Oru has a new design called the Bruin XL where you sleep sideways on a king sized mattress up top. I have not seen one yet in the wild, but people seem to like them. Too big for me personally
Oru Designs Campers
- Thread starter Rolo1738
- Start date
Oru has a new design called the Bruin XL where you sleep sideways on a king sized mattress up top. I have not seen one yet in the wild, but people seem to like them. Too big for me personally
I haven't seen many people on this forum with those. But, their Facebook Group is very active, and there are a lot with Bruin XLs in there.
VentureDude
New member
I just submitted an order for a Bruin XL. Any tips you can give to a new owner? Anything you wish you knew before using it? Did you install tailgate sealers?
Nice! You're going to love it, not much for tips honestly they're very well built and super straight forward, so there's not really any tips or tricks for anything. What options did you get?
Yes I did install a tailgate sealer kit off Amazon. I think it depends on your specific truck model, but it made a big difference on my Frontier
I got my deposit in for one of the bruin standards Im hoping to get it onto a one ton f350 to be my quick trip weekend setup. I tow a 5th wheel and live full time in it so this setup is going to be interesting.
I'm using what some people refer to as a "tag axle" to support the cap and pinbox of the 5ver and ill tow the whole thing off a specially fabricated Class 5 bumper hitch, leaving me full access to my truck bed and the ability to keep the oru mounted full time.
Most of these seem to end up on smaller trucks like jeeps and toyotas, so im hoping it doesnt look terribly out of place on a full size honker of a crew cab short bed ford. Excited, as this should allow me to comfortably get out to my dirt bike, hunting, fishing and exploring spots and back in the minimal time i always seem to need for fun.
I'm using what some people refer to as a "tag axle" to support the cap and pinbox of the 5ver and ill tow the whole thing off a specially fabricated Class 5 bumper hitch, leaving me full access to my truck bed and the ability to keep the oru mounted full time.
Most of these seem to end up on smaller trucks like jeeps and toyotas, so im hoping it doesnt look terribly out of place on a full size honker of a crew cab short bed ford. Excited, as this should allow me to comfortably get out to my dirt bike, hunting, fishing and exploring spots and back in the minimal time i always seem to need for fun.
ThrasherJT
New member
Hey @Hodor. Looks like you found your way to ORU Designs too (after that other hard-sided camper company folded). Curious to hear your initial impressions once you get it installed.
I'll be honest, the ORU Designs Bruin wasn't even on my radar initially because I didn't think it looked good at all. . .but it has since grew on me, and I think its features check a lot of boxes at a decent price point.
However, I couldn't help but read quite a few comments regarding overall quality of the campers they're producing recently -- all from their own Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/orudesignsusacampers/
I've read it largely has to do with employee turnover, and the newer employees still learning how to build the campers. But it makes me feel like they're pumping as much as they can out the door without thinking about QA processes to ensure a quality product. Oddly enough, the early model owners seem to have a lot less issues than the newer owners, which is weird because you'd think a company would keep iterating to make better versions as time passes.
If any ORU owners see this, I'd like to know when you got your camper and your overall thoughts on the camper (good and bad) so far.
I'll be honest, the ORU Designs Bruin wasn't even on my radar initially because I didn't think it looked good at all. . .but it has since grew on me, and I think its features check a lot of boxes at a decent price point.
However, I couldn't help but read quite a few comments regarding overall quality of the campers they're producing recently -- all from their own Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/orudesignsusacampers/
I've read it largely has to do with employee turnover, and the newer employees still learning how to build the campers. But it makes me feel like they're pumping as much as they can out the door without thinking about QA processes to ensure a quality product. Oddly enough, the early model owners seem to have a lot less issues than the newer owners, which is weird because you'd think a company would keep iterating to make better versions as time passes.
If any ORU owners see this, I'd like to know when you got your camper and your overall thoughts on the camper (good and bad) so far.
Anglin’ Man
New member
Had a bruin, sold it. Had support when I needed it from ORU. Definitely some concerns regarding the hinges of the bruin but would 100% consider buying the tenfold if I wanted a wedge with straight/vertical walls. Nopeoffroad is certainly fear mongering to a point
Employee turnover is something I hadn't heard yet, but that's interesting and certainly a good point to consider. Good help is hard to find and even moreso in today's turbulent dynamic of a country we've found ourselves in.
I'm still not a fan of their rather drab aesthetic, especially the vertical sides on the smaller pickups. I was told that my full size unit will have the angled side walls and that was what I had wanted.
I'm aware of all the downsides to these campers. Leaks, misfitment, improperly installed parts, defective parts etc etc.
At the end of the day I have built out several vehicles including ambulances, class 5 trucks and many pickups - all of them leak in one form or another. A well placed bead of caulking checked and resealed once per season will remedy 90% of the issues people seem to be having and the actual factory defects appear to be getting fixed by most customers in a manner consistent with the companies reputation for service - which is somewhat good - which is why I chose to go with them.
Personally I think the Bruin and Tenfold campers could be improved, and seeing Oru address their horrible barn door design or develop a full rear replacement option would have really got me excited for my incoming unit. Instead of model improvements though, I see this new slurry of models like a hard wall enormously tall standard issue cargo canopy, a bulbous bruin xl that sticks out like the Tune M1 and now they're offering fully enclosed slide in models of their flagships - I just feel that as a small company you need to do one or two things really well before you breaking out into a bunch of market segments and the fact their units have any complaints about them at all should be development points. In my opinion.
Still, I'm excited to see and use the hybrid system. These canopies are modular meaning I can put a window on one side if I choose to, I can develop my own rear door/enclosure like I've seen another user do, and most small problems I believe I'm handy enough to fix without needing to drive across the country.
I see so many users purchasing these things thinking their buying a professionally refined product like an iPhone or a new Toyota, but they forget how much research and development goes into those by billion dollar companies to make them "professional" and even after all that those products still come with problems. It should be well understood in the truck camping world that - similarly to RV life - you're gonna have to fix the things you use as time goes on, everything leaks, and if you aren't handy you better get with someone who is 😆🤘