Kei Truck Camper: How Much Can a Kei Truck Carry?
A camper shell uses part of a kei truck’s small payload. Here is the arithmetic, one maker’s real shell, and what we could not find.
What most kei trucks can carry
350 kg
That is the usual bed load, and the shell comes out of it.
One maker’s kei truck shell weighs about 150 kg (331 lb), which leaves about 200 kg (441 lb) for bedding, water and gear. Check your truck’s own rating.
Work out your load →How much camper can a kei truck carry?
Type the weights in pounds. The first two start with the figures we sourced; the third starts empty because it is yours.
TapClick a box and type. The answer updates as you type.
- Payload rating
- 772 lb (350 kg)
- Shell or camper
- 331 lb (150 kg)
- Bedding, water and gear
- 0 lb (0 kg)
- Left in the payload
- 441 lb (200 kg)
350 kg (772 lb) is the usual kei truck bed load (Wikipedia ↗); 150 kg (331 lb) is one maker’s shell weight (below). Your truck’s plate or papers decide its rating, and a camper that takes you over it is not safe. Not safety advice.
What does a kei truck camper shell weigh?
Total Composites Kei Truck Box
One maker’s kei truck box, from its own page, read Nov. 10, 2026.
- Weight
- About 150 kg (331 lb), which is about 43% of a 350 kg payload.
- Outside size
- 190 cm long, 142 cm wide, 129.5 cm tall (74.8 × 55.9 × 51.0 in).
- Inside
- About 6 ft of interior length, which the maker calls a comfortable sleeping length. Insulated to R-14.
- What it is
- A cargo box built for kei trucks, which the maker also suggests for a “micro camper conversion”. It is not a finished camper: sleeping platforms and the rest are yours to add.
- Price
- From $5,795 CAD, before taxes and freight, with windows, a roof hatch and an entry door as extras.
Total Composites: Kei Truck Box ↗. Maker figures, not tested by us. We found no weight we trust for other makers’ shells or for DIY builds, so we give none.
What is it like to drive a kei truck camper?
What our other pages say, and what we could not find.
A loaded kei truck is still a kei truck
Stock trucks cruise at about 45 to 55 mph and top out around 50 to 65 mph, as dealers and owners report, and get about 34 to 40 mpg on the Japanese test figures. We found no measured speed or mpg for a truck carrying a shell, so we give no number for one. Top speed and where you can drive · MPG and gas cost · Size, weight and payload
Is a kei truck camper legal?
The honest answer is that we have not checked.
Can I build a camper on a kei truck?
We have not researched any state’s rules for a camper body on a truck or for sleeping in one. First the truck itself has to be street legal where you live (kei truck rules by state). Then ask your DMV, in writing, whether a camper shell or body change affects how the truck is titled, registered or insured, and ask your insurer too.
Kei truck camper: questions
How much can a kei truck carry?
Most are rated for 350 kg (772 lb) in the bed. There is no US rating for an imported truck, so check the truck’s plate or papers with the seller.
How heavy is a kei truck camper?
We found one maker’s figure: about 150 kg (331 lb) for the Total Composites Kei Truck Box, a cargo box sold for camper conversion. We found no trusted weight for other shells or for DIY builds.
How much payload is left after a camper shell?
With a 150 kg shell, about 200 kg (441 lb) of a 350 kg payload is left for bedding, water and gear. Use the calculator above with your own numbers.
Can you sleep in a kei truck camper?
That maker says its box has about 6 ft of interior length, which it calls a comfortable sleeping length. We have not tested one.
How big is a kei truck bed?
About 1,940 mm (6 ft 4 in) long and 1,410 mm (4 ft 7 in) wide for the late Suzuki Carry and Daihatsu Hijet, and somewhat smaller for older trucks. See our size page.
Is a kei truck camper legal?
We have not researched state rules for a camper body or for sleeping in a vehicle. The truck must be street legal in your state first. Ask your DMV and insurer.
Where these facts come from
What we did: read Wikipedia’s kei truck article, Total Composites’ Kei Truck Box page (Victoria, BC; read Nov. 10, 2026), and our own size, speed, MPG and van pages. We looked at Google’s first page for “kei truck camper” to see what people ask.
What this does not cover: weights of DIY builds and other makers’ campers, measured speed or mpg with a load, suspension upgrades, state rules for camper bodies or sleeping in a vehicle, and insurance. Google’s summary quotes weights and suspension advice with no source, so we do not repeat them. General information, not safety, legal or buying advice.
How we check facts: our method.
Is it legal in your state?
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