Sleeps Six! 1977 KIT Camper
Forget about the pickup truck, it’s just the 1977 KIT slide-in camper that’s for sale. And boy-oh-boy does it look like the ’70s. It’s a throwback or a trip down memory lane, or whatever your recollection from long ago can recall about a bygone camping trip. It’s currently perched on what looks like a ’68 Chevy 3/4 ton pickup but it will supposedly fit other trucks. Jim found this tip for us, it’s located in Durham, California and is available, here on eBay for an opening bid of $3,500 or a BIN price of $7,550.
Looking around inside is like watching an episode of The Brady Bunch – there are enough browns, yellows, and tans to make you think that you are in a 1973 time warp. The seller claims, “Camper is in exceptional condition, perfect for family camping or taking to vintage trailer rallies“. As for that family camping experience, it would have to be a pretty tolerant family as it looks as if things could get tight and testy pretty quickly. This camper will supposedly sleep six but I imagine you’d have to sleep sideways like The Three Stooges to get everyone to fit. Also claimed is, “all original flooring, upholstery, and appliances. No stains rips tears or burns, no defects“.
The exterior shows well, my guess is that a garage or storage facility of some sort has played a role in maintaining this camper’s clean outer bearing. These things, once aged, usually show rust stains from corroded rivets or screws along with mold and tree mung splotched all over the exterior but none is visible. The seller has done a pretty good matching job between the camper and the truck – likely intentional but he does admonish, “Camper only truck not included nor is the truck for sale. Requests to sell truck will be ignored“.
I’ve done an overnight or two in one of these tin cans before but it was a long, long time ago and I was a lot more limber in those days. As I recall, I friend of mine and I ended up somehow near Avalon, New Jersey in around ’77 and slept it off, ooops, I mean slept one insufferably hot night on mattresses that were plastic covered. The experience didn’t scar me for life or anything like that, but it did convince me that this camper lifestyle was not my cup of tea. Regardless, slid-in campers were very popular at one time and I suppose there is still a contingent that appreciates this sort of outdoor activity. There are no dimensions included, so if this arrangement is of interest to you, I suggest tracking down that information first. Oh, and if you pull the trigger and go for it, I’d suggest that before you try cramming another five bodies into this thing that you make sure you’re all very close, tolerant friends, right?
Comments
You’ll need a period-correct pickup to haul it, at least a 3/4 ton. I can remember in about 1982 or ’83 my dad and Uncle Bob were swapping one off Uncle Bob’s ’77 F250 tallboy onto Dad’s ’79 C-10 straight-6 non-heavy half. Down it went from the jacks, down it kept going not quite to the bump stops, in went me and my year-younger cousin who did what 7 and 8 year old kids on the brink of adventure do and almost immediately we were ordered OUT of the truck which was on its’ bump stops, camper went back on the jacks and back on the F250 and we went in that.
The term is ‘slide-in’ camper.
Slide-in is for describing it in its uninstalled state. Slid-in is for once installed
i think these are a tougher sell on their own, without the truck to go with it
Yeah, I am sure back in the day they never sold them without a free truck lol
Exactly. It would be a shame to separate this camper from this truck.
They belong together.
Yeah, my folks had a few of these when I was young. Only Dad had ours
perched on no less than a 3/4 pickup.
The one I recall most is the black ’67
Ranger long box powered by a 428
C-6 combo. Then he mounted the camper directly to the rear half of some 3/4 ton truck frame and used it as a pull behind til he tried of it. After
that, he wised up and bought a really
nice 20 foot Champion motor home
and from there he was hooked. No more slide ins for him. He bought a
a string of motor homes til he passed
in 2003. Nice rig though.
Nice camper but I would rather have the truck
My dad known as Fisherman Pete decided to build his own slide in camper but did nothing about beefing up the suspension on his 64′ Chevy 1/2 ton Pickup with a 6cyl engine. The truck rattled and shook and the stock tires were no match for the added weight. My dad, a great expert at architecture and woodwork but awful at automotive work. On fishing trips sometimes I didn’t know if we would make it through that mountain pass or simply stall out and be left for the vultures. I’ll pass… jv -smash palace
That was a flash back!!! Cool retro camper… But no truck wow. This Chevy and camper looks great together. Unless you get get that 78 Ford Ranger that’s for sale below this site. The Ford could carry without a problem. This camper going to be a hard sale with out wheels.. 🐻🇺🇸
Sleeps six adults? Are 2 in the cab of the truck sleeping sitting up or is everybody a midget? Screams 7o’s inside that’s for sure.Kinda neat for a hunting or fishing trip with a buddy or 2 but not 6 imo.glwts.
