Camp365, the creators of the world’s first fold-out cabin camper, recently announced a new platform in the pickup-camper category: the CAMP365 T Model. Made in the USA and designed to meet the needs of electric vehicle owners looking for a truck bed option that has a minimal impact on range, the T Model works with the Rivian R1, Ford Lighting, Tesla Cybertruck and other mid-size trucks.

Lightweight and aerodynamic, the T Model weighs in at only 700-800 pounds (depending on options), but travels as a streamlined unit, drastically reducing wind resistance. The sleek design accounts for just an estimated 5-10% loss in range.

Measuring approximately 4 feet x 7 feet in a truck bed, the T Model unfolds in minutes to reveal a 9- x 7-foot, 63-square-foot interior that will comfortably sleep 4-5 people and afford 6 feet, 8 inches of headroom. Measuring only 4 feet wide, the T Model can easily be stored in residential garages and has patented technology to allow a single person to load or unload the camper in approximately 10 minutes.

Taking design cues from the company’s original CAMP365 model — the company’s fold-out travel trailer unveiled in 2018 — the all-electric T Model allows for year-round camping with its dual-layer air gap insulation walls.

The new Camp365 T Model will start at $25,000 and can be reserved for a $100, fully-refundable deposit. Production is slated to begin in the early summer of 2024. For more information on the new T Model truck bed camper and to learn more about CAMP365’s full range of tow-behind campers, visit CAMP365.com.

Truma North America has added a new air conditioner to its system offerings: the Truma Saphir, an under-the-bench air conditioner with electric heating capability designed for discreet installation in smaller RVs.

Truma Saphir is powered by 120-volt AC power and offers 7,000-Btu cooling and 6,500-Btu heating capability. A key consideration was keeping the system as efficient and effective as possible using low current consumption. The ducted installation gives manufacturing partners the flexibility to determine the location, size and shape of needed ducts suitable for their application. This ensures effective cooling as well as heating throughout the RV.

Available to OEM manufacturers beginning in early 2024, the Saphir provides a cooling alternative for RVs that do not have conventional flat rooftops, like a teardrop trailer. The benefits of under-the-bench installation extend to more traditional roof lines as well.

In addition to three fan speeds for cooling and heating, Saphir also offers Air Circulation and Night modes. These modes, along with temperature, can be controlled with a wireless remote control or the Truma CP plus control panel. In RVs outfitted with a Truma Saphir and Truma heating system, the Automatic Climate Control mode on the CP plus will maintain a set temperature by switching between the heating and air conditioning systems as needed, just like a home thermostat.

Ember Recreational Vehicles has unveiled its most innovative Overland Series floorplan to date, the 240TKR, an industry-first, fully-reconfigurable, open-garage-gear-hauler concept. The ramp door-equipped gear hauler is built on Ember’s Trailblazer chassis featuring the CURT trailing arm independent suspension and prominently uses the company’s patent-pending EmberTrack system through the design.

The 240TKR features a 90” x 72” rear ramp door that can be used as a “party deck” that opens to the open concept gear garage, perfect for hauling dirt bikes, golf carts, kayaks, motorcycles, quads, cargo, e-bikes, or even grill equipment. The bunk platforms can also be used as storage shelving or desktop space. The front end features Ember’s patent-pending twin-king reconfigurable bed.

Designed and built to go off-road and off-grid directly from the factory, the Overland Series feature the CURT independent suspension with heavy-duty coil springs and dual shock absorbers on each side along with Goodyear Wrangler off-road tires, a huge Stargazer European window skylight above the master bed(s), 81-gallon total fresh water tank capacity, a unique composite-material structural build and a capable standard off-grid solar package straight from the factory. For more information, visit emberrv.com.

Interested in selling — or buying — a used RV? Black Book, which publishes a family of vehicle appraisal guides, has released the Black Book RV market commentary for October.

“Motorhome values increased slightly while towables declined for the second month in a row. For the better part of the year motorhomes followed a ‘one month up, one month down’ pattern, but it’s likely that this modest increase was due to their average age getting one model year newer. Towables typically begin to decline as the temperature drops, so this return to seasonal patterns is expected,” reported Eric Lawrence, Black Book principal analyst–specialty markets, to RVBusiness.

