Not everybody desires (or can afford) a gargantuan camper like an Earthroamer. If the purpose of tenting is to get away from the on a regular basis, to simplify, then the smallest answer is probably going the one which’ll work greatest. And it is onerous to get a lot smaller than the Scout Tuktut, a minuscule 634-pound camper that is good for pickup vehicles just like the Ford Maverick.
Designed to suit midsize or smaller pickups, the Tuktut achieves its minimal weight utilizing a mix of an aluminum exoskeleton and composite paneling. It is round half the burden of some equally sized campers, making it extra suited to make use of on the lightest-duty vehicles just like the Ford Maverick. It will not eat up a lot of the Maverick hybrid’s 1,500-pound payload capability, leaving room for passengers or gear—and it won’t even smash its gas financial system both.
Whereas the camper can wedge safely into the Maverick’s 54-inch mattress, it is much less clear if it suits the smaller 48-inch mattress of the Hyundai Santa Cruz. Nonetheless, it might additionally work on the again of an imported kei truck, a lot of which have six-foot beds and payload scores of round 770 kilos. This camper would most likely push a kei truck to its restrict, decreasing its high pace and gasoline mileage, although it’d make for one of many most cost-effective campers you possibly can get on the U.S. market.
Regardless of the Tuktut’s weight, it is neither too tight inside nor missing utility. Its ceiling is 74.5 inches (or six-foot-two), whereas its 69-inch sleeper berth might be optioned with mattress extensions to greater than comfortably match two. Different choices embrace Goose Gear modular storage, or mattress runners to help in unloading after getting residence.
The Scout Tuktut is not out but, however the firm says it will be accessible beginning Q3 at a beginning value of $16,500. A fast take a look at competing campers that match midsize vehicles reveals that to be a aggressive value and at half the burden of comparable campers. Mattress-mounted tents are nonetheless a much more inexpensive possibility, however they do not provide the safety a camper does—and that counts for those who’re in bear country.
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