How to prepare, what to expect, and how to get the most from your visit.
Table Of Contents
Your truck camper installation day is almost here! Whether you’re traveling across town or across the country, we’re excited to welcome you to the Hiatus family.
This guide covers everything you need to know before arriving:
- Planning your trip
- Preparing your truck
- What to expect on installation day
- Camper operation and walkthrough
- Ongoing support after installation
Planning Your Trip To See Us
Staying in Bellingham
If you’re traveling from out of town, we recommend staying with our preferred hotel partner:
Hiatus customers receive:
- A special discounted room rate
- Complimentary shuttle service to and from our shop
- Friendly Bellingham hospitality just minutes away
Our Care Team will provide instructions on booking a hotel stay before your installation appointment.
Prefer Camping?
There are several great campgrounds nearby if you’d rather camp during your visit.
Larrabee State Park is south of Bellingham along Chuckanut Drive, one of the country’s most beautiful roads to drive.
Highlights include:
- Beach access with unique rock formations and tidepooling
- Forested mountain hikes with island views
Birch Bay State Park is north of Bellingham and offers:
- Plentiful beach access
- Great sunsets
Please reserve campsites early, especially during the summer months, as availability can be limited. There may also be closures during the fall or winter months.
If you’re looking for dispersed camping, you’ll also find Forest Service roads off SR-542 and SR-20.
If you’re making a road trip out of your truck camper installation, we highly recommend exploring one of Washington’s incredible national or state parks on your way home.
Preparing Your Truck
A little preparation before your truck camper installation helps everything go smoothly.
Please Remove These Items
Before arriving, please remove:
- Hitch-mounted accessories that extend more than a few inches beyond the bumper
- Old canopies or toppers
- Tonneau covers — please take these home with you
- Truck cab roof racks
- Tall cab antennas
Swing-out bike racks and tire carriers may remain installed.
Tall Cab Antennas
Ford Rangers, Ford Mavericks, some GMC Canyons, and some Chevy Colorados have very tall antennas that can be unscrewed from the base.
Questions? Ask us!
Existing Bed Furniture and Build-Outs
Please remove existing bed furniture or interior build-outs before arriving. Decked systems and BedRugs are exceptions.
We know it is exciting to plan out your camper interior, but please do not pre-install any furniture. It makes it difficult for our team to maneuver around the bed during installation and may even hinder our ability to install the camper.
We want the process to run as smoothly and quickly as possible. Plus, once the camper is installed, you can take the most accurate measurements to ensure a proper fit for your interior build.
We are unfortunately unable to store, resell, or dispose of removed accessories.
Storing Your Belongings
If you’re arriving with personal belongings, such as camping gear, duffel bags, or bikes, you’ll have a private lobby available throughout the installation where these items can be stored.
Optional Preparation
Although it is not required, some customers choose to:
- Wash their truck and bed before installation.
- Seal factory drain holes and bed seams if planning an interior build.
- Add caulk beneath plastic bed rail caps to improve dust and water resistance.
If you add caulk beneath the plastic bed rail caps, please put the plastic caps back on before arriving. Do not arrive on installation day without these caps.
These modifications are entirely optional and are not performed by Hiatus, as every truck owner’s preferences differ. We will handle the camper side of things, but it is up to each customer to decide whether they want to make changes to their truck bed.
YouTube is full of tutorials if you want to search your truck type for information on how to seal it correctly.
Electrical Preparation
If your truck has existing canopy wiring:
- Remove it or safely cap the wiring.
- We only install and connect Hiatus electrical components.
- This applies to the third brake light and any electrical package.
- We cannot reuse or guarantee wiring installed by previous owners or installers.
If you’re bringing your own portable 12V battery, don’t forget to pack it.
For customers who have opted in for lights and/or a fan, we provide a 12V cigarette port wiring harness that plugs into a 12V battery.
Tailgate
If you’ve ordered double back doors, we can remove your tailgate on installation day.
If you don’t want to deal with transporting your tailgate home, you’re welcome to remove it before arriving.
A Few Important Notes
- There is no overnight camping permitted in our business park.
- Factory bedrail track systems should remain installed, including systems found on modern Toyota Tundras, Toyota Tacomas, Nissan Frontiers, and Jeep Gladiators.
