Hand-Riveted Aluminum Slide-In Truck Bed Campers.

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.

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.

Base dry weight

830 lb

Insulation

R5

From

$27,990

Explore Kimbo 6 →

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 with cassette toilet and indoor shower, queen cabover bed, full four-season capability, with factory-installed Dickinson Marine Propane or Diesel heater available as a build option.

Base dry weight

1,125 lb

Insulation

R10

From

$42,990

Explore Kimbo 8 →

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.

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 base dry weight (empty shell from the factory). With selected modules installed it runs ~1,000 lb dry with modules, and ~1,200 lb fully loaded (modules + water + propane + jacks + gear). 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 base dry 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.

Which Kimbo is the right 8-foot truck bed camper?

The Kimbo 8 is the platform engineered for 8-foot truck beds and for the 6.5-foot half-ton configurations that are the most common full-size bed length. It fits cleanly on 6.5- to 8-foot beds across the Ford F-150 (long-bed), Toyota Tundra (8.1-foot bed), Chevy Silverado 1500 / 2500 / 3500, GMC Sierra 1500 / 2500 / 3500, and Ram 1500 / 2500 / 3500. On 8-foot long beds the rig carries more cargo deck behind the camper; on 6.5-foot standard beds the tailgate still closes. The Kimbo 6 is the platform for 5- to 6-foot midsize and short-bed half-ton trucks.

Do slide-in truck campers have bathrooms and showers?

Some do. Hard-side slide-in truck campers with a dedicated wet bath module (a fully enclosed bathroom where the shower and toilet share a single waterproof room) are the format that delivers a real indoor bathroom and indoor shower in the truck-bed footprint. The Kimbo 8 ships standard with a dedicated wet bath (draining shower module, cassette toilet, portable Fanntik shower system) inside the camper as an integrated zone; optional dry-flush toilet and a 20-gallon external water tank with 110V anti-freezing extend cold-weather usability. Pop-up campers (Four Wheel Campers, Hallmark, ATC) and toppers (GFC, Tune, Alu-Cab) typically do not include a bathroom or shower as standard; buyers in those formats usually run a portable porta-potty and a solar shower bag outside the camper. The Kimbo 6 occupies a middle ground: cassette toilet and portable shower are available as optional modules, but there's no dedicated bath module on the K6 the way there is on the K8.