Wapiti151
WKR
- Joined
- Nov 14, 2020
This will be a long one, but worth it for those who are/were like me.
I’ve been researching truck topper (pop top) campers for my 2nd gen Tundra since I bought the truck 6 years ago. Always wanted one, just could never justify the cost. Along came Alibaba and Hyper Lion. I wanted to tell my story here and share my experience thus far for any other Roksliders that may be interested. I'll update along the way.
Even if doing a topper plus RTT setup, it’s hard to get through it under $10k-$12k once everything is said and done. The actual pop-up topper campers I was seriously considering came down to two companies…both being at the top of the list for more reputable topper pop up camper companies in the US, renowned in the overlander and truck camper world. My cheapest build with one of the companies was going to land around $15k, and the other build I priced out (the one I really wanted) ended up over $23k before travel/install costs.
That’s what led me down the Alibaba rabbit hole, accidentally, I might add. I've never used Alibaba, nor ever even considered purchasing from them or any other similar company...for obvious reasons. I try to always prioritize supporting US companies, and am happy to spend more in order to do so. But as you’ll see, this particular situation is a little different considering the difference in cost.
I’ve been getting more serious about buying something ahead of hunting season, so off I went, before randomly stumbling across a guy talking about these Hyperlion campers on another forum, I think it was a truck forum. I started doing a ton of research for days (ended up being most of my Memorial Day weekend). Watched every YouTube video I could find, joined Facebook groups, searched forum posts, messaged owners, read reviews, all of it. I was honestly super skeptical at first, probably like most people would be buying something like this direct from China. But after all the digging, I kept finding that people actually seemed really happy with them. Yeah they aren't perfect, and not "held to the standard" that the major manufacturers are going to deliver on here in the states. BUT, I legitimately have not found a single bad review yet from someone who actually owns one. And, even if the company disappeared, there is not a single thing on this camper that can't be fixed for a small cost or some effort.
So I finally decided to start talking to companies, seeing what it's all about and getting quotes. I signed up for Alibaba, found the two brands I was interested in and reached out. I ended up working directly with Hyperlion through the Alibaba chat (and the other company). Ive been working with Shirley from Hyper Lion the entire time and she has been absolutely awesome. Super responsive, answered probably 5,000 questions from me, sent tons of pictures, measurements, videos, explanations, everything. I've been going back and forth with her for over two days now. I decided to pull the trigger today.
You give them your truck info and bed size, then customize the camper exactly how you want it. They have three different widths of the camper I selected (hard sided pop top version) I went with the extra wide 1950mm version for my short bed Tundra because it gives you more room both side to side and front to back. I think you gain about 8" on the whole unit East/West and 8" on the camper part North/South.
I added: molle panels, additional windows, interior lighting, diesel heater vent setup, awning brackets, and a few other upgrades. With everything, my whole build ended up being UNDER $6k shipped to my door including tariffs, sales tax and everything else. And that's shipped to my DOOR! Unit itself ended up being like $4400 or something similar, the rest is shipping and tariffs.
The setup I wanted was going to be around $24k-$25k all-in once I drove three states away to get it, installed it, etc. This Hyperlion is basically the same overall concept and layout for less than one quarter of the cost.
Now obviously I’m not expecting 100% identical fit and finish to a premium U.S. built camper that costs $25k. But, if this thing lasts me 5 years, I still feel like I absolutely stole it for the price. I could go through 4 of these and still be in it for less.
One thing that pushed me toward Hyperlion specifically when comparing was that they manufacture everything in-house. There’s another Alibaba brand a lot of guys use too, but I kept hearing better things about Hyperlion overall and fewer cosmetic QC complaints. The load ratings also seemed significantly stronger. Hyperlion rated theirs at 150kg roof load capacity while elevated or closed, vs 80kg on the other brand I was comparing against. The aluminum also supposedly is thicker, which is backed up by the additional weight the hiperlion can hold on top of the camper.
So far, the whole process has been very legit, from my understanding Alibaba holds payment in escrow until delivery. I also paid through PayPal for another layer of protection. You only put 30% down initially, and the rest after you approve the video sent to you of your completed camper.
Ahead of my order, they sent me a detailed measurement diagram for my truck. I measured everything, sent photos, sent dimensions in millimeters, and now their design team is drawing up the camper specifically for my Tundra. You can add things in this process like add'l over roof height to accomodate for a roof rack or an antenna. They’ll be sending me renderings back for approval before production starts, from my understanding.
From what I’ve seen from other owners for what’s next, and backed up by what Shirley mentioned: they send build updates/videos throughout production, they send photos/video before shipment, replacement parts get air shipped if needed and the whole unit is covered under warranty for 1 year, warranty support has supposedly been very solid, which was reflected in their after sales process sent to me.
The lead time for my camper sounds like around 2-3 months for production and another few weeks for shipping to my location.
I wanted to share this because I know there are probably a ton of guys on here like me who have wanted one of these setups forever but couldn’t justify dropping $15k-$30k on a truck camper setup. I understand a pull behind, but for a topper with a camper on top??
This honestly feels like a cheat code right now.
Who knows if tariffs go crazy or these become harder to get later, but at the price it was impossible for me not to at least try it. I’ll keep updating this thread as the process moves along and once I get renderings/build photos. And for those wondering, they also have topper shells only, RTT toppers, canvas sided pop tops, and the hard side camper version (what I got).
If anybody has questions feel free to PM me.
Also, Hyperlion is giving me a code I guess that gets you two free accessories if you order through them and give them a discount code. I’d highly suggest asking to talk to Shirley. If anybody wants it just shoot me a message and I’ll send it over.
And i'm happy to share anything about the process with you, or answer any questions about my experience so far.
