Ah, the Ram Power Wagon. Its been 17 years since FCA reintroduced the Power Wagon, the company’s purpose-built, off-road pickup to the public. The venerable pickup enjoyed an uninterrupted run in popularity from 1946 to 1981, when Dodge unexpectedly decided to no longer sell it. Fortunately, the company came to its senses in 2005 with the much ballyhooed re-release. Today, the Power Wagon is incredibly popular and is a steady seller. What’s more, the Power Wagon delivers considerably more power, better looks, and enhanced off-road capability than its predecessors. Sure, the eye-popping $58,800 price tag for a 2022 model will turn away those who are looking for an affordable pickup truck to haul a small truck camper, but the Power Wagon comes with an impressive list of off-road enhancements over the standard Ram 2500 that make the extra cost worth it.
What specifically makes the Ram Power Wagon special as an off-road vehicle? For one, the Power Wagon features a unique Ram “Articulink” front suspension that employs high movement joints, a five-link coil rear suspension, locking differentials on both axles, a 2-inch body lift, a 12,000-pound Warn winch, Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac 33-inch (load range D) tires, Bilstein shocks, under-chassis armor, and an electronic disconnecting front sway bar. Even the truck’s 6.4L Hemi V8 engine—which produces 410 horsepower at 5,600 rpm and a peak torque rating of 429 pound-feet at 4,000 rpm—has been tuned to increase rpm’s for low speed, 4WD travel. All told, these upgrades total well over $10,000 and give the truck an impressive 14.3-inch ground clearance, 26 inches of wheel travel, and 30 inches of water fording.
Unfortunately, when it comes to hauling a truck camper, this rock-crawling, mud-slinging beast is a 7,000-pound weakling. Even with a gasoline-powered V8, the 2022 Power Wagon’s payload is a lowly 1,564 pounds. This gives the off-road truck the worst payload rating in its class. Why? The main reason is the truck’s coil spring suspension that is designed to lift and articulate rather than haul a heavy load like a truck camper. Of course, the Wrangler Duratrac 17-inch load range D tires certainly don’t help with the poor rating, but Ram engineers purposely went with lower capacity tires due to the Power Wagon’s softer suspension. Still, the 1,564-pound payload rating is high enough to haul a small truck camper like those featured in this article. So without further adieu, let’s take a look at the five best truck campers for the Ram Power Wagon.
1. Four Wheel Camper Hawk
With a floor length of 6.5 feet and a dry weight of only 1,075 pounds, the Four Wheel Camper Hawk is a perfect match for the Ram Power Wagon. The Hawk features a 20-gallon fresh water tank, a fully equipped kitchenette, an east-west queen bed, a three-way 1.7-cubic foot reefer, and attractive yet durable interior woodwork. Customers can choose from one of four floorplans when ordering a Hawk—a shell model, a roll-over side couch, a side dinette, or a front dinette. For those want a more amenities, a cassette toilet and an outside shower can both be added as options. Interested in extending your time off-grid? Four Wheel Campers has that covered, too, by offering a 160 watt roof-mounted solar system, a dual battery setup, an 85-liter DC compressor refrigerator, and two 10-pound propane tanks. Four Wheel Campers uses a proprietary tie-down system consisting of four, zinc-coated eye bolts reinforced with steel backing plates that are mounted to the bed of the pickup. The advantage of having a hidden system like this is that it not only presents a clean look on the outside of the camper, but it also works great for driving off-road. Another Truck Camper Adventure favorite, the FWC Hawk lists for only $20,995, but don’t let the price fool you. This rugged, well-made camper can take you almost anywhere you want, and with its welded aluminum frame and aluminum exterior, will last for decades.
2. AT Overland Atlas Topper
The AT Overland Atlas delivers on features and adventure in a big way, yet weighs only 360 pounds. Unlike the traditional slide-in camper, the Atlas truck topper sits on top of the bed rails of the truck and has no floor. This new and innovative approach makes the camper lighter than a standard truck camper, yet still retains a comfortable sleeping platform for owners. The Atlas is built from CNC-cut and formed aluminum with a bonded honeycomb composite and features a distinctive wedge-style pop-top that provides up to 6 feet 10 inches of headroom and a 48×80-inch sleep platform with a 2.5-inch mattress that can support up to 500 pounds. Each topper is made with a durable FMVSS compliant canvas tent. Options include a light-blocking Thinsulate liner providing a higher R-value, a cab slider window, a roof rack, side slider windows, Seitz “Euro-style” side windows (17×43 inches), side hatch doors (17×43 inches), rear lift gate insert window, a 12 volt power system, interior lighting, awnings, interior cabinetry with pull-out refrigerators and cooktops, forced air heating, and a color match to vehicle. Without a doubt, one of the 5 best truck campers for the Ram Power Wagon. Available factory direct at the company’s headquarters in Prescott, Arizona. Pricing for the Atlas starts at a very affordable $13,000.
