The F-150 Truck Topper

Since having my old 2004 F-150, I’ve had the bug to make it out to nature and sleep under the stars.

I have since upgraded to my new 2020 F-150 (with the fancy-ass V8 Coyote). Unfortunately, I no longer had my camp shell, so, I had to get creative!

My ultimate goal with this project was to allow me to drop my tailgate and allow

For about a year (2023), I had nothing but the welded metal frame and would stretch a canvas tarp over top of it whenever i went camping. Around June 2024, I started to upgrade the topper for a more permanent fixture.

I started with a woven paracord cargo net to provide a little security for my camp gear and golf clubs. It also worked great as a modular hanging storage system for my camp gear and cooler. I wanted a little more, though, in particular water proofing and wind proofing. So I found some Sunbrella material, stitched a cover together, and attached it to the frame. At one point I had about 3 gallons of water sitting on top of the camper with no water ingress, was very stoked it was so waterproof.

I hope in the near future to add a bit of support material to help shed water, as well as a better system to prevent dust from getting into my sleeping area. Until then, I am very satisfied with my result and i look forward to the next iteration.