2021 Overland Explorer Vehicles (OEV) CAMP-HBE pop-up flatbed pickup camper (renamed the "Hudson Bay" for 2023 model year)
- Thread starter Chadx
- Start date
mk216v
Der Chef der Fahrzeuge
Bit more than a FWC.
Ninelitetrip
Well-known member
No certainly not. But does show what's possible in a small space. Interesting that their setup is now for sale. 180K.
Victor_Coulon has been posting on @Insta. Aluma Tray with a CAMP-X that is getting traded for an HBE. Seems to spend a lot of time on the road. Was up in the Maritimes which was good to see one of my favorite destinations.
OEV has reposted some HBE builds recently.
Ninelitetrip
Well-known member
Definitely have to compromise on storage. But what is the desired usage? 3 months of no resupply in remote Alaska or max 1 week between grocery runs? My chosen setup would be a SCSB with the back seat area stripped and used solely for storage. Clothing, dry goods, gear, extra fridge for longer trips, etc. With an 8 foot bed and the 6.75 length HBE, would be able to add full with storage between the cab and camper.
There are two drawers below the sink that have intrusion from sink and the gas bottle. Still space that can be used. The battery is no longer under the shower pan, might be some usable dry storage there, like the FWC flatbed model. Shelfs can be added above the toilet and removed when needed.
For 3 season usage, weekly visit to the grocery store and water source, and without going on an expedition I think it can work.
I'll post this just to show what can be done in a small space. The owner lives in this full time with his dog. Makes it work. Since the video he has made a few changes. He traded the FWC in the video for an OEV CAMP-X. He added a 80/20 T slot cabinet between the bed and sink for storage. He removed the dining table. He moved his fridge to the foot well of the dining alcove and put it on a pull out slider.
I guess my take on it is there are as many different camper sizes and choices as there are potential owners with different needs. Some people pack light and/or do 7 - 10 day trips at the longest (my wife and I fall into this category) and a light weight, more overland-capable camper is of higher value due to the tight, tree branch prolific, narrow, rough forest service roads we frequent. Some live in their camper or do month long trips or simply want a lot of kitchen items, food, clothing with them even on short trips. For everything there is a trade off, but with so many camper choices, one can pick and choose how much storage vs the other trade offs of size (where you can fit), weight (related to how much pickup you need to haul it and all your supplies), convenience (pop top or hard sided), etc. You can get even lighter, more sparsely equipped campers or larger, better equipped campers and in the end, it's up to a potential owner to look at a particular camper's features and, if it isn't adequate for their use, determine if there are mods that can be done to accommodate your needs or cross it off the list.
We camp out of a CAMP-X on an double cab pickup (not crew cab) with the 2/3 rear seat removed and replaced with a homemade platform. We each carry our clothes in a duffle bag. Our kitchen supplies, non-fridge food, and our cookware/plates/cups (smaller, lighter weight camping-type gear) is all stored in bins that we store in a cabinet while driving and pull out and set on the countertops when the top is popped and camping. Most of our trips are 1 or 2 nights on the weekends with several 7 to 10 day trips per year. We are happy using our camper like this, but understand there are others that want everything to be in a permanent place, have large, fullsize pots and pans, big and/or numerous dishes and silverware, coffee makers, entire selection of spices, etc. I submit that those types of users would find most popup campers do not meet their space and carrying capacity needs and would be better served by a larger rig.
Camper shopping is fun and part of that is looking at different campers and thinking through where everything you take with you would go. Or maybe even considering if you are willing to change the way you pack as a trade off for other camper specs that you want. I've yet to run across a camper that is perfect for us and all our trips. We'd personally need at least two rigs for that (well insulated and quiet, huge hard side pickup camper or campervan for traditional cross country trips to national parks, trips that use campgrounds, deep winter camping, etc.) and a pop-top like we have now that can fit under the tree branches, handle the rough trail, is light weight, etc. Currently we have the latter because it is the only one of the two that will work for everything and we make due with it just fine on the longer road trips. It actually comes in handy because even the long road trip, national park types trips, we seek out regional dispersed camping to avoid the crowded campgrounds. We could not do that with a bigger rig and definitely could not use a hard sided camper or campervan on any of our weekend mountain trips/drives because it literally wouldn't fit under the tree branches or through the narrow trails.
