Building on its composite panel construction, Rugged Mountain introduces the Granite 8, an eight-foot, hard-side, non-slide camper for three-quarter-ton and larger pickups. Featuring their signature tiny-home interiors, the Granite 8 reaches a whole new market for Rugged Mountain.
This summer we’re traveling in a borrowed Rugged Mountain Granite Platinum. As you might imagine, the composite-panel camper has inspired many conversations with anyone even remotely interested in truck campers across the American West, Midwest, and East Coast.
After the composite-panel subject runs its course, these conversations often turn to Rugged Mountain itself. From that we’ve learned, the broader truck camper world associates Rugged Mountain with three things: (a) the biggest and heaviest multi-slide and non-slide demountable campers on Earth, (b) most of their models requiring Class-5 flatbed trucks, and (c) their signature tiny home interiors.
The challenge with Rugged Mountain’s big, heavy, and (mostly) Class-5 flatbed-requiring perception is that it’s extremely niche in its appeal. From publishing TCM for the better part of two decades, we know most truck camper enthusiasts want a slide-in camper that payload matches a one-ton (or lighter) pickup.
Well, it turns out Rugged Mountain has been up to something smaller, lighter, and it’s a slide-in—with their signature tiny home interiors inside. That something is the all-new 2026 Rugged Mountain Granite 8. In an all composite panel shell, the Granite 8 is an eight-foot, hard-side, non-slide, mid-bath camper that weighs in at 2,166 pounds dry, and comes in under $50,000 USD base MSRP.
“Shut the tailgate!” Yes, you can. And well said.
To learn more about the new Granite 8, we talked to Jesse Collinsworth, Founder and CEO of Rugged Mountain RV.
The Rugged Mountain Granite 8 is a hard side, non-slide, wet bath truck camper made for short and long bed trucks. The interior floor length of the Rugged Mountain Granite 8 is 7’7”, the interior height is 6’7”, and the center of gravity is 26” from the front.
The Granite 8 has an 30-gallon fresh tank, a 30-gallon grey tank, a 4.75-gallon black tank, an optional propane tank, and a Truma Combi water heater and furnace.
Rugged Mountain is reporting the base dry weight of a base model at 2,166 pounds. The MSRP for the 2026 Rugged Mountain Granite 8 is $49,900.
Click here for a free Granite 8 brochure
Before we talk about the new Granite 8, talk to us about the transition to composite panel construction Rugged Mountain announced in January, and how that’s going.
It’s going well. In fact, we’ve made some big changes at our factory to accommodate the growth.
The first thing you’d notice is that we’ve swapped our truck camper and tiny house production areas. Truck campers now occupy the larger 20,000 square foot production area.
The second thing you’d notice is that we now have a composite panel camper production line and a wood frame camper production line—side-by-side.
To keep both camper lines on track, we hired a new production manager. He was a custom home building contractor and I hired him because of the quality of his house builds.
We launched with composite panel construction earlier this year to give customers an option to our wood framing. It’s no secret that some folks will not consider a wood-framed camper. For those customers, we now have a wood-free all composite choice.
Are you building the new Granite 8 with the same Globe Trekker composite panels, extrusions, and adhesives used on the Granite Platinum and Denali 3S Composite?
Yes, the Granite 8 is built with the same Globe Trekker composite panels.
By using the same panels, I can increase the volume of Globe Trekker panels we’re buying and drive our camper prices down over time. To give you an idea of how much more the composite panels are compared to our wood-frame builds, the Denali 3SC (composite-panel) is $17,000 more than the equivalent wood-framed Denali 3S.
Rugged Mountain is known for triple-slide flatbeds, 12 and 14-foot non-slide flatbeds, and the 11-foot slide-in Granite. The 8-foot slide-in Granite 8 seems like a new direction for Rugged Mountain. What’s the story behind this new model?
