New Truck-Based Campers
We have been fans of truck campers for a long time having owned a Four Wheel Pop-up truck camper. Truck-based campers are generally shorter and thus more agile than the traditional Class-C Motorhomes, are better for towing and are generally available in 4WD and with diesel power. For this reason they are the logical choice for the adventuresome traveler wanting to explore off the beaten path or travel near urban areas where parking is limited as well as the sportsman who wants to haul other gear such as boats, horses, bikes or ATVs.
The disadvantages of truck campers are that they have limited access to the cab and that significant space is wasted in the cut-offs required to make them fit on a standard truck bed. Several companies have been offering motorcoaches based on medium duty truck cab/chassis that retain some of the advantages of the truck camper concept while trying to overcome the disadvantages.
I recently learned about a new design from Host campers that married a Ford F-550 quad cab chassis with a 27’ coach. The design is available in 4WD and offers excellent access to the cab.
On the other end of the spectrum, photos of a new concept from Earthroamer have recently been released.
Earthroamer is the maker of impressive XV-LT Expedition Vehicle. Unlike the massive XV-LT, the XV-JP is a lightweight camper based on the four-door Jeep Wrangler. This vehicle should have superb off-road capability. Accommodations on the XV-JP are somewhat sparse; however, the vehicle has a certain minimalist quality reminiscent of the old VW Westfalia campers that I find extremely appealing.
What is not appealing is the rumored $80K price tag. Even though this basically is a one-off vehicle and Earthroamer uses top quality materials and products in its other vehicles, this still sounds like a lot. Perhaps a Jeep Wrangler with a hard-top, roof tent and custom interior could provide the same comforts at a much lower price. Or what about a Toyota Tacoma with Flip-Pac camper shell?
