In the Market for a Teardrop Camper?

You'll Want to Pay a Visit to Hyk Outdoors (We Did—Here's What Happened)

Whether you're looking for a tent-camping alternative or downsizing from a larger camper or pop up, purchasing a new camper is a big deal. It's like buying a new car: you want to do your homework first. So it's no surprise that many camping enthusiasts make their rounds and visit several trailer manufacturers before they take the plunge. Where is the trailer being constructed? What's the build quality like? What options do they have for customization? What will be the final cost?

All of these factors and more are crucial to figure out before purchasing a camper.

Here at etrailer, we're located just over an hour away from Hyk Outdoors, one of the US's up-and-coming teardrop trailer manufacturers. We reached out to Jeff Baker, owner and founder of Hyk Outdoors, and scheduled a visit to his facility to check it out.

If you can take the tour yourself, I highly recommend it. But if you can't, or you're still at the beginning stages of planning your cross-country teardrop tour, here's an inside look at a builder we can personally vouch for. Our etrailer team took the tour and asked the questions for you, so keep reading below to learn about our experience with this top-tier teardrop designer.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Hyk Outdoors is located just off the highway east of Columbia, MO, in an open field overlooking a lake. It's an appropriately modest, natural location for a builder who helps people embrace a minimalist, outdoorsy lifestyle.

We arrive around 10 am on a cool March morning. The "yard" in front of the shop is punctuated by a few colorful Hyk campers, including Jeff's prototype—the rugged, bullet-shaped camper that started it all. Jeff assures us that the Hyk design has come a long way since this original model, but even this little off-road teardrop is mighty impressive. Something I wouldn't mind taking off-road for a fun-filled weekend.

THE SHOP

Jeff and his crew meet us out front upon arrival and then welcome us inside the shop where all the magic happens. There's a palpable excitement among our group—we are, after all, etrailer.com employees. Campers and outdoor adventures are kind of our thing. So getting to peek behind the curtain and glimpse the real process is something we've all been looking forward to.

The shop doesn't disappoint. The four colorful camper models in the middle of the room are the first things to draw our attention. Jeff introduces us to his hardworking assembly and design team, then gives us free reign to explore and ask questions.

Of course, we gravitate toward the campers first. Jeff explains the various model options he offers (on-road, off-road, and between 7 and 10 feet long) and points out campers with newer features (such as the shelf beneath a charging outlet in the corner of one camper, and the AC/heater/dehumidifier unit in another). There's no doubt that these campers are solidly, precisely built. Jeff and his crew have developed a process, and while they tweak minor components as they learn, they have the overall build process down to a science.

What really stands out, however, are the details that make it clear this is a hands-on operation that really commits to every camper that they build. This is not some large-scale assembly line in a factory churning out cheap campers as fast as they can sell them (we all know those are all too common, and what kind of quality you get from manufacturers like those). Rather, each camper has a name attached to it from the beginning. There is even a dry erase board on the wall that lists the names of customers with in-progress campers along with their personal camper selections and preferences.

Can you spot the box from yours truly? Jeff orders many of his trailer components and accessories from etrailer.com.

THE PROCESS

Hyk Outdoors offers 3 options for prospective customers: buying, renting, and DIYing. We ask Jeff to explain these options a bit more in depth.

Buying

The most popular option offered at Hyk Outdoors is simply purchasing a camper, choosing your options, and letting the Hyk team construct it for you. Lead time is typically given as 6-8 weeks.

So what happens when you call up Hyk and say you're ready to dive into teardrop life? Well, the main thing is just figuring out what your camping style looks like.

"The getting started is usually the longest part," explains Jeff when we ask about the process of working with a customer, start to finish. "The process that we work through is to really kind of get to know who's buying the camper. We try to ask a lot of questions, try to understand what it is they're looking for. There are some customizations, there are some things that you can do with a camper if you know what they're trying to accomplish. Are they going to be camping at state parks, or are they going to be trying to do some off-grid stuff? That really changes the direction of how their camper's going to get built out," says Jeff.

Customer Cindy Checking out her New Camper with Hyk Outdoors founder, Jeff

Pictured: Jeff with customer Cindy—a proud new owner of a Hyk Outdoors camper

Once the crew understands what a camper is looking for, they can offer estimates and then roll the camper into production. Most of Jeff's buyers come from out of state, so they can't exactly pop in on a whim to see how their camper is coming along. That's why Hyk sends periodic photo updates throughout the process. As Jeff explains, "We do that kind of as a way of keeping them in the loop and part of the process, but also just to double check everything as we go along. We want to make sure that as they see their camper come together that it's exactly what they want."

With Hyk, there's no such thing as a boring camper. You get to pick your color (anything from sleek gray to bright orange) and add-ons (maybe you need a hot shower, or a working sink?). But the Hyk crew can also work with you if you want something specific, like a shelf in a certain area or a specific design addition on the exterior (they've done a few of these upon request, including a cat and a moon). The base model on-road Ridgerunner begins at just $11,000, while the off-road Trailrunner begins at $13,500 (if you're familiar with the teardrop market, you know many popular models cost twice that, or more). Jeff and his team believe in offering a quality product for a fair price.

