Patty and Shane lived in a 3,500-square-foot home after spending years moving around the United States for Shane’s military career. Despite all those relocations, they’d never really seen the country. Once their boys were grown, they sold the house and started traveling in a fifth wheel.
After a couple of years on the road, they decided to travel from Texas to Alaska and downsized from the 400-square-foot fifth wheel into a 100-square-foot truck camper. The compact space includes a dinette slide-out for extra room, a wet bath, a kitchen with a three-burner oven, and a queen-sized bed.
Don’t miss other interesting tiny homes like this – join our FREE Tiny House Newsletter for more!
Truck Camper Ready for the Alaska Highway
Images via Tiny Home Tours
Kitchen with Three-Burner Oven
Images via Tiny Home Tours
Dinette Slide-Out Expands Interior Space
Images via Tiny Home Tours
Exterior Gear Storage for Bikes, Generator, and Fuel
Images via Tiny Home Tours
Video Tour: Empty Nest Truck Camper Life
Design Details
- Owners: Patty and Shane
- Background: Military family, lived across the US
- Previous Home: 3,500 sq ft house
- First Downsize: Fifth wheel RV (400 sq ft)
- Current Home: Truck camper (100 sq ft)
- Trip Goal: Texas to Alaska
- Slide-Out: Dinette bump-out for extra space
- Kitchen: Oven with three burners
- Bathroom: Wet bath
- Bed: Queen-sized
- Exterior Upgrades: $6,000 in accessories
- Gear Storage: Bike rack, generator mount, fuel carriers
- Occupancy: Couple (empty nesters)
Lessons from This Journey
- Living Somewhere Isn’t the Same as Seeing It: Despite moving across the country for military assignments, Patty and Shane realized they’d never actually explored—prompting their decision to travel full-time
- Staged Downsizing Eases the Transition: Going from 3,500 sq ft to 400 sq ft in a fifth wheel, then to 100 sq ft in a truck camper, made each step more manageable than one dramatic change
- Trip Goals Should Drive Rig Selection: They chose a smaller truck camper specifically because it would handle the Alaska Highway better than their larger fifth wheel
- Exterior Storage Extends Tiny Living: Investing $6,000 in external racks and carriers for bikes, generator, and fuel lets them bring more gear without sacrificing interior space
- Empty Nest Creates Opportunity: Once their children were grown, they had the freedom to sell their house and pursue a lifestyle they couldn’t have managed with kids at home
Learn More
Related Stories
- DIY Expedition Truck From Former Firetruck
- Their Ultimate Overlanding Truck Camper
- Vintage Housetruck with Glass Bathhouse
You can share this using the e-mail and social media re-share buttons below. Thanks!
If you enjoyed this you’ll LOVE our Free Daily Tiny House Newsletter with even more!
Also, try our Tiny Houses For Sale Newsletter!
More Like This: Tiny Houses | Truck Campers | House Trucks | Couple Tiny House Living
See The Latest: Go Back Home to See Our Latest Tiny Houses
This post may contain affiliate links and/or sponsored content.
Alex
Latest posts by Alex (see all)
- Custom Built 7×14 Cargo Trailer CAMPER Tour - May 20, 2026
- Living Full-Time in a Tesla Model X - May 20, 2026
- Tiny House Communities in Georgia: Where to Live Small in the Peach State - May 20, 2026