Maverick Impressions + iKamper Rooftop Tent / Overlanding Review

[MavCamper]

Hi folks -

I placed my Maverick order in mid-September 2021 (EcoBoost Lariat with most of the trimmings), and then [like many of you] began a nine-month wait until I finally took delivery in mid-June of this year. I feel a debt of gratitude to all who shared information on this forum during that long wait, as it made the delay and uncertainty more bearable - plus I learned a lot.

In an effort to repay said debt, I want to share some feedback on the truck generally, and on my specific truck’s ‘mission’ as it pertains to family camping/overlanding (note the deliberate use of lowercase "o" on overlanding: dirt roads and state campsites and occasional rain/mud/snow are generally the extent of our off-road needs).

In any event, I recently took the family and our month-old truck on a 1500 mile road trip/camping adventure, which allowed me to generate a somewhat informed opinion. Headline: I am very, very pleased and impressed with this little truck! In addition to using it for daily driving, our crew of four (two adults, two kids, and a dog) utilize a rooftop tent, which was mounted on our previous vehicle [a large SUV]. The hope was that the tent would work well on the Mav, and that it would sit lower than it did on the roof of the SUV – which would help with clearance issues in our garage (a major pain requiring sandbags and lowering tire pressure in the SUV). And further, that our camping gear would fit in the truck in a functional way. Mission accomplished!

We’ve owned the rooftop tent [iKamper Skycamp 2.0] for awhile now, but the credit card would get quite a workout as I assembled the parts required to mount the old tent above the new bed. Given the worldwide supply chain issues and my generally impatient and acquisitive nature, I went ahead and ordered the necessary parts long before the truck arrived, hoping to have all in place before a planned summer camping trip. The good news is that the truck arrived just in time, and each of the pre-ordered accessories worked out nicely. In case it's helpful, the key bits were/are:

Retrax Pro XR tonneau cover: this item was pricey at almost 2K, and the canister takes up precious bed space, so I was worried I had made a very expensive mistake…but after experiencing some serious buyer’s remorse upon ordering the cover [when it was on sale] and then installing it at long last, I’m pleased to report that so far it’s terrific. Reason is that, in addition to providing a lockable and mostly rainproof truck bed, when paired with the rack system described below, the aluminum tonneau cover essentially provides a second ‘shelf’ above the bed on which to pack camping supplies or anything else. This proved invaluable, and I was also able to maintain a sight line out of the rear view mirror by leaving the center of the tonneau cover clear of items (see photo below). Win!

Yakima Overhaul HD rack, HD Bar 60”, Side Bar, and Tonneau Kit 1: the combination of these four [also very pricey!] parts not only allowed me to mount the tent above the bed on the integrated tonneau cover T-slot rails, but also [with help from the side bars] created a sort of cage around the top of the aforementioned tonneau cover ‘shelf’ – providing protected space for plastic bins, milk crates, etc that are wholly independent from the bed-level storage. I went with the bigger Overhaul HD over lower-profile options like the Outpost HD because my rooftop tent is pretty huge, and if I had tried to keep it below the height of the cab, the overhang off the back of the truck would have been significant; I didn’t want to go there for various reasons. I also wanted the ‘shelf’ above the tonneau cover to have more overhead clearance for bigger items. That said, there was definitely a price paid on fuel efficiency, owing to the additional drag (average on my trip was around 22-23 MPG, though as mentioned below there were other contributing factors in addition to my ever-expanding gut).

For anyone who owns an iKamper and plans to purchase the Yakima HD bars, I should mention that the iKamper-included roof rack mounting hardware - the cooler and more minimalist ‘2.0 system’ that came with my rig a couple years ago - won’t work, owing to the thickness of the Yakima bars. However, the original 1.0 bracket hardware will work with this bar and the tent's rail system. So you’ll need to order that part separately (though iKamper says that the latest 3.0 hardware included with new tents/the newest rail system will work with Yakima bars). Further, the Yakima Tonneau Kit 1 [the adapter kit that interfaces with the Retrax T-slot rails] has been perpetually on backorder over the last year, and it was only through sheer luck and perseverance that I found a random set floating around in a sporting goods store very far from my home and was able to snatch it up. Plan accordingly!

CravenSpeed Stubby JR Antenna: needed this in order to avoid the factory antenna mashing up against the rooftop tent where it hangs over the back of the cab. Reception seemed fine, though mostly we use our phones/internet for audio.

