The Bruin: hard walls, easy camping
Our flagship and historically our most popular camper: hard-wall comfort that opens from the tailgate in seconds.
- Starting Price: $9,999
- Starting Weight: Around 325 lbs
- Style: Full pop-up, hybrid hard walls
- Best For: Hard-wall comfort, easiest setup
Why we made the Bruin
The Bruin was our first camper. When we designed it, we noticed that wedge campers are simple to open (jack up the struts and they push the camper open), but the full pop-up market was tragic. Roofs seemed to weigh as much as the one on your house. I could never ask my recently retired parents to wrestle one open.
We wondered why nobody showed how easy their camper was to open and close. What we found was that they didn’t show it because it wasn’t easy. You crawl under a pop-up back door, hoist the roof up with the power of your back and, eventually, your arms, and then make sure it’s locked out. That wasn’t acceptable. There’s no way we could ask our parents, who worked hard their whole lives and now want to travel, to go through that every time they open their camper.
Our answer was finely tuned gas struts. The hybrid hard-wall system uses a compliant mechanism, which is a fancy way of saying you push the roof up to open it and pull it down to close it. That’s it. For the first few years, our Instagram was filled with customers opening their campers: tall and short, old and young, good shoulders and bad, men and women. All of them did it with ease. My favorite moment is when a couple comes in and the smaller of the two doesn’t want to try. Then they see how easy it is and say, “Let me give it a try,” and just like that, the camper opens and closes with ease.
We also built it around a real bed: a queen-size 4” mattress, a sliding platform, and room to store your bedding on the bed and still close the camper. We learned the hard way on a cross-country trip that we won’t compromise on space for bedding.
What the Bruin is
The Bruin is our flagship, and historically our most popular model. There’s a good reason. It combines the comfort and protection of hard walls with the light weight and convenience of a pop-up camper.
Starting at around 325 pounds, it uses our hybrid hard-wall system, which blends rigid wall panels with marine-grade fabric. Inside, you get the solid feel of hard walls without needing a large, heavy traditional truck camper.
What sets the Bruin apart: how easy it is to use
We put a tremendous amount of thought and R&D into this. You can open and close the Bruin right from the tailgate, and it takes just seconds. No complicated setup routine, no walking around the truck putting everything together, walking in the camper and physically having to lift your campers roof up and then having to lock it out. Just open it, and you’re ready to enjoy your campsite.
That might not sound like a big deal until you’ve spent a few weeks traveling, or you have a sore shoulder, or you simply want to focus on camping. We designed the roof with finely tuned gas struts and a compliant mechanism, which is a fancy way of saying you push it up to open it and pull it down to close it. Our customers include people tall and short, old and young, with good shoulders and bad and we needed it to work for all of them.
Fabric on the outside, rigid panels on the inside
The Bruin uses our hybrid hard-wall system, which blends rigid wall panels with marine-grade fabric. On the outside, the fabric lets the camper fold down low and light. On the inside, rigid panels give you the solid, protected feel of hard walls, so it feels like a cabin and not a tent. That’s a big reason it works so well if you camp year-round or travel through changing weather.
Why you’d choose the Bruin
You’ll move campsites often
Imagine driving through the California desert on your way to Flagstaff (not the most beautiful stretch) and deciding to stop for the night. You pull into a campsite or BLM land, open the Bruin, and you’re done. The next morning you close it up and keep going. No wasted pit stop on the way to adventure, so you get to enjoy your day in beautiful Flagstaff. If you’ll stop somewhere new almost every night, this is the camper for you.
You camp year-round
Hard walls give you a more solid enclosure and a greater sense of protection from the elements. If you camp in different climates or through changing weather, that can make a big difference.
You want a normal truck
Because the Bruin mounts to your pickup, you keep the convenience of driving a normal truck instead of maneuvering a large RV or towing a trailer.
You’re retired and finally have the time
If you’re planning several weeks exploring national parks, visiting family or moving from one scenic campsite to the next, not wrestling with your camping equipment every day is a real advantage.
A comfortable place to spend the night
The Bruin has a true queen-size sleeping platform and a full pop-up design, so headroom is more consistent than in a wedge. There’s room to get changed, relax and organize your things without feeling like you’re crawling around a small tent. We’ve found that works particularly well for couples who travel regularly.
Most Bruin customers sleep with their feet toward the tailgate, so getting out of bed is simple: work your way to the tailgate and hop down.
Room to get in and out. We found that just under two feet of clearance above the bed is the sweet spot: enough room to get in and out easily, and still enough for a queen-size sleep platform. That matters at 2 a.m. for a bathroom break, or when you wake early for coffee and a sunrise, without taking panels apart or waking whoever is still asleep.
To make the most of that space, the Bruin has a sliding bed platform that pairs with our 4” memory foam trifold mattress. Fold the mattress into “couch mode,” slide the platform out of the way, and you have a big open space to sit, eat or wait out the rain.
What to think about
Price
The Bruin costs more than the Tenfold or Triton, so it isn’t the right choice if finding the lowest-cost camper is your main goal. If you value the solid feel of hard walls and want something exceptionally easy to open and close, we think it’s worth the difference.
Size
It’s narrower than the Bruin XL, which makes it a better fit for tight trails. If you need extra sleeping space for kids or grandkids, look at the Bruin XL.
Choose the Bruin if…
- You want hard-wall comfort without giving up light weight or convenience
- You camp frequently, take extended road trips or travel through changing weather
- You don’t want to spend much time setting up camp
- You want the camper we recommend for most people looking for a lightweight hard-wall truck camper
Consider another camper if…
- You want the lowest price and weight: the Tenfold
- You mostly camp in warmer months and love big windows: the Triton
- You need more living and sleeping space: the Bruin XL
Keep reading: The Tenfold · The Triton · The Bruin XL · Not sure? Buyer’s guide
Frequently asked questions
Which camper is best for a retired couple planning long road trips?
For most couples who want hard-wall comfort and quick, easy setup, we recommend the Bruin. Couples who want additional living space may prefer the Bruin XL.
What’s the difference between the Bruin and the Bruin XL?
Both use hybrid hard-wall construction and open and close from the tailgate. The XL is substantially wider, with more interior space and additional sleeping possibilities. The standard Bruin is narrower, lighter and generally better for tighter trails.
Is it easy to open if I am shorter?
That’s exactly who we designed it for. You push the roof up to open it and pull it down to close it. No cumbersome extra tasks.
Ready to talk Bruin? Give our team a call: (760) 655-1111