Nestled at the end of a long gravel driveway a few miles outside of Tulsa, Oklahoma is a simple two door garage. The wood stove keeps the work area warm and cozy and if there hadn’t been a fully built Ram 2500 with a custom flatbed camper in the driveway, you would never know that Bison Overland Campers was operating out of the shop. At the beginning of the pandemic, founders Drew and Cody realized they would have a lot of spare time on their hands and the ability to make a product that was in high demand, flat-bed truck campers.
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Drew began his foray into building campers by taking apart mass-produced pop-top campers and fixing the things that he didn’t like. Soon, he realized that it would be easier to simply build the camper that he wanted from scratch instead of modifying an existing model. Drew and Cody began building the first Bison Overland Camper, the Space Wrangler for Drew and his family to use on his Dodge 2500. That’s when Drew and Cody realized that they might be the guys to fill a hole in the overland camper market by offering their products commercially.
Interest has been impressive and overwhelming, but the two former insurance brokers are now all in on providing a built-to-order flatbed camper around the $22,000 price point, a deal for the amount of camper that you get for your money.
Photo by Bison Overland Campers
A Closer Look at the Bison Shell
The Bison Shell that I toured was nearly complete. The exterior is skinned with 1/16-inch aluminum that has been powder coated. The entry door, wide rear window, hatch doors, and side windows are all made by Tern Overland, a supplier of top notch expedition-grade windows and doors. Under each end of the “box” portion of the camper is a receiver style tube for installing camper jacks when the camper isn’t on the truck.
No one likes spending hours unbolting camper jacks and there are few feelings as cringe-inducing as getting your slide-in hung up by a camper jack when driving a tight trail. The best part, the short-bed Bison Shell weighs in under 1,200 pounds (544 kg) and future composite models could weigh in around 800 pounds (363 kg).
Photo by Bison Overland Campers
The interior has a very cozy feel with a hardwood ply back wall and grey tweed fabric on the other walls and on the ceiling. At six feet, three inches tall, I had to duck to get in. Once inside, I was able to stand without turning my head. The floor plan is roomy and completely customizable to fit each buyer’s needs.
The model that I toured has hatches to the outside along the driver’s side and Tern windows on each wall. Popping the top, a super easy and simple process, reveals two wide windows on each side of the top creating a panoramic view of your campsite.
The electrical system can be customized to fit the customer’s needs and layout and is based on Blue Sea components and Dakota Lithium batteries with the option to upgrade to a full Redarc electrical system. The roof comes standard with one Maxxair fan with the option to add an additional fan above the bed. Lighting is accomplished inside and out by recessed LED lights.
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The base Bison Overland Camper starts at $22,000 with a ton of customizable options available like the Redarc power management system ($6,000), lithium batteries (starting at $899), awnings (starting at $1750), and camper jacks ($900).
Photo by Bison Overland Campers
What’s Next for Bison Overland Campers?
Drew and Cody are working to expand their operations to a larger facility nearby and are beginning the prototyping process for composite and hard-sided campers. The newest option being added to their Bison Shell is a CNC-cut interior kit that will add approximately $4,000 to the price-tag, but will allow owners to have a fully livable camper right off the showroom floor.
You can learn more about Bison Overland Campers at bisonoverlandcampers.com and on Facebook and Instagram @bisonoverlandcampers.
Header photo by: Bison Overland Campers
Overlanding Industry News by Zach Elseman. Follow Zach @okienomads.
