Mon. Jul 1st, 2024

A luxury RV maker has turned a Ford F-250 into a $350,000 camper with almost all the comforts of home — including laundry<!-- wp:html --><p>27North's RexRover is a luxury $350,000 Ford F-250-based camper with all the amenities of a typical home.</p> <p class="copyright">27North</p> <p>RV maker 27North's newest is a pickup truck-based camper called RexRover.<br /> The $350,000 tiny home on wheels has unusually luxurious amenities like a washing machine.<br /> 27North's chief market strategist says the company is seeing high sales despite the RV industry "bloodbath."</p> <p>Amid a recreational vehicle "bloodbath," 27North is remaining resilient with its newest RV: a luxury $350,000 pickup truck-based camper with all the amenities of a typical home.</p> <p>Sales have been looking grim across the general RV industry. From 2020 up until recently, companies that specialize in these <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/earthcruiser-gmc-hummer-ev-turned-into-rv-photos-2023-8">tiny homes on wheels</a> were in their prime. Sales skyrocketed, companies like <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/winnebago-rv-and-boat-maker-has-a-44-billion-backlog-2022-3">Winnebago</a> amassed multi-billion-dollar backlogs, and campsites became packed with travelers.</p> <p>Now, it feels like a fever dream of the past. These once-invincible brands have been seeing a dip in <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/winnebago-new-cheap-travel-trailer-rv-photos-2023-8#unsurprisingly-companies-like-winnebago-have-taken-a-hit-1">RV sales</a>. And shipments for these vehicles have dropped 47.7% from 2023 compared to the same time in 2022, according to July data from the <a href="https://www.rvia.org/news-insights/july-shipment-report-now-available" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RV Industry Association.</a></p> <div> <div class="slide"> <div class="slide-title">"There is, and I'm not using this term lightly, a bloodbath within the RV industry," Marc Glasser, the chief market strategist for 27North, told Insider.</div> <div class="slide-image"> <p class="copyright">27North</p> </div> <div class="slide-content"> <p>"There's a lot of consolidation going on."</p> <p>Despite the industry trend, apparently, it's not all funerals and eulogies for companies that sell and make RVs.</p> </div> </div> <div class="slide"> <div class="slide-title">Amid this, luxury camper van and truck maker 27North says its sales are looking better than ever.</div> <div class="slide-image"> <p class="copyright">27North</p> </div> <div class="slide-content"> <p>In what feels like a shock in the industry, the company is "continuing to have its best years ever," Glasser said. According to him, its sales are increasing about 50% annually.</p> </div> </div> <div class="slide"> <div class="slide-title">27North's newest product, the RexRover, has been available to purchase since March and had its first major public debut in mid-May at the Overland Expo in Flagstaff, Arizona.</div> <div class="slide-image"> <p class="copyright">27North</p> </div> <div class="slide-content"> <p>Since then, the company and its dealer networks have been seeing "overwhelming" demand for the beefed-up RV.</p> </div> </div> <div class="slide"> <div class="slide-title">But its latest offering isn't a typical Class B camper van.</div> <div class="slide-image"> <p class="copyright">27North</p> </div> <div class="slide-content"> <p>Instead, it's a pickup truck-based camper, a market that Glasser says currently has less competition. While some <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/scout-olympic-camper-truck-sleep-six-people-2020-5">smaller RV makers</a> build these pickup truck-based homes, not many legacy companies offer them yet.</p> </div> </div> <div class="slide"> <div class="slide-title">To do this, 27North used a Ford F-250 SuperCab 4x4.</div> <div class="slide-image"> <p class="copyright">27North</p> </div> <div class="slide-content"> <p>A carbon fiber home was then set atop the Ford chassis to create a living space with two beds. </p> </div> </div> <div class="slide"> <div class="slide-title">At 22 feet long, the truck camper is about the same length as a typical 170-inch wheelbase Mercedes Benz Sprinter camper van.</div> <div class="slide-image"> <p class="copyright">27North</p> </div> <div class="slide-content"> <p>Despite the nearly comparable length, the RexRover's price certainly surpasses most camper vans.</p> </div> </div> <div class="slide"> <div class="slide-title">The RexRover starts at $350,000.</div> <div class="slide-image"> <p class="copyright">27North</p> </div> <div class="slide-content"> <p>But with the "overland" upgrade — which comes with add-ons like a beefed-up power system and an outdoor kitchen — the cost then jumps to $370,000.