6 Pro’s and Con’s Of An OVRLND Truck Camper

Should you buy an OVRLND Camper? Watch This.

If you're on the fence about an OVRLND camper today, I'll outline six pros and cons to help you make a more informed decision. We'll start with the cons because I always like to end on a positive note.

Starting With The Cons:

1. Four-Season Performance - Obviously, you're dealing with canvas tent material with the OVRLND camper or any pop-up camper. It is solid and waterproof, but it's still canvas. That means that heat or cool air can escape more quickly. Now, OVRLND offers an additional insulation layer that velcro over the canvas, which could be a good solution for temperature regulation, but I don't have one, so I can't really speak to it. Canvas also means that you'll hear a lot more than you would with a hard-sided camper or a van. For instance, heavy wind can be super noisy, and lastly, in cold or rainy conditions, condensation can become an issue if you don't wipe it down. It could result in mold or mildew.

2. Not Stealth - When you pop the top, it's evident that someone is sleeping inside. Depending on your build, you could set it up to sleep inside with the top down. Regardless, you'll still have to get out of bed to get into the cab and drive away. Speaking of getting in and out of this rig, it is not quite as ergonomic as you might experience with a van or a trailer.

3. Setup Time - compared to a van, it's more challenging than turning around and being in your living space. However, it only takes me about 5 minutes to set up the camper.

4. It's Unfurnished - when you get the camper, it's an empty aluminum shell. If you're looking for a fully outfitted camper experience, you'll need to spend some time designing and building your layout, installing a power system, and figuring out cooking Solutions. But then again, that's what YouTube's for. In fact, I have a channel for all of this kind of stuff.

5. Chassis Bed Leaks - man, this one is a thorn in my side, so the camper itself is totally leakproof, but some chassis like my Gen 3 Tacoma have a ridiculous bed rail design that leaves a 1/4 inch gap in both of the front corners of the bed and despite my best efforts to seal it up and heavy rain they leak like a sieve. This makes me want to avoid camping in the rain altogether. But I'm about to contact OVRLND directly to see if they can help me lift off this camper, reseal the bed, and fix this problem.

6. It's Not Cheap - even with my limited options, I still shelled out 12K for this camper. Luckily, there's a deposit and two staggered payment installments, which I found helpful for breaking up the lump sum.

Now For The Pros:

1. Flexibility - it allows you to work with what you already have. If you have a mid-sized truck, you're good to go. And if you were to go with something like a van, you'd be pigeonholed into three options: Ford, Dodge, or Mercedes. Four if you count the Chevy Express. Additionally, if you want to go with something like a tow-behind or slide-in camper, upgrading to a full-size truck with more payload and towing capacity is best. Those options are far more expensive and arguably more complicated than going with a bed rail camper.

2. Weight and Gas Mileage - My OVRLND camper is only 300 lb, which leaves plenty of room within my scant payload capacity to build out. moreover, with the truck fully loaded, I'm still getting 18 to 19 m per gallon on the highway. Granted, my truck is the Bare Bones 4cylinder two-wheel drive model.

3. Clearance And wheelbase - because the top lowers, it increases the amount of tight overhung areas you can explore and decreases your center of gravity, making for better handling. But then you also get the massive perk of still being able to stand upright in your camper when it's popped. It has a full-size pull-out queen bed. Because these campers work so well on midsize trucks, you can keep your shorter wheelbase, which is excellent for turn radius and maneuverability.

4. DIY Friendly - because the Overland camper has straight walls, it's super easy to insulate, panel, and build around. If you're excited to build something yourself, this camper is a great platform.

5. Elevated Sleeping - It's easier to explain this one once you've tried it yourself, but the elevated sleeping platform is super cool. With the four windows open around you, it feels like the tree house you would have had as a kid.

6. Comparative Cost - Sure, it's not cheap, but on the spectrum of options, when you consider vans, travel trailers, or even other bed rail pop-ups, it's pretty affordable. And here's another thing: if you go with something like a bed rail camper, you don't have to ensure it or register it like an RV. It's essentially a truck topper, and that's worth considering if you're on a budget.

Should You Buy One?

I can't answer that one for you. That's your personal Journey, but I can tell you that the more time you spend fretting over this decision, the less time you spend outdoors hiking, camping, fly fishing, backpacking, and surfing, which is really what you want to be doing, right?

This post is NOT sponsored. Some product links are affiliate links which means if you buy something I'll receive a small commission. So thank you!

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This video is NOT sponsored. Some product links are affiliate links which means if you buy something I'll receive a small commission. So thank you!

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