The rain turned to snow simply as I pulled into the campsite. It was already nightfall, and the darkish sky and heavy snowflakes instilled a way of urgency as I backed right into a parking house and turned off the pickup.
I opened the door and put up my hood in opposition to the wintery wind, buffeting the Tune Out of doors M1 camper bolted to the Ford F-150 Raptor demo truck. This may be one legit check.
About 10 minutes later, I used to be contained in the expanded camper. The lights have been on. The heater was cranking. My spouse was organizing gear and appeared happy with the setup.
I fired up a camp range and began cooking dinner. Outdoors, a blizzard had begun to rage. However inside this light-weight camper, it was cozy and heat and beginning to scent like scorching onions.
The forecast was dismal, however this simply may not be so dangerous.
Tune Out of doors M1: A Light-weight Pop-Up for Each Pickup
Earlier than I get into my impressions of the Tune M1, I’ll present some background.
The Tune M1 is a light-weight (300-400 kilos) pop-up camper that sits on a pickup truck mattress with an extension over the cab. The model builds the camper particularly for every truck, so it’s a customized product. You may get one for nearly any fashionable pickup truck constructed after the late ’90s.
It provides a few foot of peak to a truck in its lowered place. However popped up, it expands a truck’s peak by about 3 toes.
Contained in the camper, with the highest lowered, you may nonetheless entry the entire truck mattress. It permits the truck to nonetheless (form of) perform as a truck.
Tune fabricates the perimeters of the M1 with aluminum and aluminum composite supplies. The camper sits out from the perimeters of the mattress, typically matching the outside wheel wells of the automobile to supply most inside house.
Each side and the again panel open upward (just like the again of a pickup topper), so you may open and entry the mattress from all three sides, though the first entry is thru the tailgate.
The camper is a major funding, however beginning at about $13,000, it hits a worth vary that competes with many different truck mattress tenting equipment.
Tune M1 Overview: A Weathertight Camper for Offroad Pickups
Again within the campground, the climate acquired even worse. We ate a fast dinner of mac and cheese and bratwurst, all cooked within the truck’s mattress. Then we crawled up onto the Hest Dually Queen mattress and snuggled into our sleeping luggage. Wind and snow pelted the roof of the Tune M1, however with the Truma heater set at 55 levels, I used to be downright balmy in my 10-degree sleeping bag.
I turned off the heater and lighting and closed my eyes. The following factor I knew, it was morning.
I crawled off the bed and dropped the tailgate. I blinked with shock. The place final night time had been naked dust, greater than a foot of heavy, contemporary snow now sat. I’d slept by a extreme blizzard in a slumberous bliss.
That storm set the stage for 3 nights of constantly dangerous climate on a Nice Sand Dunes Nationwide Park journey. Every of the three nights, we had a mixture of heavy snow, rain, or hail. The climate cleared sufficient every morning for a beautiful hike and exploration of the dunes and surrounding park. However after a couple of hours of first rate climate, the rain socked again every afternoon.
Neither my spouse nor myself minded. We’d eat lunch, after which snuggle in for a comfy nap, heat and dry, whereas listening to the rain on the onerous plastic roof.
It was scrumptious. Drained from lengthy, strenuous hikes every morning, we loved cooking and resting in a well-protected abode. As a lifelong tent camper, my curiosity in proudly owning a camper was genuinely piqued.
Tune M1 Moisture Administration
So, you may see that I favored tenting within the Tune M1. It was vastly extra comfy in inclement climate than tent tenting or sleeping beneath an old-school truck topper. However in case you’re contemplating laying out some huge coin to purchase one, there are a lot of particulars to contemplate.
First, I wish to point out one unfavourable level I seen when utilizing the Tune M1: condensation.
The M1 is a hard-sided camper with a cloth extension that permits it to pop up vertically. And the fact is that in chilly, moist climate with home windows shut, it traps loads of moisture. That water comes from the vapor you breathe out whereas sleeping, moist garments, or boiling water whereas cooking. And when the moisture within the air hits the chilly ceiling or steel beams, it condenses into water.
Inside an hour of my first night time within the Tune M1, I noticed that moisture administration could be an actual problem. Water drops condensed on crossbeams and began dripping on my sleeping bag. Droplets additionally shaped on the perimeters of the camper and light-weight strip.
Happily, there have been options. We fired up the heater and acquired the within heat, after which turned on the nice-quality, powered roof vent to suck out the moisture. Largely, this system labored. After biking by heating and venting a couple of occasions, I managed the moisture. Then, it was a matter of preserving vents open when doable and utilizing the heater (and towels) to dry the within sometimes.
