Soaring Eagle introduces the Aquila—an all-aluminum, composite hard-side camper for short-bed three-quarter-ton trucks. Featuring a hideaway cassette toilet and an east-west or north-south bed, Aquila is ready to fly. It’s a tweener!
In preparation for this article, we counted how many Soaring Eagle truck camper models had been announced to date. With the subject of these electrons, there have been fourteen. That’s almost one new camper model every two-and-a-half months, if spread evenly. No company in the nineteen-year history of Truck Camper Magazine has a record anywhere close to that number.
Naturally, the Aquila is camper number fourteen and an entirely new model in the Soaring Eagle repertoire. Unlike the sprawling Adlar line that targets half-ton and mid-size trucks, or the singular Aerie that focuses on the premium self-contained market, the Aquila nests in the space between. Scott Tuttle, Partner at Soaring Eagle, calls it a ‘tweener’.
Funny enough, tweener is the best name we’ve heard for the growing segment of the camper market defined by (a) no walled bathroom, (b) a built-in cassette toilet in a hideaway cabinet, and (c) otherwise full-size camper features cabover to entry door. This wasn’t really a category before, but suddenly there’s several competitors battling it out in this tweener space.
To find out more about the Aquila, including how to pronounce the name, we talked to Scott Tuttle, Partner at Soaring Eagle Campers.
The Soaring Eagle Aquila is a hard side, non-slide, truck camper made for short bed trucks. The interior floor length of the Soaring Eagle Aquila is 72.25″, the width is 89″, and the interior height is 83.25″. The center of gravity is 27” from the front wall.
The Aquila has a 9 gallon fresh tank and a 4 gallon cassette toilet. It comes standard with a 100Ah lithium battery and a 200-watt solar panel. It has a 20-pound propane tank.
Soaring Eagle Campers is reporting the base weight of the Aquila at 1,575 pounds. The base cost of the 2025 Soaring Eagle Aquila starts at $33,598. Click here to request a Soaring Eagle brochure.
With the Aquila, Soaring Eagle has now announced fourteen truck campers since launching in late 2022. Why has Soaring Eagle launched so many camper models over the past three years?
With our Adlar line, Soaring Eagle started out specifically focused on the half-ton marketplace. We launched with the Adlar 6.5 and added models to fit every truck bed size available while preserving the ability to close the tailgate.
Today we offer the Adlar 5.0, 5.5, 6.0, 6.5, 6.5XL, 6.5XLS, 8.0XL, and 8.0XLS. Our Adlar line can fit, payload match, and ride well in everything from quarter-tons to one-ton dually trucks.
The OV-X pop-up topper line consists of five models to accommodate every truck bed size. Our OV-X line can also fit, payload match, and ride well in everything from quarter-tons to one-ton dually trucks.
Add our high-end Aerie and the new Aquila and Soaring Eagle now offers fourteen truck campers. Our camper offerings may sound complicated, but they’re not. On our website, we sort our models by truck to make it simple.
We haven’t heard the term ‘quarter-tons’ before. Is that referring to Ford Mavericks and Toyota Tacomas? We usually call them mid-size trucks.
Quarter-ton is a truck industry term referring to mid-size trucks.
If I may, one of the biggest issues in the truck camper market is weight, and how it’s being represented to buyers. Too often, campers are labeled ‘mid-size’ or ‘quarter-ton compatible’ simply because they physically fit the truck.
We’re seeing campers built to fit between the wheel wells, then loaded with tanks, systems, and options that push them into the 1,500 to 1,600-pound range. That kind of weight doesn’t belong on a quarter-ton truck.
“Weight matters, and getting it wrong ultimately hurts safety, customer trust, and the market itself.”
In our view, 900 to 1,050 pounds is the realistic range where a quarter-ton’s suspension, brakes, drivetrain, handling, and balance still work together. Suspension upgrades may reduce sag, but they don’t improve braking, engine load, or fuel economy. Claims based on maximum payload ratings—like a Tacoma’s often-cited 1,800 pounds—reflect rare, lightly optioned configurations, not how many of these trucks are actually owned and used.
