My truck camping setup got even lazier 

I think you could get a piece of rubber flap , maybe garage door sealer

Being able to sit up inside the camper is a game changer, and definitely something you should keep! Would a smaller (more narrow) mattress be an option? Then you could have a properly flat mattress to sleep on, and room enough on the sides to store stuff. If it were me, I'd probably go with something like that, and then maybe build some easily removable small storage boxes to line the sides. Also, with all the waterproofing you're doing, I think it would be worth taking into consideration/planning for some solution to be able to have everything you're bringing on a trip inside. Whether that's actual storage solutions, or just being able to chuck it into the drivers cab when you're at a campsite.

Just a thought..............for around the base of the camper top. Flexible Baseboard Molding Trim, 4 Inch Self-Adhesive Vinyl Wall Base, Peel and Stick (amazon or hardware store) Maybe just a vinyl strip to glue to the top and the door to overhang. Think about the wind going down the road. Maybe use a (bottle) or any jack and a block of wood (2x4 side to side on top then another 2x4 in center to lift. a big "T") to lift the shell a little (from the inside) to reinstall the gasket.

Emma,for your camper top door crack between tailgate. Lowe's has "DURA LIFT" 17ft. X 3 1/2 " X 5/16" Black Rubber Garage Weatherstrip. Cut the width of your camper door. You will want to attach 1" above the edge of camper door ,possibly using rubber cement glue. 2 1/2" inches will over hang and rest on tailgate. It is possibly it is paintable to match white door. Another suggestion for the 2 1/2" over hang is glue some type of magnetic strip to the edge make a complete seal. That may help to keep thieves from knowing there is a crack there. My name is Doyle and I practice thinking outside the box on ideas.

Get a roll of 2 inch wide rubber strip. Glue it to the camper where it sits on the truck. Also glue it to the inside of the bottom edge of the door. It will hit the tailgate when closed after the tailgate, bend an deflect any rain.

Awesome video. Makes for simple packing and allows you to get out and spend more time enjoying the trip instead of setting up camp. For your cap, as other people have mentioned, a garage door seal is a really cheap and effective product to shed water away from your cap. There are some products that have a 90 degree angle that I think would work really well for you. For the truck cap door, look for a weather seal that has a Z shape. It's designed to adhere on the inside and zig zag its way to the outside to shed water out and over the tail gate.

You might like something like Vinyl Flexible Baseboard Molding to lap over the tailgate from the topper door. It might give another idea, also.

idk what it is but that amazing painters shirt youre wearing is doing things to my heart! great views and friends thanks for sharing

Run a bead of caulk around the inside. No more leaking. A ratcheting loadbar will allow you to lift your own shell. I have extra you can borrow/have if you make it to West Valley City. i would have to double check but I may still have weather seal that would work for your door. I do have a bunch of 12 volt lights I pulled out of my RV, and you know how to wire DC.

You could add a flat strip of rubber to the lower part of the door, overlapping the tailgate.

I am liking this level of chaos camping

Nice setup, simple and functional. Thanks for sharing your ideas and projects, the problems encountered and your solutions. I can't help realizing that I wish I had met a lady like you 40 years ago - if such a person existed.

You can find rubber molding in the door section & the plumbing section for tub surrounds that are water proof at Home Depot to attach to the sides & back but I would still try to fix the weather seal between cap & truck.

ESI Super Cap Seal XL from Amazon is what I used to seal my camper shell to my truck. I would definitely recommend it.

Well deserved time off, Emma. Rejuvenating from the daily grind leave the stress sooth the soul with some nature in your life. Thanks for Sharing...

You are doing great Boats are not like other things built out of wood

for the idea of attaching something to hand over the truck bed vs weather stripping. why not get a plastic trim strip that youd use for flooring/carpet? run a bead of caulk on the outside of the cap to seal it up and then just bolt the trim strip into the cap. caulk the top seme of the trip strip and youre done. that should provide a water tight plastic overhang that should sit flush on top the the sides of the truck bed, easy to do and pretty cheap

As for your big idea, how did cutting a big hole in the bus roof go? Given your relevant experience, it seems like you could absolutely go for it!

