Truck Camper Magazine Blog

Is That A Love Mobile On Your Truck?

This week’s Question of the Week was, “What do you call the object on the back of your truck?”.  Up for debate was truck, slide in, pickup, pop-up, cabover, and even piggyback camper.  Evidently, there are a few others we need to add to the list.  Love mobile?

We also had 46 Facebook fans answer our Question of the Week.  Click here to see the Facebook responses.  Feel free to become a fan of TCM on Facebook while you’re there.

“Since I am a subscriber to Truck Camper Magazine, a member of the North America Truck Camper Owners Association, and have attended the Mid-Atlantic Truck Camper Rally, I call mine a truck camper!” – Tom Surles

“Gail and I are frequently asked what type of camper we have, and we tell them we have truck camper.  Then we watch for the glaze to come over their eyes that indicates the have no idea what we are talking about.  We try all the other terms, usually with little success.  That is when I whip out my smart phone and show them a picture.  That usually works.  Then we get the usual questions that we have all heard before.  Happy New Year!” – Walt and Gail Hotz

“We call it both a truck camper and a slide-in.  It’s about a 60-40 split.  And then I tell people it is not a truck cap, it does have air conditioning, a full bath, satellite TV, etc.  I’m always one for educating the masses. Hee-hee.” – Elizabeth Todd

“When talking to knowledgeable people, I call it a truck camper.  To the uninitiated, it is a slide in camper.” – Mike Suan

“I have a Four Wheel pop-up camper on my 2012 Toyota Tacoma.  I get exceptional gas mileage.” – Dan

“I also call mine a truck camper.  When I am talking to someone about it and say truck camper, most do not know what one is.  I’m on the east coast and they are not common as a Class C or Class A.  Most times I say I have an RV and that’s all I say.  One person asked if I had one of them big Winnebagos.  I chuckled and said, ‘No, just a truck camper’.  Then he was really lost.” – Jeff and Tammy

“I’ve always called mine a truck camper.  I guess it was reading your newsletters that got it started for me.” – Bob Hubbs

“I have always called it a truck camper.  However, when shopping on Craigslist for campers, its worth searching for slide in as it’s what I think is the second most popular name after truck camper.” – Ed Soto

“I call it a truck camper most of the time, but sometimes I refer to it just as a camper.” – Dave Riddle

“I always called it a slide-in pop-up pickup camper until I subscribed to Truck Camper Magazine when it started a few years ago.  Now I mostly refer to it as our pop-up truck camper.  I sometimes still have to explain to people what exactly a truck camper is.  They sometimes think it is another word for a motorhome.  We live in an area where they are very rare.  Huge RV shows and RV companies in the region do not even have one truck camper in their displays.” – Allen Brummel

“I prefer we call em’ our TC.  That easily clarifies from those that always seem to say they have a TT or is that Tee Tee?” – Gary Gadwa

“We call it a truck camper or pickup camper.” – Skip Jennett

“Like you, we call ours a truck camper.  Most people understand, but for those that have that blank look we simply say, “you know, the kind that slides into the back of a pick-up truck” and that seems to straighten it out.  If it doesn’t, then a tour is in order.” – Bob and Jan Bromley

“I describe my Hallmark camper to others as a pop-up cabover truck bed camper.” – Bob Whitney

“We call our 990 Arctic Fox a camper.” – Dave & April Erickson

“Truck camper, most of the time.  Sometimes we call it a cabover camper.  That seems to connect better with some people when I talk about it.” – Mike Rodriguez

“Home away from home.” – Phil Kaufman

“I grew up in Southern California in the fifties with Howdy Doody, duck and cover drills, and Tonka trucks.  I call them campers.  

During my childhood, my family vacationed in a trailer, also known as travel trailer.  In the early seventies I occasionally would camp in my van.  Now I have the proper camper for which I’d always hankered.  I have to admit, when I call it that most of the uninitiated don’t really know what I’m talking about.  They seem to respond a little more knowingly to the term RV.  

A friend quotes the 1996 Tom Hanks movie “That Thing You Do”, when he refers to me and my rig often as “a man with a really nice camper”.  I can live with that.  Happy New Year to the Whites; Angela, Gordon and Harley.  And happy camping!” – Mark Obert

“Apart from truck campers, slide in campers, pickup campers, pop-up campers, cabover campers, camper shells, and even piggy back campers, I call them slide on campers, demountable campers, and utes (Australia).  Maybe there are more names but, I can’t think of more just now.” – Paul O’ Reilly

“We have a pop-up truck camper, and that’s the truth!  Happy Camping.” – Dan Forry

“Truth be known Angela, it makes no never mind because, when you get down to it, all are truck campers.” – Joseph Brown

“We call our camper, “The Wee House.” – Corn

“We call it our truck camper, immediately followed by, “you know, it slides into the back of a truck”.  So we probably should just start calling it a “slide-in truck camper”.  But no matter what term you use, it begs for further description because many folks still envision a truck cap with two cots!” – Donna Bitzer

“Here in New Zealand, we call ours a slide in camper.  In England they are called demountable campers.” – Chris Smith

“Truck camper is what I have called it since the 1960s.” – Stan Weber

“I basically use truck camper and pickup camper interchangeably.” – Darrell Watson

“Pickup pop-up, as mine is on a pickup truck, and pops up.” – Bruce Norring

“The love mobile.” – Mike Cummings

“I always have to explain it to people who are not in the truck camper community.  To truck camper folks,it’s an 1150, single slide, with a dry bath.  If the person has no idea what I am talking about, it is a camper that slides into the back of my pickup truck with one wall that extends outward.” – Dave and Lila

“I call mine a truck camper but, when I am explaining it to someone who is not familiar with them, I call it slide-in camper since that is more descriptive and people seem to understand what I have then.” – Fred Patterson

“The first slide-in truck camper I owned was in 1971.  Ever since that time we have called, “that thing we haul” a truck camper.  We also call it a slide-in because that is how it is loaded.  We are presently on our fourth truck camper and own a fifth wheel too.

Many truck campers are further defined by their individual characteristics.  For example, soft side, hard side, pop up, slide out, non-slide, single-slide, double-slide, triple-slide, short bed, and long bed, to name a few.
 
Defining that thing we haul is difficult.  In most states, a camper is something that is hauled by a truck, so there is no official vehicle description used by the state department of transportations.  Our insurance accepts the term, truck camper.” – Gary Gade

“My friends at work call my truck and truck camper my house on wheels.  Being a graduate of Mississippi State University, where the mascot is a bulldog, it’s my doghouse.” – Reggie Jones

“It is a unit that I camp in and it goes in the back of a pickup truck so therefore it must be a truck camper.  At least this is what I call it.” – Butch Evans

“My wife and I call our 1985 8.5′ American Pilgrim hard side camper a pickup camper or truck camper.” – Mike and Nancy Pohl

“I call it a truck camper.  In our travels I have found that it is the nomenclature used most often.  There are always exceptions here and there, of course.” – Ronald Bosch

“It is a truck camper!” – Randall Rice

“Truck Camper” – Roy Bertalotto

“TC” – Carlos Armas

“Truck Camper” – Dennis Boxdorfer

“Truck Camper” – Dean Larson

“Truck Camper” – Alex Blasingame

“Ours is definitely a truck camper.” – David Graham

“I call ours a truck camper.  But then again, I read Truck Camper Magazine so why would I call it anything else?” – Brian Barker

 

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