Four Adventurous Fun-Filled Years In Our Flatbed Poptop Camper, Now We Have One Too Many Campers In The Stable
- tahoeadventuretrex
- 6 days ago
- 5 min read
***For Sale | 2015 RAM 2500 With Customized Poptop Camper | Located In South Lake Tahoe, CA | $52,500***
The Truck
2015 Ram Tradesman 2500 4x4 Crew Cab Chasis With 146k Miles
6.4l Hemi Engine With Automatic Transmission
Hillsboro Flatbed With 4 Locking Underbed Storage Boxes and Surrounding Marker Lights
Firestone Air Bags With Remote Ports At The Rear To Easily Fill
2.5" Rear Receiver Hitch With 4 Pin And 7 Pin Hookups
2" Front Receiver Hitch
AEV Snorkel With Sy-Klone Series 9005 Air Precleaner
37x12.50x17" Federal Xplora R/T Tires On AEV Salta Wheels
AEV Front Bumper With A Warn 16.5k Pound Winch And Roller Fairlead/License Plate Bracket
Vision X Light Bar
Morimoto Fog Lights
Pro Comp Ditch Lights
Auxiliary Lighting Switch Mounted On The A Pillar With 6 Designated Switches
The Camper
2021 Bison Overland Camper Flatbed Poptop Camper With Three Tern Overland Hatches And Green Vinyl Wrap
4 Worm Drive Powered Actuators Installed By Poptop Overland, As Well As A Reinforced Aluminum Roof Trim Surround
Insulated Sailcloth Canvas Installed By Seams So Fine With 3 Full Zip Tinted Windows, Insect Screens, Insulated Covers, As Well As 1 Safety Escape Hatch Window
Three Tern Overland Flip Up Windows With Integrated Insect Screens and Insulated/Light Blocking Covers
Tern Overland Wildlands Door With Heavy Duty Screen Door And Insulated Panel, Secured From The Wind With A Stainless Steel Latch
Fiamma Awning
Little Giant Ladder
MaxxAir Fan Deluxe Roof Vent Fan (10 Speed And Reversible For Intake/Exhaust) With Built In Rain Cover And Insect Screen
Vice Customs Laminate Interior Cabinetry With Bamboo Plywood Countertops And Convertible Dinette (Twin) On A Lagun Table Mount
Isotherm 130l DC/AC Fridge/Freezer
300w Rooftop Mounted Solar Panel
NOCO 110v Power Plug For A/C Power Hookups To Recharge The House Battery
Redarc Manager 30 with AC/DC Charging Capability Via The Novo or From The Truck's Alternator Enabling Monitoring Of Useable Power Reserves
Victron Energy Solar Controller With Remote Bluetooth Monitoring
Dakota Lithium 277ah House Battery
Blue Sea Fuse Block
Magnum Dimensions Pure Sine Wave Inverter With 110v Surge Protector And External 110v Plug, USB-A, USB-C
Blue Sea 12v USB Power Port With 4-USB A Plugs And 1-12v Cigarette Lighter Power Port
Diesel Heater With 1 Gallon Fuel Container And Remote Controller
Carbon Monoxide Detector
Froli Bed System With 4" Foam "RV queen" Mattress
L-track Throughout Interior And Exterior For Organization
LED Ceiling Lights
LED Exterior Lights For Driver/Passenger side
Fire Extinguisher
Quick Fist Axe Mount
Quick Fist Shovel Mount
Eliminated Onboard Water To Prevent Freezing Or Winterization
This camper/truck combo is designed to get out there for exploring. What began as a simple poptop shell has evolved into the four season setup you see today. It'll get you to those rugged camp spots deep in the mountains, way out in the desert, or down at the beach, then manage to fit in the grocery store's parking lot for a quick resupply. An adapatable design works well for changing seasons/activities. It can easily find a home at a campground with hookups to live comfortably. Or, you can rely on the solar panel, BMS, and the truck's connection to stay off grid almost indefinitely, all while "roughing it".
Sleeping is for 3 in the camper. with two up top in the cabover "RV queen" and one on the twin sized convertible dinette. The dinette can really be configured as a dining table, a sofa, or as a bed. There are also low profile footman loops around the dinette to secure a chuck box, cooler, bins, etc. We even towed a smaller expedition trailer to sleep the kiddos in their own rooftop tent. The trailer also worked well for bringing extra toys that we didn't want to pack into the truck or camper
There's plenty of storage inside the camper with the Vice Customs cabinetry. The storage continues all around the flatbed in lockable storage boxes, and even throughout the interior of the truck. We usually swap out accessories via the front and rear receiver hitches to bring along the season's adventure gear/toys. The entire setup is configured for more functionality than to dominate fashion contests, although we do get quite a few admirers stopping to take a look.
The reliable powered actuators for the roof work extremely well, even under the weight of heavy, wet, snow. We hesitated from adding a roof rack. However, the reinforced trim from Poptop Overland should be able to support a rack system up top. You'll be able to stay warm, dry, and cozy in almost any condition. The MaxxAir fan keeps the air circulating to assist in heating or cooling. It also works well when collapsing the roof, since the exhaust setting draws in the canvas to keep it free from pinches or punctures.
We've never felt the need for an A/C system. The cabin stays realtively warm or cool, due to the properly well-insulated canvas and windows. We do carry a Mr. Buddy propane heater and an electric ceramic heater for backup or for extremely cold situations while enjoying hookups. However, the diesel heater has never really let us down.
The Isotherm 12v 130l fridge/freezer is usually quite enough for food and drinks. However, we have supplemented with a beverage filled Iceco 42 12v fridge plugged into our Blue Sea power port. It's easy to use a Yeti (great for bear country camping) or any other convenient cooler to supplement, since you can resupply the ice with the Isotherm's freezer.
Cooking is easily done indoors or out with a portable stove. You can use the bamboo countertop, one of the Tern Overland flip down hatch doors, or a small camping table. However, it is possible to utilize the battery bank for an electric kettle. Although we never tried, we'd suspect that an induction cooktop or InstaPot could be quite useful, if someone truly wanted to eliminate propane and any additional fuel consideration.
Washing and sanitation is usually done with portable water containers and a portable toilet. This helps avoid any freezing scenarios, which could be possible when leaving the truck at cold trailheads. Plus, it's been nice to keep any smells better isolated so as not to attract any wildlife.
We're happy to answer any and all questions. It's been a bit of an adventure creating what we designed to work well for our different adventure situations. But, it's finally ready for almost anything we'd want to do.
Our main reason for selling is because we have a larger 30' camper, which we will eventually move into full-time once our kids have graduated and move on.
We'll consider separating the truck and camper. However, it won't really be an easy driveway swap. I'm sure we can help coordinate with a few of the great shops we've discovered during this build, unless you already have a place in mind. As for mileage, it will slowly go up, since it still is in the rotation. It's kind of nice having two campers, even if it does feel a bit gluttonous. But, it's almost like breaking out the powder board for the deeper days.
Please reach out for any questions, additional information, or to make an offer.
Email: Tahoeadventuretrex@gmail.com
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