3. Four Wheel Camper Project M Topper
Another superb truck topper which made our list. The brand-new Four Wheel Camper Project M truck topper was designed for those who want a camper that is ultra-light, yet retains use of the bed for hauling gear, firewood, and material for home construction projects. Like all Four Wheel Camper truck campers, the Project M features an all-aluminum welded frame, aluminum siding, and a one-piece aluminum roof. The 425-pound topper features a fully insulated roof and sides, four large windows with screens and window covers, and an impressive 6 feet 6 inches of interior standing room. The best options include solar power and and a portable battery to power things like power portable refrigerators, computers, phones, and lights. Other options include top, side, and hitch racks for things like water or gas containers, shovels, Maxtrax, surf boards, kayaks, bikes, snow skis, etc. In the future, Four Wheel Campers will offer retrofittable, modular interior options like drawers and cabinets for organization, and racks for easy and safe transport of equipment and gear. Available in numerous colors in smooth, ribbed, or diamond-plate aluminum. A lightweight match for the Ram Power Wagon, pricing starts at a affordable $9,795.
4. Hallmark Milner 6.5
Introduced in 1969 and , the Hallmark Milner 6.5 is as an enduring classic and built to go off-road. Like all Hallmark campers, the Milner is constructed of a durable, yet attractive molded fiberglass composite topped with a low-maintenance, one-piece molded composite roof. In spite of its stout construction, however, the camper still only weighs 1,212 pounds dry. When you go with Hallmark you go with the best. Standard features include a 60×80-inch east-west bed with under bed storage; a large, 30-gallon fresh water tank; molded one-piece counter tops; exclusive big view double windows; a three-way 3.8-cubic foot refrigerator; a 5-gallon propane tank; attractive overhead cabinets with Tambour doors; and a battery compartment large enough to hold two AGM or lithium batteries. The list of options Hallmark offers is just as impressive and includes a 12-gallon gray tank, a 5-gallon black tank, a cubby large enough to store a portable toilet, a north-south bed, a shower pan for indoor showers, a 4.2-cubic foot compressor refrigerator, and a Zamp 160-watt solar suitcase. And unlike many truck camper manufacturers, Hallmark even gives you options on the look of the interior cabinetry. All campers come standard with Oak or Amber Bamboo cabinets, while Cherry, Blond Bamboo, Maple, and Hickory cabinetry are available as options. A venerable classic, one of the 5 best truck campers for the Ram Power Wagon, the Hallmark Milner 6.5 lists for $42,695.
5. Overland Explorer Camp-X
The Camp-X is one of the newest truck campers by Canada-based Overland Explorer Vehicles (OEV). This rugged, well-built, slide-in truck camper features a proprietary composite construction with R8 insulation, and an aluminum extrusion system to help keep the weight down, while at the same time increasing the strength of the camper and nearly eliminating thermal transfer. The 6-foot 2-inch floorplan features a king-size bed, 6 feet 10 inches of headroom, a large kitchen on the driver side and an L-shape dinette on the passenger side. Features include a 20 gallon fresh water holding tank, a 20-pound propane tank, a Victron group-27 100 amp hour battery, a Dometic CFX DC compressor refrigerator, a Remo Removable Dinette Table, Redarc Manager 30 with display, a Truma AquaGo water heater, and a Truma Vario Heat furnace. The camper also comes with an outside shower enclosure bracket kit with universal adapters, four Reico Titan manual lift jacks, and four Torklift Anchor Guard Derringer tie-downs. However, due to the camper’s 1,350-pound weight, options, which include a 180 watt solar panel, a 125 amp hour lithium ion battery, an OEV light bar, and an OEV roof rack, should carefully be considered. The Overland Explorer Vehicles Camp-X lists for $38,771 USD for the base model.
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