Loki slashes size and price on fast-adapting off-grid pickup camper

2023-02-05 17:00:50 By : Ms. Echo Guan

Earlier this year, Canadian camper startup Loki Basecamp introduced itself by way of the Falcon pickup camper, a cutting-edge on/off truck camper loaded with innovation and versatility. On the downside, the Falcon Series price tag also came loaded with more decimal places than we'd expect from a pickup camper. With the new Icarus Series, Loki puts together a smaller version of its rugged, versatile overland micro-home for just over half the originally stated price of the Falcon.

The Icarus and its compact alcove are very much slimmed and reshaped in comparison to the bulging Falcon, a positive from the outside, where the design fits more cohesively with the F-Series it rides on (with some help from matching safety-orange accents). In fact, the half-cab-length alcove and walls that barely stretch wider than the bed rails make for a fairly compact look compared to many pickup campers, not only the tall, wide Falcon.

A sleeker exterior translates to a more claustrophobic interior, but Loki specializes in tiny, functional modular interiors, and the Icarus still looks from afar to be a comfy home-on-a-truck. The ever-popular, always-versatile Lagun table serves as the centerpiece of the multipurpose lounge, which gives occupants a place to relax, eat meals, check emails, play games and maybe watch a video or two. Table mounting brackets at the passenger-side sofa bench and driver-side rear-corner seat add extra flexibility.

As the shortened outside appearance of the alcove hints, the interior space over the driver cab is not quite large enough to house a bed on its own. Instead, Loki relies on a pull-out extension that slides out to support a longitudinal 54 x 75-in (137 x 191-cm) double bed. Loki is also working on a separate sleeping platform to add three-sleeper capacity.

The standalone cutting board-topped fridge is joined by a kitchenette with sink, countertop and portable induction cooktop. The deconstructed bathroom brings in a mobile shower system and a portable toilet stowed below the sofa bench. The entryway mudroom is set up for hanging and drying wet clothing using the adjacent heater vent.

Like the Falcon before it, the Icarus comes prepared for four-season off-grid camping, powering onboard equipment with up to 600 amp-hours of lithium battery capacity, 300 watts of solar, a 2,000-W inverter and a Redarc management system. It also includes a Webasto air/water heater and 12-V air conditioner, which both work with the four-season R-16 insulation package to keep interior temperature comfy throughout the year.

In terms of construction, Loki departs from the aluminum-on-aluminum build of the Falcon in favor of a fiberglass skin on an aluminum frame. It uses expedition-grade, full-opening Lexan double-pane windows. The exoskeleton roof rack system can be configured for many possible uses and swoops down around the alcove to hold in place an LED light bar with up to 48,000 lumens of blaze.

The Icarus fits full-size trucks like the Ford F-Series, Ram 1500, Chevrolet Silverado and Toyota Tundra, and Loki plans versions for both 6.5-foot (198-cm) and 8-foot (244-cm) beds. The 2,500-lb (1,134-kg) 8-footer is described above, and the 6.5-footer is laid out quite similarly, albeit with the kitchen pushed farther back, bumping out the rear-corner bench seat. Prices start at US$69,000, and Loki will build each Icarus camper at its Quebec factory until it opens a second manufacturing facility on the West Coast.

Speaking of pricing, Loki has clarified that the $135,000 first quoted for the Falcon series is for the 8-foot version. Smaller pickup-bed variants will start at $95,000.