(Leentu)
New options for car campers have been coming fast and furious lately. First, we caught a glimpse of Airstream’s new Nest trailer, which was followed by a lightweight pop-up camper called the Tipoon. Now, we have an even lighter option for those who want something a bit more substantial than a rooftop tent, without adding a lot of weight.
The Leentu is a new pop-up camper concept designed for use on a pick-up truck. According to the Leentu’s official website, there are two models in the works – a composite version with a target weight of fewer than 150 pounds and a carbon fiber model that is looking to break into the sub-100-pound category. If the designers are able to hit those marks it would make the camper incredibly easy to take on and off a truck and would have minimal impact on gas mileage while driving to and from the campsite as well.
(Leentu)
Despite its lightweight design, the Leentu has some intriguing features. For instance, it will reportedly offer more than 6 feet of headroom inside and it comes with a lofted bed complete with high-density foam mattress. That bed sits in a waterproof pop-up tent section of the camper that not only offers a place to sleep but integrated storage too. The standard version of the Leentu is pre-wired for a solar panel, while the carbon fiber model will ship with a 60-watt panel already installed. These solar panels will provide power to the camper’s built-in USB charging ports, LED lighting, and integrated ventilation fan. It will also come equipped with a 120-volt AC receptacle and 12-volt auxiliary port for more power options.
At the moment, the Leentu has only been designed to fit 2005 or newer Toyota Tacoma long-bed trucks, although according to the Leentu Facebook page, the company is exploring making it available for other vehicles as well. Because the camper has been designed to fit that specific model of Tacoma, it reportedly offers good aerodynamic performance both on and off-road. Whether or not that can translate to other truck models remains to be seen.
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Pre-orders are being taken for the Leentu now with the composite version selling for $10,295 while the carbon fiber model retails at $13,995. Both are discounted substantially for those who place their orders early. A $1,000 and $1,500 deposit is required for the composite and carbon fiber models respectively. Those deposits are applied to the final price when the camper eventually start shipping.
