In one of their video advertisements, Leentu starts with a quote from the Edward Abbey, most famous from his terrific memoir Desert Solitaire. It says, "Wilderness is not a luxury, but a necessity of the human spirit." With that in mind, Leentu set out to make a tent/truck camper for the Toyota Tacoma, a truck that is not particularly known for its payload. "We met working as contractors in San Francisco and became fixated on figuring out a better truck camping solution after some friends came back from a surf trip in Baja complaining about their setup. We wanted to build something that would enable us to maintain the utility of our 9-5 work truck, without compromising the ability to venture off the beaten path and camp on the weekend, all the while living in a city," says Chris, cofounder of Leentu. "So we started talking about a rooftop camper and it grew from there."
Chris and Scott, the founders, started building their first carbon fiber truck camper prototype in 2015. "I had a bit of experience working with composites, so we challenged ourselves to see what we could make and how far we could push it," Chris explains. They started building in Chris' backyard just a couple blocks from Ocean Beach before moving the operation to a warehouse space in Oakland. "My neighbors were not happy," he chuckles, "but once we had it built we took it all over and saw how much it could handle." At this point, they knew they had a product that could appeal to a range of consumers.
Back view of white carbon fiber Leentu on Toyota Tacoma pickup truck. [Photo/Leentu]
Having the relatively small Toyota Tacoma to work with (the payload capacity of the Tacoma ranges between 1,100-1,600 lbs), they knew it had to be light. They decided to go really, really light. Making a carbon fiber model, these truck campers only weigh 150 and 100 pounds, respectively. That's less than two bags of concrete. And what one gets out of the pop-up camper, is astounding. "Everything else in the market is heavy, so we were really aimed at making it lightweight," they say. Because of the materials they are using, it is a very durable and can easily handle off-roading and boondocking. As said on the website, "After methodically constructing, testing, fine-tuning and thoroughly abusing our two prototypes -- from Baja to Moab, Humboldt to the Mojave – we finalized our design, confident that our ultra-lightweight, low profile camper achieves each of these goals, while providing the dependability and comfort required in a true go-anywhere, off-road camper."
Carbon fiber is an interesting choice of material for a camper. If the goal is lightweight, it is a very natural choice as it is about half the weight of aluminum, already a lightweight alternative to steel. "I have always been obsessed with aviation," Chris notes. "So the Leentu, as well as our soon to be released second offering the Sunzal Utility Pop-up, which features an aluminum frame with inset carbon fiber panels, are influenced by that." Carbon fiber is stronger and stiffer than steel by weight and uses less material; however, it is more expensive to produce. For Leentu, though, it is worth the cost, in order to achieve the ambitious weight and aerodynamics goals they set for their campers. Plus, it appeals to design-oriented taste. "Our campers are high design," Scott says, "And people who are interested in tech, aerospace, and efficiency, like us, really like that look."
Watching a video of the popup, it looks remarkably simple. Simply, unlatch the top, lift the roof up (the carbon fiber roof is only 21 pounds), then put the tent in place and start enjoying. So why Tacoma? Besides the fact that Scott and Chris have one, it is an extremely popular truck model. In 2018, it averaged 20,000 trucks being sold every month. For comparison, the Nissan Frontier, a similar sized truck, sold about 6,000 a month. It is the fourth-best-selling pickup truck, the best-selling midsize pickup, and is one of America's best-selling vehicles overall. It has continuously made huge strides in the market since it appeared in 1995. Leentu campers fit the second and third generation models, 2005 and up.
The sub-150 lb. Leentu Carbon camper will be shipping out in the next few months, primarily to original buyers. Meanwhile, the more economical Sunzal Utility Pop-up Camper, will be available for a wider range of trucks, including the most popular selling vehicle in America - the Ford F-150. “The Sunzal’s aluminum frame, while a little bit heavier, is easily scalable to accommodate any truck model we want to service,” Scott says, “So we have a lot more flexibility in terms of fit, since it does not require custom molds.”
The philosophy of the company is clear - make high-quality, high-tech, lightweight camping products that will motivate people to get our and enjoy nature at a moments notice. Both Scott and Chris were outside enthusiasts since childhood. “I was introduced to camping by my dad,” Chris recalls, “We’d spend time in the mountains, go on road trips, and find any excuse to get outside.” Scott grew up playing a range of sports and fell in love with surfing in his late teens, which ultimately led him to the Bay Area where he landed his first job working for a boutique public relations agency, representing a range of brands within the outdoor industry. There he was introduced to the expansive playground of the West. “So that’s what we want to do,” Scott says. “Bring together our love of design, engineering and smart technology to create really cool campers that will inspire people to spend more time outside engaging with the world around them, and at the same time give us plenty of excuses to go on road trips.”