In this post, I am going to introduce you to an innovative pop-top camper. Though not necessarily an off-road camper if your truck can go off-road so can the Hower Build. Several years of research, multiple designs, and prototypes have resulted in the first electric pop-top camper by Hower Built, the Base Camp.
The Base Camp sits on your pickup’s bed, much like a truck camper, but essentially that is where the similarity ends. It has features not found in a typical truck camper, or for that matter any truck camper I have come across.
First off, the lift mechanism that will lift the top, increasing the interior headroom to 6′ 5″. The pop top itself was designed to lift up to 300 hundred pounds. It doesn’t matter how you place items (kayaks, bikes, gear) on the pop top. It will lift 300 pounds consistently.
Let’s take a look at some specifications.
Introduction to the Base Camp Video
The video below is a short introduction of this electric pop top camper made exclusively for RV Living by Hower Built.
Base Camp Specifications
The weight is just 400 pounds and fit perfectly on the bed of a midsize pickup truck. I wrote an article on what you can tow with a Toyota Tacoma, which is a midsize truck.
The camper front to back measures 112″ and has an interior headroom, when fully extended, of 6″ 5″.
The width of the camper comes in either a standard width or XL.
When you’re ready for some sleep, you’ll find the queen-size3″ thick commercial grade foam mattress to be quite comfortable. One thing to note is that when you close the pop top, there is no need to remove the mattress. There is a recessed 6″ cavity that keep the mattress from hindering the closure of the pop top.
The lift mechanism has an electric driven lift with comes with the additional lifting capacity of 300 lbs I wrote about earlier.
The canvas the is used is a waterproof and UV resistant fabric that will stand up to many years of use. The fabric is also mold resistant and breathable.
The Base Camp frame is construction of 3/16″ aluminum, which makes it lightweight but very strong and durable. The panels are composite panels with an R5 insulation rating. Both have been successfully field tested.
Here are some additional Base Camp specifications:
- Interior LED lights with dimmers (8 in total)
- 2 USB ports
- 12V accessory plug
- 100 Amp Hours Lithium Battery
- Pre-wired for solar with Maximum Power Point Track (MMPT)
- Molle panel accessory
The Hower Built Base Camp is built to custom fit your truck bed.
How Much Does The Hower Built Base Camp Cost?
The Hower Built Base Camp starts at $14,000 and up. The price depends on any feature requests you may have. For example, you can ask for a full kitchen upgrade or a complete solar charging system.
Hower Built is very flexible with what it can do with this camper.
The Base Camp is scheduled to be available in the Spring of 2022. To get yours into production, you will need to make a deposit of $1,500 on their website.
Summary
The Base Camp is an excellent, innovative pop top camper built for those who love adventure. With it, you can go places other campers cannot. The Base Camp is a versatile rugged camper all packaged in an aerodynamic lightweight package at an affordable price.
I like the fact that it weighs just 400 pounds, so there is no need to modify the suspension of the truck, and they make the Base Camp to fit just most makes and models of trucks.
PS: Follow the owners Colin and Bradley on Instagram and help spread the word about the Base Camp.
Interested in other types of campers? Check out this article I wrote about pop up tent campers.
