Camping is very person-specific, depending on one’s tolerance for discomfort and encumbered motoring, but North American company Loki has a solution – the Loki Basecamp.
Combining top-notch craftsmanship and modern engineering, the Loki Basecamp offers a tailor-made, modular unit that fits into the load bed of your bakkie – each model is made to OEM specification, too, so there’s no need for modification to your vehicle.
There are several models available for bakkies of all shapes and sizes, however, the only bakkie on sale in South Africa that they cater for is the Ford Ranger. This is the basis for their smallest model, the Falcon 5, while their largest models fit into the eight-foot load beds of bigger bakkies such as SuperCrew cab Ford F-150’s and the RAM 1500 Classic Tradesman.
The big news is their new Icarus Series, which allows for off-the-grid living thanks to a reinforced fibreglass hull, double density synthetic composite insulation and an electrical system the comprises up to 300 W of solar power, a 600 Ah Lithium battery bank, and a 2 000 W inverter and charger.
Myriad features are available and the Icarus is completely configurable to whatever its intended application, from a “Mud Room” with removable shower and rails for drying equipment to a lounge area with anchor points for an additional bed or a portable toilet, the choice is yours. Exterior options such as 28 000 lumen light bars and retractable canopies are available too – the possibilities are endless. A water pump, drinking water tank, and grey water tank are also included, just to further add to the “off the grid” element of the Icarus.
Unfortunately, the smallest Icarus available is for bakkies with a wide, 6-foot long bed, something which we don’t get in South Africa, however many of the Icarus’ features are available on the Falcon Series which, as mentioned, will fit perfectly into the load bed of a Ford Ranger.
One smart feature of these Loki Basecamp units is that they are completely independent of the machines that are used to move them, making for easier cross-border travel should one need to transfer the unit from one vehicle to another.
Keen to get out of town and live the simple life out the back of your bakkie? Well, the Falcon 5 has a starting price of R1 406 270 ($95 000) excluding the purchase price of your chosen bakkie.
“Loki Basecamp brings your shelter, your film studio, your maintenance shop, your home, as close to the adventure as you need it to be.”
It is worth noting that taking your home to nature is cheaper and less of a fuss than bringing nature to your home…
