If you tow a camper and ride mountain bikes, you've probably faced the same problem: where do you put the bikes?

A hitch-mounted bike rack is the obvious solution—until your truck's hitch is occupied by the camper. Putting bikes inside the camper takes up valuable living space, while roof racks can be difficult to load, especially with heavy eMTBs.

For many truck-and-camper setups, the truck bed is one of the best places to carry mountain bikes.

Here are the most common options and the pros and cons of each.

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1. Use a Tailgate Pad

Tailgate pads are one of the easiest ways to carry multiple mountain bikes, when you're not towing a camper.

Once you hook up a trailer, however, the bikes can run into a major clearance problem.

With bikes sitting on a tailgate pad, their front wheels can contact the trailer yoke as the truck and trailer articulate during turns. To prevent the trailer from hitting the bikes, riders have to move the bikes toward the outside edges of the tailgate.

That's where another problem starts: the bikes end up touching each other.

Handlebars, pedals, forks, frames, and wheels can rub against neighboring bikes for miles. On a long drive to the campground, that can mean scratched frames, damaged components, and bikes beating each other up before you even reach the trail.

Pros:

• Fast and easy to load

• Carries multiple bikes

• Relatively inexpensive

• No need to remove wheels

Cons:

• Limited clearance when towing

• Front wheels can contact the trailer yoke

• Bikes may need to be pushed toward the edges

• Bikes can rub against and damage each other

• Uses the tailgate and bed area

A tailgate pad can be great for everyday riding, but towing a camper changes the equation.

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2. Put a Hitch Rack on the Back of the Camper

Another popular solution is installing a hitch-mounted bike rack on the rear of the camper.

On paper, this seems ideal. Your truck bed stays completely open, and the bikes are out of the way.

The problem is that the bikes are now mounted behind the trailer, often several feet behind the trailer axle. That puts them at the end of a long lever arm where bumps, dips, and rough roads can create significant movement.

And there's another major issue: you can't see them.

From the driver's seat, the bikes are behind the camper. If a strap loosens, a bike shifts, a wheel comes out of position, or the rack develops a problem, you may have no idea anything is wrong.

In the worst-case scenario, a bike could actually come loose and fall off the rack while you're driving, and the driver might not know until stopping hundreds of miles later.

That makes regular inspections especially important when carrying bikes on a camper-mounted hitch rack.

You also need to make sure the camper's frame and rear hitch are actually rated for the rack, bikes, and the dynamic loads created while traveling.

Pros:

• Leaves the truck bed completely open

• Easy access to bikes

• No bikes inside the camper

• Works with many standard hitch racks

Cons:

• Bikes are behind the trailer where the driver can't see them

• Significant bouncing and vibration

• Greater exposure to road debris

• Bikes can shift or become damaged

• A bike could potentially come loose without the driver noticing

• Adds weight and leverage to the rear of the camper

• Camper and hitch must be rated for the load

For occasional use, a properly rated camper hitch rack can work. But it's important to understand that the bikes are riding in the least visible position on the entire vehicle combination.

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3. Put the Bikes on the Roof

A roof-mounted bike rack keeps the truck bed available and avoids putting additional weight on the camper.

The downside is loading the bikes—especially heavy eMTBs.

You also have to remember they're up there. Low branches, garage doors, parking structures, and other height restrictions become potential hazards.

Pros:

• Keeps the truck bed open

• Bikes aren't attached to the camper

• Good visibility from the driver's position

• Doesn't interfere with the trailer hitch

Cons:

• Difficult to load heavy bikes

• Particularly challenging with eMTBs

• Increases vehicle height

• Bikes are exposed to weather

• Easy to forget they're on the roof

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4. Carry the Bikes in the Truck Bed

For many truck owners, the truck bed seems like the obvious answer—but simply throwing bikes in the bed creates problems of its own.

Most mountain bikes are too long to fit comfortably in a standard pickup bed with the tailgate closed. Leaving the tailgate down works, but it creates another problem when you're towing a camper.

As the truck and trailer turn, the trailer tongue and other components can move into the area behind the truck. Depending on the truck, trailer, hitch setup, and turning angle, a lowered tailgate can interfere with the trailer. That can damage the tailgate, trailer, or both.

A fork-mounted bike rack is another common solution. These securely hold the bikes, but require removing the front wheel from every bike. Now you have a second problem: where do you store all those wheels?

For two, three, or four bikes, that's a lot of wheels taking up valuable bed or camper space. It also means removing and reinstalling wheels every time you stop to ride.

That's where a purpose-built truck-bed system can make a difference.

Pros:

• Easy to access

• Bikes remain on the truck rather than the camper

• No interference with the trailer hitch

• Doesn't add weight to the camper's rear

• Keeps bikes out of the camper

• Can accommodate multiple bikes

Cons:

• Bikes are generally too long with the tailgate closed

• Leaving the tailgate down can interfere with the trailer

• Fork mounts require removing the front wheels

• Front wheels need to be stored somewhere

• Traditional setups can consume a large portion of the bed

A Better Way to Use Your Truck Bed - The Big Days Chase Rack System

A purpose-built truck-bed system can solve many of these problems by giving your bikes a dedicated place in the bed while keeping the rest of the truck usable for camping gear.

The Big Days Chase Rack is designed to turn your truck bed into a versatile gear-carrying system. Depending on the configuration, it can carry mountain bikes, motorcycles, and other adventure gear while leaving usable space for camping equipment.

The Chase Rack's T-track system also works with compatible tonneau setups, giving truck owners more flexibility when configuring their bed.

That's especially useful when you're towing a camper and trying to bring bikes for the whole family.

What About eMTBs?

eMTBs make bike transportation even more challenging. Their extra weight makes roof loading harder, while their size can quickly consume space inside the camper.

The Chase Rack is built for heavy bikes, with up to a 125-pound weight capacity per bike. That's substantially more capacity than many traditional hitch-mounted bike racks, which are often limited to around 45 pounds per bike.

That extra capacity is particularly useful for heavy eMTBs, downhill bikes, and other bikes that push the limits of conventional bike racks.

And because the bikes are carried in the truck bed, they're at a much more manageable loading height and remain accessible at the campsite.

So Where Should You Put Your Mountain Bikes?

When you're towing a camper, your normal hitch-mounted bike rack may no longer be an option. A tailgate pad can create clearance problems with the trailer yoke, a hitch rack on the back of the camper puts your bikes where you can't see them, and traditional truck-bed solutions can require removing wheels or leaving the tailgate down.

For many truck owners, a purpose-built truck-bed system offers a practical combination of accessibility, visibility, capacity, and protection.

With the Big Days Chase Rack, your truck can carry your mountain bikes and the rest of your adventure gear without forcing bikes against each other, removing front wheels, or leaving the tailgate down while towing.

Your camper gets you there. Your truck gets you ready to ride.

Ready to build your truck for your next bike trip?

Explore the Chase Rack from Big Days Truck Accessories and create a truck bed setup built around the way you ride, camp, and chase big days.