Pickup Camper : Your Essential Guide to Designing Your Camper

Welcome to our complete guide dedicated to outfitting our pickup camper for long-term travel. After comparing several manufacturers in our previous article, we chose ModulIdea to equip our Defender 130 camper. This manufacturer offers empty pickup campers, allowing for a fully customizable setup at an affordable price.
In this article, you’ll discover our detailed layout plan with all the equipment that transforms a simple pickup camper into a fully functional rolling home.

Pickup Camper Layout: Our Detailed Setup

Our Defender camper maximizes the use of available space thanks to a versatile area that allows for:
– Sociable meals with the Lagun table base
– Extended remote work sessions with 2 laptops + Starlink
– Relaxing moments on our benches
– A 100×170 cm additional bed
This modularity makes our pickup camper a truly adaptable living space for any situation.

Here’s a complete list of all our gear, with links:

Indoor portable shower
ARB outdoor shower
PRIMUS MOJA STOVE gas burner
Lagun table leg
Toilettes sèche
Sommier froli

Overall Design

Our pickup camper is specifically designed to fit the Defender’s bed. It provides a self-sufficient solution with optimal comfort and plenty of storage for long trips. Every inch of this camper has been optimized to maximize space without compromising maneuverability, while respecting the vehicle’s gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR).

Kitchen Area

Our pickup camper features a fully equipped kitchenette, including:
– Sink with faucet
– 1-burner portable stove
– Slide-out drawer refrigerator
– Optimized storage for utensils and provisions
The Primus portable stove, intentionally not fixed, offers great flexibility. Powerful and efficient, it allows for quick and effective cooking, whatever the conditions.

Sleeping Area

The heart of our Defender camper: a fixed Queen-size bed (160×200 cm) with a Froli bed base. For long-term trips, quality sleep is essential. Choosing a permanent bed in our pickup camper ensures optimal rest, even if it slightly reduces living space. After intense days on the trails, this level of comfort is priceless!

Bathroom

The sanitary equipment in our Defender camper includes:
– Portable shower with integrated drain plug
– Dry toilet with urine separation
– Outdoor shower in the wild
Having private bathroom facilities in a camper completely transforms the travel experience. For Sophie, this was essential, something I think many women travelers would agree with.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Energy Autonomy for the Pickup Camper

Our Defender camper module features:
– High-capacity lithium auxiliary battery
– Flexible solar panels (for optimal lightweight performance)
– 220V inverter for all devices
Provides full autonomy for 2–3 days.
The flexible panels on the roof of our pickup camper offer both discretion and efficiency, even in cloudy conditions.
For a deeper dive into camper module electrical setups, check out our #1 issue of IntotheWild magazine.

THERMAL COMFORT

Heating and Water Heater

To ensure comfort in our pickup camper, we installed a two-in-one system from Autoterm.
It offers the best value for money we found. While it doesn’t yet include the high-altitude kit, we haven’t encountered any issues so far, even in the middle of the mountains. We’re looking forward to adding this kit to our heating and water system.
Diesel heating remains the optimal choice for a pickup camper: maximum autonomy and easy fuel availability anywhere in the world.

FEEDBACK & EXPERIENCE

3 Years with Our Pickup Camper: Defender Module Plans Included

After three years of intensive use of our pickup camper, some choices have proven themselves:

Highlights
Removable indoor shower: A truly well-thought-out feature, perfect for city stops or very cold conditions.
Fixed Queen-size bed: Comfort that has become essential on the road. We even added a memory foam mattress for an extra touch of luxury.
Removable stove plate: Real versatility for everyday use.
Areas for Improvement
Lower sleeping area: Could be optimized when the roof is closed. In strong winds or even storms (which we’ve experienced more than once) sleeping two people in the lower section becomes tricky.
Good news: we’re actively exploring solutions and think we’ve found one. We’ll share more very soon !

Notre cellule pickup nous a permis de vivre des aventures extraordinaires en totale autonomie.
Our pickup camper has allowed us to live extraordinary adventures in complete autonomy.
Catch all our travels on our YouTube channel !!

FAQ : Everything You Need to Know About Our Pickup Camper

An empty pickup camper allows complete customization of the layout, equipment, and level of comfort. It’s the perfect solution for creating a space truly suited to your way of traveling while keeping your budget under control. This is exactly the choice that led us to work with ModulIdea.

Yes, provided the layout is well thought out. With a comfortable bed, true electrical autonomy, integrated bathroom facilities, and efficient heating, a camper becomes a real little rolling home, perfectly suited for long-term travel.

After several years of traveling, sleep comfort became an absolute priority. A fixed Queen-size bed (160×200 cm) with a Froli slatted base and memory foam mattress topper ensures optimal rest, essential after long days on the trails. We started our off-road experience with a 4×4 van whose bed was 120×175 cm, and I can tell you, the experience was completely different. The urge to get back home just for a real bed at the end of the trip was very, very strong.

Yes, absolutely. The removable Primus cooktop offers great flexibility: it can be used indoors or outdoors, depending on the conditions. Its power allows you to cook quickly and efficiently, which is a real advantage while traveling, especially if you love cooking as much as we do.

The budget depends heavily on the level of customization and the equipment chosen. Choosing an empty camper like ModulIdea cost us €16,000—but keep in mind prices may have changed in the past three years. As for the interior, it all depends on the materials you choose and the electrical setup you plan to install. The total budget can range from €15,000 to €30,000 depending on your choices.

Our Defender camper has a full 2-day autonomy in bad weather and complete self-sufficiency on sunny days, thanks to a high-capacity lithium battery, flexible solar panels, and a 220V inverter. This setup allows you to work, cook, and live comfortably without relying on the grid.

Having bathroom facilities completely transforms the travel experience, especially in cities, bad weather, or cold conditions. The removable indoor shower and dry toilets were essential features, particularly for Sophie, as they are for many women travelers.

For us, yes. The diesel heater and water heater provide excellent autonomy and easy fuel availability worldwide. Even without an altitude kit for now, our Autoterm system has proven reliable, including in the mountains.

After three years of intensive use, one point stands out:

The low sleeping space when the roof is closed, especially in strong wind or stormy conditions.

Good news: we are currently working on a solution, which we’ll share very soon.

You can find all our adventures, field tests, and insights:

On our YouTube channel, Defintothewild
On our Instagram, Defintothewild
In our magazine, IntoTheWild, dedicated to travel, overlanding, and nomadic life