To be clear, we skilled moist, comparatively chilly climate on this check. In hotter, dryer climate, moisture could be a lot much less of a problem as you can simply go away a window or two open for venting.
Set Up, Take Down
Right here’s probably the greatest components of the TUNE M1. Organising or taking down this technique is only a matter of minutes.
I set the TUNE M1 up for the primary time whereas a blizzard was bearing down on us. I used to be so grateful for the way simply it popped up. You unlock a couple of latches, enter the camper, and pull two levers.
Slightly pushing upward, and voilà, up it pops! It’s that straightforward. As soon as the roof is lifted, you may go inside and shuffle round gear and make the mattress (we simply used sleeping luggage).
Taking it down is equally easy. Begin by placing your tenting gear away and clearing the mattress house. Then pull a few levers and assist the roof calm down into the correct alignment. Once more, it solely took a couple of minutes and was very straightforward. Flip a few locks, and also you’re able to hit the street.
Issues
Whereas there are a lot of related pop-up campers in the marketplace, Tune Out of doors makes a compelling product.
First, it makes use of a heavy aluminum and composite body for a stout, rugged product meant for precise off-road use. No, I wouldn’t abuse it by driving overly quick on actually dangerous roads. However take into account that your truck mattress will even be loaded with tenting gear and drive appropriately, and this factor ought to final a very long time.
One other constructive is that it’s extremely modular. Lots of the parts are interchangeable, so if one thing breaks, changing it ought to be a comparatively simple course of.
Subsequent, I actually favored Tune’s use of house. The way in which the camper bumps out at its junction with the truck mattress maximizes inside house. Wall to wall within the mannequin I examined measured 80 inches. That’s 15 inches greater than the mattress’s width of 65 inches, and that additional width interprets all the way in which as much as the highest of the camper and the sleeping space.
The TUNE M1 makes use of loads of T tracks all through the camper. What meaning is you can connect equipment far and wide. In 3 days, I already considered a half-dozen additions I’d construct to make the camper my very own. Happily, ready-made merchandise exist most often, and I might simply purchase them and bolt them on.
Tune M1 Camper Overview: Entry & Exit
One other level to contemplate when looking for this product is the entry and exit system. You climb out and in of a truck mattress everytime you wish to enter or exit the camper. In the event you’ve ever climbed right into a pickup truck with a topper, nicely, you’ve skilled it.
It’s not onerous, however it’s additionally not essentially the most comfy factor on the earth. And on an even bigger pickup, getting down could be a legit leap. For these with much less mobility, some form of stairs or step stool could be a good suggestion. And understand that, because of the method the topper opens, you form of must stoop when beneath the opening.
Whereas different pop-up truck mattress campers don’t use the tailgate and as an alternative have a full door, there are advantages to Tune’s design. The first professional right here is that you’ve full truck mattress entry. For loading gear, it’s the perfect route. It’s simply not the simplest when hopping out and in at a campground all weekend.
Ought to You Purchase a Tune M1 Pop-Up Camper?
After 3 days of tenting, sleeping, cooking, and customarily residing in a Tune M1 camper reviewed right here, I’m legitimately contemplating one among my very own. Do you have to?
I’d say sure in case you meet a couple of standards. First, you want a great pickup. The Tune M1 goes to final a very long time, so I’d wish to construct mine to a truck I plan to personal for a number of years.
Subsequent, you need to need a camper that emphasizes out of doors residing. Positive, the Tune M1 supplies satisfactory residing house for 2 individuals to prepare dinner, change garments, and hand around in dangerous climate. But it surely’s not precisely comfy, and in case you’re caught inside for greater than an hour or two, you’ll most likely wind up in mattress taking a nap.
That’s to say, this isn’t an RV. There’s no sofa, no built-in kitchen. It’s a country abode that works nice as a mattress and primary shelter. It’s powerful, permitting you to haul gear into distant locations. It’ll offer you an amazing night time’s sleep, even in a blizzard.
I’d strongly take into account one if this speaks to your camper’s coronary heart. For me, it’s a compelling camper that I’d like to personal for some very particular looking, mountaineering, and travel-oriented adventures. It handles the climate a lot better than a primary camp tent.
And, with a heater and vent, you’ll sleep soundly, realizing that it could deal with most something nature will possible throw its method.
Discover out extra about all of the Tune M1 pop-top truck camper has to supply at TuneOutdoor.com.
