Hey adventurers! When the dust settles, you don't want it to be inside your truck cap camper. There's nothing worse than settling in for the night and finding a thick layer of road dirt blanketing everything you own. In the video above, I walk through the tips and tricks I use to keep those little demon particles at bay — here's the overview.
Where the Dust Gets In
The biggest culprit is the truck bed itself. Let's face it — truck beds were not designed to be lived in. If they were watertight, you'd be driving around with a swimming pool back there, so they're built with drainage gaps on purpose. Adding a cap doesn't close those gaps. The worst offender is the tailgate, which doesn't seal against the bed at all — that's where the majority of road dirt finds its way in.
Sealing the Bed Without New Holes
When designing the build, I didn't want to make any new penetrations into the truck body. Instead, I put the factory openings to work: I removed the large plugs at the front of the bed and ran my drain lines out through them, sealing around them with waterproof Gorilla Tape. The holes at the left and right rear of the bed handle an electrical cord and the air vent for the freshwater tank. Every remaining hole got sealed up, and I lined the inside of the camper walls with Havelock Wool insulation with rubber seals around any openings.
Taming the Tailgate
For the tailgate, I ran a weather seal along the base of the camper floor, which closes the majority of the gap and has stayed stuck without coming loose. The curved sides of the tailgate are trickier — I made custom inserts that sit around the existing tailgate bumpers and compress into a seal when the tailgate closes. You'll have to experiment with materials for your particular truck; the test is simple: no sunlight shining in around the tailgate when you're inside the cap. The inserts wear out from opening and closing the tailgate, so keep extra material on hand — in the video I show three versions cut from different materials.
The Last Two Tricks
Once the bed is sealed, check the seals on your other openings — windows, access doors, and fans — and keep windows and fans closed tight while driving unless you want to write messages in the dust that settles on absolutely everything. And finally: a separate carpeted space for dirty shoes at the entry helps tremendously in keeping dirt off the floor.
Gear That Helps
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Weather Seal Strip
Runs along the camper floor base to close the tailgate gap.
Waterproof Gorilla Tape
Seals around the drain lines through the factory plug holes.
Havelock Wool Insulation
Lines the camper walls — insulation and gap-filler in one.
Brush & Dustpan Set
Because some dust always wins — keep cleanup easy.
Worth the Afternoon
An afternoon of sealing work means arriving at camp with clean bedding, clean countertops, and gear that doesn't crunch. If your rig still breathes dust, this one's for you — watch the video above and seal it up before your next trip.
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▶ Subscribe on YouTubeDisclaimer: The information provided in this article and its video is for entertainment/educational purposes only. By following any advice from this article, video, or any provided links, you do so at your own risk. Please consult with a professional before attempting any construction, plumbing or electrical work.