Scout Olympic vs Kenai

[GeorgeHayduke]

Curious to know what you all think of the Scout Olympic vs Kenai now that they’re both released. I’m looking to put one of them on a RAM 2500 with the 6’ 4” bed, primary uses would be weekend trips around CO, skiing in the winter, and one or two multi-week trips a year to points further north. Looking to sleep 2 adults, 1-2 young kids and a dog.

We’ve been using a Northstar TC650 popup for the last 5 years, but are looking to move to something a little more robust, better cold weather performance, and hard sided for bear country.

I really like Scout’s minimalist and light weight designs, and am a sucker for the Dickinson heater. We tend to break typical RV appliances so having things removable and almost a shell model is a plus for us.

I can’t decide what to think about the 92” floor length of the Kenai. It seems too long for a 6.5’ bed but too short for an 8’ bed. On our truck I could put a bumper with swing out tire on the Olympic, but the Kenai might hang out awkwardly, especially on the shorter RAM beds. The dinette appears better on the Olympic for families and provides more sleeping area than the Kenai. The cassette toilet in the Kenai would be great and so would the shower pan when dealing with snowy/muddy gear. Extra propane in the Kenai is nice but not a big deal, and neither camper carries enough water in my opinion.

Which one would you pick and are there any other details I missed that would sway your decision?

 

[Lance990]

I, too, was eagerly awaiting the Kenai release but I am having second thoughts about hard side campers in general. They really limit the places you can go. I have a 1998 Lance 990 right now and I want to get rid of it. I am building out the bed under my topper into a "mini RV" simply because I don't want the height and weight of a hard side. I am leaning more towards the FWC Project M topper as a solution for me but even pop ups have their downsides. I can have the modular portability of a camping setup (like the Kenai) that I can use under the topper or outside without the wind resistance of driving down the road with a billboard sideways in the bed of my truck. I have had my Lance since 2013 and it limits where I can go. I need a DRW F350 to carry it and owning that truck further limits my off-road travels even without the camper. Everything is just getting too big. Even the Tacomas are almost as big as a full-size truck used to be. At least with my F350 8 foot bed I can sleep comfortably in the bed under the topper. My Lance hangs over the bed 3' 3" so I would at least welcome a decent departure angle compared to what I currently have. I have been looking at 8 foot truck campers that fit in the bed but I keep talking myself out of a hard side camper. I am not knocking the Kenai but my excitement has waned lately with hard sides. Even it's shell-like stripped down approach puts it at nearly 2,000 lbs wet weight. I don't see much innovation here with this design and the difference between this and FWC shell model. I just can't justify paying $23,625 for a camper these days that will limit my off-road travels. I have some interest in the hard side popup Hiatus campers but $16,000 for an empty truck topper also seems like a lot. I admit, I am hard to please and mostly dissatisfied with the offerings these days but that has more to do with my frame of mind than reality.

 

[GeorgeHayduke]

I've gone around in circles on this as well, but I think a lightweight hardside + the topper we already have is a good combo. The topper works for fast and light trips but the dust sealing sucks and not being able to sit up in it is a drag. The popup we have is still pretty tall due to the underbed storage and weighs over 1600 pounds. We would actually be reducing our weight with either Scout camper and only losing about 1' of overhead clearance but gaining so much more.

The shortbed RAM is surprisingly nimble and I've been able to take the popup anywhere I want to go offroad that's reasonable for a 3/4 ton diesel truck. I don't think switching to one of the Scouts will limit my ability to access the areas I want, but it would extend my travel season into the winter months and provide some comforts that make longer trips easier especially with kids.

Compared to the FWC shell, I think there's a huge difference in the insulation (thermal and acoustic) of the composite sides vs aluminum. A sturdy roof that I can walk on, the Dickinson heater, better windows and window placement also set the Scouts apart from FWC in my mind.

 

[svinyard]

Hey man, I've actually been inside of the Olympic and spent a bunch of time on the phone with their brand manager Ryan (super cool dude) along with some dealers in Oregon and AZ who have experience with them.

We just ordered the Kenai.

1. We have an F250 6.75ft bed
2. Wife and I, plus 2 boys. We do a ton of MTBing, fishing, towing the drift boat, winter ski resorts, stuff outside in PNW/BC/Colorado...we aren't an "RV" family in the least tho.

