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

[pawleyk]

I'd love to see a flatbed option for mid-size trucks from OEV and I wish they'd come out with a CAMP-FM. Their Camp-M looks a wee bit cramped inside even for just two people.

As a dealer, I doubt they'll ever make a flatbed model for the smaller trucks. OEV is pretty engineering/design focused and weary of effective weight limits. Small trucks just never really carry a flatbed rig well, as cool as they look.

 

[FlyGoat]

Has anyone put a keyless entry door lock on their Camp X? If so, which one worked for you?

I am going to answer my own question I installed an RV Lock V4.0 and it fit perfectly.. Just FYI in case anyone else wants to get rid of the keys.. that so many other RV owners have copies of..

 

[MisterSmith]

I'm wondering if anyone has found a flow restrictor that works on this faucet? I'd like to reduce the flow to 0.5 GPM.

I've used these in the past with great success in our trailer; not sure if there's something similar for this faucet.

 

[PaulPritchard]

Maybe some of the forum members can help me out with this issue.

I originally bought my Camp-X from Big Sky RV for my Tundra truck. Everything worked great and I noticed the truck was providing power to the camper battery regardless if the truck was running or not. I thought I remember asking the installer if the wiring set up depletes the truck battery and he said that it could never happen. I'm old. I could be mis-remembering. But we never had a problem with this set up.

Recently I bought a new truck (wanted more payload) and I had the bed brackets and wiring done by another Camp-X dealer closer to my home. After I put the camper on the truck for the first time I noticed the truck was providing power to the camper battery ONLY when the truck was running. When I asked the dealer about this they said this is the way it has to be otherwise the truck battery gets depleted.

Which is correct?

 

[Chadx]

When the Anderson plug is connected, the pickup 12v DC will be detected by the REDARC and the REDARC will display the pickup battery voltage, but not draw from it to charge the house battery until the REDARC detects the voltage increase from the pickup running (alternator voltage). I've never seen a REDARC charge the house battery if the pickup is not running (*unless one has a battery tender on the pickup battery). What I have experienced with my previous camper (FWC) and that particular voltage-detect system is that an AGM pickup battery can have a high enough resting voltage that the auto-connect is tricked into thinking the pickup is running and connects until the resting voltage of the pickup battery sags enough that it disconnects. I didn't like that, so installed the disconnect for that reason as well. And I don't want any current coming from the pickup to charge the house battery unless I specifically want it to in specific scenarios.

The manual DC disconnect is also handy because I don't want my LiFePO4 battery charged to 100% right before being parked for a week+ particularly in the summer time in my uninsulated/hot shop. I only want to charge to 100% right before we leave on a trip. So on the last day of an outing, before we drive home, I ensure I'm disconnected so the battery is not charged on the way home. I like to keep LiFePO4 battery below 80% (and preferably around 60%) when sitting and only charge to 100% right before an outing.

What type of battery was in the old truck and what type if the new truck? flooded lead acid? AGM?
Are you sure the REDARC was charging the house battery when the pickup was not running or was it simply displaying the voltage of the pickup battery? Or was the current coming from another source at the same time (shore power or solar)?
Did you have a battery tender on the pickup battery? This will raise the voltage high enough that the REDARC thinks the pickup is running and will start using that current to charge the house battery. This is another reason I like the manual DC disconnect (I can leave a battery tender on the pickup battery without the current charging the house battery).

 

[Chadx]

I'm wondering if anyone has found a flow restrictor that works on this faucet? I'd like to reduce the flow to 0.5 GPM.

I've used these in the past with great success in our trailer; not sure if there's something similar for this faucet.

