Toyota Tacoma Pop Up Camper Guide [December 2023]

Are you in the market to buy a new or used pop up camper for your Toyota Tacoma? If so, it’s important to make sure the Toyota Tacoma pop up camper you’re considering can be safely towed by your truck.

Thankfully, most pop up campers are towable by a Toyota Tacoma, but there are some important differences between makes of Tacoma you should be aware of.

I own a 2017 Toyota Tacoma and tow an ALiner Expedition (a hard-sided pop up). I love how easy it is to tow, while still providing me and my family enough room to enjoy our home state of Alaska! Even if that’s not the camper for you, there are thankfully a large number of pop up campers you can choose from that have a range of features.

In the post below I provide you with the information you need to determine which pop up campers will work for your truck. This includes tow ratings for Toyota Tacomas, additional equipment needed to tow certain weights of campers, and a list of current pop up camper weights that will fit Tacomas.

Toyota Tacoma Pop Up Camper Towing Capacity

Recent models of Toyota Tacoma have a towing capacity ranging from 3,500 – 6,400 lbs, depending on the truck’s specific build. Tacomas with 4 cylinder engines have a 3,500 lb towing capacity, as do Tacomas with a V6 engine, but no tow package. Only Toyota Tacomas with a V6 engine and tow package can tow at the 6,400 lb level.

Towing a fully-loaded trailer that weighs more than your vehicle’s towing capacity can be dangerous and affect your vehicle’s handling and braking ability. It’s VERY IMPORTANT to find the right trailer weight for your Tacoma!

Find Your Toyota Tacoma Pop Up Camper Towing Capacity

Your Tacoma’s towing capacity can be found in your owner’s manual and is the most reliable source of information on your specific Tacoma’s attributes. I highly recommend referring to it before purchasing or renting a pop up camper.

Toyota Tacoma Owner’s Manuals

You can also use an online tool that allows you to look up your Toyota Tacoma’s towing capacity by entering the year and make of your truck, or its VIN number.

What Trailer Weight Should You Consider?

It is not uncommon to see multiple weights listed for a pop up camper. The two most important weights to consider are the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) and dry weights. The dry weight of a pop up camper is the unloaded camper weight. No water, no camping gear. Just the trailer and its pre-installed equipment. Whereas the GVWR is the maximum weight the pop up camper can handle. This includes the camper itself and all your gear and full tanks.

At a minimum, your Toyota Tacoma should have a tow rating sufficient to tow the camper’s dry weight. But that means you don’t plan on carrying much, if any gear, and little to no water or waste stored in your tanks.

To be safe, you could rely more heavily on the trailer’s GVWR, and be sure your Tacoma is rated to tow that. But this means your trailer is carrying its maximum weight, which is likely not the case most of the time.

The right Toyota Tacoma pop up camper weight for your truck is probably somewhere between your trailer’s GVWR and dry weights. Then you’ll need to decide how comfortable you are towing a pop up near the top of your truck’s tow rating.

My Toyota Tacoma is rated to tow up to 6,400 lbs, yet my ALiner Expedition has a GVWR of 3,500 lbs. So, I am towing well under my truck’s tow rating. But I love it! My truck handles great. I never worry about my stopping ability, and I never have any trailer sway. Definitely consider if you really need, or want a larger pop up camper, just because your truck can tow it. It might be more hassle than it’s worth.

Important Note:

Toyota has additional towing requirements for Tacomas that you need to be aware of. If your pop up camper doesn’t have trailer brakes, then your Toyota Tacoma pop up camper tow capacity is reduced to 1,000 lbs.

If the Toyota Tacoma pop up camper has a gross trailer weight over 2,000 lbs, Toyota states that a sway control device with sufficient capacity is required.

If the Toyota Tacoma pop up camper has a gross trailer weight greater than 5,000 lbs, you are required to have a weight distributing hitch with sufficient capacity to safely tow your camper.

What pop up campers can Toyota Tacomas tow?