As manufacturers, we have a responsibility to design honestly for real-world quarter-ton trucks. Weight matters, and getting it wrong ultimately hurts safety, customer trust, and the market itself. We don’t play those games at Soaring Eagle.
If a consumer is in doubt, use our “Matching A Truck and Camper” article. Where did the name Aquila come from, and how is it properly pronounced?
Aquila is pronounced like the ‘quill’ of a pen. The word ‘quill’ is also used in archery. Phonetically, it’s “Ah-KWIL-uh”.
Aquila is Latin for “eagle”. It’s also the genus or species of eagles. I wanted another eagle name and came across Aquila in my research. An Adlar is a young eagle and an Aerie is an eagle’s nest.
Where did the concept of the Aquila come from?
The Aquila gives us a model between the Aerie and our Adlar line. We needed a camper for heavy-duty half-tons and all three-quarter tons with a built-in cassette toilet but no separate inside shower or bathroom, and an east-west or north-south cabover. This is a popular segment in the market and we were losing sales by not having a camper there. It’s a tweener.
Our goal was to have a camper that offered some of the look and feel of the Aerie and be priced competitively in the market. At the same time, we’re not cutting corners with our all-aluminum and composite construction. Like all Soaring Eagle products, our campers are value priced and built to outlast your truck.
Adding the Aquila also gives us campers that sell in the $20s (Adlar line), the $30s (Aquila), and the $40s (Aerie).
A tweener—that’s a fantastic description of this niche! Did the Aquila 6.5 start with the Adlar’s aluminum shell, or was it a ground-up new design?
The Aquila was a ground-up new design. We made it taller and wider than the Adlar models. We wanted the Aquila to have the feel and features of a full-size truck camper.
How did you develop the layout and features you wanted for the Aquila?
During the design of our campers, the three of us (Scott Bradshaw, Troy Andrews, and I) have vigorous discussions about layouts, features, and other specifics. That’s an important part of our process, as we bounce different ideas and thoughts off of each other.
Once we built the initial structure for the Aquila, we started moving things and changing things. Once we had a prototype that felt right, we brought it to Elkhart and gathered feedback from dealers and media—even you guys. That led us to redesign the cabover to be either east-west or north-south, among other important tweaks. For a camper this size, it has one of the biggest U-shape dinettes in this price point.
The pull-out solution you came up with to switch between an east-west to a north-south bed is quite clever. Tell us how that works.
After the Elkhart RV Open House in September, we decided that the Aquila would mostly target three-quarter ton trucks and should have a north-south cabover. However, extending the cabover to accommodate a north-south bed would make the camper unusable off the truck, as well as make the camper look goofy.
Then we thought, ‘What if we had a section 60 inches wide that slid into the cabover, creating a north-south bed?’ This gives the Aquila owner the ability to choose if they want to sleep east-west or north-south.
The best part of this solution is that it doesn’t change the balance of the camper physically or aesthetically. We can keep the shorter cabover.
How is the north-south cabover extension supported on the driver’s side?
We tie into the structure of the cabinet face on the driver’s side, and the sidewall of the passenger’s side. You also get an extra cushion for the north-south bed extension.
Some campers with east-west orientations omit the cabover windows to avoid potentially accidentally kicking the windows or shades. Why did you decide to put windows on either side of the cabover?
To keep the coach and cabover feeling open. I wouldn’t want to eliminate those windows in a small space. It’s an 80 inch long bed. That’s 6 feet 6 inches. Anything is possible, but we felt that it’s unlikely that people will kick or damage the windows or shades.
Is the pull-out east-west or north-south bed standard or optional?
It’s standard.
How important was the hideaway cassette toilet to the Aquila concept?
Talking to customers, they wanted a built-in cassette toilet. Our Adlar line has porta-potties, but this is a clear step-up. Our Aerie has a full wet bath with a built-in cassette. Other campers in this category have hidden cassette toilets, but we believe we have the best implementation of this feature.
What is the capacity of the cassette?
Four gallons.
Does the Aquila use the same wood-free, welded-aluminum and composite build of your other models?
Yes. Like our Aerie, it uses a welded tubular framed floor that’s fully-insulated. We use a 5/8 inch composite decking for both the Aquila and the Aerie floor. The only wood in the Aerie or the Aquila is the cabinetry.