“Taking a closer look at the markets, we see that the average selling price for motorized units was $68,166, which is up $2,850 (4.4%) from the previous month. Towables came in at $21,053, down $697 (3.2%) from last month. One year ago, the average motorhome sold for $69,003 and the average towable unit brought $20,532,” he added. The average age of motor homes was nine years old (2014) and towables was four (2019).

Pioneering electric RV startup Grounded recently announced its launch of the G2 – said to be the world’s first 250-mile range all-electric solar-equipped RV.

Built on the BrightDrop Zevo 600 platform, the G2 offers comfortable living space and promises tactile comfort, instant acceleration and effortless control. This all-wheel drive (AWD) vehicle has a range of over 250 miles on a single charge fully loaded.

In addition to the 165kWh vehicle battery, Grounded adds an additional 10kWh house battery to the interior, which can be charged from vehicle battery as well as 640-Watt rooftop solar capacity. The G2 also includes Starlink for high speed internet anywhere you go, as well as rear heating and cooling, ample storage space, indoor shower and wet bath options, hot water and induction stovetops.

Every G2 also comes with a vehicle platform warranty covered by BrightDrop for 8 years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first, and an interior warranty from Grounded that covers the replacement of any product that breaks within one year due to a product defect. Advanced safety features like front pedestrian braking, front and rear parking assist, and Lane Keep Assist protect the G2 driver and those around the vehicle.

Plus, its configurable.

“We’ve designed the G2 to be as flexible as possible, and our truly modular interior delivers on the promise of a continually upgradable RV interior,” said Grounded CEO Sam Shapiro. “Over time, as your life changes and your use cases change, the vehicle can change with you. Customers can replace the modules themselves by removing some fasteners, taking out one module, and inserting a new one.”

Pricing for the G2 starts at $187,500 after Federal Tax credit and deliveries were expected to begin in October 2023. Fully-equipped vehicles with the largest battery pack will enter production first. Grounded is now accepting G2 orders for a refundable deposit of $1,000. More information is available at groundedrvs.com.

Denver, Colorado-based Tune Outdoor recently unveiled an innovative new entry to the growing lightweight truck camper market — the Tune M1.

Employing durable, lightweight materials, Tune engineers developed an intuitive design that puts the Tune M1’s base model weight starting at only 360 pounds. It also features a patented wing-wall design with flared sidewalls — a market first — and a fully vertical pop-top said to provide more cubic living space than any lightweight truck camper on the market. This exceptional weight-to-space ratio broadens the Tune M1’s utility across a wide range of outdoor and offroad conditions.

Tune’s structure incorporates an aluminum frame, injected ultra-strong composite corner brackets, a clean polyester pop-top canopy extension and easy-to-fit FRP honeycomb paneling. Each camper comes with three aluminum or glass awning doors that allow for easy access from any angle, low-power interior halo lighting and more than 440 feet of universal T-track on the interior, exterior and roof for unlimited customization. A large sleeping loft allows users to sleep sideways, while maintaining 6’4’’ to 6’10” of stand-up headroom (depending on truck model).

The Tune M1 camper easily integrates with nearly any pickup chassis — from Toyota Tacomas to the Ford Lightning. The M1 is sold direct to consumers at tuneoutdoor.com, with a base model price of $12,999, although the company is offering an introductory price of $10,999 for a limited time.

If your RV “fix” includes kicking back and watching it on the tube, you’re doubtless a fan of “RVing Today”, the long-running RV lifestyle program. Show executives announced it has added SportsNet Pittsburgh to its lineup of stations and networks beginning in October.

SportsNet Pittsburg is the television home to the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Tigers. The network reaches Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Eastern Maryland and Eastern Ohio. The network is also available on Direct TV and Dish Network.

The addition of SportsNet Pittsburgh will increase the show’s current household reach of 42+ million homes by another 2.6 million cable homes along with additional satellite and streaming media coverage. Program air times and dates will be posted on the “RVing Today” website’s Ways To Watch page.

