Since 1966, Canadian manufacturer Tufport has been building sleek, simple fiberglass truck canopies for industry, recreation and everyday utility. It's now setting its five decades of experience loose on what might be its most ambitious build yet.
The all-new Overlander will be an all-season, all-terrain camper, complete with two available sleeping areas, a galley and a list of critical options. The slide-in will be specced up for the "most ambitious off-road use," utilizing Tufport's well-established single-piece composite construction for light, agile four-season adventuring.
The Overlander has been in development for several years and will ultimately be a collaboration between British Columbia-based Tufport and its Utah-based distributor and outfitter Wasatch Overland. Tufport will build the camper shell, and Wasatch will put together several available floor plans and equipment, focusing attention on weight-saving design, off-grid capability and safety.
The new model will, of course, feature Tufport's tried-and-true composite-monocoque construction that's billed as fully leakproof and rugged enough to outlive the truck to which it's bolted. Tufport says the Overlander will be up to the task of four-season camping and will use a full-height, fully cored vacuum-infused rear door to seal out dust and debris.
Tufport teased the Overlander in December, with president Jeff Engelland saying, "For years, many dissatisfied traditional camper owners have asked us to make a camper built to Tufport’s standards. We’ve applied decades of experience to create a completely new design."
Tufport does not currently sell a complete camper, but it has long offered RV products, including a fiberglass high roof for camper vans and the Adventure series of empty, fully enclosed fiberglass slide-ins. Something of a blank canvas for campers and outdoor adventurers, the Adventure canopies can be left empty for gear-hauling or furnished into compact, lightweight pickup campers. They can also be used as multipurpose work/weekender units.
However one chooses to use their Adventure canopy, the seamless, single-piece fiberglass construction is designed to be 100% leakproof. Tufport even flipped one over, clamped on an outboard and floated it like a boat to prove the all-storm worthiness of its construction.
We've always admired how the Adventure series offers an ultralight, fully enclosed, seamless camper shell option for prices that rival those of clamp-on, half-body pop-up pickup bed toppers. In the US, base Adventure prices run from $8,650 for the smallest mid-size truck version to $11,500 for the largest full-size version, which comes with a 76-in (193-cm) standing-height interior. Tufport also offers some key options to bring each Adventure closer to camp-in ready, including screened windows, a roof vent or fan, and an interior insulation package.
With the Overlander, Tufport picks up where it left off with the Adventure series, offering a similar fiberglass shell coupled with interior features like heating, an off-grid electrical system, and one or two dedicated sleeping areas. Tufport mentions a lower sofa that transforms into a bed, and there will also be an available above-cab alcove bed. The 65-in-high (165-cm) interior will be more crouching height than standing height for adults, but Tufport wants to keep it lower to improve center of gravity and aerodynamics during driving.
Other features Tufport says will be included are a galley with counter, tinted windows with screens, dome lights, solar panels, a roof vent and cabinet storage. Some of those features are available on the Adventure as options and some are newly launched for the Overlander.
Beyond mentioning those basics, Tufport has not yet previewed what the interior layouts will look like. Wasatch Overland, which has experience offering interior equipment and exterior accessories for Tufport's Adventure canopies, has listed some planned Overlander options, including buyer's choice of three different base packages and individual add-ons like a 22-in (559-mm) skylight, fridge box, portable heater and 19-L water system.
Tufport stresses the importance of lightweight design but has not yet offered Overlander weight estimates. The Adventure series of empty shells has base weights that range between 475 and 750 lb (215 and 340 kg), depending on model. Given the added equipment, the Overlander range is certain to run heavier but should still rank among the lightest pickup campers out there.
At launch, the Overlander will be available for mid-size trucks with 6-foot beds and full-size trucks with 6.5-foot beds. Pricing has yet to be announced.
Tufport will hold the Overlander world debut at Overland Expo West (Arizona) in May before showing it again at Overland Expo Mountain West (Colorado) in August. We hope to be on the ground in Flagstaff to take a tour and report back with the missing details.
Those who are already confident that the Overlander is their future camper can secure a build slot via a $1,000 deposit with Wasatch Overland. And if you want to cross-shop Tufport's Overlander or Adventure canopy with something similar, Spacekap fiberglass canopies and the several different companies that have turned them into full-fledged campers are a good place to start.
Sources: Tufport and Wasatch Overland