Phoenix Builds Custom Pop-Up Camper for Ford F-150 Raptor

The story

Phoenix Pop-Up Campers has completed a custom pop-up truck camper for a Ford F-150 SVT Raptor, responding to a customer request for a lightweight unit that would preserve the truck’s off-road character. The manufacturer says the design was configured to retain the Raptor’s tailgate operation and backup camera while improving aerodynamic efficiency compared with a taller conventional slide-in camper.

The camper is a pickup-bed-mounted pop-up rather than a full-height hard-side unit. Phoenix describes the configuration as tailored to the specific truck, with the fit intended to allow the tailgate to remain closed. That approach gives the owner a more integrated truck-and-camper package, but it also means the design is not a generic fitment that can be transferred directly to another pickup without review.

Inside, the reported equipment includes a three-way refrigerator, three-burner stove, double sink and a queen-size push-button air mattress. The build also includes a roof vent fan and a 5,500-BTU wall-mounted air conditioner. These features give the camper substantially more capability than a bare sleeping platform, but they also add weight, electrical demand and installation complexity to a vehicle originally optimized for high-speed off-road use.

The optional equipment list extends to hot-water systems, an external shower, an interior shower, a cassette toilet, a 12-foot awning, a rear-door or truck awning, aluminum scissor steps, roof racks and an upgraded dual 6-volt battery system. Phoenix also lists a custom-paint option. The manufacturer’s published description treats the equipment as individually specified rather than as a fixed production trim level.

Phoenix reports a starting price of $18,496 for the camper. The fully optioned example described by the company adds $6,500 for a package that includes refrigerator, air conditioning, hot-water systems, shower and toilet equipment, awnings, steps, racks, fan and battery upgrades. That places the reported configuration above the base price before any custom paint or other individually priced additions.

The Raptor application illustrates a continuing split in the truck-camper market. Buyers can choose a compact, low-profile unit that retains more of the pickup’s daily-driver and trail manners, or a larger camper that provides greater interior volume but demands more payload and may compromise vehicle dynamics. Phoenix’s build favors integration and equipment density, although the manufacturer does not publish a complete loaded weight in the announcement.

That missing figure is important. A buyer would still need the actual completed camper weight, loaded payload, axle ratings and suspension requirements before treating the Raptor as a suitable platform. The project is therefore best understood as a custom demonstration of what can be packaged on a high-performance half-ton pickup, not as evidence that every Raptor can safely carry the same specification.