The Jayco Family of Companies is preparing to pilot a GPS-based connected vehicle system powered by Jayco’s parent company, THOR Industries Inc., to provide users with personalized travel recommendations, trip inspiration and other how-to information based on the RV’s model. The evaluation will be conducted using Jay Flights from 2019-2024.

This pilot technology will link participating owners’ RVs with THOR’s secure connected vehicle system. Utilizing location information, Jayco will send pilot participants custom communications to inspire them for their next RVing adventure, help save money and travel more efficiently. That content could include recommendations for nearby campgrounds and destinations, exclusive money-saving offers and tips for maintaining and getting the most from their Jayco RV.

Jayco is recruiting select model year 2019-2024 Jay Flight owners for the pilot group. Participants must expect to use their Jay Flight for a minimum number of days during the pilot period, be willing to keep the pilot hardware in their RV and respond to brief periodic usage surveys to improve the user experience for future customers. Qualified Jay Flight owners can apply at jayco.com/connected-vehicle-pilot/ to learn more and participate in the pilot.

While you are doubtless traveling in an American-made RV, it’s a well-known fact that many cutting-edge designs aren’t borne between the east and west coasts. One of the more interesting designs we’ve seen recently comes, in fact, from Japan. As outlined at themanual.com, an online source for all things men-oriented, the Japanese X-Cabin 300 is a lightweight camper that’s turning heads with its beautiful design. Manufactured by X-Cabin, a sub-label of the Effect Meiji Corporation, this camper is called “a breath of fresh air in the camping world,” despite its young beginnings in 2020. Situated in the bustling industrial hub of Nagoya City, Japan, X-Cabin has created a unique steel camper that’s bringing a new spin on the iconic Airstream look.

The X-Cabin 300 is 15 feet long, 7 feet wide and approximately 7 feet high. It has a galvanized steel chassis that provides a sturdy foundation and marine-grade stainless steel parts that ensure longevity and durability. Weighing in at around 1,600 pounds, this camper is remarkably lightweight, making it a breeze to tow and maneuver even for those with smaller vehicles. Buyers also have the choice between a tailgate or double doors on the back of the camper, allowing you to tailor the camper’s access to your specific needs. And, it comes in three versions: The Glamp (with a convertible-style dinette and fold-out bed); The Solo (with a larger sleeping area); and The FT (Food Truck, with a layout optimized for selling food).

And, it’s relatively inexpensive. The base model X-Cabin 300 starts at $39,400. Of course, you still have to get it stateside.

Call it a “sign of the times” — even if it’s not one we want to see: According to a monthly report by Kampgrounds of America (KOA), most campers have already booked at least one camping trip in the new year. Conversely, only 13% of leisure travelers have pre-booked 2024 travel. This enthusiasm could be tied to the satisfaction campers experienced during their camping trips this year; 58% of campers state that their 2023 trips thus far have exceeded expectations.

Winter camping’s appeal has grown an impressive 23 points since October of 2022. Impressively, 40% of campers say they will definitely camp this winter. Another 25% share they will probably take a winter camping trip.

Campers’ interest in late-season trips is also displayed by the 36% who say they are still delaying most of their travels until the last quarter of the year. In all, 63% of campers planned to take some or all of their trips after September. Looking to the holidays, 75% of campers were gearing up for Thanksgiving travel, with 33% wishing to spend the break camping. Half of these campers are also considering camping in December.

So…got your reservations in yet?

Roadtrek has been at the forefront of building “pop-top” Class B coaches for years — but for 2024, the Canadian builder has brought back arguably the most well-known name in the segment: the Westfalia. Built on a ProMaster 3500 chassis and initially available in two floorplans — one is 19 feet, 7 inches, while the other stretches to 20 feet, 9 inches — the $145,000 Westfalia embraces “unique” Euro interior styling, acrylic windows, a patented foldout bed/bench seating configuration up front with a mazzive rear storage/sleeping configuration flexibility to the rear — all within the same floorplan.

News & Notes is put together with the assistance of the staff of RVBusiness magazine, the RV industry’s premier trade publication. To subscribe, go to rvbusiness.com/subscribe/.