Resources / Choosing a camper
Frontier or Summit?
Both are canvas pop-ups we build in Monroe. The choice comes down to whether you need to stand up, and how many people are sleeping in it.
These two campers share almost everything: the same welded aluminum construction, the same zip-on canvas, the same hardware, the same warranty. Section 06 lists exactly what does not differ, because it is most of the spec sheet.
What separates them is roughly 180 lbs and about 20 inches of width. That sounds small written down. In practice it is the difference between a camper you sleep in and a camper you live in, and it is worth ten minutes to get right.
Can you stand up in it?
This is the honest answer to the whole question, and everything below is detail.
The Summit gives you 6'7" to over 7' of standing height with the roof up. You can get dressed on your feet, cook inside when the weather turns, and move around another person instead of coordinating with them.
The Frontier does not. The roof pops for sleeping headroom, and standing is only possible over the pushed-up platform area. You sit, kneel, and get changed lying down. Plenty of people are completely happy with that, and it is exactly why the Frontier is lighter, cheaper, and lower.
Every night
How much bed is that, really?
Sleeping platform numbers mean nothing until you put people on them. Both platforms below are drawn to the same scale. Change the number of sleepers and watch what each one gives every person. The Summit can also be slept sideways, across the truck instead of head to cab, and that is the only way three or four people fit. Switch its layout under the diagram.
Frontier
Head to cab only. At 52.5 inches there is not enough width to lie across it.
Summit
Summit width shown is the full-size truck version. On a mid-size truck the platform is 68 inches wide rather than 72, so subtract about two inches per person from anything above, and the sideways height limit drops from 6 feet to 5'8".
About 180 pounds apart
The Frontier runs 300 to 350 lbs. The Summit runs 480 to 570 lbs depending on configuration and truck. Both are light enough for most half-ton trucks, and the Frontier is light enough for essentially any mid-size truck with payload left over.
Where this matters is if your payload is already committed. A steel bumper, a winch, bigger tires, a drawer system, and a full tank of fuel can account for several hundred pounds before you add a camper or a passenger. If that describes your truck, run the numbers rather than guessing.
Width, and the places it stops you
Closed, the Frontier is 62 inches wide. The Summit is 77 inches on a full-size truck, 71 on a mid-size. That extra width is what buys the interior room, and it costs you in a few specific places.
- Tight trails. An extra foot of width matters on overgrown forest roads, and it is the width that collects branch scratches.
- Garages and carports. Measure the opening before you order. This is the single most common thing people forget.
- Mirrors and lane feel. The Summit is wider than most truck bodies, so you notice it in narrow lanes and construction zones.
- Fuel economy. Both sit close to cab height closed, so neither is dramatic. The wider frontal area of the Summit is the larger of the two penalties.
The Frontier's 9 inch closed height is the other half of this. It is genuinely low, and if the camper lives on the truck full time that changes how the vehicle drives and parks every day.
Light, airflow, and getting in
The Frontier has three windows, each with mesh, privacy, and a rain awning layer. The Summit has six, each with mesh, privacy, and clear PVC. Double the openings changes the space more than the number suggests: cross ventilation is better, condensation clears faster, and it feels less like a box on a grey morning.
Both use three gull-wing hatches. The Frontier adds a pass-through from the truck bed, which is genuinely useful for grabbing something without getting out. The Summit offers optional barn doors, which change how you load bulky gear.
If most of your camping is in the Pacific Northwest between October and May, the Summit's extra glass and standing room are worth more than they look on a spec sheet. Weather keeps you inside here.
What is identical, so you can stop weighing it
Most of the spec sheet is the same on both, which means these are not reasons to pick one over the other:
- Welded aluminum shell, one-piece roof, stainless hardware and gas struts
- Zip-on 360 GSM ripstop canvas, replaceable as a unit
- Three-season as built, four-season capable with a heater and thermal liner
- Diesel heater port pre-installed
- Interior MOLLE panels included
- USB lighting, with solar optional. No battery, water, or kitchen in either
- Installation included in Monroe, and free freight to the lower 48
- 2-year limited warranty
Side by side
Only what actually differs
| Frontier | Summit | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Wedge pop-up, clamp-on | Wide-body pop-up, clamp-on |
| Standing height | No, sitting and kneeling only | 6'7" to over 7' |
| Weight | 300 to 350 lbs | 480 to 570 lbs |
| Sleeps | 1 to 2 adults | 2 head to cab, or 3 to 4 sideways with kids for the fourth |
| Sleeping platform | 97" long by 52.5" wide | 87" long by 72" wide full-size, 68" mid-size |
| Sleeping sideways | No, not enough width | Yes, up to 6' tall per person |
| Closed size | 101" long, 62" wide, 9" tall | 118" pop-up length, 77" wide full-size, 71" mid-size |
| Windows | 3, with mesh, privacy, and rain awning | 6, with mesh, privacy, and clear PVC |
| Access | 3 gull-wing hatches, pass-through from the bed | 3 gull-wing hatches, optional barn doors |
| Price | See current pricing | See current pricing |
Swipe the table to see both columns ›
Everything not listed here is the same on both. See section 06. Dimensions vary by truck make, model, and bed length.
Choosing
Which one is right for you
Pick the Frontier if
You travel light and sleep two at most
- You travel solo or as a pair
- Payload is tight, or fuel economy is a real concern
- You want the lowest profile on the highway and on trails
- You are tall and want the longer platform
- Weekends and short trips more than weeks at a time
- Sitting to get dressed does not bother you
Pick the Summit if
You need room to stand and sleep more than two
- You travel with kids, a partner, or a dog
- Three or more people sleep in it, which means sleeping sideways
- Standing up inside matters to you
- Trips run a week or longer
- You camp through the wet months and get stuck inside
- You want the wider bed more than the longer one
- Your truck has payload to spare
Still split between them?
Tell us your truck, how many people travel with you, and how long your trips run. We will tell you which one fits, and we will say so if the answer is neither.