Depending on which part of the country you live in, you may know a truck camper shell by another name. Across the country the most common names are truck topper, topper, truck cap, vehicle cap or pickup truck cap.

Just know that the regardless of what name you call them they are all pretty much the same.

They set on top of truck beds or pickup truck beds and are used to provide an enclosure. Most have rigid frames made from wood, steel or aluminum. The height for truck camper shells is usually about the height of the pickup truck. Heights do vary quite a bit with some being significantly taller than the top of the pickup truck cab.

Older models were sometimes made from wood (usually fir or pine) but today most are made with aluminum frames and skinned with thin sheets of aluminum too. You can find quite a few that have fiberglass reinforced frames and skins too. Even though they are sometimes called truck camper shells they have a lot more uses than just camping. As a matter of fact, the majority of what we know as a truck camper shell are used for business and not for camping.

Originally designed for camping, it didn't take long for people to figure out that they could be used as a way to safely secure things like tools and work site materials too. If bought for business, most people opt for no windows. That way prying eyes can be prevented from seeing exactly what's inside. But when you are going to actually used one for camping, then you may want windows. It can get really claustrophobic in one of them if you don't have any windows.

Most camper shells are about the same height as the pick up truck cab but in some cases they can extend over the top of the cab. The longest of this design can even extend past the front of the cab too. Driving a pickup truck with a camper shell like that seems really odd and is distracting.

The most important thing to know is that if you opt for a design that allows the truck camper shell to extend over the top of the cab, then you can expect your 'miles per gallon' to really go down. Pushing a flat surface like the front of a camper shell down the highway takes a lot of energy and your mileage will show it.

There are wind deflectors made to help reduce the wind drag but these can be expensive and whether of not it's worth the investment will be determined by how many highway miles you drive. If most of your driving is not done on the highway then you will not notice such a huge difference in mileage. Of course your mileage will go down when any type of camper shell is added, just because of the extra weight you will be carrying.

More popular in the South, there are truck camper shells that have soft sides supported by metal rails running from each side of the truck bed. Covered in a canvas like material, this style is a lot cheaper than their hard sided cousins. Cargo is not very secure in these types of shells for obvious reasons.

No matter what type of truck camper shell you opt to buy, be sure it is permanently attached to the pickup truck bed. The amount of wind pressure at highway speeds is really really high. If you Don's secure the truck camper shell to the truck then there is a distinct possibility that it will simply blow off while going down the highway. Dangerous of other drivers and expensive for you.

All manufacturers offer guidance on how to attach their camper shells to various models of pickup trucks. Be sure to follow their recommendations when attaching your truck camper shell to the truck.
Truck camper shells are quite popular and very versatile too. If you own a pickup truck you may want to consider adding a truck camper shell for extra security and convenience.