truck camper sitting in a wet truck bed

[gitpicker2009]

Just a maybe stupid question: My Arctic Fox 1150 sits on a rubber mat, maybe a half inch thick in the bed of my 4500 dually.
The bed has an industrial finish bed liner, so it's virtually water tight.
It does drain, but not always completely. Should I be worried about the truck camper bottom being slightly wet?
I often wonder while driving through heavy rains also.
I mean, it's not like it's sitting in 3 inches of water, but more about residual moisture and occasionally a maybe a 1/4 inch of water until it drains/dries.


Thanks for any and all advice.

[deltabravo]

The thin luan on the bottom of AF camper is held in place with small screws. Seal up the dimples made by the screws to keep water from penetrating the wood.

[BradW]

Ditto. Those drains can clog up in a sprayed bed. Pine pollen works real good at clogging them up.

[KKELLER14K]

I agree kohldad...I think the OP should double check the drains to make sure there are no obstrctions. One other thing..When not in use level it sligtly higher in the front so any moisture can drain out the back. Just my $.02

[mellow]

You could always install a sump pump 🙂

[kohldad]

On both of my last two trucks, after the bed liner was sprayed in, I took a large screw driver in the drain slots and pried them open so they were larger. This allows the water to drain faster.

[Grit_dog]

OP's truck is sitting on a dually flatbed. Different situation than a pickup bed.
Bottom line though, it's not really a question anyway. If it holds water, drill a couple holes in the appropriate spot.
If the bottom of the camper stays wet and continues to soak up moisture, it will rot. If it's above high water on the mat, then it's not a concern, however the OP has to decide that....but it's just too easy to put a couple drain holes in the bad and be done with it.

[notsobigjoe]

mkirsch wrote:
I would question why water is even getting in there in the first place with the camper in the bed. Even running in the heaviest rain my little Palomino keeps the bed covered and dry. Your big Arctic Fox is a bunch wider and longer.

You might have an internal tank leaking out into the bed.

I Agree, This is what I was thinking. Mine sits in the bed almost year round in central Florida where it pretty much rains everyday and it's dry. It's dry going down the road as well as I driven through many a rain storms and took the camper off to a dry bed. Many members use the available space for storage under the wings because it's dry. Of course with all that said it could be different with other camper manufacturers. JMHO
Joe

[mkirsch]

I would question why water is even getting in there in the first place with the camper in the bed. Even running in the heaviest rain my little Palomino keeps the bed covered and dry. Your big Arctic Fox is a bunch wider and longer.

You might have an internal tank leaking out into the bed.

[JimK-NY]

My truck has a liner and drain holes in the front corners of the bed. Anyway, no water ever gets into this area. My camper overhangs the sides of the truck bed rails by several inches and the gap between the camper and rails is only a couple of inches.

I store extra boots, clothing and paper goods between the camper and the truck. No water or dampness ever in years of doing this.

[Grit_dog]

It’s only a problem if the water is deeper than your bed mat.
But I’d do Iike bedlam said and eliminate the issue completely.

[Bedlam]

Pickup beds have drains in the corners to prevent this. you may want to do the same in your sealed tub.

[zb39]

i dont think its a problem. it prob dries in 24 hours.