The Six-Pac Camper Team (names listed below)	Manuel Trujillo talks with Sande Benson about a new T100S prototype	Sande Benson works on the new T100S side dinette prototype
Manuel Trujillo talks with Edgar Paz-Lara about cabover floor construction for the new T-100S prototype	Joel Vasquez attaches the front wall on the T100S side dinette prototype	The D650 self contained short bed on a Toyota Tundra
The wet bath in the D650 complete with a shower	The kitchen in the D650	The side dinette, refrigerator, and cabover bed in the D650
The kitchen, sitting area/dinette, and overcab bed in the T100S Super-Mini	The overcab bed, refrigerator, and storage in the T100S Super-Mini	From the back door facing forward in the T100S Super-Mini

Riverside, California – The title to this article may sound funny.  After all, almost everyone interested in truck campers seems to know about Six-Pac Campers.  Building campers for the past forty years might have something to do with that.  What’s not commonly known is that the company, after being acquired a little over five years ago, is poised for a comeback.  And they have been very quietly sitting on a couple of camper models that are unique in the industry.  What’s this about a comeback and what are these two campers?  We’ll get there, but first it’s party time.


Six-Pac Party

We first arrived at Six-Pac campers Wednesday late afternoon the week before Christmas.  Tom Hanagan, President, was getting ready for the annual Christmas party the next day and invited us to dinner and Costco for a cake and soda shopping trip.  After hearing those words, “cake and soda” we immediately accepted. 

When we walked into the manufacturing plant the next day, we found the twenty-one member Six-Pac team sitting at a long table with a delicious Mexican buffet.  During lunch Tom stood up and made a speech thanking the workers for their efforts in 2007 and giving them a sneak peak at Six-Pac’s vision for 2008.  Everyone at the table was laughing and having a good time.  It was a very warm and friendly atmosphere and the Six-Pac team made us feel very welcome. 

Once the piñata had finally dropped it’s last piece of candy on the floor (see today’s blog), we headed back to the camper to continue our work.  The Six-Pac Christmas party was definitely one of the most fun experiences we had on the tour.


Six-Pac 101: Class In Session

A week later, Christmas break was over and it was time for us to return for our scheduled Six-Pac tour visit.  It happened to be the first day for Six-Pac’s new sales representative, Ralph Santiago.  As part of Ralph’s first day training, Tom ran through the Six-Pac product line-up on a dry erase board in his office.  We audited the class.

Drawing a grid on the board, Professor Hanagan divided the Six-Pac product line into two categories; traditional and self-contained campers.  There are five models in the Six-Pac line, three traditional and two self-contained campers.  Additionally, Six-Pac makes shell models of every model.

Tom explained that the Six-Pac formula was simplicity, durability, lightweight, and economy.  Then he started talking about the Six-Pac’s two top sellers, the T100S and D650.


T100S: The Super-Mini Hard Side Camper

In the intro we mentioned two Six-Pac campers that, to our knowledge, are unique in the truck camper industry.  The first is the T100S, a traditional non-self-contained camper.  Also called the Super-Mini, the T100S is designed for what Tom called mini or mid-size short-bed trucks.  These trucks include the Toyota Tacoma, Ford Ranger, Chevy Colorado and S-10, GMC Canyon, Dodge Dakota, Nissan Frontier, and Mazda B-Series.  Now that’s a lot of trucks that we have never mentioned in conjunction with a hard side camper before.  Tom reported the dry weight of the T100S starts at a little over 1,000 pounds dry and said it commonly weighs in at 1,170 dry with most options.  As always, check your GVWR and payload ratings carefully.


D650: The Half-Ton Short-Bed Hard Side Camper

The other unique camper we learned about at Six-Pac University was the Deluxe 650, also known as the D650.  The D650 is a fully self-contained camper designed for half-ton short-bed trucks.  You read that right, half-ton short-bed trucks.  Tom listed the trucks compatible with the D650 as the short-bed Toyota Tundra, Ford F-150, Chevy and GMC 1500, Dodge 1500, and Nissan Titan.  Again, that’s a lot of trucks that we’ve never before mentioned for a hard side camper.  Tom told us the dry weight of the D650 is around 1,895 pounds.

