At its most basic, Bahn Campers are a traditional removable slide-in or flatbed truck camper. Two of the leading companies in this category are Northern Lite and Lance. All of our products can be built for long, short, or flatbed trucks in various sizes. But Bahn Campers aren’t really in this market and here’s why:

1) We are the only removable slide-in truck camper company that builds exactly what our customers want in terms of layout and configuration—our interiors are a 100% custom. All of our appliances and components are either marine grade or come from the European RV market. Not only do our components have a better fit and finish, they are more efficient and outlast any of the standard RV counterparts. For example, we use batteries that are specifically designed for non-complete discharge situations. During typical RV use, a battery is not drained the same amount day-to-day. Lead acid and most deep cycle RV batteries don’t handle this kind of use well which results in sulfation. Sulfation reduces the amount of charge a battery can hold, as well as reduces the battery’s life, meaning it will need to be replaced more often. In addition, the batteries we use have at least twice the amount of charge cycles as your standard RV batteries. In other words if all else was equal, they would still last twice as long before needing to be replaced. This attention to detail is applied to every aspect of our custom campers.

2) Our camper shell alone is a major step forward from the current offerings in the RV market. A true one piece, seamless shell with all of the structure built-in is new to the RV world. What is the advantage to being seamless? No seams means no annual maintenance—no scraping old caulk and re-applying. And less heat/cold transfer which results in better insulation. Most importantly, in 5 years a seamless camper won’t be a moldy box that no one wants to use or buy—a seamless camper is an investment that will last. Our 10 year structural warranty almost doubles what the current industry leader offers. And we sell just the shell! Do-it-yourselfers can purchase the shell and build it out exactly the way they want to. Current van builders can expand their horizons by buying our shells and offering their unique build-outs to their clientele that would prefer a truck camper. We are proud to be the first company to sell just the shell.

3) We also can build our camper to fit on a flatbed truck, which allows much more storage space than the camper that slides into a truck bed.

Next you have beefy expedition vehicles. Arguably the most famous companies in this market is EarthRoamer and Tiger Adventure Vehicle. In fact, we just had someone call us the other day asking if we could build them a “cheap EarthRoamer.” Although we appreciated the call and interest, we aren’t an EarthRoamer and here is why:

1) These vehicles are built on a mega-chassis. The EarthRoamer only comes on an F550 or F750 and their prices start at $490,000. In addition, these vehicles are only expedition vehicles—you cannot remove the camper and get your truck back. A Bahn Camper can easily be taken off and you can continue to use your truck as a normal vehicle. Our custom prices range from $115,000-$315,000 and on average are around $250,000. I have a blog post titled “Let’s Talk Trucks,” that details the trucks we recommend which includes Ford’s ½ ton F150. These Expedition vehicles—although amazing—could never be built on a ½ ton or even a ¾ ton chassis.

2) It should be noted, we are happy to build a Bahn camper with a camper pass-through to the truck like expedition vehicle companies do, but we are against this option. As soon as we cut into the truck and connect the camper to create the pass-through, your truck is now an RV and not a truck. In other words, you no longer can take the camper off. This means if the engine starts having problems, you cannot simply take the camper off and trade in the truck. You are stuck with an engine that has a finite lifespan. And honestly, we love having the ability to use our truck as just a truck.

3) We are also unaware of any of these companies offering a truly custom build where the customer can completely choose their window placements, layout, cabinets, fabric, wall color, and much more. Like I said above, our builds are 100% custom.

Last you have the Sprinter vans, which honestly is what we are the most similar to. Many of our potential clients compare our product to Sprinter van builds. Like van builds, our interiors are 100% custom. We are excited about the potential of some very experienced van builders buying our shells to build them out with their own style for their customers that prefer truck campers. As stated in a previous post titled “Camper or Van,” the big differences in a Sprinter van and a truck camper are:

1) Trucks have superior 4-wheel drive capabilities.

2) If your truck dies, you take the camper off and trade in the truck. The camper doesn’t loose value. However with a van, if the van starts having problems, you can’t take out the interior and trade in the van.

3) Towing and Payload capacity. You have far more towing capacity and a larger payload capacity when working with trucks verses vans.

So back to my original question, where does Bahn Camper Works sit in this great market? We have built a camper that can compete in quality with the nicest expedition vehicles however, it’s still a traditional truck camper in the sense that you can remove the camper and have your truck back. And yet, our ability to offer a completely custom interior puts us in our own unique market in the removable truck camper world. We truly are reinventing the truck camper from the ground up.

Thanks for your time! Happy Camper Days!

XOXO,

Sarah