From the exterior, the Aquila looks similar to your Aerie model. Is this the new Soaring Eagle look?
Yes. We are using the same mountain scene, stripes, and spoiler graphic on the Adlar, Aerie, and Aquila.
The Aquila interior is definitely modeled after the Aerie. It has light cabinets, beige seating, and earth-tone colored wood plank flooring.
Does the Aquila 6.5 have a basement?
No.
Where is the Aquila’s center of gravity?
It is 27” from the front wall.
What furnace, water heater, and refrigerator did you choose for the Aquila?
For the furnace, we’re using a Dometic 18,000 BTU furnace. For the water heater, we’re using an on demand Fogatti. And for the refrigerator, we’re using a 3.3 cubic foot 12-volt compressor Everchill.
What air conditioner did you select for the Aquila 6.5?
We are using a low profile RecPro Houghton with a heat pump. We’ve been using the Houghton air conditioners for five years without issue.
What windows are standard on the Aquila?
The Aquila uses single pane glass windows. Dual pane thermal pane glass windows are standard on the Aerie and optional on the Aquila.
We prefer glass windows to acrylic windows because they don’t get scratched or develop a haze like acrylic windows. Glass windows weigh a bit more, but they’re proven.
What is the standard solar and battery capacity of the Aquila? And what are the maximum capacities?
The Aquila comes with 200-watts of solar standard. Four hundred watts is optional. The Aquila also comes standard with one 100Ah lithium battery. Both 200Ah and 400Ah are optional.
We designed the Aquila to be able to hold two 200Ah batteries and a 3,000-watt inverter. To 200-watt solar panels fit well on the roof, and we’re looking into adding an exterior solar panel port.
What size is the propane tank?
There’s a 20 pound vertical tank on the driver’s side in the rear.
What are the fresh, grey, and black tank capacities on the Aquila?
The Aquila has a 9 gallon fresh tank, no grey tank, and a 4 gallon cassette toilet.
What’s the dry base weight of the Aquila?
The base dry weight is 1,575 pounds.
What’s the Aquila’s weight when fully loaded with common options?
With the low-profile RecPro Houghton air conditioner with heat pump (68 pounds), second MaxxAir Fan (3 pounds), microwave (32 pounds), 400-watts of solar (24 pounds), and 12-volt rear awning with lights (55 pounds), the camper comes to 1,757 pounds.
Other possible options include demountable jack brackets, dually swing-away brackets, a 3,000 watt inverter, 200Ah or 400Ah of lithium, and a portable Blackstone griddle.
What’s the base MSRP?
The base MSRP of the Aquila is $33,598, with electric jacks standard. That was another upgrade we made after the Open House.
When will the Aquila be available?
The Aquila will be at RV shows throughout North America in January. We will also have it on display at the Florida SuperShow in Tampa from January 14th-18th, 2026.
“We will also have it on display at the Florida SuperShow in Tampa from January 14th-18th, 2026.”
What’s the Soaring Eagle Aquila warranty?
Soaring Eagle campers come with a three year structural warranty and a one year bumper-to-bumper warranty. The individual appliances have their own warranties.
Will the Aquila be a stand-alone model, or will it be part of a new Soaring Eagle line?
There is potential to have an 8 foot Aquila with a small wet bath.
Do you see any other product changes coming in the future?
Some day. For now, we are happy with our product lineup, but I could see a slide-out one day making its way into the Aerie model.
Is there anything else you’d like to add about the Aquila?
We wanted the Aquila to be a no-compromise, wood-free, all-aluminum and composite premium camper in the mid $30K range. That focus on quality and value is in our company’s DNA. We do everything we can to do it right the first time. We use the best quality materials possible. And we don’t cut corners.
We tell our customers to look beyond the eye appeal. Every camper looks good on the outside, but it’s what’s inside the walls, floors, and roof that really matters. That’s what determines the true value of a camper. Educate yourself about what to look for in camper materials and construction. Look harder at these attributes. Just because a camper is a great price, doesn’t mean it’s a great deal.
For more information on Soaring Eagle Campers, visit their website at soaringeaglecampers.com. Click here to request a Soaring Eagle brochure.
