Your insights on a few different options for first vehicle

gregmchugh

Observer
Nimbl is not a new camper; sort of. Nimbl is the rebrand and re-launch of XP Campers. There were 50+ XP V1 campers built (I have one of the older ones) . The original company ran into financial trouble and shut down; new management restarted the company under the Nimbl name. They have the original designer on board as well as some of the original employees. They have made some upgrades to the design, and I believe are currently building the first of the new version. They are worth looking at; unique design. I believe some owners have put a large aluminum storage box on the rear that may hold bikes; probably with the wheels off.

I have not seen any pricing info from Nimbl, any idea on the price?
 

martinf

Member
We have similar criteria and I still haven't found a good match. The Tiger would be nice if the cab over was slightly larger (I've heard it's cramped for 2) and you could fit a small dinette. This way the couch becomes a garage area. FraserWay in Canada has a fleet of custom 4x4 class C rentals on a F550, check the Overlander. They sell them after some time. Not sure about their winter ability but being in Canada, I'm sure they are better insulated than in the USA.

Have a look at Hunter RMV. A bit on the large side but they basically bolt a trailer to a truck. I don't know if you could get another "house" than what they offer but in any case removing the bunks to store bikes/skis would be a good garage solution.

You could also check Total Composites for a custom semi-DIY solution for well below your budget.
 

calicamper

Expedition Leader
Honestly a F150 with a high top contractors cap as your secure garage and a small 18ft or less travel trailer. You’ll be into it for 1/2 or 1/8th the price of a RV big enough to do the same stuff but not able to get to remote places. Bikes inside a locked space is a big deal. I have 2 kids and a small 19ft ish toy hauler so we can stow bikes inside the trailer will likely be my next choice. We have a 8pass full size SUV for sports / kid hauling etc. No gear garage option like a pickup with a secure contractors cap.
 

ScottPC

Active member
There are more than a few ways to go!!! We've had tents, lifted airstream TTs, truck tent, truck cap, and currently a slide in popup truck camper. We love our current popup truck camper as we can get into remote locations easily and has the basic amenities. Plus we can use the truck for other things when needed too. I would say it 4 season light meaning it's great for short trips in below freezing temperatures. TCs also allow you to pull a trailer or carry bikes on traditional racks. For long trips, our TC is limited with no wet bath or gray tank so some work arounds need to be done.

That said, we wanted something that was more of four season capable without giving up the remote traveling possibilities. We started looking at van builds and finally came to the realization that an EarthCruiser would check 99% of the boxes for us. Note, there is no absolutely perfect vehicle, just one that suits your needs the best. We wanted to keep the tip to tail length as short as possible (right now our TC does not add length to our truck but once a wet bath is added a couple feet would be added to the length.) With the EC and cabover chassis, all the extra space is given to the living quarters which makes longer trips a just little more comfortable. The overall length is just around ~21ft and it has a short wheel base with a very tight turning radius (tighter than our current Silverado.)

We also looked at Nimbl and loved what they're doing with their new/relaunch of "flat bed" truck camper ideally based on a Ford 350 platform. With the fiberglass and composite materials, double paned windows, and internal tanks it has true four season capability. With it's roof raised it has more space above the bed than most cab over TC beds so it feels roomy. The dinette is nice with a large window in the back. The only really downside for us was the overall length being closer to ~24ft. The Nimbl doesn't have a passthrough either which we thought would be a nice for this type of vehicle but really not a big deal. Otherwise, the Nimble would check most of the boxes, too.

Neither the EarthCruiser, Nimbl, EarthRoamer, nor GXVs, etc (new or used) are cheap, and so in our mind, it was important that it be built to last and built to provide everything important we needed it do for the long term, which means international travel capable as well. The EC and Nimbl will fit into a shipping container with some coaxing:) Good luck with your decision.
 

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