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BEAR Adventure Vehicles

🇺🇸 Assembled in USAHard Sided Slide-In
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BEAR Adventure Vehicles truck camper

Photo: BEAR Adventure Vehicles

What is BEAR Adventure Vehicles?

BEAR Adventure Vehicles, based in Santa Paula, California, builds Total Composites hard-sided shells into finished and semi-finished truck campers under names like the Black Bear (midsize) and Brown Bear (full-size), starting at $17,200 for an empty shell.

About BEAR Adventure Vehicles

BEAR Adventure Vehicles operates out of their Santa Paula, California facility, which they call the Bear Den. The company builds its lineup on Total Composites FRP (fiberglass-reinforced polymer) foam-core shells, the same composite system used by expedition builders across North America. BEAR's contribution is bringing those shells into their California shop, finishing them to a customer's specification, and attaching the BEAR name to a product they stand behind. The result is a camper that combines the thermal performance and structural integrity of a fully composite build with a Southern California builder's personal involvement in each unit.

The truck-bed lineup divides into two families. The Black Bear is sized for mid-size platforms: the 5.0 fits a five-foot bed and starts at 540 lbs empty, making it one of the lightest fully four-season composite slide-ins available for a Tacoma or Gladiator; the 7.0 steps up to a seven-foot bed at 606 lbs. The Brown Bear is built around full-size truck beds: the 6.5 is designed for 6.5-foot short-bed platforms at 795 lbs, and the 8.0 covers eight-foot long beds at 895 lbs. Both series use Total Composites shells with R12 insulation throughout and a choice of hot-weather mesh door or an insulated cold-weather door. The site also lists two flatbed models: the Polar Bear for standard flatbeds and the Kodiak Bear with a departure-angle design for added approach and departure clearance.

BEAR campers are sold as shells with customizable interiors: a buyer can take the empty structure and build their own kit, or work directly with BEAR to spec sleeping, cooking, and power systems. The Black Bear 5.0 was featured in Outside magazine's 2023 Summer Gear Guide, and the company maintains an active social presence at @bear_adventurevehicles on Instagram.

Key Features

  • Built on Total Composites foam-core fiberglass shells with R12 insulation and no wood framing, offering near-zero thermal bridging for genuine four-season performance
  • Black Bear 5.0 starts at 540 lbs and fits a five-foot bed, one of the lightest fully composite slide-in shells available for a Toyota Tacoma or Jeep Gladiator
  • Assembled in Santa Paula, California at BEAR's own Bear Den facility, with customizable interior build-out options from a blank shell to a finished camper
  • Featured in Outside magazine's 2023 Summer Gear Guide
  • Covers mid-size beds (5.0 and 7.0 ft) through full-size short and long beds, plus dedicated flatbed models for 6.5 and 8.0 ft platforms

Models & Specs

BEAR Black Bear 5.0

Photo: BEAR Adventure Vehicles

BEAR Black Bear 5.0

The entry point to BEAR's lineup and one of the lightest composite slide-ins for mid-size trucks at 540 lbs empty, featured in Outside magazine's 2023 Summer Gear Guide.

$17,200540 lbFits: Mid-size trucks with five-foot beds: Toyota Tacoma short bed, Jeep Gladiator. Per the spec sheet, the shell fits within the tailgate line.View
BEAR Black Bear 7.0

Photo: BEAR Adventure Vehicles

BEAR Black Bear 7.0

The long-bed mid-size option adds interior floor length over the 5.0 while adding only 66 lbs, keeping the same 68-inch exterior width and 74-inch interior height for trucks with a seven-foot bed.

$17,600606 lbFits: Mid-size trucks with seven-foot beds: Toyota Tacoma long bed, Jeep Gladiator long bed, and equivalent mid-size platforms.View
BEAR Brown Bear 6.5

Photo: BEAR Adventure Vehicles

BEAR Brown Bear 6.5

BEAR's full-size short-bed slide-in steps up to an 81-inch exterior width and 82-inch interior height at 795 lbs, delivering a notably taller standing-room shell for half-ton short-bed trucks.

$18,500795 lbFits: Full-size trucks with 6.5-foot short beds: Ford F-150, Ram 1500, Toyota Tundra & moreView

Specs

Pricing

Price (empty shell)
17,200 USD

Weight

Dry weight (empty shell)
540 lb
Approximate weight (built)
850 lb

Dimensions

Exterior length
106.25 in
Interior floor length
102.3 in
Exterior width
68 in
Interior width
64 in
Exterior height
78 in
Interior height
74 in
Cab-over depth
43 in

Build

Panel construction
Foam-core FRP composite (Total Composites)
Insulation
R12 throughout
Season rating
4-season
Interior finish
Empty shell (customizable)
Country of assembly
USA (Santa Paula, CA)