</p> <p>This price is comparable to luxury expedition vehicle maker <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/a-night-in-earthcruiser-terranova-overlanding-rv-luxurious-photos-2022-11">EarthCruiser's truck camper </a>as well.</p> </div> </div> <div class="slide"> <div class="slide-title">Yes, it's a hefty cost compared to most camper vans.</div> <div class="slide-image"> <p class="copyright">27North</p> </div> <div class="slide-content"> <p>But Glasser says the truck and its price allows for more off-roading capabilities.</p> <p>"Someone who is solely value-oriented is not our market," he said. For 27North, the priority is quality, not inexpensiveness.</p> </div> </div> <div class="slide"> <div class="slide-title">It may seem irrational to sell a camper this expensive when RV shipments have been down.</div> <div class="slide-image"> <p class="copyright">27North</p> </div> <div class="slide-content"> <p>After all, legacy company Winnebago has been on a streak of unveiling new <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/winnebago-new-cheap-travel-trailer-rv-photos-2023-8">cheap RVs</a>.</p> <p>But that doesn't seem to worry 27North: "We don't compete on price," Glasser said.</p> </div> </div> <div class="slide"> <div class="slide-title">Inside the carbon fiber shell, the amenities are akin to a typical home.</div> <div class="slide-image"> <p class="copyright">27North</p> </div> <div class="slide-content"> <p>Sure, the truck doesn't fit the typical boho <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/van-life-sprinter-rentals-noma-pacific-northwest-2023-5">Instagram-perfect camper van</a> aesthetic. But at least it has everything a traveler could ever need: a kitchen, bathroom, TV, bedrooms, and even a washing machine</p> </div> </div> <div class="slide"> <div class="slide-title">To sleep up to five people, there's a king bed over the cab and a rear queen bed that can convert into a dinette.</div> <div class="slide-image"> <p class="copyright">27North</p> </div> <div class="slide-content"> <p>No need to venture into the woods for a bathroom break — the truck has a bathroom with a shower, cassette toilet, and sink. Clean water is pulled from the truck's 40-gallon fresh water tank and dumped into the gray water tank.</p> </div> </div> <div class="slide"> <div class="slide-title">Like most fully built-out RVs, the kitchen has a refrigerator-freezer and a thick countertop with a pull-out extension.</div> <div class="slide-image"> <p class="copyright">27North</p> </div> <div class="slide-content"> <p>There are also comforts like a microwave and coffee maker. A washing machine is also integrated into the side of the kitchen.</p> </div> </div> <div class="slide"> <div class="slide-title">No toy left behind: The truck can tow up to 3,000 pounds.</div> <div class="slide-image"> <p class="copyright">27North</p> </div> <div class="slide-content"> <p>Storage units and bike racks, among other features, also line the exterior of the truck camper. </p> </div> </div> <div class="slide"> <div class="slide-title">To power its amenities, the vehicle has a power system that Glasser says could allow the RV to stay off-grid indefinitely.</div> <div class="slide-image"> <p class="copyright">27North</p> </div> <div class="slide-content"> <p>This includes 600 watts of solar power, a 3,000-watt inverter, an alternator charging system, and two 300-amp-hour lithium batteries.</p> </div> </div> <div class="slide"> <div class="slide-title">It's the little touches that make the RexRover luxurious.</div> <div class="slide-image"> <p class="copyright">27North</p> </div> <div class="slide-content"> <p>From the blackout blinds to the smart television and weather-proof flooring, the truck is equipped to substitute a typical foundation-based home.</p> </div> </div> <div class="slide"> <div class="slide-title">And so far, buyers have been responding to these on-the-road comforts.</div> <div class="slide-image"> <p class="copyright">27North</p> </div> <div class="slide-content"> <p>It takes about a month for 27North to build one of these campers.</p> </div> </div> <div class="slide"> <div class="slide-title">The first unit shipped out a few months ago.</div> <div class="slide-image"> <p class="copyright">27North</p> </div> <div class="slide-content"> <p>And now, it's selling all of the RexRovers that have been coming off its production line, the company's chief market strategist said.</p> </div> </div> <div class="slide"> <div class="slide-title">"We can't make them fast enough," Glasser said.</div> <div class="slide-image"> <p class="copyright">27North</p> </div> <div class="slide-content"> <p>Glasser said 27North will soon expand its facility to facilitate the growing company and expedition truck market. </p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="read-original">Read the original article on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ford-f250-turned-into-350000-camper-27north-photos-2023-9">Business Insider</a></div><!-- /wp:html -->

