Six-Pac T100s Camper on a Tacoma

[reemdog]

Hey there,
I know there have been of few of these Six-Pac T100s campers sold here of WTW. But the info on them is minimal. And so I am just trying to get some input from the people who either have had one on a Tacoma or do have one on a Tacoma. Whatcha think? The good, the bad, the ugly... Any insights would be super helpful.

Thanks!

Cheers.

 

[lqhikers]

I have had 2 different six pac campers on Tacoma's one was on a single cab 4 cy. the other was on extended cab v/6 never had any problems.
But you need to add air bags, or heavy springs.
Will you be over the stated weight limit on your truck? probably.
With this in mind if you drive knowing the draw backs they make a good choice.
Some will say you are putting anyone that is on the same road as you in danger because of your disregard
of safety issues, brakes etc. you will always get negative input!
I have also had northstar pop up camper and i found it acted the same as my 4wc pop up did.
In all honesty if i went back to a truck camper again it would be a Northstar pop up.
At this stage of my life we now use a van conversion camper and are happy with it.

Just my thoughts, yours may vary.

Les,lqhikers

 

[reemdog]

Sweet. Thanks for the feedback. I have had a few pop-ups but am considering a hardsided for winter trips. Was the Tacoma a dog with the hardsided camper on there? Thanks.

 

[lqhikers]

About the only time you really notice it is with bad headwinds.
As far as being a dog it depends on how you drive after all it is a loaded truck!

Les,lqhikers

 

[Stan@FourWheel]

DON’T skimp on upgrading to E Rated Tires and doing some rear suspension upgrades.

Kind of needed and you will be happier and safer out on your travels.

Stan

 

[WillTheThri11]

What Tacoma? short bed/long bed 1st gen? 4cyl/6cyl? It probably goes without saying but the 6cyl longbed with access cab has the highest payload rating (2nd gen). And don't forget about everything else your packing to go along on your trips. If you want to do much offroading, I'd be worried about the clearance of the six-pac and the structural integrity going over obstacles that put some twist in the frame of the truck.

That said, for the price, they're hard to beat but in the end i'm happy i saved my pennies and picked up a used FWC. Did I pay 4x the price of the used Six-Pac I also looked at? Yes...will the FWC last longer and be easier to fix in the event of a structural issue? Yes...Like I said I'm happy with my choice.

How do you plan to use it? I think that's really the most important question. Are you stretching the abilities of the tacoma beyond your comfort zone? Are you going to be loading it up with bikes, kids, canoes and all sorts of other toys and going to the lake/river and camping in a campground for multiple days? If so, you probably want to seriously consider a different truck. If you're just tossing a pair of skis and a six pack (of beverages) in the back and want heat to sleep in a turnout around the corner from the ski resort, you'll probably be fine.

 

[WillTheThri11]

also +1 on the rear suspension. I drove from Boulder to LA on my stock suspension (with E-rated tires) and it handled surprisingly well with only about an inch of travel left in the rear suspension, but it was nerve racking every every bump. I put Firestone bags and Daystar cradles and now I barely think about it because it doesn't bottom out and buck when i hit bumps in the road.

 

[lqhikers]

Have to jump back in.
We drove both of our Tacomas (4 cy single cab, extended cab v6) with six pacs
campers all over the west, Baja and never had any structural problems.BUT
i did improve mounting points in both cases by adding metal straps on all corners to spread
stress areas out.
As far as clearances the only worry is to be aware of height when off road.

All camper of any make can have problems.
our fwc ended up with cracks on the upper rear door frames (i think other have had this
same problem)
After ripping out the turnbuckle tie downs on a trip to Baja following 1000 race course
i added turnbuckles to the four corners to help keep fwc in place.
On this same trip i was able to also crack the frame at the rear spring mount
did not notice till arrived home.

Campers and trucks for me are to be used so far all problems have been fixable!

Just my thoughts and experience, yours may differ.

Les,lqhikers

 

[Deekay]

Just picked up a 2007 t100-s camper last week from a great guy that posted it on the forum. Mine is a 2006 v6 long bed I added firestone ride rite bags and got ironman 10 ply tires. 40 lbs in airbags-- and 65 lbs rear tires and 52 front. weight dry is 1157lbs. Rode great from TN to FL handled just fine on hwy about 60 average 14mpg.