My New Camper .... soon

Caribou Lite 6.5 pop-up camper (photograph courtesy of Outfitter Mfg.)

As I have mentioned, I wanted my next adventure vehicle to be more capable.  But, I also wanted a few more amenities (like a refrigerator, something the Peruvians stole from me when I shipped my equipment to Lima).  My van was great, but the build, compared to many out there, was pretty ghetto, functional, but nothing that pretty or innovative.  It worked for me, it was great, but I wanted 4WD, I wanted a more capable vehicle.  My Nissan Frontier is that vehicle.  And while I have built it out on the bed of the truck, contained under the cap, I had plans for something better, much better.  Previously, I mentioned a company called Four Wheel Campers which makes slide-in, pop-up campers.  Well first of all, there are other companies which make these truck campers, and second, I couldn't get a Four Wheel Camper until late 2021, or more likely, early 2022.  I wanted something sooner.  Plus, once I really started looking around, and doing my research, I found that there are other options, better options really, especially in terms of cost, and weight.  My truck is a capable mid-sized pickup truck, but weight is still a concern.  So after doing lots of research, reading lots of reviews, and talking to a couple of folks at various companies, I decided to go with a camper from Outfitter Mfg., in Longmont, Colorado, USA.  I ordered my camper in January, and well, there was still a huge lead-time, but not as bad as for a Four Wheel Camper, at least not when I initially ordered my camper.  I'm real excited.  Note: all the images included in this posted were "borrowed" from the Outfitter Mfg. site, they are not my images.

Outfitter Mfg. has "60 years of RV manufacturing pride and tradition", starting with Mr. Hubert Ward in 1959.  After a couple of iterations, Hubert's son and grandson started Outfitter Manufacturing, specializing in truck campers.  Then in 2019, Monarch Crest Capital, Inc., a group led by Scott Mavis, acquired Outfitter Mfg., and Scott still runs the company today (at least he is the one I've talked to).  My camper is the Caribou Lite 6.5.  This is a light-weight, economical, slide-in, pop-up truck camper.  The camper weighs over 900 lbs, which is light compared to many other pop-up campers out there, and is well equipped.  The camper includes a three-way frig (12v, 110v, and propane), a stove (propane), hot and cold running water, a powered roof vent, lights, a table with bench seats and a cabover bed.  When closed, cabover section is only 10" above the cab of the truck, and "pops up" to an interior height of 77.5"  There was a near infinite selection of fabrics for the seats and pads for the bed from Charlotte Fabrics, Minneapolis, MN.  I chose Hunter (green), outdoorsy color.  I also "downsized" from the standard 3-burner stove to a 2-burner stove, stainless-steel and recessed, looks nicer than the standard option, plus offers more counter space.  I added an outdoor shower, which will be sweet, and their Lagun table system which has a swing-away support.  In addition, I added a ladder at the rear of the camper, mostly just to haul my mountain bike, which goes everywhere with me.  I have a bike rack with fits on a ladder, carries the bike vertically, works well.  I will continue  to use my Dometic cassette toilet which has been traveling with me for years.  There were other choices in terms of floors and kitchen table-tops, but otherwise, I kept things pretty standard, and basic.  I'm constantly worried about weight, and I haven't even got the camper on my truck yet.  I did already upgrade the suspension on my truck (additional rear leaf springs, plus beefier coils), and plan to upgrade the shocks and tires as well.  Plan to go with E-rated tires (10-ply) to handle the additional weight, without compromising traction and handling.  This will be a capable adventure vehicle carrying a camper which will meet all my needs.  Why not be comfortable?  I cannot wait.  More adventures await.  Again, all images included in this post are courtesy of Outfitter Mfg.
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