We camp out of a CAMP-X on an double cab pickup (not crew cab) with the 2/3 rear seat removed and replaced with a homemade platform. We each carry our clothes in a duffle bag. Our kitchen supplies, non-fridge food, and our cookware/plates/cups (smaller, lighter weight camping-type gear) is all stored in bins that we store in a cabinet while driving and pull out and set on the countertops when the top is popped and camping. Most of our trips are 1 or 2 nights on the weekends with several 7 to 10 day trips per year. We are happy using our camper like this, but understand there are others that want everything to be in a permanent place, have large, fullsize pots and pans, big and/or numerous dishes and silverware, coffee makers, entire selection of spices, etc. I submit that those types of users would find most popup campers do not meet their space and carrying capacity needs and would be better served by a larger rig.
Camper shopping is fun and part of that is looking at different campers and thinking through where everything you take with you would go. Or maybe even considering if you are willing to change the way you pack as a trade off for other camper specs that you want. I've yet to run across a camper that is perfect for us and all our trips. We'd personally need at least two rigs for that (well insulated and quiet, huge hard side pickup camper or campervan for traditional cross country trips to national parks, trips that use campgrounds, deep winter camping, etc.) and a pop-top like we have now that can fit under the tree branches, handle the rough trail, is light weight, etc. Currently we have the latter because it is the only one of the two that will work for everything and we make due with it just fine on the longer road trips. It actually comes in handy because even the long road trip, national park types trips, we seek out regional dispersed camping to avoid the crowded campgrounds. We could not do that with a bigger rig and definitely could not use a hard sided camper or campervan on any of our weekend mountain trips/drives because it literally wouldn't fit under the tree branches or through the narrow trails.
The CAMP-X and CAMP-HBE are both 81.25" wide (not counting brackets or jacks. We don't travel with the jacks). The CAMP-M is for midsize pickups and is 77" wide. For sleeping east to west, the CAMP-M wouldn't work for my wife (5' 10") or myself (6' 0") as it's 72.25" wide inside. The CAMP-HBE and CAMP-X are 78" wide inside. We do like the interior height of the two slide-in campers better (81 and 82" inside) vs the flatbed CAMP-HBE which is 77" tall inside. 5" doesn't seem like a lot, but it's noticeable. HBE roof is 5" over the top of my head and CAMP-X is 10" over the top of my head.
Our CAMP-X is just a bit over 8' tall as it sits on our pickup. The CAMP-HBE would sit a couple inches taller, but still much shorter than a hardside or a camper van. We explored those options and unfortunately there is no way either would clear where we drive. Same reason why we don't lift the suspension on our pickups and put on even taller tires. Can't afford more overall height so I simply put on the largest height tire (that are still close to stock width; I dislike wide tires) that will fit with stock suspension and call it good and conscientious driving gets us through some fairly hairy places.
We're still a couple years away from our next pickup (usually drive them 8 - 10 years), and when the time comes, it will be decision time on if we change to a flatbed and CAMP-HBE or keep the stock bed in place and stick with the CAMP-X. I prefer some features and layout of the HBE but it's twice the cost of a CAMP-X (when you add in the tray) and I greatly prefer having a pickup bed vs a flatbed when the camper is off. Will think about it more critically when the time comes, but we are currently very happy with our CAMP-X these last two years (had a FWC Hawk for a few years before that).
Our CAMP-X is just a bit over 8' tall as it sits on our pickup. The CAMP-HBE would sit a couple inches taller, but still much shorter than a hardside or a camper van. We explored those options and unfortunately there is no way either would clear where we drive. Same reason why we don't lift the suspension on our pickups and put on even taller tires. Can't afford more overall height so I simply put on the largest height tire (that are still close to stock width; I dislike wide tires) that will fit with stock suspension and call it good and conscientious driving gets us through some fairly hairy places.
We're still a couple years away from our next pickup (usually drive them 8 - 10 years), and when the time comes, it will be decision time on if we change to a flatbed and CAMP-HBE or keep the stock bed in place and stick with the CAMP-X. I prefer some features and layout of the HBE but it's twice the cost of a CAMP-X (when you add in the tray) and I greatly prefer having a pickup bed vs a flatbed when the camper is off. Will think about it more critically when the time comes, but we are currently very happy with our CAMP-X these last two years (had a FWC Hawk for a few years before that).
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Ninelitetrip
Well-known member
unfortunately it’s slim pickings for information. Even though they’re taking orders for it and it’s supposed to be in production for 2022 but there really is a lack of useful information. I don’t recall but I don’t think I’ve even seen any interior pictures and how some of the interior equipment is going to be used is still unknown. Have you contacted them directly?