Some truck campers spend more time plugged into campground power pedestals than exploring the backroads they were designed to conquer. Gary and Gretchen Matos think that’s a shame.
Over the past 15 years, the Oregon couple has logged nearly 100,000 miles and more than 500 nights in Four Wheel Campers. They’ve wandered from the Arctic reaches of Canada to the tip of Baja, Mexico, tackled rugged mountain trails, explored forgotten desert tracks, and somehow still find themselves planning the next adventure before the current one is over.
Their newest setup—a Ram 3500 carrying one of the first Four Wheel Camper Hawk+ Flatbeds—isn’t simply another truck camper. It’s a rig they helped shape from the very beginning.
And like everything Gary builds or modifies, every decision has a purpose.
Fifty Years in the Making
Gary and Gretchen’s adventure story didn’t begin with truck campers. It started in high school.
“We met each other 50 years ago,” Gary says. “Even back then we enjoyed the outdoors and exploring with packs on our backs.”
Life, careers, and raising a family temporarily slowed the adventures, but they never disappeared.
“The dream never went into our back pocket,” Gary explains. “It was always burning a wear spot in the front of our jeans.”
After decades in Portland, the couple retired to Sisters, Oregon, where life revolves around hiking, kayaking, biking, splitting firewood, and planning the next trip. Their Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, Penny, has become a permanent member of the expedition team.
“Gretchen is the navigator, I’m the driver, and Penny provides a lot of smiles per mile,” he said.
It’s a simple formula that’s taken them to places most travelers never see.
Truck Campers That Earn Their Miles
Gary isn’t someone who buys equipment because it’s fashionable. He’s an engineer.
Throughout his career he worked in semiconductor product development before moving into strategic business management. Gretchen, meanwhile, built a career as a professional geographer specializing in wetland delineation, including more than a decade working on California’s Owens Valley rehydration project.
Together they naturally analyze everything.
When they bought their first Four Wheel Camper—a Fleet model mounted on a heavily modified Toyota Tacoma—they weren’t looking for luxury. They were looking for capability.
That little rig carried them throughout western North America and deep into Baja without ever letting them down.
“It got us into places most travelers would have to bypass.”
Eventually, however, reality caught up with them.
“As we got older we wanted a little more elbow room, dance floor space, and a few more amenities without sacrificing off-road capability.”
Enter the Hawk Flatbed.
After five years and nearly 100,000 miles with that camper, Gary and Gretchen had developed plenty of ideas about what could make it even better.
Fortunately, Four Wheel Campers wanted to listen.
Helping Create the Hawk+
Few customers ever get the opportunity to influence the next generation of the product they love.
Gary did.
Two years ago he and several other Four Wheel Camper owners became involved during development of the Hawk+, offering ideas and real-world experience accumulated from hundreds of nights off-grid.
“Four Wheel Campers didn’t just listen,” Gary says. “They embraced customer input.”
When it came time to upgrade, the decision practically made itself. The Hawk+ delivers exactly what experienced travelers had been asking for.
There’s noticeably more floor space, additional countertop area, significantly improved storage, a 40-gallon fresh water tank, a 5-gallon gray water waste tank—a first for Four Wheel Campers—and a vastly upgraded electrical system.
Those improvements may sound small individually. Collectively they transform everyday camping.
One of Gary’s favorite upgrades is surprisingly simple. Unlike previous models that required digging into deep storage compartments near the floor, much of the Hawk+’s storage now sits comfortably at waist height.
“No more bending over to look into dark holes,” he laughs.
Another favorite feature is the exterior access hatch beneath the dinette.
“It doubles as an outdoor happy hour bar.”
Now that’s thoughtful engineering.
Bigger Power Without Bigger Compromise
Like many experienced overlanders, Gary believes battery capacity should match how you actually camp—not simply chase the biggest numbers possible.
Their Four Wheel Camper Hawk+ carries dual lithium batteries providing 324 amp-hours along with 500 watts of roof-mounted solar.
While Four Wheel Campers offers systems capable of supporting induction cooking and even larger battery banks, Gary deliberately chose moderation.
“We’re still a little old school,” he says.
Propane continues handling cooking and heating duties because it’s incredibly efficient, allowing valuable storage space to remain available for gear instead of batteries.
The electrical upgrades do include one feature Gary particularly appreciates—weatherproof exterior USB, 120-volt, and Starlink outlets located beside the camper door.
It’s one of those additions that seems insignificant until you actually use it.
His wish list isn’t empty, however.
