We picked up our Kenai last month, and while we will enjoy and put our camper to good use I must say I've been pretty disappointed with Scout / Adventure.
First though, I love the concept of the minimal truck camper. We chose a Scout camper largely because of what it DIDN'T include. I've spent a lot of time working on boats, and know how much maintenance things like running water and septic systems take in the long run. Scout is one of the only players in the truck camper space really focusing on simplicity, and on that they do deliver.
BUT there's a fine line between minimalism and cutting corners. While I haven't found anything that can't be worked around, it's been enough to leave a sour taste in our mouths. That coupled with dismissive responses from Scout has me wanting to let you know about our experience.
The first thing I noticed was the mattress for the rooftop tent is completely missing upholstery. The main bed mattress and all the cushions downstairs have covers, while the mattress for the rooftop tent is literally just a cut out of raw foam. It even has sharpie marks on it from the templating! (https://postimg.cc/Pvb83xHw). While there aren't many pictures of the interior of the tent on their website... now I know why... there are multiple pictures that appear to show an upholstered mattress (https://postimg.cc/gallery/6n7BY99). We have family with the RoofNest on their SUV and can confirm the retail tent does have a mattress cover... as you would expect. If you've never done custom upholstery this may seem like nitpicking, but upholstery is skilled work and is expensive / time consuming (pick one). Ryan from Scout pointed out that they would have to account for the access hatch which would be more complicated than a regular cover. So the solution is just to leave it out altogether and disguise the fact on your website?
Another thing came up recently while I was looking into getting the battery charged using the truck alternator while driving. This is a pretty standard feature in the RV world, as the 7 pin connector used for DOT lights also delivers 12v power from the engine. I asked about it when picking up from the dealer, who said yes, most do this but Scout does not. Instead they give you a small (~100w) cigarette lighter adapter and you can take the Yeti into the truck and charge it. This gets old quickly, so I started tracing the wiring looking for a way to connect the adapter to the 7 pin connection that is already coming into the camper. To my surprise I find that there actually IS wiring from the 7 pin, all the way to the Yeti, which ends in a loose (disconnected) proprietary plug with Goal Zero branding. BUT, there is nowhere to plug it in on the Yeti. It turns out that the battery would charge from the 7 pin, but it requires a $400 module from Goal Zero. It's like they did all the work to implement a fairly standard feature, then realized how much the Goal Zero component cost and thought "why should we spend the money? we'll just make the buyer figure out what we've done and buy it himself".
If you've already put a deposit down on your Scout, I don't want to discourage you too much. If minimalism and simplicity were the biggest selling points, as they were for us, then none of this will be a deal breaker. It isn't for us, it's just disappointing relative to how the campers are represented online. We probably would not have paid up for the rooftop tent though.
If you're just looking, my strong advise is not to go off what you see online. Find a way to see one in person, preferably with the options you want. Pay attention to the details, how things will actually work in practice, and decide if the rough edges are worth it.
I wish Scout would spend as much time polishing the practical details of their campers as they seem to be spending polishing their website and photography.
First though, I love the concept of the minimal truck camper. We chose a Scout camper largely because of what it DIDN'T include. I've spent a lot of time working on boats, and know how much maintenance things like running water and septic systems take in the long run. Scout is one of the only players in the truck camper space really focusing on simplicity, and on that they do deliver.
BUT there's a fine line between minimalism and cutting corners. While I haven't found anything that can't be worked around, it's been enough to leave a sour taste in our mouths. That coupled with dismissive responses from Scout has me wanting to let you know about our experience.
The first thing I noticed was the mattress for the rooftop tent is completely missing upholstery. The main bed mattress and all the cushions downstairs have covers, while the mattress for the rooftop tent is literally just a cut out of raw foam. It even has sharpie marks on it from the templating! (https://postimg.cc/Pvb83xHw). While there aren't many pictures of the interior of the tent on their website... now I know why... there are multiple pictures that appear to show an upholstered mattress (https://postimg.cc/gallery/6n7BY99). We have family with the RoofNest on their SUV and can confirm the retail tent does have a mattress cover... as you would expect. If you've never done custom upholstery this may seem like nitpicking, but upholstery is skilled work and is expensive / time consuming (pick one). Ryan from Scout pointed out that they would have to account for the access hatch which would be more complicated than a regular cover. So the solution is just to leave it out altogether and disguise the fact on your website?
Another thing came up recently while I was looking into getting the battery charged using the truck alternator while driving. This is a pretty standard feature in the RV world, as the 7 pin connector used for DOT lights also delivers 12v power from the engine. I asked about it when picking up from the dealer, who said yes, most do this but Scout does not. Instead they give you a small (~100w) cigarette lighter adapter and you can take the Yeti into the truck and charge it. This gets old quickly, so I started tracing the wiring looking for a way to connect the adapter to the 7 pin connection that is already coming into the camper. To my surprise I find that there actually IS wiring from the 7 pin, all the way to the Yeti, which ends in a loose (disconnected) proprietary plug with Goal Zero branding. BUT, there is nowhere to plug it in on the Yeti. It turns out that the battery would charge from the 7 pin, but it requires a $400 module from Goal Zero. It's like they did all the work to implement a fairly standard feature, then realized how much the Goal Zero component cost and thought "why should we spend the money? we'll just make the buyer figure out what we've done and buy it himself".
If you've already put a deposit down on your Scout, I don't want to discourage you too much. If minimalism and simplicity were the biggest selling points, as they were for us, then none of this will be a deal breaker. It isn't for us, it's just disappointing relative to how the campers are represented online. We probably would not have paid up for the rooftop tent though.
If you're just looking, my strong advise is not to go off what you see online. Find a way to see one in person, preferably with the options you want. Pay attention to the details, how things will actually work in practice, and decide if the rough edges are worth it.
I wish Scout would spend as much time polishing the practical details of their campers as they seem to be spending polishing their website and photography.