There’s a pop up camper suitable for every make of Toyota Tacoma. Of the current models of pop up campers, 60% are suitable for the lower Tacoma tow rating (3,500 lbs) based on the trailer’s GVWR, and 93% based on the trailer’s dry weight. For Tacomas with a V6 engine and tow package, all models of pop up camper listed below can be towed.

Below I provide a table of the current Toyota Tacoma pop up camper models and whether they need to be towed by Tacomas with a V6 engine and tow package or not. I also list whether a sway control device, or weight distributing hitch might be required.

Brand	Model	Dry Weight	GVWR	Trailer Brakes	V6 Tow Req.	Sway Bar Req.	Weight Distributed Hitch Req.
Sylvansport	TRAILOFT	117 lbs	NA	No	No	No	No
Tentrax	Overlook	500 lbs	1800 lbs	No	No	No	No
Tentrax	Ascend	600 lbs	1800 lbs	No	No	No	No
Kamparoo	Vacationer	725 lbs	NA	No	No	No	No
Kamparoo	Trans-Continental	840 lbs	NA	No	No	No	No
Sylvansport	GO	840 lbs	1650 lbs	No	No	No	No
Chalet	LTW	900 lbs	2000 lbs	Yes	No	No	No
Kamparoo	Cargo Utility	1140 lbs	1840 lbs	Optional	No	No	No
ALiner	Scout-Lite	1180 lbs	3000 lbs	Yes	No	Maybe	No
Taxa Outdoors	WoolyBear	1270 lbs	2100 lbs	Yes	No	Maybe	No
ALiner	Ranger 10	1300 lbs	3000 lbs	Yes	No	Maybe	No
Off Grid Trailers	Switchback	1300 lbs	3500 lbs	Yes	No	Maybe	No
Taxa Outdoors	TigerMoth	1310 lbs	2200 lbs	Yes	No	Maybe	No
ALiner	Scout	1395 lbs	3000 lbs	Yes	No	Maybe	No
Taxa Outdoors	WoolyBear Overland	1400 lbs	2200 lbs	Yes	No	Maybe	No
Coachmen	9.0TD : Clipper Express	1418 lbs	2194 lbs	Yes	No	Maybe	No
Viking	9.0TD : Viking Express	1418 lbs	2194 lbs	Yes	No	Maybe	No
ALiner	Ranger 12	1450 lbs	3000 lbs	Yes	No	Maybe	No
Taxa Outdoors	TigerMoth Overland	1458 lbs	2400 lbs	Yes	No	Maybe	No
Chalet	Alpine	1505 lbs	3000 lbs	Yes	No	Maybe	No
Chalet	Arrowhead	1585 lbs	3000 lbs	Yes	No	Maybe	No
Rockwood	1940LTD	1608 lbs	2291 lbs	Yes	No	Maybe	No
Coachmen	806XLS : Clipper LS	1642 lbs	2897 lbs	Yes	No	Maybe	No
Viking	1706XLS : Viking LS	1642 lbs	2897 lbs	Yes	No	Maybe	No
Tribe Trailers	Basecamp	1654 lbs	3307 lbs	Yes	No	Maybe	No
Off Grid Trailers	Expedition 2.0	1700 lbs	3500 lbs	Yes	No	Maybe	No
ALiner	Classic	1725 lbs	3000 lbs	Yes	No	Maybe	No
ALiner	LXE	1795 lbs	3000 lbs	Yes	No	Maybe	No
Taxa Outdoors	Cricket	1800 lbs	2700 lbs	Yes	No	Maybe	No
Coachmen	107LS : Clipper LS	1801 lbs	2938 lbs	Yes	No	Maybe	No
Viking	2107LS : Viking LS	1801 lbs	2938 lbs	Yes	No	Maybe	No
Safari Condo	R1713	1825 lbs	2700 lbs	Yes	No	Maybe	No
ALiner	Expedition	1850 lbs	3500 lbs	Yes	No	Maybe	No
Coachmen	108ST : Clipper Sport	1863 lbs	2687 lbs	Yes	No	Maybe	No
Viking	2108ST : Viking Epic	1863 lbs	2687 lbs	Yes	No	Maybe	No
Safari Condo	R1723	1867 lbs	2700 lbs	Yes	No	Maybe	No
Taxa Outdoors	Cricket Overland	1978 lbs	3000 lbs	Yes	No	Maybe	No
Chalet	XL-1920	1995 lbs	3500 lbs	Yes	No	Maybe	No
Chalet	XL-1930	1995 lbs	3500 lbs	Yes	No	Maybe	No
ALiner	Family	2000 lbs	3500 lbs	Yes	No	Maybe	No
Rockwood	1970ESP	2095 lbs	2884 lbs	Yes	No	Yes	No
Rockwood	A122S	2120 lbs	3284 lbs	Yes	No	Yes	No
Coachmen	12.0TD XL : Clipper Express	2147 lbs	3720 lbs	Yes	Maybe	Yes	No
