STREGA's Bundutec Flatbed Bunducamp Popup Build.

[STREGA]

Thought I should start a thread on my Bundutec flatbed camper build even though I have posted info on it in my truck build in the domestic full size truck section. There is not a lot of information out there on Bundutec yet and if your not checking out the full size truck threads you probably would miss this one.

My quest for a camper started back in May 2016 at the Overland Expo where I became aware of the Bundutec Brand. I went to the expo with the agenda to decide if I wanted to go with a off-road trailer with which there are a lot of different options to choose from or a truck camper. After 3 days of battling less than pleasant weather at the expo I narrowed my choice down to one trailer and one camper the Bundutec. I spent the next couple months in deep thoughts on which would be the best fit for our needs and in the end the truck camper won out.

Of all the truck camper people I talked to at the Expo, Rory and Jenn at Bundutec impressed me the most (not that the others were bad) and I liked the camper they offered a lot. Even though I was not planning to purchase a camper at the Expo or even in 2016 they spent quite a bit of their expo time which is very finite answering my question I had and showing me their product.

In 2017 I came to the Expo with my wife (it was her first expo) with the mission of ordering a camper with Bundutec after doing some finalizing on the design and options we wanted. While we were at the Expo we looked at the other manufacturers that were there just to make sure we were going with the right company and although there is a lot of nice campers to choose from ultimately the Bundutec was the best for us. We did a preliminary order with them with a delivery date around the end of September/October.

 

[STREGA]

Some pics of the camper:

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

Some pics of the camper:

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Nice inside pic's

 

[STREGA]

Some inside pics:

 

[STREGA]

One of the reasons I went with Bundutec was they were willing to do a mostly custom build for me. In fact I got the feeling that Rory really likes to do custom work, something he couldn't do very much when he was at Northstar. My camper was based off their Bunducamp model but has quite a few changes from the stock unit, almost to the point that it could be a all new model. At the expo I showed Rory some rough drawings of what I envisioned my camper to look like and without hesitation he said "this will be no problem at all, it will be a very stout design actually ".

Another reason was Rory and Jenn themselves. They are IMHO very easy to work with, know their product/camper industry well and they get what we are about here on the portal, they are not the average RV manufacturer. They did what they said they would, for the price that they quoted me and delivered it on time (I had a very tight time window). Oh and they are just nice people "Iowa nice", I enjoyed hanging out with them while the camper was being installed onto the truck. I'am very confident in recommending them to build you a camper from my experience with them. I'am not a paid spokesman for Bundutec, just a happy customer/camper!

A third reason was the overall cost of the camper they were signifantly less $$$ which fit into my budget nicely. Most of the other campers would have cost as much or more than I paid for the truck, a few were way more. One of the reason they cost less is they don't (at least at this time) have a dealer network which eliminates a middleman. I guess some people might be put off by that but I'am OK with out a dealer to go thru. Since they are located in a small town in the Midwest I'am sure their production costs would be quite a bit lower than being in California or somewhere similar. They are also a wood frame construction camper which is less expensive than other forms of building materials out there. Once again some people would not want a wood frame camper, I myself am OK with it I feel this camper will easily last me 10-15 years with proper maintenance and that will get me to the end of my camping days.

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

One of the reasons I went with Bundutec was they were willing to do a mostly custom build for me. In fact I got the feeling that Rory really likes to do custom work, something he couldn't do very much when he was at Northstar. My camper was based off their Bunducamp model but has quite a few changes from the stock unit, almost to the point that it could be a all new model. At the expo I showed Rory some rough drawings of what I envisioned my camper to look like and without hesitation he said "this will be no problem at all, it will be a very stout design actually ".

Another reason was Rory and Jenn themselves. They are IMHO very easy to work with, know their product/camper industry well and they get what we are about here on the portal, they are not the average RV manufacturer. They did what they said they would, for the price that they quoted me and delivered it on time (I had a very tight time window). Oh and they are just nice people "Iowa nice", I enjoyed hanging out with them while the camper was being installed onto the truck. I'am very confident in recommending them to build you a camper from my experience with them. I'am not a paid spokesman for Bundutec, just a happy customer/camper!