Review Videos

Independent ReviewManufacturer

Contact

Address

126 S Hallock Dr, Santa Paula, CA 93060

Southwest

Visit contact page

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Total Composites shell system provides near-zero thermal bridging, which means no condensation on interior walls even in sustained sub-freezing temperatures
  • Black Bear 5.0 at 540 lbs empty is among the lightest four-season composite shells for mid-size trucks, keeping payload impact manageable on a Tacoma or Gladiator
  • R12 insulation throughout the shell is a higher-rated spec than most fabric-walled or aluminum-framed pop-up competitors in the same weight class
  • Customizable interior means the buyer pays only for features they actually want, rather than a factory-spec RV interior they may discard
  • Southern California assembly by a small-batch builder means direct contact with the person building your rig, which larger manufacturers cannot offer
  • Flatbed models (Polar Bear and Kodiak Bear) share the same composite shell system, giving flatbed-truck buyers access to the same four-season performance

Cons

  • Sold primarily as an empty shell; buyers without DIY experience or a budget for custom interior work will need to factor in significant additional cost beyond the shell price
  • No detailed interior spec, plumbing, electrical, or sleeping system is included at the listed shell prices, unlike fully outfitted competitors in the same price range
  • Website is sparse on detailed specs: exact dimensions for some models are only available in downloadable PDFs, and no truck-payload guidance is published
  • The composite panels are manufactured overseas, not built from scratch in California, which matters to buyers who prioritize fully domestic manufacturing
  • Small-batch production in Santa Paula means limited dealer or service network; buyers outside Southern California may face long trips for in-person walkthroughs or warranty work
  • Brown Bear 8.0 dimension data was not extractable in text form from the published PDF at time of writing; buyers should confirm specs directly with BEAR

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is BEAR Adventure Vehicles?
BEAR Adventure Vehicles is a truck camper builder based in Santa Paula, California. The company assembles hard-sided composite slide-in shells into finished and semi-finished truck campers under four model lines: the Black Bear (midsize trucks), Brown Bear (full-size trucks), and the Polar Bear and Kodiak Bear (flatbed platforms). BEAR builds on Total Composites FRP foam-core shells and finishes them at their Santa Paula facility, the Bear Den. Reach them at 805-392-5029 or info@bearvehicles.com.
How much does a BEAR Adventure Vehicles camper cost?
Shell prices start at $17,200 for the Black Bear 5.0 and $17,600 for the Black Bear 7.0. Full-size Brown Bear models are $18,500 for the 6.5-foot and $19,500 for the 8.0-foot. Flatbed Polar Bear models run $25,000 (6.5 ft) and $26,000 (8.0 ft); the Kodiak Bear flatbeds are $26,000 (6.5 ft) and $27,000 (8.0 ft). All prices are for the empty shell. Contact BEAR directly for finished interior pricing.
How much does a BEAR Adventure Vehicles camper weigh?
Weights are published on BEAR's resources page PDFs as empty-shell-with-door figures. The Black Bear 5.0 is 540 lbs. The Black Bear 7.0 is 606 lbs. The Brown Bear 6.5 is 795 lbs. The Brown Bear 8.0 is 895 lbs. The flatbed Polar Bear and Kodiak Bear models run heavier; their published shell weights are listed on BEAR's resources page. Interior build-out adds weight on top of these figures.
What trucks fit the Black Bear and Brown Bear?
The Black Bear is designed for mid-size trucks. The 5.0 model targets five-foot beds including the Toyota Tacoma and Jeep Gladiator, and per BEAR's spec sheet is designed to fit inside the tailgate line. The 7.0 fits seven-foot beds on mid-size platforms. The Brown Bear is designed for full-size trucks: the 6.5-foot model targets F-150, Ram 1500, Silverado 1500, and similar short-bed platforms; the 8.0 fits eight-foot long beds on 3/4-ton and one-ton trucks. Always verify your truck's payload rating against the wet weight of the finished camper.
Are BEAR Adventure Vehicles campers four-season rated?
Yes. All BEAR models use Total Composites FRP foam-core shells with R12 insulation throughout. The composite sandwich construction provides near-zero thermal bridging, which prevents condensation on interior surfaces in sustained cold temperatures. The Black Bear 5.0 was featured in Outside magazine's 2023 Summer Gear Guide. Door options include an insulated cold-weather door for foul-weather use.
What shell system does BEAR use?
BEAR builds on Total Composites shells, a system developed by Andreas Schwall using FRP pultrusion corners bonded to foam-core fiberglass panels. The panels are manufactured with German engineering standards and the same material system used by expedition builders who have run Total Composites-based rigs to the magnetic North Pole. BEAR assembles and finishes these shells at their Santa Paula, California facility.
Does BEAR sell a finished, ready-to-camp truck camper?
BEAR sells at the shell level, meaning the base purchase is the composite structure with a door. Interior build-out is customizable: buyers can take the empty shell and complete their own interior, or work with BEAR to spec sleeping, cooking, power, and storage systems. Contact BEAR at info@bearvehicles.com or 805-392-5029 to discuss finished interior options and pricing.