Viking	12.0TD XL : Viking Express	2147 lbs	3720 lbs	Yes	Maybe	Yes	No
Chalet	XL-1935	2165 lbs	3500 lbs	Yes	No	Yes	No
Rockwood	1910ESP	2199 lbs	2904 lbs	Yes	No	Yes	No
Coachmen	128LS : Clipper LS	2204 lbs	3223 lbs	Yes	No	Yes	No
Viking	2308LS : Viking LS	2221 lbs	3223 lbs	Yes	No	Yes	No
Rockwood	1940F	2223 lbs	3240 lbs	Yes	No	Yes	No
Coachmen	12.0 TD MAX : Clipper Express	2225 lbs	3259 lbs	Yes	No	Yes	No
Viking	12.0TD MAX : Viking Express	2225 lbs	3259 lbs	Yes	No	Yes	No
ALiner	Evolution	2300 lbs	3500 lbs	Yes	No	Yes	No
Opus	OP Lite Air Tent	2380 lbs	3527 lbs	Yes	Maybe	Yes	No
Rockwood	2318G	2458 lbs	3263 lbs	Yes	No	Yes	No
Rockwood	2280BHESP	2578 lbs	3838 lbs	Yes	Maybe	Yes	No
TrailManor	2518 KB	2580 lbs	3300 lbs	Yes	No	Yes	No
V-Trec	V2	2581 lbs	3790 lbs	Yes	Maybe	Yes	No
TrailManor	2518 KS	2600 lbs	3220 lbs	Yes	No	Yes	No
TrailManor	2518 KD	2600 lbs	3220 lbs	Yes	No	Yes	No
Rockwood	A213HW	2670 lbs	3372 lbs	Yes	No	Yes	No
Rockwood	2514F	2673 lbs	3295 lbs	Yes	No	Yes	No
Rockwood	A214HW	2700 lbs	3353 lbs	Yes	No	Yes	No
V-Trec	V4	2790 lbs	3897 lbs	Yes	Maybe	Yes	No
Coachmen	1285SST : Clipper Classic	2840 lbs	3296 lbs	Yes	No	Yes	No
Viking	2485SST : Viking Legend	2840 lbs	3296 lbs	Yes	Maybe	Yes	No
Rockwood	2318ESP	2868 lbs	3875 lbs	Yes	Maybe	Yes	No
Rockwood	232ESP	2952 lbs	3794 lbs	Yes	Maybe	Yes	No
TrailManor	2720 QB	2960 lbs	4293 lbs	Yes	Maybe	Yes	No
Taxa Outdoors	Mantis 4.1	2972 lbs	4201 lbs	Yes	Maybe	Yes	No
MDC USA	Explorer FF	3028 lbs	4409 lbs	Yes	Maybe	Yes	No
TrailManor	2720 QS	3040 lbs	4250 lbs	Yes	Maybe	Yes	No
TrailManor	2720 QD	3040 lbs	4250 lbs	Yes	Maybe	Yes	No
TrailManor	2922 KB	3040 lbs	4390 lbs	Yes	Maybe	Yes	No
Opus	OP4 Air Tent	3100 lbs	4200 lbs	Yes	Maybe	Yes	No
Taxa Outdoors	Mantis 5.2	3115 lbs	4200 lbs	Yes	Maybe	Yes	No
TrailManor	2922 KB	3130 lbs	4480 lbs	Yes	Maybe	Yes	No
TrailManor	2922 KD	3130 lbs	4480 lbs	Yes	Maybe	Yes	No
TrailManor	3124 KB	3140 lbs	4735 lbs	Yes	Maybe	Yes	No
Lifestyle Campers	ICONN EVO	3197 lbs	4409 lbs	Yes	Maybe	Yes	No
Lifestyle Campers	ICONN E2	3197 lbs	4409 lbs	Yes	Maybe	Yes	No
TrailManor	3124 KS	3200 lbs	4427 lbs	Yes	Maybe	Yes	No
TrailManor	3124 KD	3200 lbs	4427 lbs	Yes	Maybe	Yes	No
V-Trec	V3	3217 lbs	4427 lbs	Yes	Maybe	Yes	No
Opus	OP2 Air Tent	3244 lbs	4400 lbs	Yes	Maybe	Yes	No
Rockwood	HW277	3334 lbs	3880 lbs	Yes	Maybe	Yes	No
Lifestyle Campers	RECONN R2	3417 lbs	4850 lbs	Yes	Maybe	Yes	No
MDC USA	Jackson FF	3455 lbs	4409 lbs	Yes	Maybe	Yes	No
Taxa Outdoors	Mantis Overland	3486 lbs	5000 lbs	Yes	Maybe	Yes	Maybe
Tribe Trailers	Expedition 500	3600 lbs	4100 lbs	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Rockwood	HW296	3721 lbs	4999 lbs	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Conqueror	UEV-490	3800 lbs	4800 lbs	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
MDC USA	AusRV GT	3854 lbs	5512 lbs	Yes	Yes	Yes	Maybe
MDC USA	Robson XTT	3940 lbs	5291 lbs	Yes	Yes	Yes	Maybe
Lifestyle Campers	RECONN R4	4520 lbs	6173 lbs	Yes	Yes	Yes	Maybe
MDC USA	AusRV LX	4734 lbs	5732 lbs	Yes	Yes	Yes	Maybe
Lifestyle Campers	RECONN R4T	5400 lbs	7716 lbs	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

