2020 Overland Explorer Vehicles (OEV) CAMP-X pop-up slide-in pickup camper (renamed "Back Country" as of 2023)

[RAM_ID_190]

Hello all, newbie here. Great thread, thank you for putting in so much time into this. I am new to slide-ins, and after many hours of research, am very close to making a deposit on a 2020 Camp-X with Big Sky RV. I am looking at doing a lithium battery, added fan, king bed option, and still undecided on the fridge. I am leaning towards the fridge delete and getting a chest fridge that will plug into 12V. Is there a 12V plug in close by to the bench leading up to the main bed? Has anyone used the unit in freezing temps? I am also contemplating using this in the winter at ski resorts as I have a little one who will not ski all day. The wife and I can take turns hanging in the Camp-X while the other one makes some turns on the mountain. I suppose I would just drain the water and just use the furnace at that point. Any other lessons learned in terms of their buy, dealing with Big Sky (not sure if pricing has any flex), etc. would be much appreciated. Very excited for this move. Sounds like best case I would be looking at an August 2020 delivery.

 

[Chadx]

Hi RAM_ID_190,
You may be the person that Josh (at BigSkyRV) has been talking to as he asked me for some images of my CAMP-X on the truck and I directed him to this thread yesterday. Glad you found it useful!

There is a 12 volt plug on the cabinet face below the fridge and I imagine it also there (or especially there) for the fridge delete version (circled in red in below image). You could also run a 12v cord into the cabinetry and over to the 12v distribution box. The AC shore power outlet is also located right inside the cabinet under the sink and most chest fridges can be plugged into AC and DC at the same time and they prioritize AC so when you are plugged into shore power, they will pull from that. Of course, when plugged into shore power, the REDARC battery manager is pushing all the juice you need via the DC circuits, so being plugged into AC is redundant with these campers. Only situation where it would be handy is if the battery was disconnected for some reason, then you can still run the fridge on shorepower (AC).

Chest fridges are more energy efficient than front load and we loved the Engel 45 we had in our previous slide-in camper (plus the Engel swing motor has no DC start up surge and seemed quiet at start up than other units). That being said, the front load Dometic 65 in our CAMP-X has more room and is more convenient to pull things in and out. It still gets stacked a bit, but one doesn't have to dig down looking for things as much as the top load. Pros and cons to both. The extra 20 quarts of room is nice (but they make all sizes and heights of top load). We pulled out the freezer divider to give us more stacking room as we typically don't bring frozen items. We are getting used to the extra energy these front load fridges pull and managing to it. Be aware that you will likely have to pop the top to get into the top load if it's up on the shelf where the front load, you can access with the top down. And, I can sit in the CAMP-X with the top down and do so every day at work because I have been going out and eating lunch in the camper rather than in our cafeteria.

I have yet to change to a lithium, but want to. Battleborn seem the best built and to use the best cells/cell types, but Renogy has reasonable reviews as well. While lithium can be drawn from below freezing, it can not be charged. The on board Battery Management System (BMS), that most Lithium batteries include, will care for that automatically so you won't need to manually do so, but something to be aware of if you use it in ski weather as you won't be able to recharge unless the battery is above the cut off point (typically somewhere between 32 and 40 degrees). The stock battery box is vented to the outside as it must be for use with various lead acid options, so if you go with a lithium, you'll want to plug those vents with insulation as lithium doesn't vent and that will keep the cold outside air away from your battery.

Ensure you get the thermobreak foam on the main extrusion. They may be doing it as standard rather than an option nowadays, but you want it or you'll have condensation on the main 4" tall aluminum extrusion around the top of the hardwall. They don't put the thermobreak on the extrusion around the top of the softside, so you'll get a small amount of condensation there, but that is only about a 1" strip. The first couple uses I wiped that, but found that opening up and airing out in the morning, it evaporated quickly so have bothered since. In very humid and wet conditions it may not dry out as quickly. But I can give only high marks to the overall construction and insulation of these units. Not having the thermal bridging of an aluminum frame is huge. We have used our CAMP-X almost every weekend and some mid-week trips since we got it this spring. I've not once had any condensation under the mattress, which was a nightly occurrence in our FWC, nor any condensation anywhere else except the mentioned extrusion. The condensation issue in our FWC was the main driver that had us looking for a different construction and the better components, used by Overland Explorer, was the icing on the cake. One of the guys here in Bozeman that bought a 2019, used his for some ski camping this past winter and he seemed to think it performed well. Note they only come with one 10lb bottle so you may want to purchase a second or just have a way to monitor until you get a feel for how much propane you burn on cold. It will largely depend on the inside set temp.

