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Hand-riveted aluminum slide-in truck bed camper on a Toyota Tacoma at sunset on an alpine pass.

Made in Bellingham · Since 2016

Hand-Riveted Aluminum Slide-In Truck Bed Campers.

The Kimbo lineup: hard-side slide-in campers built from 5052 aluminum, hand-riveted in Bellingham, Washington. The Kimbo 6 fits midsize trucks (Tacoma, Ranger, Colorado, Gladiator). The Kimbo 8 fits full-size trucks (F-150, Tundra, Silverado, Ram). Both are lightweight, four-season-capable, and made-to-order.

What is a slide-in truck bed camper?

A slide-in truck bed camper is a self-contained living unit that mounts in the bed of a pickup truck rather than towing behind it. Unlike a travel trailer, the camper rides with the truck — no hitch, no separate registration, no second vehicle to park. Hard-side slide-ins like the Kimbo 6 and Kimbo 8 are aluminum-shelled and four-season-capable. Slide-in truck bed campers fit most midsize trucks (Toyota Tacoma, Ford Ranger, Chevy Colorado, Jeep Gladiator) and full-size trucks (Ford F-150, Toyota Tundra, Chevy Silverado, Ram).

The lineup

Two campers, one philosophy.

Both the Kimbo 6 and Kimbo 8 are hand-riveted aluminum slide-in campers built in Bellingham. The Kimbo 6 is the lightweight midsize-truck platform; the Kimbo 8 is the full-size four-season platform with a wet bath. Specs, pricing, and truck fit below.

Black Toyota Tacoma with the Kimbo 6 hand-riveted aluminum slide-in truck bed camper, photographed front-quarter on red sandstone in southern Utah.

Kimbo 6 / midsize trucks

The lightweight slide-in. From $27,990.

830 lb dry. Fits Toyota Tacoma, Ford Ranger, Chevy Colorado, Jeep Gladiator, Nissan Frontier, and most other midsize trucks with 5- to 6-foot beds. R5 rigid foam insulation, double-pane Arctic Tern windows, modular interior, four-season ready with an optional Dickinson propane heater upgrade.

Dry weight
830 lb
Insulation
R5
From
$27,990
Explore Kimbo 6 →
White Dodge Ram 2500 with the Kimbo 8 hand-riveted aluminum slide-in truck bed camper, photographed on the Oregon coast with sea stacks behind.

Kimbo 8 / full-size trucks

The four-season slide-in with wet bath. From $42,990.

1,125 lb dry. Fits Ford F-150, Toyota Tundra, Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra, Ram 1500-3500, and most other full-size trucks with 6.5- to 8-foot beds. R10 rigid foam insulation, integrated wet bath, queen cabover bed, full four-season capability — with factory-installed Dickinson Marine Propane or Diesel heater available as a build option.

Dry weight
1,125 lb
Insulation
R10
From
$42,990
Explore Kimbo 8 →

Why hard-side

Hard-side aluminum, not soft-side canvas.

Insulation

Rigid foam-core panels (R5 in K6, R10 in K8) stay insulated at sub-freezing temperatures. Soft-side pop-up campers lose heat through canvas walls, capping their cold-weather usable range above ~30°F.

Security

Aluminum walls and a steel-cam-locked door secure the contents the way a hard-side truck cap does. Soft-side canvas opens with a knife in seconds — fine for trailhead overnights, not fine for week-long trips with bikes, climbing gear, or laptops inside.

Longevity

The 5052 aluminum shell is the same alloy used in marine hulls — corrosion- resistant, repairable, designed to outlast the truck carrying it. Soft-side canvas shells need replacement every 8–12 years; aluminum shells in regular use are typically still serviceable at 25+ years.

Want the full hard-side vs pop-up trade-off in detail? See our hard-side vs pop-up comparison — 15-row spec table, insulation R-value math, security trade-offs, garage clearance, overland posture, and an honest verdict on who picks which category.

Four-season

Truck bed campers built for the cold morning.

Most truck campers are three-season machines — they work fine in summer and shoulder seasons, but lose practical usability below freezing. Kimbo 6 and Kimbo 8 are the opposite: R5–R10 rigid foam insulation, sealed double-pane Arctic Tern windows, and a chimney pass-through pre-installed for an exterior-vented Dickinson heater. Owners camp through Pacific Northwest winters, Colorado snowstorms, and sub-zero high desert nights — many with the Dickinson upgrade installed for real cold-weather use.

Kimbo 6 — R5 insulation

R5 rigid foam panels, double-pane Arctic Tern windows, A/C and chimney pass-through pre-installed with riveted cover plate for an optional Dickinson Marine Propane heater upgrade. Owners with the heater installed regularly camp comfortably at 25°F and below.

Kimbo 8 — R10 insulation

Twice the insulation thickness of the K6, double-pane Arctic Tern windows, and a chimney pass-through pre-installed for an exterior-vented Dickinson heater — with two factory-installed options at build time: Dickinson Marine Propane, or Diesel that draws from the truck's tank for extended cold-weather use.

What owners say
We've taken ours 14,000 miles across 30 states and 32 NPS areas. WA to Vermont, down the east coast to the Everglades, then back via the south.
Patty & SteveOwner #349

Truck fit guide

Will a Kimbo fit your truck?