Test Drive a Pop Up Camper With Your Toyota Tacoma

Buying a pop up camper is a significant investment, so you don’t want to end up buying a camper that doesn’t meet your needs. For me, I didn’t want a camper that super heavy, or that didn’t handle well when driving down the highway. I also wanted a camper that was easy to setup and take down.

Unfortunately, camper dealers and private sellers won’t let you take a camper for a weekend test drive to see if it will work for you.

But there is another option. You can rent a pop up camper for the weekend on a site like RVshare or Outdoorsy.

When we first were testing out campers, I rented an R-Pod from Outdoorsy thinking that might be a good option for our Tacoma. After taking it on a week-long road trip, I realized it didn’t handle as well as I would have liked, and I didn’t like the low visibility I had.

Renting a camper from Outdoorsy or RVshare ended up being great, because it made me realize I wanted a pop up camper for my Toyota Tacoma. And that’s I how I decided an ALiner was the right fit for my truck and family.

Summary

For those like me, that prioritize ease of towing over a trailer with a ton of features, a pop up camper is an excellent choice for a Toyota Tacoma. But with the range of features available across pop up campers like ALiners, you won’t need to sacrifice much.

I have no regrets in my choice pop up camper and how it handles well while being towed by my Tacoma. In the future when my family outgrows our ALiner, we will likely choose another pop up camper to replace it. So, it’s nice to know that there are a lot options we’ll be able to choose from.

Toyota Tacoma Pop Up Camper Guide: Models Tacomas Can Tow