You could possibly try using a drip edge from a residential window. You would be able to screw it into your canopy and the back door

Yes, headroom *always* makes it more functional -- I can say that, because, at 6'2", I often don't get the headroom I need. Also yes! You absolutely should cut a big hole in the roof and add a pop-top! Perhaps from an old VW Westfalia camper or a "cheap(er)" roof top tent that you could also cut a matching hole in the bottom of and join together with the cap/topper. That's one hell of an undertaking, but if anyone can do it, you can. With your recent experience fiberglassing, you could probably make your own pop-top for that little rig relatively cheaply. Only thing I noticed, is you might also want to put a thin strip of flexible moulding or weather-seal above the door hinges, so you can leave the door up when it's raining and not have water dripping thru that small gap. Cheers!...from North Vancouver

Hey Emma, I have a camper shell too and my edges go slightly below the bed rails. It’s funny how our camping setup is the same (hahaha)! I find it easier to keep my camping gear in plastic bins and just toss them in the truck when it’s time to camp. And let’s face it, camper shells are small and head space is zero to none (I’m 6’). I’m glad I found your channel. And I’m always curious about what gear people love to bring out. See you soon and safe travels!

Most people have suggested a flat rubber over hanging skirt. I would add a strip of Aluminium and pop rivet it on with penny washer at the back, so not to pull it through the fibre glass. You can get rivets that splay a wide area when pulled by the rivet gun.

I love every video you ever made

Have an amazing weekend ⛅

For the canopy door you should door the little shelf so it stops the rain but put a little retractable roll of shade cloth or waterproof fabric so when it’s up and you want privacy you can roll it down

you could build like a 18" wide shelf along one side at the level the shell meets the truck, one leg on the tail gate end, put 6" rail on it and you can stow all your containers real nice, bungy them up to keep em sturdy and in place .. maybe a little padding on the shelf corner so if you bump it in your sleep it wont hurt . . I had a nissan 4x4 hardbody XE long bed, 8' . . had a shell on it too.. it was my camper, worked real good, nice twin mattress, room, comfy, coolers, gas camp stove, everything but a bathroom.. lol

Emma there’s a fine line between lazy and smart…… difficult to tell the difference just how you look at it👍😎

Your innovative approach to simplifying your truck camping setup reflects resourcefulness and efficiency. It's inspiring to see how you continually optimize your setup for convenience and comfort, demonstrating adaptability and creativity. Keep exploring new ways to enhance your camping experience! And I am Floating Village Life.

The head height is so much better with out the bed platform.👍🏻

Amazon has metal backed weatherstrip that would work great for the sides and rear door. Garage door weatherstrips would work well also. Just remember to put butal rubber between it and the camper to seal if off also. The garage door weatherstrip would be easy to get local and comes in white, plus it comes in a length that you need and is cheap.

You have a very carefree lifestyle.

I cut a hole in the top of mine and put a rooftop carrier on it. It gives me over 6' of head room and more storage.

I checked Amazon under truck topper rear door flap. And some stuff popped up 1 was interesting for the sides came in a roll Esupport 157" 4m Z shape car door window trim $10.79 you'll at least be in the right neighborhood to search 😊

A couple of things that I would like to say about your truck. I would suggest that you not cut a hole in the top, well pending upon the insert (most DIY will leak). I would also ask you look into and think like a backpacker, this will help with clutter. Once upon a time, I had a Dakota with a tonneau cover that had a zip on tent, wish that I still did. Plenty of storage with a single mattress sized bed suspended on special braces. Much room inside, no packing, close the lid and go.

Beautiful place, Good break from the boat too.

Get some of that DGSL garage door seal. Attach it to the shell and it will compress, seal it and not roll up like the cute little seal stuff you used. But as with everything that works, it's going to be expensive. Enough for your bed is going to cost about $50 bucks.

Hey Emma think you’re doing a amazing job on trying to build the house boat the good thing is taking breaks from it I think you should fiberglass the truck door that you just built if you’re happy with it so that it would be protected from the elements and you would be able to to create the lip over the tailgate like you want

"An awning?....No that's dumb." 😂 Your videos are great :).

It works, so that's a good thing!

check out you can get gas struts to hold the camper window up there not expensive might need to get hardware from junk yard

Having work in a factory building canopies like yours, I wouldn't recommend cutting a hole in the roof. They depend on the layers to give it structure, if you were to cut a hole in it you degrade the structure and turn it into a floppy mess. If you were gonna do it tho, use your fiberglass skills to bond a fiberglass ridge around the hole to rebuild the structure. I also recommend caulking around where the truck and canopy meet to weather seal it. If you want more headroom, I've seen people build 2x4 risers between truck and canopy; up to cab high. I wouldn't go more than halfway but... Check out Girl in the Woods pickup build for a rear door solution more practical for camping!

emma-hello-when you came out of the house(loading the camper) that outside door where you step down-please tell that is a secure door!-if its not please rig up a bar across it, that door worrys me-i would sleep better at night knowing some two - legged varmint isnt trying to visit you-at your discretion of course!- luv your videos- charlie from arkansas.