6-8 weeks later (or maybe sooner!), you've got a camper that was literally made just for you. Then comes the exciting part—the pickup. "When somebody comes to pick up a camper, we want them to love it," says Jeff. "And if they don't love it, we've done something wrong."

DIY Kits

That's right— I said DIY. You don't need to spend months trying to build your camper from scratch or spend thousands on a machine that can make the necessary cuts for you. Instead, Hyk's specialty CNC machine takes care of all those precision cuts for you, so you can just assemble the pieces.

We ask Jeff how long it takes most people to assemble their kits. It's a nights-and-weekends kind of project, but Jeff says most people can assemble the cabin in half a day, as opposed to the months he spent cutting all the pieces by hand for his prototype. (Since those early days, Jeff has moved to the CNC machine and never looked back.)

It's all about having the right tools for the job, and even the handiest DIYers don't generally have a $65k CNC machine in their garages. If you're handy, however, you're probably perfectly capable of putting together one of Hyk's preassembled kits if you have the time and desire.

Camper shell cutouts ready to be assembled

Rentals

Jeff encourages people who aren't sure if a teardrop is for them to give it a test run before committing. If I'm interested in a rental, I can rent one of the available Hyk models for around $80 - $120 per day. This is a great way to try out teardrop camping, figure out what I want, and learn what I don't need for a camping trip.

"At the end of the day, we would rather you not buy one of our campers and know that, going in, it's just the wrong product…than for you to buy a camper and let it sit in storage," says Jeff.

Of course, some campers are only looking for a rental to start and end their journey. But about 30% of Hyk camper renters decide this isn't enough and eventually buy their very own.

THE TOOLS

The Hyk Outdoors CNC machine looks like something out of Tony Stark's lab, so excuse me while I nerd out about it here. Jeff demonstrates the capabilities of his powerful CNC for our crew's benefit, and we stand captivated for the twenty-three minutes it takes for the machine to precision-cut half a camper frame—down to the pre-drilled screw holes the Hyk team will later use to assemble the camper.

Building a usable camper without this capable machine was, Jeff admits, a challenge. The first camper he ever built by hand was something he was "incredibly embarrassed to let anybody ever see." But as every builder and DIYer knows, all the knowledge and skill in the world mean nothing if you don't have the right tools for the job. You can't turn a screw with a hammer, after all.

With the CNC machine in his arsenal, however, Jeff's skills as a builder and craftsman could shine through. As he explains, "Once we involved the CNC machine, we could do everything with precision, and that changed the game."

These precision-cut camper frames come together practically seamlessly, leaving no room for gaps or leaks.

THE PICKUP

We were fortunate enough to witness the most exciting moment for Jeff and his crew (and the ultimate test for any camper): customer pickup day. Cindy—a professional musician and lifelong camper—arrives, and the joy upon seeing her completed camper is evident on her face. Jeff walks her through each component of the camper, then completes the final paperwork.

After that, we sit down and chat with Cindy for a while about her experiences with the outdoors, teardrop camping, and Hyk.

"I chose a teardrop because I've been camping with a pop-up camper since the late 90s with my kids. And we traveled all over the country. They have all sold their pop-ups and graduated to large campers," says Cindy. What some see as an 'upgrade,' however, Cindy viewed as a barrier to traveling outdoors. After all, a larger camper also means a tow vehicle, more setup, and storage fees. "I don't want to trade my vehicle for a bigger vehicle. And it's just me pulling it, so I don't want to pull anything big. But at the same time I was tired of cranking up my pop-up….I'm figuring if I have something that's easier to maneuver and manipulate that I can get out more often."

Pictured: Cindy with her brand-new Hyk Outdoors camper

She began looking for her next camper, but nothing quite fit her camping style. "Everything I looked at was too big…when I go camping, I just want to be out camping," she says. Even once she settled on a teardrop camper, finding "the one" was a challenge. "I looked at a really expensive teardrop…all the bells and whistles and everything, but their price point was getting way high." When it comes to camping, she prefers to be "pretty barebones."

"Easy. Light. Simple. That's the way to do it."

So, how did she discover Hyk Outdoors?

"I was discussing it with friends and whatnot, and Hyk was mentioned. And I said okay, I'm going to go check them out." So it was here in this Midwestern town that she found her Goldilocks camper, the one that would serve her camping style, meet her price point, and also allow for a certain level of customization, right down to the storage box on front and the moon adorning the outside of her camper.

"I'm excited to get out with it and get going," she says. We watch her pull out of the shop with her new camper attached, and she's off.

Easy. Light. Simple. Another satisfied customer.

THE CREW

Hyk Outdoors has already come a long way since its inception, but in many ways, it hasn't strayed far from its "garage startup" roots. Jeff's wife, Laura, has been with him every step of the way, and the crew mainly consists of people he's known for years (some since high school). There's a close-knit, "hometown" feel to the shop itself. The crew still has dinner together most Friday nights.

At the end of the day, it's a group of great guys coming together to build a great product they believe in, for a purpose they believe in: getting people outdoors to live their best life.

"There's an amazing world you there. We just have to go see it," encourages Jeff. The genuine, heartfelt passion is evident on his face. "Like, let's take the adventure. Let's take the step to go see what is out there."

So...are you ready yet?

Pictured: Jeff (far left) and his crew at Hyk Outdoors

Steve J.

2/13/2023

How does HYK compare to Hiker campers?

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