We are far from experts but this is our limited perspective, so take it with a grain of salt. There wasn't really a light-ish pickup camper or 4x4 Van that will sleep 4 people comfortably without a bunch of BS dinette conversion nonsense or bunks that will only work for tiny kids. Its only the Scout or you jump up to super heavy/giant campers with slideouts that still only have short bunks usually...those suck for what we do. Or a trailer, but I need to tow a light drift boat. So we looked at Northstar's hardshells and they are fine but its basically like a grandma's old single-wide trailer for the interior. It still won't sleep 4 decent sized people. Liberty seems cool if it was just two people but still ugly and not cheap. Everything is old school wood framing which I don't want in the PNW at all. Bundetec's new hardside camper is too long and still super thin alum skin over wood framing iirc. The interior is nicer tho and its more affordable than Northstar and Scout and FWC. Weight is nice too. The bed is only 72in long tho and I'm 6'4" so that's out...plus again I can't sleep 4 of us. They have a couple of nice components too...they done some good things it seems. The FWC are a fortune as well and soft sides and aluminum etc...pass for us but sweet for Southwest USA 4x4'ing I think. Lots of condensation tho...my buddy has one and wakes up to have to wipe down the sides. We checked out the Van scene. Another buddy just sold his 154k$ custom sprinter that had full 4x4, lift kit, desiel heater, kitchenette, east/west bed and...the top lifted up for a very small sleeping fort for his two kids. Insanely expensive but drove nice and front seats were usable and the awning out over the sliding door made for easy in and out. Fun at a concert. It was just super crammed in for super high cost and the 4x4 isn't super great.

So, I see a Scout roll by and google them a month or so ago. No way to actually see one, they sold out at dealers in like 4hrs I was told. Finally found a dude on Insta that lived nearby and was stoked to show off his camper. He's got the Olympic with tent and skipped the fridge. 3 kids and a dog with he and his wife. Olympic was on a newer Tundra with airbags. They freaking LOVE it. Had it all setup permanently, including the large RTT and use it nearly every weekend. The RTT for them was the game changer. The camper isn't perfect but they liked that it was still camping. (My kids are never inside when camping). RTT is really really well done. It's super roomy up there for adults let alone kids. My kids were so stoked on the "fort" up top. The fact that it isn't oldschool wood+fiberglass/alum is so sweet too. Stuff rots so easily in the wet months, there's a lot of upside there and ability to mod it ultra easy. You just drill a hole and mount stuff with a gasket...if it's more than 20lbs, put a backer plate on it. Done. Its a super rad camper in a lot of ways. The mattress isn't super duper thick/cushy if someone is a bigger side sleeper you might want a topper

Now its pretty dang small in the Olympic. The dinette is not a great design and hard to slide into...I'm a lean guy too. Plus, there is literally no place to sit and put your shoes on without removing the table or fridge, that sucks. It wouldn't fit 4 adults at all in dinette. This was a big reason why we went with the Kenai. The L shape dinette is a common design that works and provides two spots to sit and gear up while also sitting 4 people slightly better. There are also two spots to sit and put your shoes on without a table in the way.

The Kenai has a bigger/newer battery system in the GZ 1500X. The cassette toilet will be handy when camping at the ski resort and there is a lot of extra storage in Kenai as well. Externally there is a 5'4" wide external compartment too that will fit kids ski gear, camp chairs, generator, rollout tables etc. Queen size bed is a no brainer. The mudroom/shower thing is really smart actually in my opinion...we'll see if it works well, but I'm hopeful. You have kids, if they are like mine they suck at staying cleaning and tramp mud everywhere. My boys are "Outside Dogs" if that makes sense. So you can come into the mudroom just like we did back on our ranch as kids and remove the dirty gear in an area that's easily cleaned out. Lots of uses for that setup. It's not an RV shower but I don't need that stuff and rarely fit anyways. Fwiw I'd never buy that Rinsekit. Great for hosing a wetsuit off but not for shower. Get a Joolca and hang it outside the door or if its dirty camping spot...use it in the grass with a popup privacy tent. You'll have plenty of propane for it.

Edit: Went with the Dometic stove (partner steel doesn't support RV style low pressure line). It'll be fine. Went with the National Luna Legacy 72L for a few hundred bucks more. The Dometic isn't built well and has issues. New Roofnest tent looks like a big upgrade over the Roost which was missing a bunch of stuff (condensation pad, upper insulation, mattress cover, ventilation holes etc).

