Outdoors

Best 2021 pickup campers and 4x4 expedition trucks for off-grid life

Best 2021 pickup campers and 4x4 expedition trucks for off-grid life
The Toyota Tacoma-based TruckHouse BCT embraces the winter cold just ahead of the new year
The Toyota Tacoma-based TruckHouse BCT embraces the winter cold just ahead of the new year
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The Toyota Tacoma-based TruckHouse BCT embraces the winter cold just ahead of the new year
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The Toyota Tacoma-based TruckHouse BCT embraces the winter cold just ahead of the new year
Toyota reveals the Tacozilla at SEMA 2021
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Toyota reveals the Tacozilla at SEMA 2021
Toyota angles the sides of the camper to give the vehicle better clearance from rocks, tree branches and other obstacles without squeezing out too much interior space
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Toyota angles the sides of the camper to give the vehicle better clearance from rocks, tree branches and other obstacles without squeezing out too much interior space
SOD pushes out a distinctive pop-up all-terrain motorhome
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SOD pushes out a distinctive pop-up all-terrain motorhome
At roughly $1.02 million by December 2021 exchange rates, the Rise 4x4 is anything but cheap, but it does offer a compelling mix of off-road grit and comfortable hard-walled living
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At roughly $1.02 million by December 2021 exchange rates, the Rise 4x4 is anything but cheap, but it does offer a compelling mix of off-road grit and comfortable hard-walled living
The Skinny Guy Camper rides low but opens up high
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The Skinny Guy Camper rides low but opens up high
Many pickup toppers and campers sit well higher than the truck cab, but Skinny Guy has designed its camper to sit at roughly cab level in box form, no alcove or extension over top the driver area
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Many pickup toppers and campers sit well higher than the truck cab, but Skinny Guy has designed its camper to sit at roughly cab level in box form, no alcove or extension over top the driver area
The electric actuation system tips the Flip90 back and open in a matter of seconds
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The electric actuation system tips the Flip90 back and open in a matter of seconds
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The Loki Basecamp is built to adapt to various activities, whether it's basic weekend camping or triathlon competition
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The Loki Basecamp is built to adapt to various activities, whether it's basic weekend camping or triathlon competition
Loki includes an integrated LED light bar and perimeter lighting
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Loki includes an integrated LED light bar and perimeter lighting
The Baja features a go-anywhere four-season design built to explore and adventure
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The Baja features a go-anywhere four-season design built to explore and adventure
If you don't slide in via the front pass-through, you can board using the drop-down rear hatch
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If you don't slide in via the front pass-through, you can board using the drop-down rear hatch
Darc says it uses 100 percent recycled carbon fiber in the construction of the Mono cabin
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Darc says it uses 100 percent recycled carbon fiber in the construction of the Mono cabin
Dakar looked to the worlds of F1 and Dakar racing to help it sculpt and shape its carbon fiber motorhome
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Dakar looked to the worlds of F1 and Dakar racing to help it sculpt and shape its carbon fiber motorhome
The new Rebel X represents XL's move into the adventure/rec canopy market
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The new Rebel X represents XL's move into the adventure/rec canopy market
The all-new Rebel X canopy masterfully straddles the line between work and play
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The all-new Rebel X canopy masterfully straddles the line between work and play
After a preview earlier this year, TruckHouse is now rolling out fully built BCT truck campers
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After a preview earlier this year, TruckHouse is now rolling out fully built BCT truck campers
The TruckHouse BCT makes a nice base camp for dirt biking or mountain biking adventures
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The TruckHouse BCT makes a nice base camp for dirt biking or mountain biking adventures
View gallery - 19 images

Much like 2020 before it, 2021 was a year that made much of the world's population want to forget all about modern civilization and instead seek out the loving embrace of wide-open natural spaces. And if multi-day or longterm living was the goal, the year brought plenty of new, cutting-edge 4x4 camper rigs for reaching those spaces and making temporary home of them.

From no-expense-spared, Dakar-grade carbon fiber expedition trucks, to throwback off-road mini-camper concepts, to plug-and-play pickup micro-homes, 2021 bombarded overlanders and backcountry campers with new, exciting ways of getting after it and staying a while.

View gallery - 19 images
1 comment
1 comment
guzmanchinky
I've been off roading and vanlifing for several decades now. If you really want to live off grid and go into the wild, you need an indoor shower and something small enough to fit down smaller roads. To me there is nothing to better fit that bill than a short wheelbase high roof 4x4 van. Either the new Transit AWD or the Sprinter 4x4 are the best. Everything else is either too big or too small inside, or too off road capable (seriously, you don't want to get one of these fat rigs stuck on a trail wedged in by trees)...