Supertramp LT or OEV The Back Country 6.85?

[Looch]

Perhaps being Canadian that may make a difference in which one is a better deal? Maple bucks are pretty weak right now compared to the US dollar. OEV being a Canadian company might make a difference? FWIW my ST with AC, 400aH of batteries, Inverter, and tracks on the sides and interior was about $85k out the door US. The batteries and AC were a large portion of that. You certainly can spec one out for less but they do add up. FWIW the linear actuators weren’t something I thought I needed but now couldn’t live without. It’s so nice just to have the open view on the front and back of the camper.

OEV quotes in USD even if a I buy in Canada ... in any event I have socked away some USD specifically for this project. I can see how that auto roof would be a huge bonus... I have been overlanding in the outback the past couple of months and the less set up and take down the better... even if it's just saving a few minutes... (btw I hit a buffalo near Katherine and demolished my rig... which is precipitating the shift back to north america)... just got a revised quote from ST and I am sitting on just north of 80k with all the significant additions...I suspect the OEV Hudson Bay is going to come in closer to 100k...

 

[SimplyAnAdventure]

OEV quotes in USD even if a I buy in Canada ... in any event I have socked away some USD specifically for this project. I can see how that auto roof would be a huge bonus... I have been overlanding in the outback the past couple of months and the less set up and take down the better... even if it's just saving a few minutes... (btw I hit a buffalo near Katherine and demolished my rig... which is precipitating the shift back to north america)... just got a revised quote from ST and I am sitting on just north of 80k with all the significant additions...I suspect the OEV Hudson Bay is going to come in closer to 100k...

I understand the efficiency thing for sure!!! I recently added airbags to my rig and can now level at any camp (within reason) in seconds. Between that and the pop up roof I can be set up at camp in under a minute. Total game changer.

 

[sn_85]

OEV quotes in USD even if a I buy in Canada ... in any event I have socked away some USD specifically for this project. I can see how that auto roof would be a huge bonus... I have been overlanding in the outback the past couple of months and the less set up and take down the better... even if it's just saving a few minutes... (btw I hit a buffalo near Katherine and demolished my rig... which is precipitating the shift back to north america)... just got a revised quote from ST and I am sitting on just north of 80k with all the significant additions...I suspect the OEV Hudson Bay is going to come in closer to 100k...

Pretty penny for sure. I think OEV was floating around their 2024 HBE demo unit for sale. I'm not sure how much it was exactly but perhaps you could have it for a bit of a discount and they may even be more open to offers on it. Could save you a few extra $$$ or get some freebies added on.

 

[rosess]

Any concerns with Supertramp being quite a new entrant into the market -- and a small company... I note that OEV has reps all over the US + a decent network in Canada... ST is only in Colorado

Thanks for the detailed breakdown! That Hudson Bay setup sounds like a solid option, especially with the dealer support and added storage. It's worth considering how that could tip the scales.

And yes, I did wonder the same about Supertramp being newer and having a more limited reach. Having a dealer close by and broader support across Canada is a significant advantage for OEV. That's a tough call, for sure. Please keep us posted on what you end up going with!

 

[ajn507]

I saw those options too, can I ask why you don’t like propane? I had a Planar heater in my AluCab Khaya and it kicked ass but the diesel would get old, it smelled, and honestly besides being an available at a pump it kind of sucked.

Induction cooktop seems cool but I have a small countertop model that plugs in and I can use if I didn’t want to fire up the stove and for most of the cooking we do inside the camper (boiling water) all the smelly cooking is done outside on my cook partner, we use a electric kettle.

The storage bottles on the ST are in a great location and allow me to use my cook partner off of them and also a propane fire pit when in burn ban areas. Just wondering why you’d rather be limited by not having propane? I may be missing something.

My thinking is I would want the large battery bank to be able to run AC so why not use it for cooking also. From what I understand the way propane and diesel burn is different, propane creates more moisture. Diesel would be more readily available like you said. It should also leave a little more storage space not having the propane tanks. I'm still in the learning stage, so take it with a grain of salt.

 

[K9LTW]

My thinking is I would want the large battery bank to be able to run AC so why not use it for cooking also. From what I understand the way propane and diesel burn is different, propane creates more moisture. Diesel would be more readily available like you said. It should also leave a little more storage space not having the propane tanks. I'm still in the learning stage, so take it with a grain of salt.

Other things to consider...first...with a proper heat exchange-type furnace (like a propex), a propane heater doesn't create moisture...that comes from el-cheapo solutions like Mr. Buddy Heaters and the like. We have a Truma Combi propane unit in our trailer...nice dry heat. The other consideration between diesel and propane is maintenance and altitude. Diesel (and gasoline for that matter) heaters can get finicky at altitude (even just above 6k feet), requiring adjustments (if any are there to make) and regular maintenance to keep them from coking up. While they are more energy dense fuels, running them at altitude can have carbon deposits building quickly, requiring regular full blast runs and/or cleaning. Propane? Yeah it loses efficiency the higher you go and will burn through your supply faster, but it runs far cleaner with far less maintenance required.

I've run a portable Planar diesel heater and have a Webasto AirTop gas-burner in our truck camper and the Truma propane unit in the trailer. I'm sticking with propane. If I had a diesel truck, I'd have a diesel heater in it as I have my Webasto plumbed to my fuel tank. But I prefer the easy peasy set and forget nature of the trailer's heater.

 

[tacollie]

Regarding tacollie ’s concern about the camper needing a window:
When we purchased our STC we did it with a few conditions. One was that we wanted the largest window available.
and we were the first to indeed have windows installed - both on drivers side as well as a window on the door.
Both Tern Overland… beautiful. They are now available as an option on every build.

Regarding the proprietary nature of STC: I am not sure what this means.
Their building process is and should be proprietary as they have worked diligently in creating a very
lightweight, durable and to the extent that it can be “environmentally friendly” build process.
The owners are indeed forward thinkers in this industry.
The components though are all brands we know - Truma, Tern, Victron, etc.

We had a weird interaction with the ST guys at Overland Expo. We decided it was due to a long weekend of them at an event. It happens. We had concerns with the actuators. They said they were preparatory. I have a buddy that used the same ones on a build and had them fail on 3 separate occasions leaving him unable to lift his roof. Since then we learned there was a bad batch and the issues have been sorted. My buddy has since should that camper but the new owner lived out of it for 14 months with zero issues. I'm now confident the actuators on the ST are reliable.

The reason we choose OEV was price. We got a brand new camper under $43k when ST was starting at $65k. Even after we bought a fridge, lithium battery, and retrofitted the under bed storage we are under $45k. The ST does offer some things that OEV doesn't but they weren't things that were on our want list.