For us, the Kenai just has too many things that will come in handy while only be about 200lbs more. It'll work better for bad weather or ski days where we will be in it together for periods of time. I love the 92" length in that it'll only stick out past my bumper about 3". So...your bed is unfortunately shorter by 6in or so. I dunno. I see plenty of guys rolling with campers that go WAY out past their bed and have that droptail design. This seems better than that at least. Hard to say. They said they wanted the Kenai to work well with both short and long bends. Apparently it fits great into an 8ft bed and you can close the tailgate.

I also incidentally spoke with the owner of Apache RV in PDX. Apparently they sell more truck campers than anyone in the world. The guy had run it for 37yrs and he Dad ran it before him. He was really excited about it (I had already ordered one btw). He said "Man...I'm an old geezer and have had everything. I love truck campers. But in 37yrs I don't know when the last time was I this excited about a new camper. I bought my first 1/2 ton and an Olympic as fast as I could get it. It'll just be the old lady and me mostly...but the beauty with the RTT is we can now grab the grandkids without any hassle and just head up to Hood. Also, the guys in the shop really really like its frame and guts...that's saying a lot." A good review there from a guy that's seen it all. I'm guessing you'd have a blast with either the Olympic or the Kenai. If you want one soon, you'll need to get an order in. The next Olympic batch comes in Nov and is almost all sold. Apache has the largest lot and all 27 of theirs already pre-sold. Kenai is coming the 1st of December, but they will sold out in a week or two I was told.

Hey also yeah the Kenai doesn't come with tons of water storage. A cousin of mine is a big Overland Baja guy and said that was kind of nice in that you aren't losing internal space to hold heavy water weight. He said that most trucks have a fair amount of deadspace, particularly behind the rear seats. Frontrunner makes a 10gal tank setup for 200$ that could be pretty sweet and keep the weight more forward. They make all kinds of cool watertanks that fit in spots (you are prob already aware). The Lifesaver being a filter can helps to as we are almost always near water.

 

[Lance990]

Hey man, I've actually been inside of the Olympic and spent a bunch of time on the phone with their brand manager Ryan (super cool dude) along with some dealers in Oregon and AZ who have experience with them.

We just ordered the Kenai.

1. We have an F250 6.75ft bed
2. Wife and I, plus 2 boys. We do a ton of MTBing, fishing, towing the drift boat, winter ski resorts, stuff outside in PNW/BC/Colorado...we aren't an "RV" family in the least tho.

We are far from experts but this is our limited perspective, so take it with a grain of salt. There wasn't really a light-ish pickup camper or 4x4 Van that will sleep 4 people comfortably with a bunch of BS dinette conversion nonsense or bunks that will only work for tiny kids. Its only the Scout or you jump up to super heavy/giant campers with slideouts that still only have short bunks usually...those suck for what we do. Or a trailer, but I need to tow a light drift boat. So we looked at Northstar's hardshells and they are fine but its basically like a grandma's old single-wide trailer for the interior. It still won't sleep 4 decent sized people. Liberty seems cool if it was just two people but still ugly and not cheap. Everything is old school wood framing which I don't want in the PNW at all. Bundetec's new hardside camper is too long and still super thin alum skin over wood framing etc. The interior is nicer tho and its more affordable than Northstar and Scout and FWC. Weight is nice too. The bed is only 72in long tho and I'm 6'4" so that's out...plus again I can't sleep 4 of us. They have a couple of nice components too...they done some good things it seems. The FWC are a fortune as well and soft sides and aluminum etc...pass for us but sweet for SW USA 4x4'ing. Lots of condensation tho...my buddy has one and wakes up to have to wipe down the sides. We checked out the Van scene. Another buddy just sold his 154k$ custom sprinter that had full 4x4, lift kit, desiel heater, kitchenette, east/west bed and...the top lifted up for a very small sleeping fort for his two kids. Insanely expensive but drove nice and front seats were usable and the awning out over the sliding door made for easy in and out. Fun at a concert. It was just super crammed in for super high cost and the 4x4 isn't super great.

