drodio
Entrepreneur & Lifehacker
My wife and I recently put a deposit down on a V1 XP Camper and bought "Panda," a Dodge Ram 3500 Dually to carry the XP. We're super excited about getting an XP for weekend trips in the northern California area, and for someday world travel.
We've spent two years reviewing and picking a camper. We evaluated Sportsmobile, FourWheelCampers, Hallmark, Earthroamer, Phoenix, Outfitter, even going to Colorado to see all of the shops. We wrote up detailed reviews of the experience on our blog, including:
But after visiting Marc's Grass Valley, CA XP Camper facility, there's no question that the XP Camper V1 (the V1 is bigger than the V2) is the way to go for us. Marc's design and build quality is literally orders of magnitude better than the competition. So much so that we basically found a way to double our budget from a $30k camper on a $20k truck, to a $70k camper on a $30k truck, because the value is in such a different league.
If you haven't done the research and you're wondering how that could be possible, spend the couple of hundred dollars on an airline ticket to visit Marc's shop in Grass Valley, CA. You'll be kicking yourself if you don't (like this poor guy who bought a Phoenix camper and is having massive problems with it; I feel especially terrible for him because he's a Vet and traveling in a camper was his retirement plan). To sum up the differences in one sentence, an XP Camper is built like a yacht; other campers are built with staples and glue. To be more specific:
Sportsmobile also falls short in most of the categories where the XP shines, but it has one major advantage: A pass-thru design. When we visited Sportsmobile, we got to experience it in both their Ford and Sprinter vans. And although we haven't taken delivery of our V1 yet, we have borrowed the V2 from Marc several times for testing, and we definitely see how we could miss that. With an XP, you're either in the truck, or your in the camper. But with a Sportsmobile, the truck is the camper.
Of course, the flipside of that is that the truck is the camper, meaning you can't separate the two. And after really talking it over, Sue and I decided that the advantage of being able to have a regular flatbed truck as a daily driver, combined with the flexibility of dropping the XP on when we want a full fledged camper, won out over the convenience of the passthru. There's also a ton more space in the XP vs. the Sportsmobile by every measure. For example:
And if you're not familiar with the XP Camper, here's a video from a tour of Sam & Erica's camper (other XP owners) that I did before they left on their world trip. It gives a great overview of the camper:
I'd love to hear your opinions -- does XP beat Sportsmobile in your book?
We've spent two years reviewing and picking a camper. We evaluated Sportsmobile, FourWheelCampers, Hallmark, Earthroamer, Phoenix, Outfitter, even going to Colorado to see all of the shops. We wrote up detailed reviews of the experience on our blog, including:
- Our two-year journey choosing a pop-up camper
- Tour of Sportsmobile West Facility in Fresno, CA
- Tour of Four Wheel Camper Facility
- The XP Camper: Truck Campers, Reimagined
- EarthRoamer Expedition Vehicles
- Hallmark RV: The best of the soft-side pop-up campers
- Outfitter Pop Up review: Good designs, poor quality control
- Phoenix Pop Ups: Truly custom, but questionable worksmanship
- Overlanding Mecca: 2012 Overland Expo in Flagstaff, AZ
But after visiting Marc's Grass Valley, CA XP Camper facility, there's no question that the XP Camper V1 (the V1 is bigger than the V2) is the way to go for us. Marc's design and build quality is literally orders of magnitude better than the competition. So much so that we basically found a way to double our budget from a $30k camper on a $20k truck, to a $70k camper on a $30k truck, because the value is in such a different league.
If you haven't done the research and you're wondering how that could be possible, spend the couple of hundred dollars on an airline ticket to visit Marc's shop in Grass Valley, CA. You'll be kicking yourself if you don't (like this poor guy who bought a Phoenix camper and is having massive problems with it; I feel especially terrible for him because he's a Vet and traveling in a camper was his retirement plan). To sum up the differences in one sentence, an XP Camper is built like a yacht; other campers are built with staples and glue. To be more specific:
- The XP Camper has an exterior composite monocoque shell. Why does this matter? Because water is a camper's nemesis. And water will get into every camper at some point -- including an XP Camper. You'll leave a door or window open, or a seal will fail, something will leak, etc. etc. It's going to happen, and there is zero chance you'll keep it from happening; it's just a question of when. But with an XP Camper, the water doesn't matter. It doesn't affect the structural integrity of the camper shell. It's like a boat coming into contact with water. It was designed for that. This isn't true for any other camper on the market that I know of. For this reason alone, the XP Camper approach is light years better than anything else out there.
