For too many, campers have become too expensive, too bloated, and too heavy. In response, Lance has brought back Squire, a value line that strips the fluff, cuts the weight, and slashes the cost. Want a more affordable Lance? Meet Squire!
There’s been something of a marketplace-wide race in recent years to cram as much high-end technology, luxury materials, and premium equipment into truck campers as possible. From large lithium battery systems to multi-panel solar arrays to solid surface countertops to European heat and hot water systems to power awnings and beyond, truck campers have become increasingly expensive, weighed down, and complicated.
Now, some of you read that list and thought, “Take those high-end, luxury, and premium items from my cold, dead truck camping hands!” Others read that list and thought, “I don’t need no stinkin’ European water heater to go camping! Take that expensive stuff out, bring the weight down, and give me a back-to-basics camper.”
Lance has heard both customers and is on the move. For luxury camper enthusiasts, Lance is preparing to launch the new Lance 1191. For those on a budget, or would prefer a simpler camper, the Squire value line is your huckleberry.
Above: The 2026 Squire 805—All images provided by Lance Campers.
We asked the Lance leadership team this exact question and they gave a very straight answer. The core construction of both Lance and Squire truck campers is 100 percent identical. Both use the same aluminum-framed, Azdel composite, closed-cell foam, and fiberglass (no wood) laminated manufacturing process and structure, the same production line and team, and the same quality control. The differences are in the floor plans, cabinetry, and components.
Going from a Lance to a Squire, enclosed wood cabinetry is reduced and/or replaced by all-aluminum MOLLE (Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment) pattern open storage, TPO nose caps are omitted, and high-end premium cooktops, heaters, water heaters, air conditioners, and other appliances are traded for tried and true standards.
Put another way, the Squire line strips out the expensive, heavy fru-fru and delivers a true back-to-basics Lance Camper. In many ways, Squire echoes what Lance was building around 2012: aluminum-framed, fully-laminated, no nose caps, and equipped with proven propane appliances.
Today’s Squire goes further by drawing on Lance’s most advanced design and manufacturing experience including SolidWorks engineering, CNC precision, modern materials, and a refined production process. The result is a contemporary Squire shaped by decades of Lance evolution. It’s not your dad’s Squire.
Above: The 2026 Squire 825—shown on a half-ton for demonstration purposes
Above: The 2026 Squire 825 floor plan.
The Squire 825 is a hard-side, non-slide, wet bath truck camper for short bed trucks. The interior floor length of the Squire 825 is 8’6” and the interior height is 77″. The exterior width is 86” and the center of gravity is 36” from the front wall.
It has a 30 gallon fresh water tank, 13 gallon grey tank, and 14 gallon black tank. It accommodates two Group 27 batteries and two 20-pound propane tanks.
Lance is reporting the base dry weight of the Squire 825 at 1,725 pounds without options. The base price MSRP for the Squire 825 is $28,875. Click here to request a free Squire 825 brochure.
Above: The main living area of the Squire 825
The 825 is the only model available as both a Lance and a Squire. If put side-by-side, you would immediately notice the different branding and graphics (Lance vs Squire) and the lack of a TPO front nose cap on the Squire 825. Beyond that, the two campers would appear the same.
Inside, the differences would be more apparent. Where the Lance 825 features all wood upper cabinetry, the Squire 825 features the aluminum MOLLE panel open storage. This single difference saves a considerable amount of cost and opens up the interior feel of the Squire 825.
The kitchen oven from the Lance 825 gets the boot in the Squire 825 in favor of a propane cooktop. Many of us only use our kitchen oven to store pots and pans (including us), making this a cost-saving no-brainer.
Where the Lance 825 has Truma components, the Squire 825 has a traditional propane furnace and tankless water heater. Perhaps more than any other change, this removed a lot of cost. While you lose the advanced features of the Truma units, a propane furnace is as proven as RV components come, and the Girard tankless water heater has been employed by Lance for years.
The Lance 825 gets interior stereo speakers, cabover reading lights, and a lower kitchen cabinet compartment not found in the Squire version. You get the idea. By design, the Squire 825 is a leaner and more affordable version of the Lance 825.
Above: The 2026 Squire 805 on a Ford F-150. Below: The 2026 Squire floor plan.