We have the opposite problem in our 2020 CAMP-X. The faucet restricts too much. Can take a long time to fill a pitcher or fill a sink with hot water; the pump pulsing off and on that entire time. I experimented and unscrewed the aerator and it will flow like a garden hose with the water pump running constantly rather than pulsing! Ha. Can control the flow rate directly with the faucet control from a slow trickle to a full blast. I unscrew it when I need more water flow, but do tend to leave the stock aerator on most of the time. Are you able to adjust the faucet controller to flow the rate you want or is your finicky and you'd simply prefer to be able to blast it wide open and have that be restricted to a known flow rate (such as the 0.5 GPM you asked about)? Now I'm curious about the GPM of our stock aerator. I suspect it is around that 0.5 GMP range.

Maybe I'll test when I dewinterize. We just got back from a fun 7 day trip to UT and a cold snap has hit MT (highs are below freezing and lows will be down to 7F) so I took the camper back off the truck and winterized it again since we won't use it around MT until end of May or early June. When it goes back on again, it will be on fulltime until Fall as usual.

 

[PaulPritchard]

When the Anderson plug is connected, the pickup 12v DC will be detected by the REDARC and the REDARC will display the pickup battery voltage, but not draw from it to charge the house battery until the REDARC detects the voltage increase from the pickup running (alternator voltage). I've never seen a REDARC charge the house battery if the pickup is not running (*unless one has a battery tender on the pickup battery). What I have experienced with my previous camper (FWC) and that particular voltage-detect system is that an AGM pickup battery can have a high enough resting voltage that the auto-connect is tricked into thinking the pickup is running and connects until the resting voltage of the pickup battery sags enough that it disconnects. I didn't like that, so installed the disconnect for that reason as well. And I don't want any current coming from the pickup to charge the house battery unless I specifically want it to in specific scenarios.

The manual DC disconnect is also handy because I don't want my Lithium battery charged to 100% right before being parked for a week+ particularly in the summer time in my uninsulated/hot shop. I only want to charge to 100% right before we leave on a trip. So on the last day of an outing, before we drive home, I ensure I'm disconnected so the battery is not charged on the way home.

What type of battery was in the old truck and what type if the new truck? flooded lead acid? AGM?
Are you sure the REDARC was charging the house battery when the pickup was not running or was it simply displaying the voltage of the pickup battery? Or was the current coming from another source at the same time (shore power or solar)?
Did you have a battery tender on the pickup battery? This will raise the voltage high enough that the REDARC thinks the pickup is running and will start using that current to charge the house battery. This is another reason I like the manual DC disconnect (I can leave a battery tender on the pickup battery without the current charging the house battery).

Thanks for the quick and informative response. I think you're right in that the REDARC was displaying the voltage of the pickup battery on my first truck. I could see that the solar was charging and I was not plugged into shore power. I'm pretty ignorant about the charging system, but I'm learning.

Since we are lucky enough to go camping year around I try to keep the house battery at around 60% when we're not using the camper. We're getting ready to take a 10 day trip north from Arizona through Nevada to northern California.

Thanks again for the information.

 

[Chadx]

Back from a 1,700 mile trip from home (southwest MT) to Capitol Reef area of UT. Will try to limit this to camper pics and not make this into a trip report. Had a great 7 day trip through The Wedge, San Rafael Bridge area, Goblin State Park, Capitol Reef (Cathedral Valley, Fruita, South Draw Road (challenging!), Burr Trail/Wolverine) and a dip into Glen Canyon National Rec area to go to Bullfrog Marina/Lake Powell.


We mostly dispersed camped. This near San Rafael Bridge up Mexican Mnt Road.







Temple of the Sun in Cathedral Valley.


Above Fruita (yes, the pies were delicious. They sell out by about 11AM).


Overlook on the drive back to Fruita after a fuel run to Torrey because our route took us south and out through South Draw Rd which was a high clearance 4x4 road and the most challenging terrain we've taken the camper over (and we've been in plenty of places where my wife preferred to get out and walk rather than be in the truck clawing at the grab handles. Ha.) I'm actually surprised we made it (due to narrowness, off camper areas, wash outs with deep ruts, steep, etc). Was tense enough that I don't have a single picture from that road unfortunately. When we got out onto a more typical forest service road and stopped to calm our nerves and eat lunch, eventually a built 4Runner came through and were excited to see a pickup camper so "we knew we made it out to an easier area"...then he found out we'd come through the same way they did and he couldn't believe we made it. Ha.