With the Granite 8, we’re aiming for a larger portion of the market. Rugged Mountain needed a lighter and more affordable model for a long bed pickup. People assume Rugged Mountain campers are all heavy and expensive. The Granite 8 is our answer to that assumption. The Granite 8 is also featured and priced to be very competitive in the broader truck camper marketplace. We’re playing the game.
What’s the game?
As a whole, the truck camper industry promotes base campers at a low price and weight. The low price and weight is designed to beat the competition and attract customer attention.
The problem is that most customers don’t want to buy a base camper. For example, most customers want things like batteries, solar panels, and air conditioners that are often not included in the listed base weights.
When these items are added to a camper, the actual price and weight is significantly higher than advertised. That’s the game. With the Granite 8, we’re playing the game so we can be competitive.
With that in mind, was the Granite 8 designed to hit a specific price and weight target?
Yes. The goal for the Granite 8 was to be under 2,100 pounds for compatibility with three-quarter ton trucks. When I weighed the finished Granite 8, the actual weight was 2,166 pounds.
For price, I originally targeted to be under $50K. The Globe Trekker panels add considerable expense, so there wasn’t much room with the goal. We have kept the base MSRP to $49,900.
I have looked into ways to drop that price, but I would have to go to China for the panels. I don’t want to do that. Globe Trekker composite panels are higher quality and made in the USA.
Walk us through the design and development process for the Granite 8.
I called Globe Trekker and ordered an eight-foot version of our Granite Platinum composite panel camper. Once it arrived, we assembled the composite panel shell. The first priority was to make sure you can close the tailgate on most full-size long bed trucks. You can.
After that we started designing the interior. It didn’t take long to realize that the mid-bath floor plan of the Granite is hard to beat. To make that floor plan work with an eight foot floor, we designed a wet bath for the Granite 8.
Is the Granite 8 wet bath based on a previous model or is it a new design?
It’s a new wet bath design with a cassette toilet. The prototype has a shower pan, but we’re working on a mold that incorporates the shower pan, shower walls, and cassette toilet.
The 40-inch by 24-inch wet bath sits on one plane above the wings and works fantastic for the space it uses. The production version will be even better with the new mold.
A mid-bath with a cassette toilet is something we haven’t seen before. How did you accomplish that?
First, we adjusted the composite panel design to lower the camper to the truck as much as possible. It’s now eight-feet from the basement floor to the camper roof. That change also helps with weight, center of gravity and handling.
By lowering the camper closer to the truck, we were able to lower the cassette compartment on the camper exterior. Customers will access the cassette from the side of the camper.
There are no upper cabinets in the Granite 8 shown in the photography. Are upper cabinets an option?
Yes. We do not install upper cabinets on the standard Granite 8. Upper cabinets over the dinette and kitchen, along with cabover cabinets, will be available as options. We wanted to keep the standard build as light as possible. When you’re targeting a 2,100-pound dry weight, omitting the upper cabinets makes a significant difference.
If someone has a one-ton truck, they’ll probably want the upper cabinets. While they’ll add a considerable amount of weight, they’ll also provide a significant increase in storage. We’re continuing to look for additional ways to reduce the base Granite 8’s weight. Our next build will be a Granite 11 base with the same weight-reduction focus.
Given the objectives for the Granite 8, how did you approach interior design?
I kept our signature Rugged Mountain tiny home look with some adaptations to accommodate the Granite 8’s price and weight goals. For example, I used formica instead of solid surface material for the countertop and omitted the backsplash.
The lower cabinets are our same birch plywood construction and quality, but we used long hampers in the cabover bedroom instead of closets and front cabinets. That saves more cost and weight. Of course, cabover closets are an option.
Since the balance of standard features and options is different in the Granite 8, talk to us about what’s standard in this new model.
The Granite 8 comes standard with a 30 gallon fresh tank, 30 gallon grey tank, and the 4.75 gallon cassette toilet. For heat and hot water, the Granite 8 employs a Truma Combi standard.