So, I see a Scout roll by and google them a month or so ago. No way to actually see one, they sold out at dealers in like 4hrs I was told. Finally found a dude on Insta that lived nearby and was stoked to show off his camper. He's got the Olympic with tent and skipped the fridge. 3 kids and a dog with he and his wife. Olympic was on a newer Tundra with airbags. They freaking LOVE it. Had it all setup permanently, including the large RTT and use it nearly every weekend. The RTT for them was the game changer. The camper isn't perfect but they liked that it was still camping. (My kids are never inside when camping). RTT is really really well done. It's super roomy up there for adults let alone kids. My kids were so stoked on the "fort" up top. The fact that it isn't oldschool wood+fiberglass/alum is so sweet too. Stuff rots so easily in the wet months, there's a lot of upside there and ability to mod it ultra easy. You just drill a hole and mount stuff with a gasket...if it's more than 20lbs, put a backer plate on it. Done. Its a super rad camper in a lot of ways. The mattress isn't super duper thick/cushy if someone is a bigger side sleeper you might want a topper

Now its pretty dang small in the Olympic. The Dinette is not a good and hard to slide into...I'm a lean guy too. Plus, there is literally no place to sit and put your shoes on without removing the table or fridge, that sucks. It wouldn't fit 4 adults at all in Dinette. This was a big reason why we went with the Kenai. The L shape dinette is a common design and provides place to sit and gear up while also sitting 4 people slightly better...both of those will be handy at some point. There are also two spots to sit and gear up without a table in the way.

The Kenai has a better/newer battery system in the GZ 1500X. The cassette toilet will be handy when camping at the ski resort and there is a lot of extra storage in Kenai as well. Externally there is a 5'4" wide external compartment too that will fit kids ski gear, camp chairs, generator, rollout tables etc. Queen size is a no brainer. The mudroom/shower thing is really smart actually in my opinion...we'll see if it works well, but I'm hopeful. You have kids, if they are like mine they suck at staying cleaning and tramp mud everywhere. My boys are "Outside Dogs" if that makes sense. So you can come into the mudroom just like we did back on our ranch as kids and remove the dirty gear in an area that's easily cleaned out. Lots of uses for that setup. It's not an RV shower but I don't need that stuff and rarely fit anyways. Fwiw I'd never buy that Rinsekit. Great for hosing a wetsuit off but not for shower. Get a Joolca and hang it outside the door or if its dirty camping spot...use it in the grass with a popup privacy tent. You'll have plenty of propane for it.

Skip the little stove too, its nothing special. Get a legit Partner Steel stove and just ensure you get the connections right from them. I'm working with Scout to figure out what to tell Partner I need...I think Scout has built in regulators and a quick connect. I am going to get the Dometic Fridge I *think*...I'm trying to figure out the details there but I spoke with a guy whose had it running all over the world (in morroco now) for the last 6moi and they've loved it. A National Luna legacy fridge looks killer as well tho I'm not beating on the fridge a ton I think. I like the Dometic latches for general ease of open and close (my kids will likely never latch the NL) but NL seems to be a bullet proof brand. I spoke with a dealer who sells them all and he said Dometic has supported their stuff much more easily but that NL was certainly an incredible fridge. Dometic is also apparently super quiet which is nice and I have no idea how loud the NL is.

For us, the Kenai just has too many things that will come in handy while only be about 200lbs more. It'll work better for bad weather or ski days where we will be in it together for periods of time. I love the 92" length in that it'll only stick out past my bumper about 3". So...your bed is unfortunately shorter by 6in or so. I dunno. I see plenty of guy rolling with campers that go WAY out past their bed and have that droptail design. This seems better than that at least. Hard to say. They said they wanted the Kenai to work well with both short and long bends. Apparently it fits great into an 8ft bed and you can close the tailgate.

I also incidentally spoke with the owner of Apache RV in PDX. Apparently they sell more truck campers than anyone in the world. The guy had run it for 37yrs and he Dad ran it before him. He was really excited about it (I had already ordered one btw). He said "Man...I'm an old geezer and have had everything. I love truck campers. But in 37yrs I don't know when the last time was I this excited about a new camper. I bought my first 1/2 ton and an Olympic as fast as I could get it. It'll just be the old lady and me mostly...but the beauty with the RTT is we can now grab the grandkids without any hassle and just head up to Hood. Also, the guys in the shop really really like its frame and guts...that's saying a lot." A good review there from a guy that's seen it all. I'm guessing you'd have a blast with either the Olympic or the Kenai. If you want one soon, you'll need to get an order in. The next Olympic batch comes in Nov and is almost all sold. Apache has the largest lot and all 27 of theirs already pre-sold. Kenai is coming the 1st of December, but they will sold out in a week or two I was told.

It sounds like the Kenai would be perfect for your family and your needs. I appreciate your input. I am truly excited about the Kenai on my 8 foot bed but it occurred to me that if someone came by and closed your tailgate while you were inside, you would be trapped inside and unable to open the door outward. Having the tailgate as a porch would be nice, though. Do you have any info on how the camper is tied down to the truck? I already have the Happijac system installed on mine.