- The XP Camper's interior is made of the same composite shell. As if it weren't awesome enough that the outside of the camper is made of a material that's absolutely impervious to water, the same is true for the inside. It would always drive me crazy how in other campers, the interior is this hodgepodge of wood construction, like something you'd find in a dollhouse.
- It's all in the details: The thoughtfulness of construction in an XP Camper shows up in thousands of little details. It has central heating, including the floors. All the appliances run off a single fuel source, diesel. All the wires are labeled with easy access. The bed has a German spring system for ventilation and comfort (many times the bottom of the mattress in campers gets moldy due to water that seeps in). You can press your hip against a pad to get a burst of water from the sink. The shore power is via a smart plug with a microchip that will disable the power if the circuit is reversed. The privacy shade pulls up from the bottom so you can still see out while keeping others from seeing in. The flatbed design means the camper has gobs more living and storage space than a traditional slide-in camper, and it also means that the entrance can be on the side, with pull-out steps, so a motorcycle can be stored on the back. Marc builds a storage area for fishing rods or similar items into the bumper. There's copious under-bed storage (with custom bags fabricated to fit exactly). Marc fits an air compressor and tank into the flatbed that's great for re-inflating your tires after being out in the desert. Marc only uses stainless steel screws that resist rust. The XP uses a cassette toilet that can be emptied anywhere. The list is just endless. So many small details that add up to be way ahead of the competition.
Sportsmobile also falls short in most of the categories where the XP shines, but it has one major advantage: A pass-thru design. When we visited Sportsmobile, we got to experience it in both their Ford and Sprinter vans. And although we haven't taken delivery of our V1 yet, we have borrowed the V2 from Marc several times for testing, and we definitely see how we could miss that. With an XP, you're either in the truck, or your in the camper. But with a Sportsmobile, the truck is the camper.
Of course, the flipside of that is that the truck is the camper, meaning you can't separate the two. And after really talking it over, Sue and I decided that the advantage of being able to have a regular flatbed truck as a daily driver, combined with the flexibility of dropping the XP on when we want a full fledged camper, won out over the convenience of the passthru. There's also a ton more space in the XP vs. the Sportsmobile by every measure. For example:
- Storage: Sportsmobile Sprinter advertises 6.4 cu feet storage compartment by removing spare tire. XP Camper has 10x the storage -- 64.6 cubic feet, and it retains the spare tire.
- Fresh Water: Sportsmobile has 10 gallons standard, optional cost up to 20. XP has 80 gallons standard!
- Grey Water: Sportsmobile has 8 to 12 gallons standard, optional cost up to 25. XP has 25 gallons standard!
- Fuel: Sportsmobile uses propane, which has pros & cons. One con is that propane is not allowed in some areas (like some tunnels) and it has to be refilled separately. XP uses one fuel source -- diesel -- which is likely the same as your truck is using. This is a personal preference item but I give the win to XP.
- Changing Trucks: With Sportsmobile, the van is the camper, so you can't upgrade your truck. With XP, you can drop the XP Camper onto a new truck if you want to upgrade down the road. Winner: XP.
- Pass-Thru: The XP is segmented -- you're either in the truck, or in the camper. With Sportsmobile, the truck is the camper. This is the only big advantage I can see to Sportsmobile over XP.
- Price: Sportsmobile will cost about $68k for a non-4WD vehicle. Add another $20k for 4WD conversion -- let's call it $90k total (not including options, you're pushing $100k if you want to spec it out with additional capacities and storage). The XP Camper with flatbed is $75k + the cost of your truck, so let's call it $100k total (you should be able to get a great, used diesel Dodge 2500 or 3500 truck with under 60k miles for $25k or less). For a possible $10k premium you get a truck that was made to be 4WD (not converted after the fact) and all the other advantages I listed above that come with an XP.
And if you're not familiar with the XP Camper, here's a video from a tour of Sam & Erica's camper (other XP owners) that I did before they left on their world trip. It gives a great overview of the camper:
I'd love to hear your opinions -- does XP beat Sportsmobile in your book?
