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World premier of the 2027 Rockwood Reserve truck camper

World premier of the 2027 Rockwood Reserve truck camper

Tony Barthel
RV Review, Overlanding RV

World Premier of the 2027 Rockwood Reserve pickup camper

Today’s RV review is the world premier of the Rockwood Reserve, a new pickup camper offering from Rockwood. Wait, you ask, Rockwood making a pickup camper? Yes. This is an all-new offering and I got to see a sneak peek at it. Know that this is also a sneak peek as there is not a lot of information about it. In fact, as I write this, dealers are still being signed-up.

World premier of the Rockwood Reserve truck camper

Why a pickup camper?

Rockwood has been building RVs since 1974 - before they became part of Forest River - and in that time they’ve had a lot of different types of rigs including van conversions and even Class A motorhomes. So the fact that they’re doing this now isn’t as much of a stretch as it might seem.

In fact it makes sense - while a lot of the industry is down pickup campers are not. Rockwood (and Flagstaff - right now there isn’t a Flagstaff variant of this) have added models in other areas of the market that is showing promise to be able to deliver RVs the way people want to buy RVs.

For example, we’ve shared stories of some of the super affordable “OTG” tent campers Rockwood/Flagstaff are making including the 190OTG here.

Outside the Rockwood Reserve

Something that surprised me was how many storage compartments there were on this camper with three on the camp side. All of these featured slam latches and used the same key as the entry door of the rig (keyed alike).

Windows in the shown example were dual-pane and were the frameless variety which is pretty typical of Rockwood’s offerings - their travel trailers and fifth wheels use the same frameless windows although not dual-pane.

The roof of this rig is a product called Tekmodo which is sort of a solid fiberglass type product. In other words, not a membrane roof per se.

Those dual-pane windows are just further examples of this being an extremely weather-resistant rig. Another example of that is the heated enclosure for the gate valves which is also insulated. There is a connecting point at the bottom, of course, but the valves themselves are within that heated enclosure.

On the opposite end of the equation is a 13,500 BTU Furrion Chill Cube air conditioner which should do a very effective job of keeping the interior of this rig quite cool even on hotter days.

The example shown used HappiJack corner lifts to be able to lift the camper off the truck. I also like that there’s an awning over the back of the camper.

I’m also a fan of the gas-electric water heater with a tank - I just don’t like most of the tankless water heaters.

What’s inside the Rockwood Reserve

This is a larger pickup camper so half-ton trucks need not apply. The model was shown on a one ton truck if that’s any indication.

There is a single slide on the camp side of this rig and that’s where the dinette is. Of course that dinette can mash down and become a second sleeping surface. I like that the table can move around a bit to accommodate those of us who displace a lot of water in the pool.

A place for your stuff - and you

There’s a remarkable amount of storage inside this rig with a pantry on the camp side. There are also drawers under the dinette that are decently large.

There are also cabinets in the kitchen above the counter top and all the cabinets and drawers have positive latches that won’t pop open as you’re driving down the road. Drawers are also under the kitchen counter top.

There’s also a closet on the camp side at the base of the bed and shelving on the road side in the same spot. On either side of the bed is more storage and there are wardrobes on both sides of the bed as well.

Of course there’s a bed over the cab and this camper is remarkable in that taller RVers can sit up in this bed - a lot of times this is spot has little headroom.

Bathroom in the Rockwood Reserve

As someone who’s bigger around getting into the bathroom was a bit tight but, once I was in there, it was fine. I suspect the typical buyer for this isn’t going to have the same doorway challenges as I did.

This is a wet bath meaning that the whole bathroom is the shower. The space around the toilet was okay and, again, what you expect in this type of RV. There’s a high-performance vent fan in the bathroom and another one in the main living space.

Final thoughts on the Rockwood Reserve

There are a lot of details that have yet to be finalized on this RV including tank sizes, some details plus the MSRP of course. In fact Rockwood is still in the process of finalizing dealerships so it’ll be a while before one is available in your neighborhood.

This will bring a new name in the pickup camper realm in the premium range and, almost as importantly, being built in Indiana. This is relevant as shipping costs for everything, including RVs, have skyrocketed and moving something like a Lance or Outdoors RV camper from the west coast to the Midwest is going to add a lot to the price of the rig. Now buyers looking for something good will be able to go with a Rockwood and likely save a lot on shipping.

There are a lot of reasons why pickup campers have become more popular including the fact that so many of us have very capable pickups. A camper also allows you to potentially tow a boat and still have an RV and to tailor your tow/carry vehicle more to your style. If you’re an off-roader, there are so many good options. If you want a super luxury vehicle, you can outfit a pickup to make a Cadillac look plain.

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