Overland Explorer Vehicles (OEV), premium builder of world-class composite truck campers, has been on a roll lately with several new offerings. The latest from the Canadian-based company is a hard-side model called the Hudson Bay. Why offer a hard-side version of the Hudson Bay when the company already offers a Hudson Bay Pop-Up in two sizes? One word—demand. Customers wanted it. We recently published an article outlining the pros and cons of hard-side and pop-up truck campers, so we won’t go into the differences here, but hard-side campers offer a number of benefits not found in a pop-up. Couple the pros of a rugged hard-side, with all of the benefits that a flatbed camper has to offer, and you have a camper that’s truly special.
We were fortunate enough to see the Hudson Bay Hard-Side at the 2024 Overland Expo West. To say we were impressed with the 8-foot hard-side would be an understatement. The roomy, three-season camper features a 38 gallon fresh water holding tank, a queen-size 4-inch thick mattress, a large battery compartment, a 200 watt solar power system, a DC-DC charger, and a 2,000 watt inverter. It also features a massive Nova Kool refrigerator with the superb Secop DC compressor, a 20 pound propane tank, a Truma VarioHeat furnace, a Truma AquaGo water heater, a stainless steel sink, a rear dinette, six dual thermopane windows, and a portable toilet. The rugged, flatbed camper also sports a center of gravity that makes it easy and safe to haul.
OEV claims to build the “toughest flatbed campers on the market” and we have to agree. All OEV campers feature powder-coated aluminum extrusions and OEV Gen-4 composite materials boasting an impressive insulation rating of R8. OEV campers are designed to withstand the rigors of outdoor exploration. As such, OEV engineers are always looking for ways to make their campers as light as possible without sacrificing quality and strength. As a matter of fact, this ruggedness and ability to be used anytime and anywhere has made OEV campers extremely popular in the overlanding community. Indeed, there probably isn’t a more robust off-road truck camper in today’s market.
To learn more about this impressive, new flatbed camper, Arnold Baker, OEV Manager and Founding Partner, was kind enough to answer several questions.
Thanks, Arnold, for talking with us again. We enjoyed our tour of the Hudson Bay Hard-Side at the Overland Expo. What kind of feedback did you get during the show?
Arnold Baker: The feedback was positive—for those who prefer a hard-sided camper they really appreciated everything the unit had to offer. For those who prefer a soft-side camper, they really liked the upper storage that the hard-side version has.
With the Hudson Bay pop-up being so popular, why did you decide to offer a hard-side version?
Arnold Baker: There are two different users, those that prefer a pop-up and those that prefer a hard-sided. We wanted to appeal to both users.
Aside from the hard-walls, what are the key differences between the two Hudson Bay pop-ups and the Hudson Bay hard-side?
Arnold Baker: The Hudson Bay hard-side has a taller entry door, upper storage, dual pane windows that have integrated roll-up blinds and screens. Outside of that they are identical, it is not until the customer opts for the chassis-mounted version do you see changes in cabin/water heater and the inside shower location.
How heavy is the camper? What kind of truck is needed to haul the Hudson Bay Hard-Side? What are the minimum requirements?
Arnold Baker: The standard dry weight of the Hudson Bay Hard-Side is 2,192 pounds. The unit that debuted at the Overland Expo West was 2,585 pounds with two spare tires on it. We recommend either a 3/4-ton truck with the appropriate payload or a one-ton truck.
OEV has placed an emphasis on producing a camper with a balanced center of gravity (COG) forward of the rear axle? What is the COG in the Hudson Bay Hard-Side?
Arnold Baker: The COG is 38 inches back from the front wall. On our 8-foot Aluma Tray the COG is about 9 inches ahead of the axle (dry).
Regarding the electrical system, what comes standard with the Hudson Bay Hard-Side and how large can you option out the system?
Arnold Baker: The standard electrical spec consists of one 220 watt roof-mounted solar panel, a Victron 100/30 MPPT Solar Controller, a Victron Blue Smart IP22 Charger, and a Victron Orion TR smart 12-30 DC-DC Charger. The battery storage area is 26.5 inches long, 16 inches wide, and 15 inches high. You can easily store at least 600 amp hours of battery. You can also add up to three more of our 220 watt solar panels (over two we add an additional solar controller) and a 2,000 or a 3,000 Victron multi-plus inverter.
Can you tell us about your Aluma Tray for flatbed campers? What features does it offer and what can you trick it out with?
Arnold Baker: The OEV Aluma Tray is constructed with powder coated CNC-cut and formed 5052/6061 aluminum. It is fully isolated from the truck chassis as standard as we design everything to move independently of each other. The Aluma Tray can be ordered in a number of front box configurations but does come standard with under deck/tray locking storage boxes and a front headache rack that is used for storing our folding stairs along with other items plus the fuel filler and DEF filler. We are reviewing the Aluma Tray platforms and are adding a few new design elements that our customers have been requesting along with a few design/function improvements.
How is the Hudson Bay Hard-Side heated? What is the R-rating of the camper?
Arnold Baker: The Hudson Bay removable version is heated with the Truma VarioHeat. If you opt for the chassis-mounted version of the Hudson Bay, you can heat the cabin using gas or diesel fired components. The OEV 1.5-inch fully composite gel-coated panels have an R8 insulation value or higher.
What options do you offer for toilets?
Arnold Baker: The owner can go with either a basic porta-potti, a Thetford cassette toilet, or a Wrappon Trekker 12 volt toilet.
What options do you offer for refrigeration, cooking, and air conditioning? Do you offer an induction cooktop too?
Arnold Baker: The fridge is a 164L Nova Kool compressor 12 volt fridge which comes standard. We also offer an optional Nomadic Cooling X2 DC air conditioner and the camper can also be optioned with a portable single burner induction LPG cooktop. The portable induction cooktop can be removed and used outside. It comes standard with a dual burner LPG. We have been asked why we do not offer dual burner induction, the short answer is redundancy. What happens if the inverter malfunctions or you run out of propane, its nice to know you have an alternative to get you through.
Being Canadian built, your campers must be insulated well. What measures do you take to prevent freeze damage in the camper?
Arnold Baker: We have designed our campers to allow for colder temp usage provided the owner takes steps to ensure equipment has been protected in advance. Like winterizing the water system in whole or in part, by in part we are referring to the outside shower connection, it can be winterized and then isolated via two valves should the owner reintroduce water to the camper. Additionally, the Truma AquaGo can have a 12 volt freezer rod added to prevent the heater from damage when exposed to freezing temperatures. We always recommend users fully winterize their campers and take bottled water for extreme cold temperature camping. This eliminates the risk of damage to the water system.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about the camper and about OEV in general?
Arnold Baker: If we are guilty of anything, it is for overbuilding and over-engineering our campers. Our team is obsessed with creating the toughest truck campers that are built using our proprietary composite panels and aluminum exoskeleton. For example, one of our tests showed that our composite panels, exoskeleton, and adhesive take over 6,200 pounds of force over a 12 square-inch bonded surface to produce a failure. In another test, we supported a Ram 3500 Diesel on one of our composite panels with no failure. Now, that’s what we call tough. We build both pop-up truck campers and hard-sided campers that are truly built to conquer anything you can throw at them.
Is there anything new on the horizon from OEV?
Arnold Baker: We will have the Hudson Bay Hard-Wall and Soft-Wall at the Overland Expo Mountain West, along with a Back Country 6.85 and a few versions of our Aluma Tray. We are constantly innovating, so you never know what is coming down the pipe.
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