The Ford Mustang is, without a doubt, one of the most iconic cars ever made. When it was released in 1964 the sporty, two-door sedan sold like hot cakes. The company planned on selling 100,000 Mustangs the first year, but dealers ended up selling 22,000 cars on the first day. Unfortunately, Ford engineers and designers couldn’t leave well enough alone. While the fastback designs in the late 60s enhanced the looks and performance of the original, it had morphed into something almost unrecognizable when the Mustang II was released in 1974. It looked like a poorly-made Honda.
Fast forward 15 years when a new start-up called Northern Lite Manufacturing was formed. Through high standards and hard work, the Canadian company quickly became one of the premier truck camper manufacturers in the industry. The company’s success was and remains based on its fiberglass clam-shell design. Unlike the traditional truck camper that relies on a frame for its strength, the Northern Lite camper relies on a reinforced, two-piece fiberglass shell with a 6-year structural warranty, the best in the industry. With this unique approach in design comes an equally unique, aerodynamic shape that is undeniably a Northern Lite. Without a doubt its one the sleekest, best looking truck campers in today’s market.
For years, Northern Lite’s catalog consisted of three full-size models for the one-ton pickup: the 8-11, the 9-6, and 10-2. Yet, when Northern Lite was founded in 1989, the company’s focus was on smaller, lightweight truck campers for imported trucks. Released in 1989 as well, the Northern Lite 610 was one of these early models. To this day it remains a very popular camper. Unfortunately, the only mold for the 610 was destroyed in a catastrophic fire in 2014, resulting in the loss of this great camper. Over the years, the camper—like the original Ford Mustang—built up a coveted, cult-like following, making the acquisition of a classic 610 model difficult.
Then in 2020, COVID struck. As a result of strict social distancing mandates imposed during the pandemic, the demand for RVs in North America soared. With that demand came a need for lightweight campers that could be safely hauled on mid-size and half-ton trucks. In spite of material and manpower shortages, several companies obliged and even Northern Lite decided to get into the act by resurrecting the old 610 model, but this time for the half-ton market instead. After years of design and development, the Northern Lite 610 was relaunched in 2024.
The New Northern Lite 610
Like the majority of good half-ton campers today, the redesigned 610 model is a “minimalistic” camper. The 2024 reboot features an east-west bed, an L-shaped dinette, a cassette toilet, a small kitchen, and a 3 cubic foot DC refrigerator. Gone is the dedicated bathroom, the north-south sleeper, and the face-to-face dinette found in Northern Lite’s larger, more luxurious 8-11, 9-6 and 10-2 models. In order to meet the company’s strict, 1,500 pound weight limit, holding tank sizes of 15 gallons of fresh, 15 gallons of grey, and a 4.75-gallon cassette toilet were selected to help keep things light yet allow a good amount of freedom from RV parks and campgrounds.
Truth be told, designing a half-ton camper is no easy task. Lot’s of things need to be considered like height, weight, length, features, and, of course, looks. Yet in spite of these competing needs, the Northern Lite team successfully met the strict weight limit with a reported dry weight of 1,490 pounds. This weight, of course, is based upon the limited payload ratings of the today’s half-ton pickup. But length played a major role during the development of the camper too. Most half-ton trucks come in the short-bed variety, which imposes its own set of restrictions on a camper. As a result, a 6-foot 4-inch floor length for the camper was established.
Now let’s take a look at the new Northern Lite 610.
The Good
In a very clever move, the Northern Lite team went with the best heating device in the RV industry: the Truma Combi Eco Plus. This combination water heater-furnace not only saves on weight, but also space since only one appliance is needed rather than two. The German import is also more efficient than American models, meaning it uses less propane. With only one 20-pound propane tank in the new 610, the Combi’s capability to sip propane is vital for this four season camper. Why more truck camper companies don’t use the Truma Combi is a mystery, though it took Northern Lite over seven years to get onboard with this cutting-edge heater.
The good, of course, includes everything that makes the Northern Lite truck camper great in the first place. This includes Northern Lite’s famous two-piece, fiberglass design sprayed with R7 insulation and outfitted with Dometic’s excellent acrylic, dual thermopane insulated windows. The design also features a heated basement, making the Northern Lite 610 a true four-season truck camper, a first in this segment. The 610’s basement is nearly 10 inches high and houses nearly all of the camper’s plumbing and the camper’s two 15-gallon holding tanks. Not only that, but the heated basement warms the floor of the camper, making the camper even more enjoyable to use in the dead of winter.
Another good is the 610’s electrical system. The fiberglass camper features an integrated Progressive Dynamics 30-amp converter-charger and two 100 amp hour lithium batteries. A 400 watt solar power system comes standard as well. This, along with the camper’s two lithium batteries, makes the Northern Lite 610 a potent entry when it comes to the off-grid capabilities of this half-ton camper. Northern Lite also offers an optional air conditioner, though, unfortunately, it isn’t a DC model, meaning a generator is needed to run it. Bummer.
The Bad
Unlike the classic 610 model, the 2024 refresh has no windows in the cabover. None, zilch, nada. The primary reason for deleting the windows was based upon the need for blinds, which would be damaged by pillows and the owner’s feet while sleeping. If windows worked in the classic 610 with east-west sleeping why wouldn’t they work in new 610? This line of thinking, simply doesn’t make sense, since the Dometic acrylic windows that Northern Lite uses have built-in blinds already. Yes, there’s a skylight in the cabover, but this skylight does nothing to improve the view unless you’re laying on your back and looking at the stars.
The creation of “cold spots” was another reason cited for deleting the windows. But this line of reasoning doesn’t make sense either since Dometic windows are dual thermopane, meaning they’re insulated for winter use. These are the same exact windows that Northern Lite’s uses in its larger 8-11, 9-6, and 10-2 models. If these windows would create cold spots in the 610 model wouldn’t they do the same in Northern Lite’s larger models? In our opinion, deleting the windows was a big miss by the Northern Lite team. Take one look at the windows in the classic 610 model and you’ll know why.
And the Ugly
Our main qualm with the 610 reboot really comes down to one thing—the camper’s looks. Like the ugly Ford Mustangs of the 1970s, the aesthetic of the new Northern Lite 610 simply isn’t up to Northern Lite’s standard. Gone is the sleek and aerodynamic design of the original. Not only did the original feature Northern Lite’s trademark bump in the cabover roof, but it also a bump over the main door. In contrast with the aerodynamic classic, the new 610 is square and doesn’t look like a real Northern Lite at all (sound familiar?). As a matter of fact, the redesign looks like a Northern Lite 10-2 chopped in half. From our perspective, not much imagination and thought went into the redesign. Supposedly, the company built a basic mock up out of plywood and went from there. Unfortunately, it shows. Outside of the company, nobody that we know really likes the shape of the new 610 model or think it’s an improvement over the beautiful classic.
Final Thoughts
Due to its cult-like following, Northern Lite decision to resurrect the old 610 model was right. Unfortunately, the company learned nothing about that following and why the classic camper was so popular in the first place. Yes, the 610 reboot is small and light and fills a void in the company’s truck camper catalog, yet aside from checking a box, that’s about it. The ungainly shape and lack of windows mar what should have been a home run by Northern Lite team. Still, if you’re looking for a lightweight truck camper for your half-ton truck, the new 610 works rather nicely, though at a whopping $44,000 for a base model, you’d be better served by looking for the iconic, better-looking classic 610 model instead. Unfortunately, finding the coveted 610 is downright difficult today—we saw one posted recently on Facebook Marketplace near Sacramento and it was gone within 24 hours.
Be the first to comment