One of many easiest truck camper designs we have seen, the Grumpy Bear Arctos Sport arrives wanting like a toadstool chopped in half, or a teardrop trailer physique on a pedestal. Nonetheless you have a look at it, that straightforward type permits the camper to suit neatly within the pickup mattress, with out an over-cab alcove hanging off, giving patrons a transformable inside meant for sleeping, consuming and stress-free by the evenings. It even has a standing peak inside and a 4-season development meant to face as much as Outdated Man Winter.
Since we final checked out Grumpy Bear’s converted Spacekap camper, the Ohio firm has been diligently engaged on its Arctos pickup camper lineup. The Arctos Sport was the primary mannequin to launch in 2024, and it is since added a fuller sized Arctos mannequin.
Whereas the bigger Arctos encompasses a extra conventional pickup camper design with sleeper alcove, the Arctos Sport brings Grumpy Bear into the small, choose group of builders courageous sufficient to go it without an alcove or enlargement system, constructing the whole absolutely hard-sided camper ground plan over prime the truck mattress. From the rear, the Arctos Sport’s explicit design provides it the distinctive look of a button mushroom chopped in half. From the aspect or entrance 3/4 view, it seems extra like a wheel-less teardrop trailer physique using on the rails of the pickup mattress.
Grumpy Bear
Not like the discontinued TC Teardrops Truck Camper, the Arctos Sport is not actually a teardrop physique dropped contained in the partitions of a truck mattress. As an alternative, it encompasses a pedestal-like base that sits within the mattress, with sides that flare out past the pickup mattress so as to add further inside quantity. It stays throughout the width of the aspect mirrors however packs in some severe further room by extending out past the truck’s sheet steel, very similar to the just lately introduced Aliner Switchback does with its expandable A-frame-like design.
The $12,000 Arctos Sport DIY base mannequin comes as an empty 693-lb (314-kg) fiberglass shell with none furnishings. It contains the white gelcoat fiberglass camper shell, entry door, two aspect home windows, ratchet straps for tying right down to the truck, and a couple of,000-lb guide jack stands. Consumers are on their very own in outfitting the inside past that.
These in search of one thing geared up to camp straight out of the lot can decide as much as the usual bundle. Grumpy Bear takes benefit of the expanded quantity of the Arctos Sport’s tall vertical sidewalls in giving it an inside that appears extra inviting than the Switchback’s, although it is laid out fairly equally.
Grumpy Bear
The Arctos Sport cabin encompasses a two-bench lounge space with detachable Lagun desk. The tall window on the rear entry door and two sidewall home windows open the area up and hold it from feeling too claustrophobic. At roughly 6 ft 2.5 in (1.9 m) excessive, the inside is tall sufficient for most individuals to face up with out crouching, although taller people must bend a bit.
At evening, the dinette converts over into the 53 x 74-in (135 x 188-cm) double mattress that runs transversely. That once more means people taller than 6 foot 2 might be bending their knees – we reckon this explicit camper might be greatest averted for anybody in that taller peak vary.
Grumpy Bear
Grumpy Bear additionally affords the choice of a Disc-O-Mattress cot that may mount over prime the mattress and function a 3rd sleeping berth – a bit of cosy for certain, however for a household of three, why not? Different campers and tents can actually be fairly cosy, too.
The usual equipment additionally has a number of ground and overhead storage options, together with a entrance cupboard housing the 16,000-BTU furnace that helps the camper carry out comfortably by winter. A ten-speed roof vent brings air in when issues get stuffy, and a roof-mounted air conditioner is offered as an possibility. Grumpy Bear additionally features a shore-power electrical hookup with converter and 110-V/USB outlet station.
The bottom Arctos Sport Normal costs in at $20,000 and weighs 1,102 lb (500 kg). Grumpy Bear affords quite a lot of further choices, together with a lithium battery, a 53-L Dometic electrical fridge, a conveyable bathroom, the aforementioned cot and air conditioner, as much as 400 watts of photo voltaic, and remote-controlled electrical jacks.
Supply: Grumpy Bear