“Camper only truck not included nor is the truck for sale.”
Will be a tough sale due to the truck not being included. Its a bygone era camper but the period truck needs to be a part of the package. So the seller probably will end up with a no sale at the end of the day.
I would be nervous about the floor. These older campers were notorious for the floors rotting away, especially if they spent their entire life in a pickup bed. The wood floors never got to dry from sitting in the truck bed. It is a great 70s time capsule but I’m not sure how many people want to live in the 70s again.
That truck in the ad is a 1968 Chevy with the 50th anniversary package. It was an option to celebrate 50 years of Chevy trucks (1918-1968). The package included the white painted top, gold painted main body, and white painted lower section on the custom trim or CST models. The interior was white door trim panels, gold dashpad, gold rubber floor covering, and white and gold seat covering in a special cloth, or in vinyl. I never heard of one until I found one in Arizona over 10 years ago. The option could be ordered on any Fleetside body trucks from 1/2 ton to 1 ton, but not on any stepside body trucks. There are no 50th anniversary badges anywhere on the truck, just the paint and interior trim codes on the glovebox options list.
Jim
You are obviously not a camping person not everyone is this is a big step up from a tent and it looks from the side photo that it has a rooftop A/C unit to make it comfy
You are correct no way sleeping 6 but 4 would be fine 2 on the over cab and 2 on the fold down dinette
Definitely requires a long 8 foot bed 3/4 ton pickup minimum
My brother had one very similar to this on a 1983 ford f350 super cab and that worked just fine not for me any more at my age I now have a 1 ton ram 4×4 that I pull a fifth wheel with but this is
Actually a pretty reasonable price
“You are obviously not a camping person…”
Got that right RMac unless it’s at the Holiday Inn.
JO
Don’t worry – the truck will be up for sale soon too. Well, that’s my guess anyway. The way I look at it is that the truck and camper are worth more separately. If that truck happens to have low mileage and runs as good as it looks – it’s worth more all by itself. Camper too. Great article!
Being a “swinging 70s” piece an inspection with a blacklight might be prudent.
LOL Harry you may be right which I why I buy my campers new!!
But if you really want to be horrified bring a black light to your next hotel room I don’t care if it the ritz
You will be shocked at matress under sheets bathroom carpet and sometimes the sheets and pillows plus something like 85% of hotels have had bed bug issues in the last year
At least in my fifth wheel I know who’s been in the beds and what’s happened plus all the luxuries of home
I’m well aware of those horrors my friend
In the 60s and 70s, my family and our friends all had RVs one way or another. We had a 17 ft Aristocrat Land Commander trailer. Dad pulled it behind his 69 Chrysler 300. It had the mighty 440, with Carter 4 barrel carburetor. It was a great rig. Others had these slide in campers. Although they seemed to be very popular back then, they never made much sense to me. First of all they were horrible to handle, especially in high winds. And no matter what size you bought, they were all very small inside, very narrow, and they all looked very awkward hanging over the trucks. However, they were the least expensive option of all RVs since they had no frame, wheels and axles. The other selling point was if you had a boat, you could pull the boat behind the truck and still have living quarters, and you could ride in them while traveling. Other than that, I never saw much value in them. Trailers made the best overall sense. Since they could be unhitched from the tow vehicle, you could park in a camp site and that worked well if you planned to stay in one area for a while, and still have transportation. Trailers, even with their chassis, were a good value, they were much more roomy inside, offered more interior features, and with an equalizer hitch, and a big V8 under hood, they handed most road conditions pretty well. After I grew up, and the type of traveling I did, I went with a class A motorhome. A 1998, 33 foot Southwind built over a Ford F450, Super duty chassis, with an injected 460. I was living large. It was big, beautiful inside and out, and I loved everything about it, except back then with it’s 75 gallon gas tank, it cost $750, to fill it. And since I drove it like a car, the best I could get was 8 mpg. It didn’t matter how loaded down it was, climbing steep grades, 8 mpg. So, the right RV to have, largely depends on how you plan to use it. But in all cases, a slide in camper on the back of a truck, was the worst option. I’m sure that’s why they became extinct, leaving trailers, haulers and motorhomes as the remaining options. There! Everything you need to know about RVs.
Well Bill, I don’t know where you were buying fuel, but I haven’t seen fuel at $10:00 per gallon