Had you thought of building a storage box length wise over the wheel well maybe a drawer slide on the side of w.well for pull out storage? Custom cut your mattress to fit. Better yet get an add a room/screen tent for the backs of trucks with toppers 😊

Do not put a angle metal down from the shell to the pickup bed, that will not stop water from coming in, just fix your weather strip under your camper shell. For the gap on your hatch door, use a metal transition strip, for tile flooring to carpet, it has the angle you need.

Looks fun❤

Good video!

Awesome job where u at looks great

Weather stripping is how the Ute (truck) canopy (shell) companies in Australia (ARB & TJM, etc) all do it, i'm not sure reinventing the proverbial wheel is a great idea. The trick, in my view, is taking the tailgate door off and the window out from where it meets the cab and lowering it from the roof of you shed,if you can. Some rope and some pulleys would do the trick.

I went back to watch the boat build from the beginning. Very Impressed. My only suggestion is to wear some hearing protection when using power tools. Your middle aged self will thank you for not having to deal with the effects of hearing damage. This from an old guy who didn’t think it was important. Hearing aids suck.

Unless you are willing to use a smaller mattress a new bed platform and a roof expansion is going to be the way to go

A rubber flap..go look into it at marine sites for boats..

They make weather stripping specifically for truck caps.

Omg, I love the way you make me laugh 😂😂😂

This is basically exactly how mine has been set up for the last year. Two summers ago I had a platform but it doesn’t leave enough headroom and all your stuff is inaccessible

I wouldn't call it _lazy_ . It looks like your setup is exactly what it needs to be for being super comfortable while camping.

How about the bed platform with pull-out draws for your gear.

Every parts store carries 2” wide x 1/4” thick, sticky on only one side, foam tape for sealing between camper, bed side tops and tail gate top. I’ve used it many times. Problem solved

Are you still my temper top like yours? I went to home depot and got the molding that goes around the outside of the garage door that when you'd close the door down, it fits against the sides of the door if you put that on the bottom where it hangs down, it'll keep it. From leaking and then seal around the top edge of it. You'll see what I mean when you look at the molding. Ask them for a garage door molding that lips to the outside of the garage door

Take me with yoooooooooou 😍

I started out that way. Went to tents. FAR BETTER! Use the truck to pack tents. And a huge tarp. You're welcome.

Toyotas never die.

Been there done that to great effect on my Soul and Wisdom. You need a compatible dude lover to travel with and tailgate cook with coolers and lawn chairs. Then you will master the Flow State of both nature, culture, and inspired individual nature. Aka early 30s Self Actualization. Love

It would be cool if you could put a hammock in the back corner to corner but might be hard to get in it?

I'm very pro 'cutting a hole in the roof'

Obviously you need some storage for it to be practical. I think you need to get creative and design it to have 2 layouts. Layout 1 would involve a matress of say 60% of the current size, with the other 40% storage alongside; this would be the premier design, should, for instance, you use the camper solo most of the time. However, by reconfiguring the storage, you halve it's height and create a platform (doesn't have to be so tall that all of the mattress is over the wheelarches, the matress can squish). So in its main configuration, you have a smaller mattress and ideal storage plus flat work surface yet you retain the ability to convert it to sleep 2.

That lip is called flashing

All you want to fit is mini gutters or divert the water away from the edge

I think you need your own tiny pup !

drip edging

Hammock storage seems like one of the only ways....ORRRR tow a teenie tiny trailer that is nothing but a kitchen and storage. Bed stays in truck... Eh? Yup.

And still no curtains. All it needs is a half car cover to throw over the car at night.

Sometimes simpler is better! Loving your laid-back approach to truck camping. We sent you an email, take a look.

Emma. With your skill level, I would not recommend cutting a hole in the roof.

😍

9:20 you mean flap?

Jealous and Inspired at the same time

You're worried about leaks and want to cut a hole in your roof....hmmm. 😁

I must have missed but what happened to your dog????

So happy for you. Lively,precious girl.shamim 💞💙🧜‍♀️🦜🕊👫💑🎎🌹👨‍👩‍👧‍👦🏡🏢

🇱🇹😊😊😊👍👍👍

❤✅ How would you describe your personality? You’re a fast talker with high energy!

Most people would have gone the same way as you, l know I would have. Think that dub the hype of the teal stretch or nasal or whatever would double its effectiveness. 🤔🤷🏽‍♂🤦🏽‍♂🤣No big 😱🫣😬😶‍🌫🌞🥰🤩😏It's okay to be human 🫡🥳🙂

Flashing

Get a GoFast

Your confusion amuses me.

YES IM FIRST !!!! LOL

Instagram link in profile is broken.