 

[svinyard]

It sounds like the Kenai would be perfect for your family and your needs. I appreciate your input. I am truly excited about the Kenai on my 8 foot bed but it occurred to me that if someone came by and closed your tailgate while you were inside, you would be trapped inside and unable to open the door outward. Having the tailgate as a porch would be nice, though. Do you have any info on how the camper is tied down to the truck? I already have the Happijac system installed on mine.

Yeah, we are trying it out. We'll see. As I reread your response earlier...it sure seemed like you would be prime for a 4x4 Sprinter van (you didn't mention any kids). That setup sure lets you rally around pretty easily! That F350 longbed with the Kenai in it would prob be sweet tho...that big truck would certainly handle it pretty damn well I'm guessing.

Trapped inside...yeah lol. I hadn't thought of that. The tailgate porch is interesting but maybe a hassle too. Seems like some guys just take the gate off, save some weight and then your bumper gives you a half step up to get inside. And you can't be trapped

Yeah so the camper has these HD marine ratchet straps (or something like that) which connect to your inner bed tie down anchors. I was told they are pretty slick and the Apache RV owner really liked them. It's not an anchor system that attaches to the outside of your truck tho, only on the inside corner pockets. I'm investigating if my tie downs are adequate as they aren't welded in but instead are stock bolt on ones. I may need to get 4 of them added. I'm guessing portions of the Happijac system might not be compatible, tho I'm not familiar with it.

 

[GeorgeHayduke]

svinyard, thanks for that description, it's spot on and really helpful! Sounds like your family's uses case is very similar to ours and I have similar feelings about Northstar/Bundutec/FWC/sprinter vans. Agreed that the mudroom, extra seating and rooftop tent all look incredible.

To followup on some of your points, the outside gear locker would definitely work for kids skis but where would you store adult skis? I was actually thinking of trying to use the Olympic but deleting the roll out tray and squeezing them in that locker.

I agree that the rinsekit looks pretty wonky and wasn't planning to order that, but interesting to hear you recommend against their stove. We have the standard camp chef stove, maybe we'll try to make that work for a while. If you skip the stove option, they still run the propane line to that location right?

One thing I'm still unclear about is the dinette on the Kenai. Do you know if the table is removable like on the Olympic or if it's on a swivel like the Lagun tables in traditional RV's? Think you could fit two kids on the dinette in sleeper mode or would you stick with the roof tent instead? There are two sets of dimensions for the sleeper mode dinette on Scout's website that is confusing me, are they intending it to be used as two single bunks perpendicular to each other?

 

[svinyard]

Hey man, yeah the one graphic screwed up the dimensions, but I have the real ones below. I kind of panicked a bit when I saw the small dimensions...I really needed that dinette to be longer than 56" lol. But yeah Ryan@Scout got engineering to give me the real dimensions (their web developer took vacay right as the Kenai released...not a pro move lol). They also then posted them on Instagram.

The dinette converts into an L shaped cushioned bed surface...so kind of two beds, tho the one is only 18.5" wide.
The main, front-to-back direction cushion went folded down is: 22.25 x 63.5
The left to right, narrower cushion is: 18.5 x 67.25 This includes the fridge being removed.

NOW, if you are skiing and need to sleep 4 downstairs you can remove the fridge (fridge platform is flush with seating) for that trip. Then you could put a custom foldout platform in that main isle to fill up it a bit...you put down a custom cushion foam topper and boom, its converts to a nice long bed that's like 67" x 36" (instead of 18.5" wide). That will work for my boys (8 & 5) for now. The table folds down...not sure if its removable like the Olympics is or not. None of this is like sleeping in my king size but it'll work.

That's my plan for ski camping at the resort with all 4 of us sleeping downstairs. It'll work well enough I think. I did talk to Kevin who makes the Roost Tents in GA. He said he is working on an insulated liner solution. Not sure if that would work great for a 15-20d night in the tent. BUT with the propane heater running, 4 warm bodies, insulated tent liner and an electric blanket in the tent...maybe it'd work? Seems like a stretch but hey people camp on Everest with less don't they? But this is just for the winter, most of our adventures will be in the spring,summer,fall where the Roost Tent will be killing it so I didn't obsess to much over it...as long as we can make something work, then that'll do.

