German off-road camper van builder Terracamper has long kept things in-country, building its uncommonly capable campers on vehicles from Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz. But with recent shifts in the van landscape, it's now launched a Ford Transit Custom-based camper van that's every bit as rugged and gnarly as its other offerings. The innovative new Ford Tecamp has a modular interior meant to go from camping adventure to everyday driving, a suspended bed, and an accessory-welcoming layout with tie-down track and Velcro-like attachment points.
The other day, we wondered aloud if the all-new Volkswagen Transporter would surpass the now-standalone Multivan in terms of third-party camper conversions. Volkswagen is moving forward with the Multivan, but that doesn't mean others will follow suit.
With the Ford Tecamp, Terracamper seems to be throwing its weight behind the Transporter, which has long served as the basis of both its Tecamp and Terock models. Now that it's starting to run low on Volkswagen T6.1s with the T7 not yet ready for shipment, it's adapted those camper packages to the Ford Transit Custom, not the new VW Multivan.
The Transit Custom, of course, is the basis of the new T7 Transporter, the latest release in the van collaboration agreement between Ford and Volkswagen. Terracamper has said on Facebook that it plans to add a Volkswagen Transporter version in the future so will offer both Ford and VW Tecamp flavors. Perhaps it will stick with the dual-badge lineup, perhaps it will go back to VWs only ... or go with the one that proves most popular. It has some options.
Whatever the case, the Transit Custom Tecamp (with available AWD) is Terracamper's immediate future in the midsize van camper segment, and it came out wearing quite a debutante gown. Despite serious competition from the Spacecamper Multivan and its high-riding pop-top a few booths over, the Transit Custom Tecamp might just have been the most conspicuous camper van of the entire Düsseldorf Caravan Salon, owing mostly to that electric-violet paint job.
Violet isn't exactly a common camper van color as it is, and the addition of those safety-yellow accent slashes and mirror caps only make the 7th color of the rainbow leap off the van skin that much more. We kind of liked the look when we first saw it, and we still kind of like it as we look through the photos. Your mileage may definitely vary.
Unlike vans that simply boot up in a set of all-terrain tires and get some extra cladding around the lower body – the new VW Caddy Panamericana, for instance – the Tecamp walks the walk with a full upgrade kit from the good German 4x4 engineers at Seikel. Seikel, too, is better known for its work on German vehicles, but it's jumped on the Ford/VW train with new Transit/Tourneo Custom and Ranger kits.
For the Tecamp, Seikel gives the base Transit Custom a suspension lift, set of rock sliders and underbody skid protection. And, of course, the Tecamp doesn't skimp on those all-terrain tires, wearing a set of BFG ATs.
Terracamper has never messed about with fancy, inefficient camper interiors, and the new Tecamp follows that formula to a T(e). Terracamper's tried-and-true ruggedized modules mount to the floor tracks around the two individual rear seats to build up a simple, functional and quite colorful floor plan.
Reminiscent of classic travel trunks, those alu-framed composite boxes keep all the necessary camping equipment concealed but within a quick flip or pull. The L-shaped kitchen just behind the driver's seat features a gas stove below the frontmost worktop lid, adjacent to the flip-up counter extension that doubles as the dining table. The front seats swivel and the rear seats slide forward for more comfortable seating around the table.
The slide-out fridge box is located below that dual-burner compartment, while the sink is one block back, beneath a flip-top of its own. For builds specced with the available driver-side sliding door, the fridge can also pull outside on a bidirectional slide.
The Tecamp's two rear seats are on a sort of peninsula, surrounded by camping modules on three sides. That limits space for the traditional folded bed atop folded seats, an issue Terracamper gets around by pulling the double bed up over top the camper modules, suspended by a set of straps that secure to the left- and right-side tie-down tracks running the length of the cabin just below the roof. A second double bed in the pop-up roof finishes off the four-berth total.
During the day, the four-panel mattress folds away and stores in the load area. Terracamper had it packed up on one of its optional rear storage consoles in the Caravan Salon show van, but buyers can choose to keep the load area open or select from various console options, including one with a dedicated cabinet for a compact portable toilet.
One thing we found quite interesting about the Tecamp layout when looking it over at the show was the versatility of its interior storage solutions. In addition to holding up the bed, the tie-down rails can be used for mounting hardware and accessories like the paper towel holder pictured in photos. Even more versatile, the fabric black-out panels over the windows and door panels feature a Velcro-style hook-and-loop attachment system that was used to hold a spice rack, storage pouches and even a tailgate hatchet.
Those flexible storage solutions build on the versatility of Terracamper's modular floor rail-based layout, which allows for removal of the main camper boxes to create an adventure cargo shuttle with loads of tie-down points or a passenger van with added rear seats.
Terracamper equips the new Tecamp with a 47-L fresh water tank, outdoor shower hookups near the passenger-side sliding door and tailgate, and various grades of available electrical systems.
The Ford Tecamp starts at €99,800 (approx. US$111,425) and comes with the basic SCA pop-up sleeper roof from launch. In 2025, Terracamper plans to add its gnarlier, airier Xtreme Open-Sky roof as an option.
Source: Terracamper (German)