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 transparent1x1.png Truck Camper Manufacturers in North America Lance Campers makes truck campers Northstar pop-up and hard side truck campers Fiberglass Truck Campers Travel Lite Campers Hallmark RV, makers of pop-up campers Four Wheel pop-up campers Hard Side Pop-Up truck campers Adventurer Manufacturing in Yakima, Washington Six-Pac Campers Eagle Cap Campers in Yakima, Washington Arctic Fox Custom Phoenix pop-up campers Palomino RV, part of Forest River Inc Camp Lite by Livin' Lite Chalet RV

Keith Donkin of Northern Lite

Angela White  | Sunday, 20 December, 2009   

Keith Donkin, General Manager of Northern Lite, talks to us about Northern Lite's history, the advantages of molded fiberglass, and what's so special about Northern Lite's Special Editions.

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While we were at Louisville earlier this month, we sat down with Keith Donkin of Northern Lite for a live and in person interview.  Keith talked, we typed, and what follows are many insights into the sole remaining Canadian truck camper manufacturer.  Be sure to also catch Keith Donkin in our Louisville 2009 HD video here: Lousiville 2009.


TCM: Do you go out truck camping?
 
Keith: Yes!  I always have a 10-2 demo unit.  As a family we take long weekend trips.  My girls love the camper.  Lucy, our English Bulldog, goes with us and snores in the camper.  We’ll go out with groups of friends to the Provincial Parks.  We also use the camper for soccer events on the weekends.  Both of my girls are involved in soccer.
 
TCM: What did you do before joining Northern Lite?
 
Keith: I was in our other family business which was cable television.  My dad was a pioneer in the cable industry.  When my dad retired from the cable company, he sold out his share of the business.  I stayed on with the cable company as their Operations Manager.
 
After retiring from the the cable company, my dad and a family friend, who was also a business partner, decided to go to Alaska.  They went searching for truck campers to take to Alaska and came across Northern Lite.  After they came back from their two month Alaskan trip, Dad and his friend invested into Northern Lite.  In four years, Dad went from being a silent partner to buying the company out.  That was in 1994.
 
TCM: How did you get involved with Northern Lite?
 
Keith: About five years ago, Dad and I went salmon fishing.  During that trip, Dad told me that he wanted to begin stepping back from running the company.  I was ready for a change and the RV industry is an exciting industry.  Plus, both Dad and I like going to shows and meeting customers.  I’ve been with Northern Lite for five years now and Dad’s been involved since 1989.
 
TCM: What are the primary advantages to owning a fiberglass camper?  
 
Keith: The biggest advantages are light weight and no seams, which means there is a very low chance of leaks.
 
TCM: Does the fiberglass shell require maintenance?  
 
Keith: Yes.  The outside of the camper should be waxed with a good boat wax once a year.  We use the highest UV protected gel coat that we can find.  By waxing it once a year, it can last longer and look as shiny as the day you bought it.  The gel coat we use has been through a thirty year UV test.  It goes under a machine that simulates sunlight.  
 
Other maintenance you should do with any truck camper is to check your seals once a year on the roof coating around the vents.  If you wax your camper each year and maintain your exterior seals, your Northern Lite is going to last a long time and look practically brand new.
 
TCM: Other than the fiberglass shell, what are the primary advantages of Northern Lite truck campers?
 
Keith: There are many advantages.  The fit and finish of our campers is fantastic.  Northern Lite truck campers are structurally strong enough that we can offer a six year structural warranty, the longest structural warranty in the business.  Our campers hold their value very well.  There’s no chance of our campers rotting because there’s no wood.  The Sapelle wood on the Special Editions is truly beautiful.  Our windows are Dometic’s acrylic thermal pane windows, which our customers love.  The insulation of our campers is excellent for all-season camping.  After all, we are from Canada and build campers for the cold Canadian climate.
 
TCM: What are the advantages to being a Canadian manufacturer?
 
Keith: We get to live in the Okanagan Valley, which is one of the most beautiful places in the world.  We definitely have an advantage with the work force.  There are a lot of skilled RV production workers in the area.  In fact, I just hired three additional people in the last month.
 
TCM: How did the closure of Bigfoot affect your business?  
 
Keith: It’s definitely helped us.  Now we’re the only manufacturer of two piece molded fiberglass truck campers in North America.  On the negative side, the loss of five western Canada camper manufacturers has effected us.  Parts distribution has been more challenging.  For example, we lost the Norcold Canadian distributor.  Now, we have to get Norcold products directly from Elkhart.  We also used to order jacks together with the other Canadian manufacturers.  Now we can’t do that.
 
TCM: How often do you build new camper molds?  
 
Keith: We typically build a new mold every year.  There are companies that use 3D CNC machines that build the plug, which is what we build the mold around.  It takes seven to eight months to build a mold and a typical mold costs in excess of $125,000 USD.
 
TCM: Would you ever consider building a slide-out model?
 
Keith: Never.  We are not interested in the added weight and the issues that come with a slide-out.  
 
We made all new our 8-11Q Classic, 9-6Q Classic and all our 10-2 Models four inches wider than our other models.  These models are 8’2” wide, whereas our other models are 7’10” wide.  These models have the added width without the issues of a slide.  Because of this added width, we were able to incorporate face to face full booth dinettes and give our customers more storage next to the bed in the cab over area.
 
TCM: How did the Special Editions come to be?  
 
Keith: The first Special Editions came out in 2005.  We started the Special Editions with the 10-2.  We made one for a show to spotlight everything we can put on our truck campers as an option.  At that show, we took several additional orders for 10-2 models.  After that, we ran with the 10-2 CD Special Edition for four years.  
 
This past year, we added the 8-11Q Classic and 9-6Q to our Special Edition line.  They are our number two and number three top selling campers behind the 10-2 Special Edition.  Customers were having dealers install many of the options.  Based on that information, we started adding the options at the factory as Special Editions.  Customers seem to be more comfortable having the options put on in the factory.  Plus, it was a better deal for the customer to bundle the options as a Special Edition.
 
TCM: What makes a camper a Special Edition?
 
Keith: The 10-2 CD Special Edition has every option available.  The 8-11Q Classic and the 9-6Q Special Editions don’t have air conditioners or microwaves because we want to make sure that a customer can use a three-quarter ton truck with those models.  Of course you can order those options.  The Special Editions give our customers a deal on the added options to make those campers a good value.
 
TCM: Are there any other models that could become Special Editions in the future?
 
Keith: Not at this time.  However, we are looking at using the acrylic windows in our other models.
 
TCM: How many Northern Lite truck campers are there out on the road?
 
Keith: We build an average of 300 a year and Northern Lite has been in business for twenty years.  So, that would be about 6,000 campers.  
 
TCM: Are you feeling good about 2010?
 
Keith: Yes we are.  Despite the economy, 2009 was a good year for Northern Lite and we believe 2010 will be even better.
 
 
For more information about Northern Lite, visit their website at www.northern-lite.com.