27North’s RexRover is a luxury $350,000 Ford F-250-based camper with all the amenities of a typical home.

RV maker 27North’s newest is a pickup truck-based camper called RexRover.
The $350,000 tiny home on wheels has unusually luxurious amenities like a washing machine.
27North’s chief market strategist says the company is seeing high sales despite the RV industry “bloodbath.”

Amid a recreational vehicle “bloodbath,” 27North is remaining resilient with its newest RV: a luxury $350,000 pickup truck-based camper with all the amenities of a typical home.

Sales have been looking grim across the general RV industry. From 2020 up until recently, companies that specialize in these tiny homes on wheels were in their prime. Sales skyrocketed, companies like Winnebago amassed multi-billion-dollar backlogs, and campsites became packed with travelers.

Now, it feels like a fever dream of the past. These once-invincible brands have been seeing a dip in RV sales. And shipments for these vehicles have dropped 47.7% from 2023 compared to the same time in 2022, according to July data from the RV Industry Association.

“There is, and I’m not using this term lightly, a bloodbath within the RV industry,” Marc Glasser, the chief market strategist for 27North, told Insider.

“There’s a lot of consolidation going on.”

Despite the industry trend, apparently, it’s not all funerals and eulogies for companies that sell and make RVs.

Amid this, luxury camper van and truck maker 27North says its sales are looking better than ever.

In what feels like a shock in the industry, the company is “continuing to have its best years ever,” Glasser said. According to him, its sales are increasing about 50% annually.

27North’s newest product, the RexRover, has been available to purchase since March and had its first major public debut in mid-May at the Overland Expo in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Since then, the company and its dealer networks have been seeing “overwhelming” demand for the beefed-up RV.

But its latest offering isn’t a typical Class B camper van.

Instead, it’s a pickup truck-based camper, a market that Glasser says currently has less competition. While some smaller RV makers build these pickup truck-based homes, not many legacy companies offer them yet.

To do this, 27North used a Ford F-250 SuperCab 4×4.

A carbon fiber home was then set atop the Ford chassis to create a living space with two beds. 

At 22 feet long, the truck camper is about the same length as a typical 170-inch wheelbase Mercedes Benz Sprinter camper van.

Despite the nearly comparable length, the RexRover’s price certainly surpasses most camper vans.

The RexRover starts at $350,000.

But with the “overland” upgrade — which comes with add-ons like a beefed-up power system and an outdoor kitchen — the cost then jumps to $370,000.

This price is comparable to luxury expedition vehicle maker EarthCruiser’s truck camper as well.

Yes, it’s a hefty cost compared to most camper vans.

But Glasser says the truck and its price allows for more off-roading capabilities.

“Someone who is solely value-oriented is not our market,” he said. For 27North, the priority is quality, not inexpensiveness.

It may seem irrational to sell a camper this expensive when RV shipments have been down.

After all, legacy company Winnebago has been on a streak of unveiling new cheap RVs.

But that doesn’t seem to worry 27North: “We don’t compete on price,” Glasser said.

Inside the carbon fiber shell, the amenities are akin to a typical home.

Sure, the truck doesn’t fit the typical boho Instagram-perfect camper van aesthetic. But at least it has everything a traveler could ever need: a kitchen, bathroom, TV, bedrooms, and even a washing machine

To sleep up to five people, there’s a king bed over the cab and a rear queen bed that can convert into a dinette.

No need to venture into the woods for a bathroom break — the truck has a bathroom with a shower, cassette toilet, and sink. Clean water is pulled from the truck’s 40-gallon fresh water tank and dumped into the gray water tank.

Like most fully built-out RVs, the kitchen has a refrigerator-freezer and a thick countertop with a pull-out extension.

There are also comforts like a microwave and coffee maker. A washing machine is also integrated into the side of the kitchen.

No toy left behind: The truck can tow up to 3,000 pounds.

Storage units and bike racks, among other features, also line the exterior of the truck camper. 

To power its amenities, the vehicle has a power system that Glasser says could allow the RV to stay off-grid indefinitely.

This includes 600 watts of solar power, a 3,000-watt inverter, an alternator charging system, and two 300-amp-hour lithium batteries.

It’s the little touches that make the RexRover luxurious.

From the blackout blinds to the smart television and weather-proof flooring, the truck is equipped to substitute a typical foundation-based home.

And so far, buyers have been responding to these on-the-road comforts.

It takes about a month for 27North to build one of these campers.

The first unit shipped out a few months ago.

And now, it’s selling all of the RexRovers that have been coming off its production line, the company’s chief market strategist said.

“We can’t make them fast enough,” Glasser said.

Glasser said 27North will soon expand its facility to facilitate the growing company and expedition truck market. 

Read the original article on Business Insider

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