Most midsize and full-size pickups with 5- to 8-foot beds and 1,000+ lb of payload capacity are Kimbo-compatible. Detailed payload + bed-length guidance per truck below.

TruckBed lengthRecommended Kimbo
Toyota Tacoma5'–6'Kimbo 6
Ford Ranger5'Kimbo 6
Chevy Colorado5'2''–6'2''Kimbo 6
Jeep Gladiator5'Kimbo 6
Nissan Frontier5'–6'Kimbo 6
Ford F-1505.5'–8'Kimbo 6 or 8
Toyota Tundra5.5'–8.1'Kimbo 6 or 8
Ram 15005'7''–6'4''Kimbo 6 or 8
Chevy Silverado 15005.8'–8'Kimbo 6 or 8

Don't see your truck? See the full truck fit guide for 30+ trucks (including GMC, Honda Ridgeline, Rivian R1T) and trim-specific fit notes (Tacoma TRD Pro, F-150 Raptor, Tundra TRD Pro). Cross-shopping? Browse the comparison hub for per-truck "best camper" guides and category comparisons (hard-side vs pop-up, Kimbo vs Lance model pairs).

Watch / KIMBO Series 6 Truck Camper Tour

A walkthrough of a hand-riveted aluminum slide-in camper.

Talon Sei's 30-minute walkthrough of his Kimbo 6 build on a Toyota Tacoma — exterior walkaround, kitchen, bath module, sleeping loft, and the Dickinson propane heater that defines four-season camping in a Kimbo.

Still deciding · Pillar guide

Not sure if a truck camper is the right answer at all?

Our 7-step buyer's guide walks the decisions every truck-camper buyer makes — truck payload, hard-side vs pop-up, construction, interior, budget, financing, test-fit — in the order you actually make them. Plain English, no marketing puff, written by the team that builds the Kimbo.

Frequently asked

Questions, answered.

What's the difference between a slide-in, a pop-up, and a topper?
Three different product categories for truck-bed living. Slide-ins (hard-side aluminum, like the Kimbo 6 and Kimbo 8) are self-contained living units with insulated walls, full-height interiors, and integrated kitchen and bath modules — designed for four-season use and long-term ownership. Pop-up campers (Four Wheel Campers, Hallmark, ATC) have soft-side canvas walls that fold down for travel and pop up at camp — lighter and lower-profile, but limited cold-weather usability. Toppers (Go Fast Campers, Tune, Alu-Cab) are bed-rail shells with sleeping platforms but no integrated living systems — best for weekend trips, not extended off-grid travel.
How much does a slide-in truck bed camper cost?
Slide-in truck bed campers range from $10,000 (used Lance and Northstar models) to $80,000+ (fully-loaded new builds with off-grid solar and heating). Hard-side aluminum builds typically run $25,000–$65,000 new; the Kimbo 6 starts at $27,990 and the Kimbo 8 starts at $42,990, both made-to-order with 7–9 week production timelines. Used hard-side slide-ins hold value better than soft-side pop-ups; expect $15,000–$35,000 for a well-maintained 5- to 10-year-old hard-side build.
What is the lightest hard-side slide-in truck camper?
The Kimbo 6 is the lightest hard-side slide-in truck camper currently in production at 830 lb dry weight. Most hard-side competitors run 1,400–2,400 lb dry: the Lance 650 is 1,813 lb, the Northstar Liberty is approximately 1,400 lb, the Palomino HS-650 is approximately 1,800 lb, and traditional Lance / Arctic Fox / Eagle Cap models exceed 2,000 lb. The Kimbo 6's 830 lb figure comes from the hand-riveted 5052 aluminum monocoque construction (no internal wood or steel frame).
Are slide-in truck campers four-season?
Some are, most aren't. Four-season capability requires sufficient insulation (R5 minimum, R10 ideal), sealed double-pane windows, a proper heating system, and a hard shell that doesn't lose heat through canvas pop-up sides. The Kimbo 6 ships with R5 rigid foam insulation and a chimney pass-through pre-installed for an optional Dickinson Marine Propane heater upgrade; the Kimbo 8 ships with R10 insulation and supports two factory-installed heater options (Dickinson Marine Propane or Diesel) for full four-season camping at temperatures below freezing. Soft-side pop-up slide-ins (Four Wheel Campers Hawk, etc.) are typically three-season only.
What truck do I need for a slide-in camper?
Most slide-in truck bed campers fit midsize trucks (Toyota Tacoma, Ford Ranger, Chevy Colorado, Jeep Gladiator) with 5- to 6-foot beds, or full-size trucks (Ford F-150, Toyota Tundra, Chevy Silverado, Ram 1500-3500) with 6.5- to 8-foot beds. Payload is the binding constraint: a Kimbo 6 needs 1,000 lb payload minimum (most midsize trucks meet this); a Kimbo 8 needs 1,500 lb payload (most half-ton and 3/4-ton trucks meet this). Bed length determines whether the tailgate closes — beds 6 ft or longer let the tailgate close.

Build a Kimbo. Send it over.

Configure a hand-riveted aluminum slide-in truck bed camper for your truck. We'll walk through fit, modules, and timing. No deposit needed to start the conversation.