Tom added that both the T100S and the D650 require suspension upgrades for the partnering trucks including SuperSprings for the domestic trucks, Helwigs for the Toyotas, anti-sway bars, and either D or E rated tires.  Class dismissed.


Meeting Mr. Six-Pac

During out tour, we often refer to someone who is so deeply tied into a manufacturer’s manufacturing that you couldn’t imagine the place without them as Mr. (that manufacturer).  Almost every truck camper manufacturer has had one.  Manuel Trujillo is definitely Mr. Six-Pac.

Manuel was scheduled to be on vacation during our visit and came in specifically to be with us.  That’s dedication.  As Tom explained it, a visit to Six-Pac without meeting Manuel would have been incomplete.  But enough of that, let’s meet Mr. Six-Pac already.

Manuel has been with Six-Pac for thirty years and has experienced many changes at the company.  He started with the Bensen family, the original owners, working on the electrical systems.  In those early years Manuel moved around a lot learning sheet metal, moldings, cabinets, doors, flooring, sidewall, plumbing, and table construction and installation.  Manuel said that Six-Pac has built travel trailers, 5th wheels, and, for one year, even motorhomes.  Of course the whole time Six-Pac manufactured truck campers.  Manuel added that in 1977 Six-Pac was building forty campers a week and that the record was fifty-five campers a week.  That’s more campers per week than any truck camper manufacturer today.

With all of his experience at Six-Pac, Manuel is now responsible for new camper design and development.  When we visited, he was working on a new side dinette layout for the T100S.  In the last five years, Manuel has worked with the Six-Pac team to improve the design of every model.  Tom said there isn’t one camper in the Six-Pac line Manuel hasn’t dramatically improved.  Mr. Six-Pac indeed.

When we asked Manuel what his design priorities are, he explained that he has a very holistic approach to truck campers.  He talked about how some companies design using computers but that he can see a camper from the inside out in his mind.  Weight and center of gravity are top priorities as are a feeling of warm and inviting open space.  As he puts it, he wants the customer to be comfortable in their Six-Pac.


Breaking Six-Pac News

While we were in Tom’s office, we talked to him about his vision for the future of the company.  Tom’s big initiative for 2008 is to re-establish a dealership network for Six-Pac.  Five years ago when Tom and Celeste bought Six-Pac the company had a dealership network.  Unfortunately, Tom discovered that the dealers had not been treated well by the former owners and the relationships left much to be desired.  After assessing the issues the company faced at the time, Tom took Six-Pac Campers factory direct.

Now, after five years of improving the company and product line, Tom is ready to re-establish a dealership network.  Already in the first two weeks of 2008 Tom has brought on board Camp Quest in Richmond, California and Tom’s Camperland in Phoenix, Arizona.  Both dealerships reportedly have the D650 on hand as this article is posted and more Six-Pac Campers on the way.  Six-Pac is also carried by the largest truck camper dealership on the planet, Apache Camping Center, at their Portland, Oregon location.


Up Next: Building Campers

For our next article, we will take a look at Six-Pac’s manufacturing plant and meet more team members.  We’ll also learn more about what Tom and Celeste have done these past five years to turn Six-Pac around and find one camper in the showroom that doesn’t belong.  And no, it’s not ours.

For more information about Six-Pac Campers, visit their web site at www.six-pac.com .


The Six-Pac Team: Tom Hanagan, Edgar Paz-Lara, Antonia Sandoval, Jaime Mora, Jose Salas, Manuel Trujillo, Sara Vasquez, Sandra Padilla, Manuel Parada, Rita Amezcua, Manuel Trujillo, Jr., Yancarlo Zaragoza, Joel Vasquez, Manuel Vazquez, Magdiel Velazquez, Francisco Meza, Sande Benson, Armando Rojas, Adan Reyes, Antonio Arriola, Ralph Santiago