A third reason was the overall cost of the camper they were signifantly less $$$ which fit into my budget nicely. Most of the other campers would have cost as much or more than I paid for the truck, a few were way more. One of the reason they cost less is they don't (at least at this time) have a dealer network which eliminates a middleman. I guess some people might be put off by that but I'am OK with out a dealer to go thru. Since they are located in a small town in the Midwest I'am sure their production costs would be quite a bit lower than being in California or somewhere similar. They are also a wood frame construction camper which is less expensive than other forms of building materials out there. Once again some people would not want a wood frame camper, I myself am OK with it I feel this camper will easily last me 10-15 years with proper maintenance and that will get me to the end of my camping days.

Excellent feedback - you sound very happy

 

[rangerdogg]

Very nice happy camping

 

[Bubblegoose1]

Very nice setup

 

[bnglmn]

So glad you started this thread! I missed this years expos, but don’t want to wait till next May to order a pop-up. Right now I’m leaning towards a FWC Grandby, but the Bunducamp caught my eye.

My favorite floor plan of any is the 850SC from Northstar, but not happy about the color and cabinet choices or the required rear overhang. Sounds like I should reach out to your new friends at Bundutec to see if they can make me some kind of custom/hybrid. Also in the market for a custom aluminum utility bed, but need to find a small local shop, as the big players in that field all want around $20k. May end up going the flatbed route.

One question I have for you is how much off-roading you plan on doing, and how the wood-framed camper takes to it. Look forward to seeing how your camper works out for you!

 

[wanderer-rrorc]

really nice!!!

 

[STREGA]

So glad you started this thread! I missed this years expos, but don’t want to wait till next May to order a pop-up. Right now I’m leaning towards a FWC Grandby, but the Bunducamp caught my eye.

My favorite floor plan of any is the 850SC from Northstar, but not happy about the color and cabinet choices or the required rear overhang. Sounds like I should reach out to your new friends at Bundutec to see if they can make me some kind of custom/hybrid. Also in the market for a custom aluminum utility bed, but need to find a small local shop, as the big players in that field all want around $20k. May end up going the flatbed route.

One question I have for you is how much off-roading you plan on doing, and how the wood-framed camper takes to it. Look forward to seeing how your camper works out for you!

Thanks for reading my thread hope it helps in your decision making. At first I was leaning towards FWC as well but the lack of customization with them took them out of contention with me. If a custom build is not important to you then a FWC is a solid choice.

As far as how much off roading I will be doing, I do plan on getting off road quite a bit. Not sure how rough of a road I will be willing to take it on yet but not at the level of diffulculty I used to do with the FJ Cruiser. There will be a lot of forest service roads in the near future, we like to go to the North Rim of the canyon and South Eastern parts of Utah since they are fairly close and doable as weekend getaways. Time will tell on how well it holds up, I'am confident the Bundutec will go the distance.

 

[STREGA]

Also thanks for all the other post, I'am quite the happy camper!!!

Sorry for the lack of follow up on this thread but have been extremely busy the last couple of weeks and early Sunday mornings is about the only time I get to play here on the Portal.

Now I just need to get out and do some Poppin'.

 

[BundutecUSA]

Bnglmn,

We would love to speak to you on a hybrid unit to fit your truck camping needs. Our staff is always looking to help campers get the most out of our unit and bring the truck camping industry up to date. Please feel free to email us direct at sales@bundutecusa.com or call us at 319-234-0071 so we can discuss what you are looking for and how we can help you achieve it.

 

[calicamper]

I think the no distributor model works really well for small family shops. As you point out they can do interesting projects, offer really good value for the $$ regarding quality. Plus distributors add a layer between the people who genuinely enjoy building these and the people who end up using them that dissconnect really hurts the builders who get ideas, energy and enjoyment hearing from owners out having adventures in the campers they built.

 

[Regcabguy]

Great!
Carli Suspension does some custom systems and I think they would love the challenge of your unique rig.
Thuren's another source. very cool setup!