I haven't looked recently to see what units BigSkyRV has in stock. They had some good deals on 2019, but those may be gone. Demand is very high for all campers currently. I've never seen their lots so empty. Partly due to demand and partly due to trouble getting inventory in. Also, Overland Explorer have announced two new dealerships in the US. One in San Diego and one in New Jersey. CAMP-X inventory expected in San Diego in August, 2020 and in New Jersey in September 2020. I have a feeling Overland Explorer is going to get popular quickly and they are going to have to expand.

Feel free to ask any specific questions and I'll do my best to share my input and hopefully others will as well so you get a variety of opinions.
Chad

 

[RAM_ID_190]

Thanks Chad. I just reserved a 2020 that is hopefully due into Big Sky RV in late Aug. Ordered with fridge delete, king pullout, 2nd fan, thermobreak, roof mounted solar 170W ($900), and 150Ah lithium battery ($900). Of note, the sales guy I have been talking to said he wasn't sure about the second fan, but I told him I had seen yours online with it, so he's asking OEV. Also, I know you mentioned the solar in a previous post, and it does appear to be a factory option now on the Camp-X. The sticker shock was definitely there, but I am looking forward to a lot of good adventures in this rig.

 

[Chadx]

Congrats!

I ended up ordering a little 100watt solar suitcase without controller (CAMPX doesn't need one as the REDARC is the controller) which should arrive today. It won't be near as convenient to use as the rooftop 180watt panel I installed on my previous camper, but I don’t feel like messing with adding a rooftop solar plug and wiring. I recommended to Overland Explorer they prewire all campers with both rooftop and sidewall solar plugs, rather than only side. That will save them a lot of calls down the road on how to retro wire to the roof. Not sure if they have implemented two solar plugs as standard on future builds or not.

I've never owned portable panels so will be fun to experience and we will see if the ability to park in shade and put panels in sun is worth it.

As mentioned previously, we have few use cases where solar is absolutely needed. Our typical trips are one night or a week long trip where we drive every day. But I do prefer recharging off of solar rather than the pickup's alternator and we do need a recharge source when staying more than one night as we are averaging about 30 amp hours of consumption in a 24 hour period. So 48 hours of use brings the 100amp AGM down to 40% SOC, which is lower than the 50% SOC I prefer to be the minimum.

 

[RAM_ID_190]

I didn’t think about the effectiveness of solar charge while parked in shade at camp. Do you get any charge in this situation or no? Do you think the roof solar is worthwhile or would panels be more efficient? Looks like you can score a 100W briefcase for $300. My use will probably be 2-3 night trips with family in summer, and 3-5 nights in the fall for hunting season. Finally day trips in the winter to the ski hill.

 

[Chadx]

My 180watt did pretty good in dappled light (pine/conifer branches partially blocking) and would still get an amp or two per hour which adds up over time, but is definitely way down on output. In full sun, I was 8+ amps and my battery pack was back to 100% SOC every day by late morning. Overcast days I was 2 - 5 amps. Light rainy days, 1 - 2 amps. Light snow on the panel would block most input I would think. Shade impacts all solar a lot, but you will learn when you need to conserve and when you can mindlessly burn energy. You are starting with 150amps lithium so have about that much capacity where my 100amp AGM only allows for about 50 amps usable. If you burn about 30 to 40 amps a day, you should be able to go 3.5 to 5 days with zero input. Any solar input will add to that. And then you have the pickup alternator as the backup.

If my CAMPX had a rooftop plug, I would have gone roof mount rather than portable. If we go for a flatbed camper in a few years, it will have rooftop rather than portable solar. On my previous camper, I had factory rooftop plug and the Yakima rails on it from the factory so it was a very simple task of bolting the 180watt panel to that. If I had the rooftop plug, I could have used one of several mounting solutions on the CAMPX. I just didn't want to mess with drilling holes for the plug and running wiring.

The Renogy 100watt suitcase w/o controller was on sale for $197 delivered this week (regularly $220) so I bit. Figured I'll only bring it when I expect to need it and will store it in the cabover. One other perk of portable is you can point them directly at the sun (if you move them as the sun angle shifts) which makes them much more efficient, particularly in spring, fall and winter. Though in winter, even pointed directly at the sun, you are getting much reduced input. There are lat/long solar tables online that are very interesting as they show you how much solar input you can expect at various lat/long and time of year.

 

[RAM_ID_190]

For the guys running these on 1/2 ton trucks...what suspension mods did you do and do you feel the truck is sufficiently stable & powered for the Camp-X? I currently have an F-150 5.5 bed. Debating if I need a new truck at all...and if I do, whether to get a 1/2 ton or 3/4 ton. I currently have an add-a-leaf which the manufacturer claims raises payload 900#s up to roughly 2500#. I am leaning towards picking up the Camp-X with my current rig and evaluating how it carries it. I live in Idaho and plan to take this thing up & down fairly steep climbs, both highway and unpaved. Would love any feedback on truck and suspension mods as well.

