Pick-up or SUV? Although both vehicles have merits in the overland market, a simple canopy and rooftop-tent installation is a tough thing to beat in terms of space, convenience and payload capacity.

However, there are some limitations to this setup, especially if you want more room to stand up and move around.

Generally speaking, it is at this point that pick-up owners find themselves faced with one of three options:

1) Buy a low-cost daily driver and convert your pick-up into a dedicated camper… or
2) Stick with what you’ve got, and invest in a secondary ground tent as a living / changing room, or…
3) Buy a high-cost off-road trailer

The problem with all of these solutions is that they’re either expensive, space-dependent (you now need parking for two vehicles or a trailer) or they nullify the benefits of owning a pick-up and rooftop tent in the first place – convenience, space, mobility, and not being overly-restricted in how and where you travel.

But, what if there were a fourth, relatively-unknown option that only rental vehicles and a few custom rigs are taking advantage of?

ENTER: THE ALU-CAB CANOPY CAMPER

About 10-years ago, we noticed a gap in the 4×4 rental market; essentially, a need for a lightweight, versatile, mid-range camper solution.

In many respects, the safari rental market is the ideal testing ground for overland gear, and after exhaustive development, we designed a camper that combined the best of both worlds: it had the lightweight and low-profile benefits of a modular canopy, combined with the versatility and spacious living quarters of a camper.

Although the Canopy Camper was a huge success, the original design didn’t lend itself to production. As a result, when we moved away from building custom rigs to a more production-based business model, the Canopy Camper was lost in the transition.

Fortunately, as our family of adventurers grows worldwide, so does the interest in our past projects, leading to many requests for a mid-range, “off-the-shelf” Camper.

And so, without further ado, we give you the lightweight, versatile, and modular-designed Canopy Camper – once an industry-first, but today a revitalised and improved solution, for which we owe kudos to you and your feedback. So, thanks for contributing to the Alu-Cab evolution.