Here’s some pics from their website/alibaba of the one I ordered. I’ll keep updating this until I receive the camper.
I’ve been researching truck topper (pop top) campers for my 2nd gen Tundra since I bought the truck 6 years ago. Always wanted one, just could never justify the cost. Along came Alibaba and Hyper Lion. I wanted to tell my story here and share my experience thus far for any other Roksliders that may be interested. I'll update along the way.
Even if doing a topper plus RTT setup, it’s hard to get through it under $10k-$12k once everything is said and done. The actual pop-up topper campers I was seriously considering came down to two companies…both being at the top of the list for more reputable topper pop up camper companies in the US, renowned in the overlander and truck camper world. My cheapest build with one of the companies was going to land around $15k, and the other build I priced out (the one I really wanted) ended up over $23k before travel/install costs.
That’s what led me down the Alibaba rabbit hole, accidentally, I might add. I've never used Alibaba, nor ever even considered purchasing from them or any other similar company...for obvious reasons. I try to always prioritize supporting US companies, and am happy to spend more in order to do so. But as you’ll see, this particular situation is a little different considering the difference in cost.
I’ve been getting more serious about buying something ahead of hunting season, so off I went, before randomly stumbling across a guy talking about these Hyperlion campers on another forum, I think it was a truck forum. I started doing a ton of research for days (ended up being most of my Memorial Day weekend). Watched every YouTube video I could find, joined Facebook groups, searched forum posts, messaged owners, read reviews, all of it. I was honestly super skeptical at first, probably like most people would be buying something like this direct from China. But after all the digging, I kept finding that people actually seemed really happy with them. Yeah they aren't perfect, and not "held to the standard" that the major manufacturers are going to deliver on here in the states. BUT, I legitimately have not found a single bad review yet from someone who actually owns one. And, even if the company disappeared, there is not a single thing on this camper that can't be fixed for a small cost or some effort.
So I finally decided to start talking to companies, seeing what it's all about and getting quotes. I signed up for Alibaba, found the two brands I was interested in and reached out. I ended up working directly with Hyperlion through the Alibaba chat (and the other company). Ive been working with Shirley from Hyper Lion the entire time and she has been absolutely awesome. Super responsive, answered probably 5,000 questions from me, sent tons of pictures, measurements, videos, explanations, everything. I've been going back and forth with her for over two days now. I decided to pull the trigger today.
You give them your truck info and bed size, then customize the camper exactly how you want it. They have three different widths of the camper I selected (hard sided pop top version) I went with the extra wide 1950mm version for my short bed Tundra because it gives you more room both side to side and front to back. I think you gain about 8" on the whole unit East/West and 8" on the camper part North/South.
I added: molle panels, additional windows, interior lighting, diesel heater vent setup, awning brackets, and a few other upgrades. With everything, my whole build ended up being UNDER $6k shipped to my door including tariffs, sales tax and everything else. And that's shipped to my DOOR! Unit itself ended up being like $4400 or something similar, the rest is shipping and tariffs.
The setup I wanted was going to be around $24k-$25k all-in once I drove three states away to get it, installed it, etc. This Hyperlion is basically the same overall concept and layout for less than one quarter of the cost.
Now obviously I’m not expecting 100% identical fit and finish to a premium U.S. built camper that costs $25k. But, if this thing lasts me 5 years, I still feel like I absolutely stole it for the price. I could go through 4 of these and still be in it for less.
One thing that pushed me toward Hyperlion specifically when comparing was that they manufacture everything in-house. There’s another Alibaba brand a lot of guys use too, but I kept hearing better things about Hyperlion overall and fewer cosmetic QC complaints. The load ratings also seemed significantly stronger. Hyperlion rated theirs at 150kg roof load capacity while elevated or closed, vs 80kg on the other brand I was comparing against. The aluminum also supposedly is thicker, which is backed up by the additional weight the hiperlion can hold on top of the camper.
So far, the whole process has been very legit, from my understanding Alibaba holds payment in escrow until delivery. I also paid through PayPal for another layer of protection. You only put 30% down initially, and the rest after you approve the video sent to you of your completed camper.
Ahead of my order, they sent me a detailed measurement diagram for my truck. I measured everything, sent photos, sent dimensions in millimeters, and now their design team is drawing up the camper specifically for my Tundra. You can add things in this process like add'l over roof height to accomodate for a roof rack or an antenna. They’ll be sending me renderings back for approval before production starts, from my understanding.
From what I’ve seen from other owners for what’s next, and backed up by what Shirley mentioned: they send build updates/videos throughout production, they send photos/video before shipment, replacement parts get air shipped if needed and the whole unit is covered under warranty for 1 year, warranty support has supposedly been very solid, which was reflected in their after sales process sent to me.
The lead time for my camper sounds like around 2-3 months for production and another few weeks for shipping to my location.
I wanted to share this because I know there are probably a ton of guys on here like me who have wanted one of these setups forever but couldn’t justify dropping $15k-$30k on a truck camper setup. I understand a pull behind, but for a topper with a camper on top??
This honestly feels like a cheat code right now.
Who knows if tariffs go crazy or these become harder to get later, but at the price it was impossible for me not to at least try it. I’ll keep updating this thread as the process moves along and once I get renderings/build photos. And for those wondering, they also have topper shells only, RTT toppers, canvas sided pop tops, and the hard side camper version (what I got).
If anybody has questions feel free to PM me.
Also, Hyperlion is giving me a code I guess that gets you two free accessories if you order through them and give them a discount code. I’d highly suggest asking to talk to Shirley. If anybody wants it just shoot me a message and I’ll send it over.
And i'm happy to share anything about the process with you, or answer any questions about my experience so far.
Here’s some pics from their website/alibaba of the one I ordered. I’ll keep updating this until I receive the camper.
