Camping and comfort aren’t always found in the same sentence, but there is no reason these two words can’t get better acquainted, especially when your building your truck camper conversion. Adding a little carpeting to your setup makes your camper feel a little more like home and will save the skin on your kneecaps when shuffling around back there. Plus it looks classy and will make your friends jealous. There is really no downside.

Methods for Carpeting

There are a few methods you can use to lay carpeting over the wood of your setup and each has its advantages and disadvantages but none of them require much skill.

Real Carpeting

Since your basically turning your truck bed into a mobile home, why not carpet it like a real home complete with foam padding and plush carpeting? This method requires the most material and is the most labor intensive but because of the cushioning layer, it is also the most comfortable. Cut both carpeting and padding to match the shape of your setup and either nail or glue the layers down.

Carpet Tiles

The fastest method of adding a little luxury to your setup is to use carpet tiles. The tiles have self-adhesive on the back so all you have to do is peel and place. The convenience comes with a price tag though as this is the most expensive method because typically you have to buy them in bulk. If you can find somewhere to purchase the tiles individually there is a lot of upside to this approach. There are some tiles that have a little bit of padding but not to the level of comfort as real carpet pad.

Outdoor Carpets

The most cost-effective method of carpeting your camper setup is to purchase a cheap outdoor carpet, similar to what you would lay down in front of an RV or on a patio. You can easily cut the carpet to shape by using a razor blade or utility knife. Then you can attach it to the wood using glue or double-sided carpeting tape. The lack of cushioning is the biggest negative for this method but besides the affordability, the positives also include it being more durable and dirt resistant compared to regular indoor carpeting.

Our Setup

Originally our plan was to use carpet tiles but our local hardware stores only sold them in large quantities. Since I didn’t need to carpet an entire room this method became unnecessarily expensive and wasteful. I then found an outdoor rug that was on sale. It isn’t the most appealing shade of green but it’s 100% recycled polyester and the label said it was pet proof. I then chose to use carpeting tape to attach it to the wood. It doesn’t stay put as well as I hoped but it does allow me to easily replace the carpeting when it starts to wear.

If you missed the other parts of our Truck Camper Conversion Guide:

• Part 1: Should I Buy a Camper Shell?
• Part 2: Design Your Setup
• Part 3: Tips For Building Your Truck Camper Setup
  

Chad Albright

Chad can be summed up by his idea of a perfect day: Waking up early to watch the sunrise over the mountains, warm cup of coffee in hand then grabbing his camera and fly rod, hitting the trail to explore some uncharted territory followed by cold beers and campfire steaks. Chad is often joined on his adventures by his wife, Tori, and their dog, Kona.