Ski storage: First of all, everything and the kitchen sink can fit into the RTT actually. It functions like a RocketBox if you just remove the mattress and tent liner, assuming you don't use the tent in the winter. One of the reasons Scout chose it. I'm not sure if I'll do that or not, we'll see. You could also use the space between the lower sidewall of the camper and wheel well. Fair amount of space there for long skis. I'll need some Cargo netting or some solution so they don't slide off the back (I won't have a tailgate). My Van buddies just have all their gear in the back of the van in a fancy snowboard/ski bag. You could easily do the same and just put them on the floor of the camper, not much different. Kids stuff will def fit in that side area for now.

Yeah the stove is like a camp chef sort of I think, not bad. I'm assuming the propane plumbing will be there even if I skip the stove (it better be!). I'll double check that. The thing is that the Partner Steel stoves are legendary for a camp stove. Like a 40yr stove but same weight. They clean up super easy, their burners are nice and spread out now and the construction isn't .000003" thin aluminum with a crap burner waiting to go to crap. And Partner (Idaho) has replacement parts for everything. They were born in the raft guiding crowd and hold up. It's like cooking at home and I like that. Plus its about the same price as the little Dometic one. Everyone I've talked to that has the Olympic says they love the Batwing, the fridge, the tent...and the Stove is just standard.

FYI we need to get the skinny on that fridge too...its expensive and I love the ergonomics\latches\dimensions but there was a recall on it. Not a huge deal if you don't plug both AC & DC in. I want to make sure I'm getting something that doesn't have issues. I spoke with a big national dealer and they said there was some bugs with it but that was due to them pushing some new innovations etc and that they've been really responsive with them and that they loved the fridge.

ReplyForward

 

[jonathon]

Svinyard, great info! The Kenai really interests me for all the reasons you mentioned. Are you in the metro area? What sort of lead time do they have?

 

[svinyard]

Svinyard, great info! The Kenai really interests me for all the reasons you mentioned. Are you in the metro area? What sort of lead time do they have?

I'm outside in the gorge. Their lead time is a couple months. The first batch of Kenai's is due in the first week of December. I think all of them may be sold at this point. I ordered ours an hour and a half after their release and they had already sold 10 of them. I'd give Apache RV a call as they are the largest dealer and near PDX. They might still have some unordered with that first batch.

 

[SigSanDiego]

We’ve been looking at the Scout Kenai and FWC’s Raven, Hawk and Grandby. I’m Really liking the Scout line up but optioned out they’re over $30,000. You can get a FWC “shell” model that competes well below that $30k price point and is very comparable to the Scout concept but in a pop top format. A Raven, Hawk, and Grandby FWC with A (fully optioned!!!) rig with pressurized hot water, Furnace heater, solar, inside and outside real shower (inside on Hawk and Grandby), frig, 270 degree awning, storage, toilet, and King sized bed still competes with Kenai at about $32k, $34k and $36k respectively. King sized North/South bed orientation sealed it for me I think, being tall. Plus pop top convenience on trail and on highway. I’m liking the Scout lineup and will still take a peak before I pull the trigger on a truck camper. But I’m leaning FWC. Oh, by the way NuCamp (Super cool but huge Cirrus 820 camper) is coming out/announcing end of 2020 a Cirrus 620 camper and I was told by Cirrus weeks ago dry weight to be under 1500 lbs. I’m waiting for that as well.

 

[cruiserfanc]

Im looking forward to seeing that Cirrus 620

 

[montypower]

We've been enjoying the Northstar Liberty. World ahead of any popup for comfort.

 

[Chorky]

I just checked the scout out this morning (online) again after someone referred me to them a few weeks back. At first, a few weeks ago, I was skeptical. Originally was dead set on a pop up (alaskan) style, to still allow for camping in bear country, while keeping a low profile. But weights are compariable, and realizing poping up and down a camper in dead of winter at -15 might not be so desirable. I would be interested in seeing how easy (or difficult) these are to modify - knowing nothng about structural composite panels - and what it might take to add onboard water, diesel heat, house batteries, etc...

Their lead time is a couple months.

Be sure to post a bunch of pics, and even videos if you would! Some of us aren't near any dealers, nor a reasonable driving distance, to see them in person.

 

[GeorgeHayduke]

We did end up ordering a Kenai, supposed to arrive in December, and I’ll definitely post pictures of it then. There are a couple walk around videos online for the Olympic, but nothing for the Kenai yet. They also have a fairly active Instagram account with more pictures there.

Unless you need the lower height of a popup, it seems like a no brainer to get the insulated hard side. Supposedly the Olympic they used for the photoshoot had all that extra overlandy stuff mounted onto the panels without much trouble. The newly announced Total Composites camper in a nearby thread is probably also worth considering.