Still have questions? Feel free to reach out to our Care Team in advance.
Your Truck Camper Installation Day Road Map
Arrival
Our Care Team will coordinate your arrival date and time in advance.
Please arrive at your scheduled appointment time. Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate early arrivals.
Running late? Just send us a quick text so we know you’re on your way.
Finding Our Shop
Hiatus Campers
3171 Mercer Ave, Unit 101
Bellingham, WA 98225
Google Maps doesn’t always place our building correctly.
We’re located inside Marine Drive Business Park.
After entering the business park:
- Continue through the roundabout.
- Drive up the hill.
- Pass Building 3161.
- Continue to Building 3171.
- Head to the far left end of the building.
- Look for the Hiatus sign above Door 101.
Parking is available directly in front of or alongside the building.
When You Arrive
We’ll welcome you into our lobby and:
- Introduce you to our installation team
- Show you your completed camper
- Review the day’s schedule
- Escort your truck into the installation bay
During Your Truck Camper Installation
Installation typically takes 5–6 hours.
While we work, you’re welcome to:
- Relax in our private customer lobby
- Use complimentary Wi-Fi
- Watch TV or get remote work done
- Browse camper inspiration and magazines
- Put together a puzzle
- Head into town for lunch, breweries, or shopping
- Explore nearby trails and beaches
Little Squalicum Beach and Locust Beach are within walking distance. You can also head to Galbraith Mountain for world-famous mountain biking or the Chuckanuts for old-growth hiking in the mountains along the coast.
Bellingham is extremely bike-friendly, so bringing bicycles is a great option. Uber and Lyft are also readily available.
For everyone’s safety, please do not enter the production floor unless accompanied by a Hiatus team member.
Need something from your truck? Simply let someone in the office know or flag down an installation team member through the window. We’ll be happy to help.
There is a large window in the door leading into the shop, so you’ll be able to observe your camper installation.
Your Camper Walkthrough
Once installation is complete, one of our team members will provide a comprehensive walkthrough covering:
- Camper operation
- Pop-top setup
- Doors and windows
- Electrical system
- Maintenance
- Best practices
- Questions and answers
You’ll also receive your Owner’s Manual for future reference.
Installation Notes
Camper Mounting
Hiatus Campers are secured using heavy-duty C-clamps.
- Four clamps are installed on each side.
- Certain trucks require specialized mounting hardware. Our Care Team will let you know if this is required.
- We will not through-bolt campers into your truck.
- Each clamp is torqued to specification using a torque wrench.
You are not required to purchase a torque wrench, but it is good practice to check whether your clamps feel loose, especially after the first month post-installation or after any hard off-roading.
Some trucks, such as newer Toyota models, utilize factory bedrail systems. Please leave these installed prior to your appointment.
Electrical
Your camper’s third brake light will be connected by splicing into your truck’s taillight wiring. This is a standard installation method for truck toppers.
We will not use previous canopy wiring because we cannot guarantee its quality or function.
If you’ve purchased our lights or fan:
- Lighting and roof fan systems are designed to plug directly into your portable 12V battery using the supplied cigarette port wiring harness.
- We will not connect them directly to your truck battery or use any preexisting wiring.
If you do not have your own 12V battery, we offer an electrical package if you’d like us to connect your electronics to power.
Our integrated electrical package will be installed the day of your truck camper installation. We will only utilize our supplied parts to connect the battery to your truck’s battery.
After Your Installation
Our relationship doesn’t end when you drive away.
Whether you have questions, need replacement parts, or want to discuss future upgrades, our team is always happy to help.
Every camper is backed by a 2-year repair-or-replace warranty.
Email us anytime at service@hiatuscampers.com.
You’ll always hear back from a real member of our team.
Service Appointments
If you need service or replacement parts, please contact us before stopping by.
Scheduling ahead allows us to:
- Ensure the correct parts are available
- Reserve time with a technician
- Continue providing the level of service we’re proud to offer
We’re always happy to help, we just appreciate a little advance notice.
Ready for Your Truck Camper Installation?
A little preparation goes a long way. Remove the items listed above, arrive at your scheduled appointment time, and let our team take care of the rest.
We’re looking forward to welcoming you to Bellingham and getting you on the road in your Hiatus Camper.
