Scout Campers Yoho Pop Up Truck Camper Debut

Oct 14, 2024

After 4 years of making hard-wall campers, Yakima, Washington’s Scout Campers is debuting its first pop-top model today. Not only does the top pop, but the rest of the camper has also been refined and upgraded with the latest materials and tech.

Up first is the Yoho, Scout’s smallest camper. The company’s website has two “coming soon” sections, likely indicating that we’ll see an Olympic Pop-Top and a Kenai Pop-Top — the two larger models in Scout’s current hard-sided lineup. The company told me both are expected before the end of the year.

For now, let’s dive into what the new Scout Yoho Pop Up is all about.

Just like the hard-sided Scout camper lineup, the Yoho Pop Up is made of composite panels with an aluminum exoskeleton.

New for the Pop Up is a one-piece vacuum-infused composite roof. This design not only mimics the same radiuses of the hard shell model’s roofs for consistent looks but also sheds water well and, more importantly, allows for a larger door. Pop-top truck camper doors are notorious for being super small. The Yoho Pop Up has a 20.5-inch by 47.25-inch door.

What makes this camper top pop is a new, in-house designed, patent-pending manual mechanism. It offers a one-motion up and one down from one position in the camper. This Scout Easy Rise lift system should make camp setup super simple and fast, even with just one person.

A very welcome feature of this roof and pop-top mechanism is the ability to leave bedding in place when the top is down. This just makes camp setup and breakdown that much easier. And it means you don’t have to find a new home for your bedding when in transit.

Connecting the top to the hard-sided camper base is a breathable, water-resistant, and UV-resistant tent that Go Fast Campers (GFC) helped engineer. The tent offers six large windows with zippered privacy and bug screens built into all of them.

In talking with the good people at Scout, I found out that the tent is designed to be swapped out in around 10 minutes. This makes repairs super easy.

An insulating kit for the tent will be available later this year but not at launch. Scout is still dialing in its plan for this option but is currently leaning toward offering a whole new tent with insulation in it versus a Velcro-in insulating layer like most campers use.

The Scout Yoho Pop Up’s roof has a Fantastic Fan 12V roof vent/fan and two 100W solar panels. An LED rear porch light is also standard.

Optionally, you can add a rear-mounted diesel heater and a two-gallon Roto Pax water can. Also, bilateral bed rail runners, camper jacks, and a Kammock 270-degree awning can be fitted from the factory.

Inside the Yoho Pop Up is a slightly different layout than we’ve seen from Scout Campers. It, of course, changed a bit, as there is much less vertical interior space when the top is lowered than in a hard-sided camper. The overall features are all still there, however, with a rear-entry door, a convertible dinette, cab-over bed, a galley with sink, counter space, storage, a Lifeproof water filter can, a GZ Yeti power station, and a place for a stove.

The dinette Lagun Adjustable Table is now larger — 14″ x 18″ folded and 28″ x 18″ unfolded — but with the same adjustable swinging action. When converted to a bed, the dinette should sleep one adult comfortably, but two could make it happen.

Under the dinette, in the center of the camper, a Dometic CFX3 45L 12V fridge/freezer can be optioned. Just like on other Scout campers, accessing the fridge is still a single-motion affair, which is a super-convenient feature.

The galley now offers more counter space, a flush-mounted stainless steel sink, and a drop-in location for an optional propane cooktop.

The main bed in the cab-over part of the camper offers a 51×72-inch sleeping surface. It can be expanded with an optional slide-out bunk extension, which adds 24 inches — for a total of 75 inches long.

The roof-mounted solar feeds a Goal Zero Yeti 3000X portable lithium power station. That power then feeds the interior LED lighting and outdoor porch light. It can also power up whatever else you outfit the camper with, like the optional Dometic 45L fridge/freezer.

New materials are on display inside the camper. The cabinetry is now made of resin-reinforced recycled paper. It said to not only be eco-friendly, but also thinner, more durable, water-resistant, food prep safe, and can double as a chalkboard. Atop those cabinets is a Bamboo countertop.

All the soft surfaces inside the camper are now covered in a new Arlo Soft Touch Performance Fabric, which is said to feel a bit like suede. It is available in either Canyon or Pine color options.

Sadly, not available from the Scout factory are A/C or roof rack options. You can install both on your own, but there are currently no factory-backed solutions.

I’ve always preferred pop-top truck campers over hard-wall ones because I carry kayaks, bikes, and other large outdoor gear — like skis, paddles, SUPs, etc. — on my roof. A pop-top design helps keep the overall height of the vehicle as low as possible — where hard-sided campers would be too tall to fit down forest roads with kayaks or bikes roof-mounted.

The Scout Yoho Pop Up is designed to fit in 5.5-foot bed pickups with the tailgate off, and 6-foot bed pickups with the tailgate shut. Mid-sized U.S. pickups are the primary target, but half-ton trucks are likely a better option for many.

That is because of the weight. While pretty light for such a quality camper at 976 pounds, it quickly maxes out payload on most mid-sized pickups. Exceeding gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) is going to be an issue on vehicles like the Tacoma, which has a payload of 1,230 to 1,700 pounds. Remember, that payload must include occupants, fuel, water, gear, camper, truck mods, and anything else you put in or on the truck.

Scout recommends airbags or upgraded leaf springs to properly carry the load of its campers.

Pricing for the Scout Yoho Pop-Top starts at $27,900. Sticking with the company’s minimalist approach, which DIYers love, the price excludes the fridge, cooktop, and slide-out bunk extension — all things you’ll likely want with this camper. When those basic options are added, the camper will cost $30,485.

You can get your preorder in now, with the first deliveries of the Scout Yoho expected in September.

Check out all the details now on Scout’s website and use the company’s online configurator to build out your dream pop-top truck camper.

Scout will also have the new Yoho Pop Up camper at both the upcoming NW Overland Rally and Overland Expo PNW, where you can see it in person.

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