Go North Adventure Class Truck Scout Camper Review
Last Updated on September 25, 2023
Go North’s new (in 2023) Adventure Class Scout Truck Campers are a fantastic addition to their fleet of rental RVs in Alaska, the Yukon and Seattle. In 2023 I had the opportunity to take one out for a test in Washington and also for a 12 day trip from Fairbanks, Alaska to the Arctic Ocean on Canada’s Dempster Highway. and I’m excited to share with you everything you need to know to decide if renting one of these vehicles is right for you and the type of trip you have planned.
I have twenty five years of experience traveling the highways as well as the back roads and off roads of Washington, Alaska, British Columbia and the Yukon in many different types of vehicles and I was excited to get the chance to try this.
I was given the opportunity to try this rental vehicle for free, all opinions written here are my own.
How is a Go North Adventure Class Truck Camper different from other RVs?
The main difference is that the Adventure Class Scout campers do not have bathrooms or full kitchens. They are like a very nice, very roomy (standing head room!) and comfortable hard sided tent that you don’t need to set up and take down.
A big advantage of this is that they are very light and are mounted on a Ford F-150 pick up truck, instead of a bigger truck like an F-250 or F-350. This means the fuel economy is much better than a bigger truck needed for a larger pick up camper and far better than a motorhome.
Go North allows you to drive their vehicles on all public roads, including gravel roads, a big advantage if you’re looking to get off the beaten path on your trip.
Where can you rent a Go North Adventure Class Truck Camper?
Go North has offices in Seattle, Whitehorse, Anchorage and Fairbanks. You can rent these campers along with their bigger pick up campers, motorhomes and SUVs from any of these locations.
You can rent one of their vehicles from one location and return it at a different one, with a one way fee.
How much does it cost to rent an Adventure Class Truck Camper from Go North?
This is a difficult question to answer because it depends on quite a few factors, including:
- The length of time you are renting the vehicle
- How many miles you plan to drive
- What month you are taking it (pro tip – save money by doing early or late season)
- Whether it’s a one way or round trip rental
- Whether you buy insurance from them or provide your own
I recommend going through Go North’s rate page to understand the range of options. Complete a quote request if you want to get an exact cost.
Make sure to account for the cost of fuel and camping if you are planning to stay in established campgrounds with a fee.
What is the Fuel Economy of the truck?
When we drove the Adventure Class Truck Camper, we got about 13 miles to the gallon throughout our 3 day trip and about 400 miles of driving. Our drive included freeway driving as well as back roads and some forest service roads and it was pretty consistent.
The F-150 by itself gets higher fuel economy, but the height of the camper cuts it down to around 13 mpg.
Who is a Go North Adventure Class Truck Camper best for?
Go North advertises this vehicle as ideal for people who want to do off grid camping and be well set up to explore off the beaten path. I agree that this is the ideal person to use the camper – self sufficient campers looking for a leveled up experience from tent camping.
Since it doesn’t have a bathroom, if you are not comfortable with using bushes and digging holes for toilets, you might want to consider staying in established campgrounds with toilets or outhouses.
Overall, this Scout Camper is good for people who are comfortable camping and looking for some additional indoor space and protection from weather, bugs and wildlife compared to tent camping.
Features and Usability of the Scout Camper
I found the Adventure Class Scout Camper to be a very clever and functional use of small space. It was awesome that my husband (who is 6’4″) was able to stand up inside it and the bed was comfortable. Being able to cook inside was awesome!
Does it have a bathroom?
No. This is the most important thing to be prepared for if you decide to rent this vehicle. It is awesome if you are ok using the great outdoors (or campground toilets). If you want to be able to go to the bathroom inside your RV, this is not the right choice for you.
Does it have a kitchen?
It doesn’t have a full kitchen, but it does have a great, though small, cooking set up. There’s a propane stove and a small sink with a gravity and pump water system (for gray water only, it does not have a holding tank).
In addition to the cooking set up, it also has shelves with some basic utensils and cutlery and a refrigerator for keeping things cold.
The dinette is small but comfortable and there’s plenty of room for two adults to sit at it to eat a meal or play a game.
Does it have electricity?
Yes. The camper has a YETI power bank and a solar panel. It can charge the power bank off the solar panel or off the truck’s engine when you’re on the road.
We used the lights at night and the fridge was on and it used about 10% of the battery overnight. The second night we used the heater also and it took about 25% of the battery. I was impressed with how easy the power was to use and how efficient it was.
Does it have heat?
Yes! I have to say the heat was amazing on one night when it got pretty cold. It’s a diesel heater with a touch screen thermostat which is a little difficult to set precisely, but as long as you’re ok with the temperature being approximately what you want it’s great. It certainly warmed it up very fast.
Does it have air conditioning?
No. You can open all the windows with screens, but it does not have air conditioning.
Is the bed comfortable?
Yes. The mattress is thinner than a home mattress (so there’s still room for your head in the space above the cab) but it’s much more comfortable than a camping mattress.
How many people can sleep in it?
I would say this is a good set up for two adults. Because the dinette folds down into a smaller bed, there’s plenty of space for two adults who don’t want to share a bed, or for two adults and a child, or a child and two adults.
How much room is inside the camper?
The camper is of course, small, since it’s in the bed of a pick up truck and over the cab. I was really impressed with how roomy it felt given it’s small size. My very tall husband could stand up inside the door which was impressive. The bed doesn’t have a lot of headroom, but definitely enough to be comfortable. The windows over the front help make the sleeping area feel more open and larger than it is.
We found that for two people sleeping or sitting at the dinette it didn’t feel cramped at all. The only time it did was when we were both trying to stand in the middle section between the stove, refrigerator, door and dinette. We quickly figure out how to not have to be in that space at the same time.
Overall I was super impressed with how well laid out it was, the use of space, the comfort and how much we could do in such a small space. There was a thunderstorm one night and we hung out in there making dinner and as long as only one of us was actually cooking it was super comfortable to hang out in.
How did the Scout Camper Perform on remote, gravel roads in harsh conditions?
I wanted to add a bit here about the experience of driving it in Alaska as well as Canada’s Yukon and Northwest Territories.
As I expected, this vehicle was absolute ideal for the remote gravel roads of the north, with potholes and rough roads with very few services. Having a pick up camper on a pick up truck is ideal for these conditions. Being able to be self contained with a place to sleep with a heater, safe from bugs and bears as well as being able to bring all our food was a huge asset.
The only thing that was not ideal about it was that some of the high end appliances jiggled loose or out of very bumpy roads (the fridge came unplugged for example). These things are not a big deal as long as you check everything after you arrive somewhere. It’s also a good idea to make sure everything is very secured so it doesn’t fly all over the camper.
Also, beware that on gravel roads the outside of the vehicle will be absolutely coated in mud. Having a towel to use to open the tailgate and the back door was super helpful!