Dispersed camping off Wolverine road which is off Burr Trail.




Typical terrain for most of the lookout points we did off the highway. This was pretty mild section but one of the only photos I have of the typical trail terrain we were on.

 

[Chadx]

Trail art made of junk (mostly thing that have been torn off vehicles by the looks of it). We fortunately had nothing to contribute to it.



Bullfrog Marina on dried up Lake Powell down in Glen Canyon National Rec area. Boat ramp leading to dirt in lower left.



Drove down to the lake bottom. This is looking back at the boat ramp.



Way more images from the trip of the sites we saw, but am limiting this to mostly camper pics as to not make this a trip report.

 

[PaulPritchard]

Trail art made of junk (mostly thing that have been torn off vehicles by the looks of it). We fortunately had nothing to contribute to it.
View attachment 716822


Bullfrog Marina on dried up Lake Powell down in Glen Canyon National Rec area. Boat ramp leading to dirt in lower left.
View attachment 716823


Drove down to the lake bottom. This is looking back at the boat ramp.
View attachment 716824


Way more images from the trip of the sites we saw, but am limiting this to mostly camper pics as to not make this a trip report.

Thanks for the pictures. Looks like you picked some very nice camp sites.

 

[MisterSmith]

Are you able to adjust the faucet controller to flow the rate you want or is your finicky and you'd simply prefer to be able to blast it wide open and have that be restricted to a known flow rate (such as the 0.5 GPM you asked about)?

Can I control it...sure. Can my wife and 9 year old daughter...well, that's the problem. The only way I can ensure we conserve water is by using those flow restrictors, they seem to think the camper magically produces unlimited water.

Nice pictures from your recent trip, thanks for sharing.

 

[Chadx]

Ha. 10-4. Will be interesting for me to test the OEM restrictor on ours to understand flow rate, but as mentioned, will be end of may or early June when we dewinterize and fill. We got back from UT just in time to winterize again. Minus 7 F here this morning.

 

[Shawn M]

Chadx, I'm sorry if you covered this before, but is there an easy way to disconnect (or turn off) the power consumption when the camper is stored for a few weeks? I store my truck camper in the garage and if I don't plug it in, the battery goes to 1%. It's a lithium battery. Honestly, I'm surprised it drains that fast with just the co detector and redarc system? Would it be better on the battery if I kept it plugged into shore power? When I park it's always at 100% since my truck charges the battery on the drive home from camping. Thanks!

 

[Chadx]

Keeping a LiFePO4 at 100% isn't great for them, so I'd recommend not staying plugged into shore power when it's sitting unused, particularly if the environment is hot. But running it down to 1% is even harder on it. They like to sit between 30% and 70%. Best practice is arriving home with them at less than 100% and not recharging them until your next outing. If you don't have a DC disconnect from your pickup, that isn't convenient, though. But I digress.

The easiest way to disconnect the battery when sitting is flip the breaker located on the positive/red cable near your battery. That cuts 100% power except for the REDARC monitor wire which bypasses the breaker and goes directly to the battery. Or, you can also pull the fuses out of the fuse block for the individual things that are always on and draw down power (co detector, etc.) behind the flip down panel, which will cut power to only those items but still allow you to turn on the lights, fan, etc. easily if they are needed during storage. But, tripping the main breaker is easier as it cuts power to everything but the REDARC. By leaving the REDARC on, it won't have to relearn your battery SOC again like it would if you disconnected it from the battery terminal. If you use turn off the main breaker, then you can also set the REDARC to Storage Mode rather than Touring Mode. That will have the REDARC display itself go to sleep after 30 seconds and it won't be drawing that screen current. More info and guidelines on the two modes are in the REDARC owners manual.

 

[Shawn M]

So helpful! Thanks Chadx!!