With a prominent presence at Expo West, Soaring Eagle demonstrated how its hard side and pop-up camper lines appeal to both Overland and traditional RV buyers. Here’s how Soaring Eagle lands that coveted balance.
Traditional RV truck campers prioritize self-containment, appliances, and domestic comfort in a highly mobile package. Overland truck campers strip everything back to prioritize low weight, simplicity and ultimate mobility. Soaring Eagle is intentionally building for both narratives at once, and gaining ground.
While traveling from Texas to Arizona, the Truck Camper Magazine team found Soaring Eagle in two completely different environments. First, we saw the Adlar 5.0, Aquila 6.5, and Aerie 8 at Princess Craft RV in Katy, Texas. Then we saw the OV-X 6.5, Adlar 6.5XLS, and Aerie 8 at Overland Expo in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Nearly the same Soaring Eagle models are being placed in front of two completely different audiences. To understand what Soaring Eagle is doing here, let’s take a look at their line-up, model by model, and see where they land in the traditional truck camper vs Overland worlds.
There’s no ambiguity with the Soaring Eagle OV-X. This pop-up topper is an Overland-focused platform in the purest sense. No fresh water system. No bathroom. No built-in appliances. What remains is an open floor plan with a bed and power.
Fitting nearly every truck from mid-size short beds to full-size long beds, the OV-X appeals to the rugged truck camper focused on keeping their setup light, minimal, and affordable.
The OV-X 6.5 we saw at Overland Expo featured a 100Ah lithium battery, 400 watts of solar, and a north-south 78-by-64-inch pull-out bed. Optional upgrades include a 12-volt chest refrigerator, porta-potty, exterior shower, and a 3000-watt inverter.
Starting at 525 pounds and $18,000 for the OV-X 5.0, this is a truck camper solution built around core concepts of being lightweight, compact, and mobile.
It’s tempting to state that Soaring Eagle’s Adlar series is more Overland, but it’s found significant success on traditional RV lots across the country. That stated, the Adlar definitely blurs the definition between Overland and traditional RV truck campers. It avoids fixed plumbing, but presents more like a traditional camper—not in bulk, but in livability.
Like the OV-X, the Adlar is designed to fit nearly every truck bed configuration. And like every camper in the Soaring Eagle lineup, it fits in the bed with the tailgate closed. With dry weights ranging from 900 pounds for the Adlar 5.0 to 1,275 pounds for the Adlar 8.0XLS, Soaring Eagle clearly focused on keeping this hard side camper lightweight and nimble.
Inside the Adlar 6.5XLS we saw at Overland Expo, there was a face-to-face dinette, 3.3-cubic-foot 12-volt refrigerator, and a sink fed by a portable 4.5-gallon fresh water container with a Dometic GO faucet. Optional appliances push the RV influence further with a microwave oven, roof-mounted air conditioner, porta-potty, and a portable cooktop.
To reinforce the Adlar’s Overland appeal, Soaring Eagle offers an OVERLAND package complete with roof racks, MOLLE panels, RotoPax, Batwing awning, and more.
If the Adlar blurs the line between Overland and traditional truck campers, the Soaring Eagle Aquila presents a bridge. At 1,575 pounds dry, the Aquila 6.5 introduces a level of built-in comfort that edges decisively toward RV expectations. The Aquila 6.5 includes a 9-gallon fresh water tank, on-demand hot water, two-burner stove, furnace, 12-volt refrigerator, sink, and—most notably—a cassette toilet.
While the Aquila 6.5 does not feature an interior shower, nearly every other core RV system is present and integrated.
Optional upgrades include a roof-mounted air conditioner, 400Ah battery capacity, 3000-watt inverter, and microwave oven.
There’s no interior shower or grey water system, yet the Aquila clearly pushes beyond the minimalist overland formula. Still, Soaring Eagle has one more model up its sleeve.
The Aerie 8 shifts the balance toward the traditional RV side of truck camping. With a 2,300-pound dry weight, it adds a full wet bath and a higher level of integrated systems that place it firmly in RV territory.
The wet bath is surprisingly spacious given the tailgate-closed footprint and is fed by a 28-gallon fresh water tank and 13-gallon grey tank. Soaring Eagle also managed to include a small sink in the bathroom for washing hands or brushing teeth.
The Aerie 8 features a Truma Combi furnace and water heater, 3.3-cubic-foot 12-volt refrigerator, north-south queen bed, and a microwave oven.
The Aerie 8 is a camper that would feel right at home on an RV lot. So why was it at Overland Expo?
Soaring Eagle is building directly on top of the line separating traditional RV and overland truck campers.
So what’s driving this convergence? Better lithium systems, more efficient appliances, and lighter materials allow manufacturers to build increasingly capable campers that fit a wider variety of trucks.
At the same time, social media has collapsed the distance between consumer groups. A weekend trail user and a full-time traveler now consume the same imagery online, share similar expectations, and increasingly use the same hardware.
If the range of overland and RV applications in the Soaring Eagle lineup is any indication, the intersection between RV and overland isn’t coming. It has already arrived.
