In terms of ease and convenience, one cannot go wrong with a truck camper. Truck campers have been around for decades and one company, Capri Camper, has been around most of that time since 1969 with a facility outside Fort Worth, Texas. In 2014, Capri Camper was purchased by father and son Pete & Tyson D'Acosta and the experience has been life changing for them.
Capri Camper offers two basic truck camper models with a world of customization to each model for complete personalization to fit each consumer’s need. The truck campers are light and can be used with a half-ton, which is rare in the truck camper world. Some of them can even be used with the lighter trucks such as the Tacomas, Colorados, etc.
"Tyson and I had never been in a truck camper before buying the company," Pete D'Acosta admitted to The Buzz. D'Acosta recalls that he was sitting at the table with his family and his kids told him that they wish he owned a business they could get involved in some day. "It got me thinking that I should slow down and start looking for small company to buy," D'Acosta says. "When we found Capri Camper, it was exactly what we were looking for."
Capri Camper's Cowboy model taking a ride in the snow with Ram truck.
Now, father and son work the front office, while 12 craftsmen construct the campers in the warehouse. The company prides itself on superior craftsmanship and astoundingly personal customer service. "We want the experience working with us to feel like a throwback, you know, the kind of personal service you used to get years ago," D'Acosta explains. "We get about 30 calls a day. The first time a customer calls, either Tyson or I answer it. If the customer wants to start the process of purchasing a camper, we will work with them all the way through the process. As the camper is being built, we send pictures and give updates during its construction. As Pete and I were talking, Tyson was shaking hands and saying goodbye to a couple who came up from south Texas, and they drove away with their brand new camper. “We give everyone our personal cell phone numbers and they are able to call us anytime they need."
This kind of customer service gives way to a simple, high quality camper. The two models are wood framed surrounded by aluminum panels, giving a classic look that has looked the same for 50 years. The Retreat model is a cab-over camper and has a base price of $11,995. The Cowboy model is smaller and starts at $7,495. With each model, customized packages and different interior options are plentifully available. These are put in place to appeal to the diverse customer base Capri Camper enjoys.
Originally Capri Camper was known as the campers for rodeo cowboys. "About 8 or 9 years before we bought the company, cowboys using Capri Campers started to fade," D'Acosta says. "So when we bought the company, the first thing we did was reach out to the cowboys." The response was positive and now about 30 of the top rodeo cowboys and cowgirls in the world use Capri Camper truck campers. For D'Acosta, this has been a touching experience. "I have to say something about these young men and women: Never have I met a group of people who are more respectful, polite and just an absolute pleasure to work with."
Cowboys and Cowgirls are not the only people who buy the campers, though. Hunters, fishermen, and couples who want an easy weekend retreat are just as much a part of the customer base than any. "Most people find out about us in a similar fashion," D'Acosta says. "They see a Capri somewhere along the road and they stop and think, 'Hey, that's a nice camper!' So they call us or look us up and they find out we are made in Texas; a small, customer-first company, and we proceed from there." People from all over the United States come to the factory in Texas to get their truck camper installed by the family business.
Working in the RV business with his son has been a surprising and rewarding experience for D’Acosta. He explains, “One of the more amazing revelations that I came upon is this - I have ran much bigger companies and traveled all over working in a faster lane, dealing with the rat race. Yet, never once did we stop and think about the personality and make-up of the customer. We were just buying, building, and selling and that’s it. And then I started here. And I have to say that the customers who buy our campers are genuinely the finest, nicest people we have ever met. Every time we meet a customer, we start a brand new friendship.”
If you are looking for a quality truck camper, design one with Capri Camper and then head on down to Texas and pick it up!