 

[sg1]

For the guys running these on 1/2 ton trucks...what suspension mods did you do and do you feel the truck is sufficiently stable & powered for the Camp-X? I currently have an F-150 5.5 bed. Debating if I need a new truck at all...and if I do, whether to get a 1/2 ton or 3/4 ton. I currently have an add-a-leaf which the manufacturer claims raises payload 900#s up to roughly 2500#. I am leaning towards picking up the Camp-X with my current rig and evaluating how it carries it. I live in Idaho and plan to take this thing up & down fairly steep climbs, both highway and unpaved. Would love any feedback on truck and suspension mods as well.

I have my Camp X on a F 150 crew cab 5.5 bed with max tow package. The only mod I have are Timbrens and e rated tires. So far I have done about 100,000k (60,000 miles) including a trip to the Canadian arctic with the camper. We live in the Rockys with mostly steep hills and drive a lot of gravel roads and forestry service roads. No issues whatsoever. Only oil changes. I am even still on my first brakes. Just use manual down shift when going downhill.

 

[Chadx]

There are endless discussions on if a 1/2 ton is adequate or one should be in a 3/4 ton or more, so I won't dive into the pros and cons of each, but there are plenty of Expedition Portal and Wander the West forum threads to look into for a variety of opinions/input. Much has to do with how you drive, where the truck/camper carry the weight, and how much you pack and bring with.

Most of those carrying any brand slide-in campers on a 1/2 ton do either airbags and/or helper springs or they have completely new rear spring packs done (new spring packs are typically those that leave the camper on year round). I strongly recommend E rated LT tires rather than the unfortunately-standard C rated/P tires that typically come on late model 1/2 ton pickups.

For my wife and I, we put Riderite airbags on our 6.5 foot bed Tundra when we got our previous slide in camper. That camper carried a lot of weight at the very rear of the camper (propane and two AGM batteries) which was behind the pickup's rear axle, but a little air in the Riderites worked well and leveled the truck. The CAMPX is slightly heavier plus has a 20 gallon water tank (about 166 lbs) unlike our previous camper, but carries much of that weight at the very front of the camper (battery, water tank, propane) and so the turck's front axle/suspension help carry the weight rather than it all being on the rear axle. I found that we didn't need any more air in the airbags and could even get by with a little less.

I feel the Tundra is very capable carrying this much weight. I don't have first hand experience with other trucks and a pickup camper, but many are running 1/2 ton with slide-in campers. The 5.5' bed will put more of the weight behind your rear axle. Your idea of trying your current truck seems sound. Then you have first hand experience and can make necessary adjustments depending on your research, comfort level and how your particular setup reacts.

 

[seahaul]

I too have a Tundra with Ride rite airbags. Rides great, in fact my buddy borrowed my rig for a drive and was amazed at how smooth it was. (His words.) I use the stock rear leaf pack and have shackles for height and only have to put 35 psi into my bags to make it perfectly level as measured at the overland explorer shop.

 

[rino]

@chadx What an amazing write up!

 

[Chadx]

Thanks Rin! And congrats to you. Happy to see OK4WD join the Overland Explorer Vehicles family of dealerships.

 

[RAM_ID_190]

Hello all. Looking at some options on chest fridges. Could someone tell me the depth of the bench nearest to the bed...i.e. with a fridge delete if I use a chest mount, how deep is the resulting bench here?...looks like maybe ~20". Also, any feedback on best bang for buck on Dometic vs. ARM vs Engle, etc. would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

[Chadx]

The shelf is 23.5" front to back and you'll have 21.5" width between the cabinet and the dinette cushion.

I only have experience with Engel top load fridge and it was excellent. They are the only one with a swing piston motor. But all of the big name brands (and many of the more economical brands) seem quite durable and long lasting. It might even come down to cosmetics and/or dimensions...and which brand you find on sale. The manufactures often have big discount sales throughout the year. I ended up buying our Engel direct as it was the best deal available when they had a big sale.

There should be a fair number of top load fridge threads on Expedition Portal and other overland forums that would have a lot more detailed insight.

 

[Chadx]

Some other helpful dimensions. The measurement from the shelf surface to the top of the countertop is 23.5". That measurement will also be important if you have, and choose to use, the king bed pullout as a fridge taller than that will be too tall for the king bed shelf to slide out.

From the shelf surface to the closed camper ceiling is 38" (though the vent is right there, too, so you may lose another 2.5" from that. The 38" is important only if you intend to open and close the lid with the top down (something we find we did a lot in our previous camper). I believe there are top load fridges that allow you to have the hinge on the long side of the fridge rather than narrow. That would probably allow better access as the opened/opening lid would be shorter.
Will also mention that the 38" of clearance is for 2020 (and late 2019). Early 2019 campers had sidewalls that were ~3" taller so would give more clearance.