97heavyweight
Active member
For three years I used and abused a homemade pop-up camper. (you can see the build thread here https://forum.expeditionportal.com/threads/i-decided-to-build-my-own-pop-top-camper.224851/ ) I poured blood, sweat and tears into the thing and my poor choice in canvas material ultimately lead me down the path to get rid of it and move on.
That is when the amazingly awesome OEV Campers popped up in my thread and with a quick search I found a barely used one in San Diego and that same day I was the proud owner of the only small truck camper with a true dinette. (At least what my research could find). I was looking at getting a new FWC Swift, but I was not really a fan of the couch style camper. Then I looked at a custom made Bison Camper and alas all they do is hard side now and I just couldn't wrap my head around a Tacoma that would be 10.5" tall with the camper on a flatbed.
So far I am loving this camper and I have decided to start this thread to shine some light on how awesome this camper is and maybe find out how awesome it isn't. Even though it is wider than my old camper by about 16" I will still be thrashing this thing down trails that I have no business being on. With that said on to the details.
My camper with options has a dry weight of 1075lbs, the roof is 122", floor length is 68", width without shower cube or awning is 77", and height is 83". I have been pleasantly surprised about how little the truck rolls with this larger and heavier camper, but that is due to a surprisingly low center of gravity at 20.5". The interior is one of the most spacious that I have personally been in. I think the all white interior walls and canvas help a lot with this. The dinette is a luxuriously 28" wide and the counter is 34" and since there is only a sink there is plenty of room for prep and cooking.
My camper has the Truma furnace and water heater that all run off a 10lb propane tank. Thus far it has worked excellently. One of the odd design choices I have noticed is that the utilities i.e. furnace exhausts, sink drains, and water and electrical plugs are on the passenger side. Typical campers have all utilities on the driver side. What this means for this camper with a passenger mounted awning is that the shower hookup has to be ran across the back door to the driver side where the shower cube is located.
So far my initial interaction with the camper has been insanely positive and it is super comfy to hang out in. The bed is as good as my bed at home and the dinette is perfect for two people to sit and enjoy dinner.
That is when the amazingly awesome OEV Campers popped up in my thread and with a quick search I found a barely used one in San Diego and that same day I was the proud owner of the only small truck camper with a true dinette. (At least what my research could find). I was looking at getting a new FWC Swift, but I was not really a fan of the couch style camper. Then I looked at a custom made Bison Camper and alas all they do is hard side now and I just couldn't wrap my head around a Tacoma that would be 10.5" tall with the camper on a flatbed.
So far I am loving this camper and I have decided to start this thread to shine some light on how awesome this camper is and maybe find out how awesome it isn't. Even though it is wider than my old camper by about 16" I will still be thrashing this thing down trails that I have no business being on. With that said on to the details.
My camper with options has a dry weight of 1075lbs, the roof is 122", floor length is 68", width without shower cube or awning is 77", and height is 83". I have been pleasantly surprised about how little the truck rolls with this larger and heavier camper, but that is due to a surprisingly low center of gravity at 20.5". The interior is one of the most spacious that I have personally been in. I think the all white interior walls and canvas help a lot with this. The dinette is a luxuriously 28" wide and the counter is 34" and since there is only a sink there is plenty of room for prep and cooking.
My camper has the Truma furnace and water heater that all run off a 10lb propane tank. Thus far it has worked excellently. One of the odd design choices I have noticed is that the utilities i.e. furnace exhausts, sink drains, and water and electrical plugs are on the passenger side. Typical campers have all utilities on the driver side. What this means for this camper with a passenger mounted awning is that the shower hookup has to be ran across the back door to the driver side where the shower cube is located.
So far my initial interaction with the camper has been insanely positive and it is super comfy to hang out in. The bed is as good as my bed at home and the dinette is perfect for two people to sit and enjoy dinner.
