Fans of off-roaders like the new Ford Bronco and Jeep Gladiator are soon to have an attractive option for a camper to bolt to their rigs. GEHOcab is bringing its flashy carbon-fiber campers to America.
GEHOcab is a pretty new player in truck and SUV campers. The German outfit has been making campers only for the past few years, but its futuristic campers look like an attractive choice — if you can handle the price.
GEHOcab planted its stake in the market in Europe with the Kora, a camper that replaces the bed of a Volkswagen Amarok pickup.
But the Amarok was only the genesis of GEHOcab, and it quickly got started with designs for vehicles like the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, Jeep Gladiator, Ford F-Series, Land Rover Defender and yep, even the new Ford Bronco.
The folks at Autoevolution got to speak with GEHOcab about its expansion into the U.S. market, and it sounds pretty rad. The brand, distributing under the name GEO-Cab in North America, is bringing its Badger campers here.
The Badger camper brings some luxury to overlanding. The camper shell is a monocoque design and is made using a modular mold system. This lets GEHOcab build the campers in a variety of sizes to fit an array of off-road vehicles. Take a peek at the interior of what these are supposed to look like:
Inside, you get sleeping for up to two adults and one child in a living space that looks more like a luxury apartment than it does a camper hanging off of the back of a truck. The interior furniture and fittings are lightweight, like the camper itself. You can get them in either fiberglass or carbon fiber, and they are laminated into the interior rather than bolted down. You can even get one of these with a full bathroom.
The smallest Badger ST comes in at around 1,014 pounds, while the largest Badger XT comes in at 1,653 pounds before customization. Those numbers are impressive, as a typical American truck bed camper can easily be 1,000 pounds heavier than even the Badger XT.
GEHOcab also says that its campers are extremely customizable. The company works with each buyer to help them build the camper of their dreams.
One thing I was curious about is how the company manages to build a camper for a Bronco, G-Class or Defender. GEHOcab’s pickup-based campers clearly replace the existing bed, but a Bronco doesn’t have a bed.
Installation of the campers to those SUVs involves opening up the vehicle aft of the C-pillar and grafting the camper onto the back.
As you can imagine, these conversions are definitely more permanent than a camper that replaces a truck bed. The company is offering both options, as it seems potential buyers are split between a camper that replaces a truck bed and the full-on conversion.
Then there’s the price. While these campers use high-tech materials and are seriously light, they’re also seriously expensive. The smallest Badger ST starts at $129,000, far more than a traditional truck bed camper. That price doesn’t include customization, shipping or installation.
Despite the high price, I love these things. I wish more camper manufacturers cranked out eye-popping designs rather than boring swoopy decals.
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