He’d love to see an exterior cable pass-through allowing Starlink, cellular booster, amateur radio, and solar generator cables to enter the camper without drilling holes or pinching wires through windows.
Simplicity Beats Complexity
Gary’s philosophy extends far beyond the camper itself. When building his Ram 3500, every modification served a purpose. Nothing was added simply because it looked good on social media.
One of the smartest decisions was actually deleting something.
Instead of installing the common rear storage slide found on many flatbeds, Gary removed it from the build entirely.
That single decision lowered the flatbed 5.5-inches on the truck frame. The benefits were immediate. The center of gravity dropped. The truck became more stable. The camper required fewer steps to enter.
“It makes a huge difference when you’re climbing in and out dozens of times every evening.”
That’s classic Gary. Small change. Big payoff.
Built, Not Bought
The truck itself reflects the same philosophy.
Custom bumpers built by ProLine Fabrication in Prineville, Oregon, replaced expensive off-the-shelf options. Gary designed them himself. ProLine fabricated exactly what he envisioned while allowing him to participate during construction.
The result? Heavy-duty bumpers tailored specifically to the truck, complete with hidden cable routing for his HF amateur radio antenna—all at roughly half the cost of comparable commercial products.
It’s another example of Gary focusing on function before appearance.
As Steve Jobs famously said, “Simple can be harder than complex.”
Gary couldn’t agree more.
Suspension Done Right
Supporting an approximately 11,000-pound expedition truck requires more than factory suspension.
Gary started with a Carli Suspension 3-inch Pintop 2.5-inch system before adding Carli rear shackles, a heavy-duty torsion sway bar, and both low- and high-mount steering stabilizers.
“The steering stabilizer was a game changer.”
According to Gary, the truck now tracks straight down the highway while dramatically improving steering confidence on rough roads.
Firestone airbags were added primarily as redundancy while also helping control camper sway over uneven terrain.
Combined with BFGoodrich KO3 all-terrain tires mounted on Method Race wheels, the truck has become exactly what Gary envisioned—a reliable overland platform capable of traveling long distances comfortably before tackling difficult backcountry roads.
Gear Favorites
Ask Gary about his favorite gear and you won’t hear expensive gadgets first. Instead, he’ll tell you every truck should carry some form of emergency communications.
For him, GMRS radios offer tremendous capability without requiring an amateur radio license. Once camp is established, GoTreads traction boards come off the truck almost immediately. Besides providing recovery capability, they double as leveling blocks.
“Gretchen will tell me we need three splits up front and two in the rear.”
Outside, the Dragon Fly Tarp provides a welcome patch of shade, creating a comfortable place to relax when the sun is high.
Inside the camper, Cook Partner’s single-burner stove remains indispensable.
Battery-powered puck lights illuminate cabinets.
Blue Ridge organizers keep everything from coffee to charging cables neatly arranged.
None of these upgrades are flashy. All of them get used. That’s the difference.
Why Pop-Ups Still Matter
After watching friends struggle with complicated slide-outs and hydraulic lifting systems on expensive off-road trailers, Gary has become an even stronger believer in mechanical simplicity.
One trip ended with a slide refusing to retract.
Another saw a hydraulic roof lift groaning after weeks in Baja’s sand and salt air.
Meanwhile, Gary simply pushes up the roof of his Four Wheel Camper.
“It may require a little muscle, but it has never failed us,” he said.
Sometimes the oldest solution remains the best one.
Adventure Comes First
Gary’s favorite quote from the interview isn’t about batteries, suspension, or campers. It’s about why any of this matters.
“I think the most important message I could convey is to just get out and use your camper as it is intended.”
He’s watched six-figure expedition vehicles spend entire weekends parked in full-hookup campgrounds.
That’s not why he built his rig.
While traveling Idaho’s legendary Magruder Corridor, he found himself looking across seven mountain ranges at twilight.
There wasn’t a single artificial light visible. Bear tracks decorated the truck the following morning. An old ranger station reminded them what travel once looked like.
Those moments—not horsepower, battery capacity, or suspension components—are what matter.
“Our truck camper gets us there,” Gary says, “but campfire stories are driven by deep-rutted memories and experiences, not a diesel engine or a pop-top.”
After listening to Gary and Gretchen describe 15 years of truck camping, it’s difficult to argue with that philosophy.
Because while the Four Wheel Camper Hawk+ may be one of the newest and most refined pop-up campers on the market, the real story isn’t about the camper at all.
It’s about two people who never let their dream of exploring wear out.
They simply kept following the road less traveled.
For more information about these upgrades or Four Wheel Campers in general, email the company direct at sales@fourwh.com.
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