gain a porch. A real one, for taking off muddy boots and sitting with coffee
- Our power out port lives right there, so you can cook outside on the tailgate with the portable induction cooktop that comes standard
How it will actually drive
We spent a lot of time on center of gravity while laying out these campers, because a camper that sits too far back turns a good truck into a nervous one.
- Outpost 6.5: 23.5″ center of gravity, measured from the front wall of the camper. Long bed, standard bed, or short bed, your truck still drives like a truck.
- Outpost 8.0: 24″ center of gravity, measured from the front wall of the camper. Long bed or standard bed, your truck still drives like a truck.
Measure Your Bed
Grab a tape measure and get these four numbers. They tell you everything.
- Bed length. Measure the floor of the bed, front wall to the tailgate.
- Width between the wheel wells. The narrowest point in your bed.
- Bed rail height. From the bed floor up to the top of the rails.
- Cab height. From the bed floor up to the top of your cab. This is the one people forget, and it decides whether the cab-over clears.
Now check them against the camper. Our Detailed Dimensions Guide has the full interior and exterior breakdown for both models.
Loading and Unloading
Getting an Outpost on and off your truck is genuinely straightforward. Every build comes standard with four mechanical jacks, access port holes for reaching the forward tie downs, and ratcheting tie down straps.
Some of our competition treats those as add-ons. We think that is backwards. The entire point of a slide-in is the flexibility to take it off, so the tools to do that come standard at no extra cost.
Questions we did not answer here? Email us at info@outpost-campers.com and a real person in Bayfield will write you back.
What Is a Slide-In Truck Camper?
A slide-in truck camper loads into the bed of a pickup and is secured with jacks and tie downs. It is a great fit for people who want the reliability and four-wheel-drive capability of a pickup, plus the comfort and durability of a well-insulated camper that arrives with every system it needs on day one.
Unlike a van or a purpose-built expedition vehicle, an Outpost separates from your truck in a matter of minutes. Your truck goes back to being a truck for the work week, and your camper waits in the garage for Friday.
Both the Outpost 6.5 and the Outpost 8.0 are composite hard-sided campers built for exceptionally durable and delivers industry-leading insulation performance. Thermal-break construction throughout means fewer cold spots and real four-season camping, not four-season marketing.
Still not sure?
Send us your truck year, make, model, cab, and bed length, plus the payload number off your door sticker. We will tell you honestly which camper fits, or if neither one does. We would rather give you a straight answer today than sort out a mismatch on pickup day.