The Squire 805 is a hard-side, non-slide truck camper for short or long bed trucks. The interior floor length of the Squire 805 is 8’11” and the interior height is 80″. The exterior width is 86” and the center of gravity is 33” from the front wall.
It has a 10 gallon fresh water tank, 20 gallon grey tank, and a porta-potty. It accommodates two Group 27 batteries and one 20-pound propane tank.
Lance is reporting the base dry weight of the Squire 805 at 1,691 pounds without options. The base price MSRP for the Squire 805 is $23,664. Click here to request a free Squire 805 brochure.
The 805 is a floor plan first launched as the Lance 200 way back in the 1960s. Discontinued in 2008, the model was brought back in late 2023 as a Lance with modern design, engineering, and materials. When Lance says they’ve evolved their line-up over decades, they’re not kidding.
Now strictly a Squire model, the 805 has been streamlined to compete in one of the most competitive areas of the entire marketplace—hard side, non-slide, and short or long bed compatible for half-tons.
Lance achieved half-ton compatibility with the 805 by forgoing a basement, eliminating the bathroom (porta potty is available), going with a smaller 10 gallon fresh and 20 gallon grey tank, providing an east-west cabover, switching to manual jacks, and a 12-volt refrigerator.
What remains is one of the most stripped-down—but not stripped bare—no-nonsense hard side truck campers for a half-ton. And without the bathroom, it’s huge inside with a monster U-shape dinette and a 6-foot kitchen counter—the largest counter of any Lance-manufactured truck camper. In addition, the 805 has two drawers and two under-sink cabinets.
For us, the 805 interior feels bigger than the Lance 650, 825, and 865. If you want an open camper for a half-ton, and can live without a dedicated bathroom (porta-potty optional), the 805 belongs on your short list.
Above: The 2026 Squire 605 on a Toyota Tacoma. Below the 2026 Squire 605 floor plan.
The Squire 605 is a hard-side, non-slide truck camper for short bed trucks. The interior floor length of the Squire 605 is 6’0” and the interior height is 80″. The exterior width is 86” and the center of gravity is 25” from the front wall.
It has a 17 gallon fresh water tank, 10 gallon grey tank, and a porta-potty. It accommodates two Group 27 batteries and one 20-pound propane tank.
Lance is reporting the base dry weight of the Squire 605 at 1,326 pounds without options. The base price MSRP for the Squire 605 is $19,080. Click here to request a free Squire 605 brochure.
You’re looking at the smallest and lightest truck camper in Lance’s history. Never before has Lance had a camper that could fit, much less payload match, a Toyota Tacoma, Ford Ranger, Chevy Colorado, or GMC Canyon.
Essentially, the 605 is a smaller, lighter, and even more affordable version of the 805 to fit mid-size trucks. And like the 805, omitting a bathroom helps the interior to feel wide open. Features like a 70” by 36” dinette and another long kitchen counter ensure the camper isn’t just a place to get out of the weather and sleep. It’s a small but highly functional truck camper.
Appliances include a dual burner cooktop, 12-volt refrigerator, MOLLE aluminum cabinetry, and a high-faucet sink. No slides. No expensive appliances. Nothing you don’t need. It’s all Squire.
Nobody reading this article will be surprised that affordability has become a trending topic of concern across the world. Inflation has reared its ugly head, and we are all coming to terms with the rising cost of nearly everything.
Fortunately, there’s something that the truck camper industry can do: get back to basics. Once again, Lance is charting two paths forward with their premium Lance line and value-focused Squire line. This is more than the return of a legendary brand and line for Lance Campers. It’s a marketplace signal of what needs to happen if future generations of truck campers are going to enjoy our wonderful hobby.
At the Elkhart Open House in September, Lance Campers teased another new Squire model. And from what we saw, this will be one of their best all-new truck camper designs in years. We’ll have a full announcement and details as soon as Lance is ready to let ‘er rip.
Naturally, we are very enthusiastic about anything that makes truck campers more affordable. In some ways, heavier and more expensive luxury truck campers are less ‘go anywhere, camp anywhere and tow anything’ capable than their lighter and simpler peers. Might someone with the means for a Lance or a Squire end up preferring the Squire for these reasons? I bet a number of folks out there reading this article are thinking, “Heck yeah!”
Click here for more information about Squire truck campers. Click here to request a free 2026 Squire brochure.