The Granite 8 also comes with manual Rieco-Titan jacks, a two burner propane cooktop, a 3.2 cubic foot 12-volt refrigerator, a full 5.5-foot face-to-face dinette that makes into a bed, and two Fantastic Fans; one in the main area, and one in the cabover bedroom. The Granite 8 also comes prepped for solar and an air conditioner.
Customers can choose their dinette fabric color, floor material, countertop, and cabinetry stain. That’s all the same for every Rugged Mountain build.
For options, the counter can be upgraded to solid surface, and you can change out the dinette for a jackknife sofa or dual recliners.
“For options, the counter can be upgraded to solid surface, and you can change out the dinette for a jackknife sofa or dual recliners.”
You can also switch the cabover fan for a skylight, change one or both fans to MaxxAirs, or get a rooftop air conditioner. We also offer electric and remote controlled Rieco-Titan jacks, a Froli bed system, televisions, backup cameras, 12-volt refrigerator sizes up to 8 cubic feet, an induction cooktop, and a combination convection-air fryer-microwave.
What air conditioner are you offering with the Granite 8?
The RecPro Houghton 3400 Series with 13,500 BTU is optional. Everyone loves that air conditioner. It’s quiet. It’s efficient. And it works exceptionally well.
Does this camper use internal or external tie-down and turnbuckle systems?
The Granite 8 uses external tie-downs and turnbuckles. We’re using Rugged Mountain composite jack brackets with integrated tie-down points.
What height is the basement in the Granite 8?
The basement is 10.5 inches tall to fit the tanks and storage. We also designed a way the dump connection is on the side, and the pulls are inside a compartment.
What windows are standard in the Granite 8?
We’re using the same EuroVision thermal pane acrylic windows that we use in all of our campers. The EuroVision windows incorporate built-in screens and black out blinds.
How much solar is standard, and what’s the maximum optional capacity?
No solar is standard, but we pre-wire for solar standard and can install up to four 200-watt panels for 800-watts of solar. We use GoPower panels.
What is the standard battery setup—type, size, and amp-hours?
No batteries are standard, but we can install up to three 314 Ah batteries for a 942 Ah battery bank.
What size are the propane tanks, and where are they located?
No propane is standard, but an optional 20 pound tank can fit in a purpose-built and ventilated compartment on the passenger’s side.
What options do customers have for entry steps?
The Granite 8 is designed to allow customers to close the tailgate. That means they can use the step systems now designed into many tailgates. Another option is the Torklift Stow N’ Go system.
What is the dry base weight of the 2026 Rugged Mountain Granite 8?
The base dry weight of the 2026 Rugged Mountain Granite 8 is 2,166 pounds.
I’m going to take the base Granite 8 to Overland Expo Pacific Northwest this weekend. Then I’m going to bring it back to Rugged Mountain, load it up with options, and take it to Overland Expo Mountain West. My goal is to learn what the exact weight is fully loaded, and gauge interest in both build extremes.
What is the base MSRP?
The MSRP is $49,900.
What warranty does Rugged Mountain offer on this camper?
The Granite 8 comes with the same two-year warranty as every Rugged Mountain truck camper.
When will the Granite 8 be available?
The Granite 8 is available to order starting now. As of now, our delivery lead time is approximately six months.
Is there anything else you’d like to add about the Rugged Mountain Granite 8?
We already touched on this, but the wet bath design is truly unique. There’s about a seven-inch step up into the wet bath, but then the bathroom is all on that level. Seven inches is about the height of a residential step, so it feels natural. To accommodate taller folks, we’re using a plexiglass dome on the roof for additional head clearance. That also brings in light.
I think customers are going to love the new bathroom, and really enjoy everything we’ve designed into the new Granite 8.
“I think customers are going to love the new bathroom, and really enjoy everything we’ve designed into the new Granite 8.”
For more information on Rugged Mountain, visit their website at ruggedmountaincustomrv.com. Click here to get a free Rugged Mountain brochure.
