Just over 400 truck camper enthusiasts weighed in on a critical question: Is demountability essential to the definition of a truck camper, or do chassis-mounted rigs belong in the tribe? Have a seat. The results might be a surprise.

We have all gone into situations fully expecting one scenario to unfold, only to have something very different happen. Maybe you wore a Hawaiian shirt to a party, only to find out it was a formal suit-and-tie gathering. Or perhaps you were called to the high school principal’s office thinking you were in big trouble only to find out you were selected for a regional award. Unexpected outcomes aren’t always bad, but they’re always a surprise.

Last week, we featured Supertramp’s Paragon renderings. The non-field-demountable rig flew in the face of our long-standing “If it doesn’t demount, it doesn’t count” rule, but it also piqued our curiosity. What would happen if we showcased this new design and asked our readership (a) if it was a truck camper, and (b) if non-demountable chassis-mount rigs should be included in the truck camper conversation? To be completely honest, we went into this fully expecting the answer to be “no” and “no”.

Well, that’s not exactly what the survey data revealed. If anything, we’ve learned that not all Truck Camper Magazine readers are 100 percent in the “If it doesn’t demount, it doesn’t count” camp. To make things even more interesting, the question-to-question results don’t necessarily line up. It seems we all know what a traditional truck camper is, but a good number of us are open to interpretation, depending on how the question is asked.

For anyone concerned that this survey might prompt us to abandon our “demountable” definition and start labeling anything mounted to a pickup as a truck camper, rest assured that’s not happening. The demountable standard remains our definition.

If anything, the survey data points to a future possibility of broadening our editorial scope to include clearly identified chassis-mount pickup and camper products. We’re not sold on that idea yet, but we are paying attention to what the community is telling us.

Here are the survey results:

1. How important is field-demountability in defining a truck camper?

We were absolutely sure this first question would be 90 percent (or more) in the “It’s essential” camp. Imagine our shock when less than half of Truck Camper Magazine readers registered that position. Holy cow! We have ourselves a genuine debate here folks. Call the Joint Camper Chiefs and take us to TC-Defcon 3. We need to sort this out.

The other responses revealed equally shocking results. A full 17 percent stated that field-demountability is “Very important, but a few exceptions may make sense.” We’re talking about a long-standing core qualification of truck campers, and 17 percent of Truck Camper Magazine readers are open to exceptions?! What’s happening here?

From there our jaws just dropped on the floor, rolled down the mountain, into the river, and got eaten by passing salmon. 23.6 percent stated field-demountability is only “somewhat important” and another 15.1 percent said it’s “not important”. Not important! Not important?

Attention truck camper industry, marketplace, and world at large. We officially have to recognize that Truck Camper Magazine’s readership—the most passionate truck camper community on the planet—is no longer 100 percent locked into the “If it doesn’t demount, it doesn’t count” rule.

To quote the great ‘Sweet Child’ lyrics of Axl Rose, “Where do we go now?”

2. A permanently mounted camper built on a pickup chassis should be classified as:

Here, the data is more in line with what we expected from question 1. Only 10.3 percent stated that a permanently-mounted (aka non-field-demountable) camper should be classified as a truck camper. Phew! There’s the 90 percent! Get the Joint Camper Chiefs back on the horn and take us down to TC-Defcon 5. And put on some Steely Dan—Aja, side two.

3. What most distinguishes a truck camper from other RV types?

Question 3 forced survey participants to decide which of the named factors is the most important for distinguishing a truck camper from other RV types. In the real world, all of these factors are essential for truck campers, but which one is the most critical?

The fact that “The ability to remove the camper” came out on top was expected. However, the 61.4 percent score is another indication that “If it doesn’t demount, it doesn’t count” is now, as Peter Venkman famously said in Ghostbusters, “…more of a guideline than a rule.”

What’s important here is the second-highest response: 25 percent checked “Built on a pickup truck platform.” A picture is forming, but we can’t quite see it yet.

4. Even if a rig doesn’t demount, should pickup-based chassis-mounts be considered part of the truck camper community?

With this question, we point-blank asked if non-demountable, chassis-mounted rigs—like the Supertramp Paragon—should be considered part of the truck camper community. Again, we expected a 90 percent “Not really” response and—once again—got only half that. In fact, the yes-no vote favored non-demountable, chassis-mounted rigs 55.1 to 42 percent.

The yes votes were split between “Yes—But best recognized as a sub-group” at 31.2 percent and “Yes. They share the same spirit of travel” at 23.9 percent. Even with the stated conditions, that’s a remarkable percentage of Truck Camper Magazine readers who are open to non-demountable, chassis-mounted rigs being counted as part of the truck camper community.

5. Should the truck camper segment expand its definition to include pickup-based chassis mounts?

Could it be that slightly more than a third of Truck Camper Magazine readership is firm in the “If it doesn’t demount, it doesn’t count rule”, and the remainder are open—with some stipulations—to pickup-based chassis-mounts being part of the truck camper tribe? If we go strictly by the above multiple-choice survey results, the answer is yes.

6. In your own words, what must a vehicle have to be called a truck camper?

Up to this point, this survey really threw us for a loop. More than any reader survey in memory, the results appeared to vary from one question to the next, making it difficult to draw conclusions.

Thankfully, the open question at the end provided much-needed clarity. It was almost like a different set of people answered the written questions from the multiple-choice.

Here are the stand-out perspectives from the written responses:

An estimated 70 percent of respondents defined a truck camper as a removable or demountable unit designed to be mounted on a pickup truck bed. Variations of “must be removable,” “demountable,” and “the truck must still function as a truck” dominated the responses. For this majority, removability is not a preference; it’s a defining characteristic of what makes a truck camper a truck camper.

Another estimated 20 percent of respondents aligned with the traditional pickup-based definition but expressed an openness to different interpretations. That stated, they still insisted on the pickup requirement and prefer the ability to demount. This is the “We like the definition of a truck camper, but we’ll consider other ideas” camp.

About 10 percent supported an even broader interpretation, suggesting that all truck-based platforms could reasonably fall under the truck camper umbrella. Some in this group emphasized that the industry evolves and that definitions may need to evolve with it. However, even within this group, full endorsement of permanently mounted rigs was hard to find.

Conclusion: The Demountable Definition Stays

Taking the full scope of this survey into account, Truck Camper Magazine’s “If it doesn’t demount, it doesn’t count” definition will remain unchanged.

While some readers made thoughtful and compelling arguments for expanding our definition to include non-demountable rigs, the majority were clear: a truck camper should be demountable. Demountability represents the versatility, flexibility, and core appeal of the category itself. We agree, and we’re holding the line.

That stated, this survey made another point equally clear: a meaningful number of truck camper enthusiasts are genuinely interested in pickup-truck-based rigs that fall outside the strict demountable definition.

This reality doesn’t change our definition, but it does sharpen our awareness. It means we won’t automatically dismiss an innovative pickup truck–based product simply because it doesn’t demount. Case in point: Supertramp’s Paragon.

“If it doesn’t demount, it doesn’t count” remains our defining standard. But that rule has always served a larger purpose: our beloved ‘Go Anywhere, Camp Anywhere, Tow Anything’ lifestyle. After this survey, it’s increasingly apparent there may be more than one path to that destination, without changing what a truck camper is.