Marking its one-year anniversary since launching the Tune M1 lightweight truck topper, Colorado-based Tune Outdoor has made its mark on the evolving landscape truck camper design with its innovative “wing-wall” truck topper. Unlike the traditional slide-in camper, which sits in the bed of the truck, the truck topper sits on the bed rails of the truck and uses the bed of the truck as the floor. This not only makes the topper lighter than a traditional slide-in camper, but also offers the owner a myriad of DIY options on how to outfit the interior. Some opt for a basic topper interior with only a countertop or two to maximize use of the bed for toys like bikes and quads, while some fully outfit the inside with an interior that rivals some of the better slide-in pop-up truck campers being built today.
Tune Outdoor is led by Sean Kepler, who has held executive leadership positions at The North Face, VF Outdoor and Crocs; and Bruce McGowan, co-founder of Boulder-based snow safety manufacturer Backcountry Access (BCA), now part of K2. The team also includes industrial design-build engineer Kristian Arnold and modeling engineer and designer Broc Patterson.
From its inception, Tune Outdoor has embraced this transformative shift in the traditional camping experience and overlanding. Employing trend-setting design and engineering innovations—with contributions from SpaceX and Boeing engineers—the Tune M1 topper utilizes cutting-edge materials, including lightweight aluminum extrusions and advanced polymer composite corner brackets. With its patented “wing-wall” design and a remarkably low weight of 400 pounds, the Tune M1 has achieved one of the best space-to-weight ratio in the truck topper category, meaning it can be hauled by both mid-size and full-size pickup trucks, including the Toyota Tacoma and Ford F-150.
According to Kristian Arnold, Tune’s M1 “wing-wall” design took about 18 months from the initial sketch to the completed 3D design. What really sets the design apart from other makes is its pleasing aesthetic that lets owners sleep crosswise. Most truck topper designs are square, but not the Tune M1.
“Having that angle in there, most of them just come out at a flat 90 degree angle, which works,” said Arnold. “Obviously, it’s functional, but we come from a background of industrial design in the outdoor space with big ski products. So the esthetic of everything is super important to us. Another thing that it does for you is it actually makes a really comfortable and ergonomic seat on the inside of the camper. So most people will come check out the Tune M1 on a product walkthrough, and they just sit down on that base profile, that wing wall. So we call it the base profile, and it’s a really comfortable seat. And then it also has a lot of key track, so it lends itself to a bunch of modifications, DIY builds, and will obviously be supported by our future accessories as well.”
Not surprising, the market response to the Tune M1 truck topper has been positive. In just 12 months the M1 has captivated consumers with its modern design, sophisticated engineering, and game-changing features. It has proven to be an exceptional solution for outdoor enthusiasts—hikers, bikers, anglers, hunters, skiers and more—seeking a connection with nature while embracing a more modern, practical camping experience.
While Tune Outdoor’s home state of Colorado has seen the most M1 owners to date, sales have been robust across the Western U.S., including California, Arizona, and Texas, and are steadily growing eastward. Tune has also fostered a vibrant and growing community of owners and truck-camping enthusiasts, whose camaraderie reflects a shared passion for exploration and the outdoors and whose unique bond extends beyond the camper itself.
“2024 is off to a great start, and we’ve grown a lot, Arnold said. “We’ve got a really great team at Tune Outdoors, so we’re looking forward to growing our community. We love our customers. Every one of them has been amazing to meet and talk to, and it’s just been a really cool process. So we look forward to sustaining that growth and innovating as we go, and coming out with some new stuff in the future.”
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