Etrailer Folding Cargo Carrier: this may be TMI, but I needed a little more space for bulky items such as cooler, water jugs, etc…so I added this carrier to the truck’s hitch mount. I could have crammed most of these items onto the aforementioned tonneau shelf, but it would have been really tight and would have entirely eliminated my rear view. Anyhow, I’ve had this cargo carrier for a couple of years and it always annoyed me that the tongue length was so long – like why not have the carrier platform sit closer to the vehicle, for 1,001 reasons? But it turns out I was wrong, as the distance from tongue to storage platform on the Maverick left just enough room for the tailgate to open without interference. Yas!

Those were most of my tweaks for the tent rig and camping storage. Other random observations on the truck:

-The cruise control and lane-keeping software is stellar, if a little overzealous about checking for hands on the wheel. Seat comfort is stellar. Visibility is solid.

-Cabin noise is…a drag. It’s just a loud vehicle, particularly on rutted roads.

-Back seat space was/is adequate but not spacious; the kids were fine, and were way more focused on the various power options available for their devices.

-Most of the finishes and details in the truck interior are plastic-utilitarian, and I wonder if they will indeed prove to be “Ford Tough” after my kids put them through their paces. But I knew what I was buying and was not expecting perforated leather. Overall, I am very pleased with the fit and finish throughout the truck.

-I held off on lift kits or alternate tires, and mostly was satisfied with tire performance and vehicle height. But it’s summertime and the weather was good, so we’ll see…

Thanks again to all of you for sharing information with me over the past nine months – hope I’ve done my part to give a bit back to you!

,

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[skadizzle]

Nicely done! It looks great. I've always been hesitant to try roof/bed mounted tents, but it looks like it fits the Mav perfectly.

 

[Allen King Jr]

What is the thing sticking out on the right front of the bumper?

 

[MavCamper]

Front license plate holder (attached to tow hook)

 

[bgn]

The Pirellis were the first thing I got rid of. They're fine for forest service roads, but they struggle a lot in mud and snow.

I obviously don't know your kids, but the durability of tbe interior plastic is atrocious. And that comment is based on my own truck...with no kids and no dogs.

 

[The Weatherman]

Hi folks -

I placed my Maverick order in mid-September 2021 (EcoBoost Lariat with most of the trimmings), and then [like many of you] began a nine-month wait until I finally took delivery in mid-June of this year. I feel a debt of gratitude to all who shared information on this forum during that long wait, as it made the delay and uncertainty more bearable - plus I learned a lot.

In an effort to repay said debt, I want to share some feedback on the truck generally, and on my specific truck’s ‘mission’ as it pertains to family camping/overlanding (note the deliberate use of lowercase "o" on overlanding: dirt roads and state campsites and occasional rain/mud/snow are generally the extent of our off-road needs).

In any event, I recently took the family and our month-old truck on a 1500 mile road trip/camping adventure, which allowed me to generate a somewhat informed opinion. Headline: I am very, very pleased and impressed with this little truck! In addition to using it for daily driving, our crew of four (two adults, two kids, and a dog) utilize a rooftop tent, which was mounted on our previous vehicle [a large SUV]. The hope was that the tent would work well on the Mav, and that it would sit lower than it did on the roof of the SUV – which would help with clearance issues in our garage (a major pain requiring sandbags and lowering tire pressure in the SUV). And further, that our camping gear would fit in the truck in a functional way. Mission accomplished!

We’ve owned the rooftop tent [iKamper Skycamp 2.0] for awhile now, but the credit card would get quite a workout as I assembled the parts required to mount the old tent above the new bed. Given the worldwide supply chain issues and my generally impatient and acquisitive nature, I went ahead and ordered the necessary parts long before the truck arrived, hoping to have all in place before a planned summer camping trip. The good news is that the truck arrived just in time, and each of the pre-ordered accessories worked out nicely. In case it's helpful, the key bits were/are:

Retrax Pro XR tonneau cover: this item was pricey at almost 2K, and the canister takes up precious bed space, so I was worried I had made a very expensive mistake…but after experiencing some serious buyer’s remorse upon ordering the cover [when it was on sale] and then installing it at long last, I’m pleased to report that so far it’s terrific. Reason is that, in addition to providing a lockable and mostly rainproof truck bed, when paired with the rack system described below, the aluminum tonneau cover essentially provides a second ‘shelf’ above the bed on which to pack camping supplies or anything else. This proved invaluable, and I was also able to maintain a sight line out of the rear view mirror by leaving the center of the tonneau cover clear of items (see photo below). Win!

Yakima Overhaul HD rack, HD Bar 60”, Side Bar, and Tonneau Kit 1: the combination of these four [also very pricey!] parts not only allowed me to mount the tent above the bed on the integrated tonneau cover T-slot rails, but also [with help from the side bars] created a sort of cage around the top of the aforementioned tonneau cover ‘shelf’ – providing protected space for plastic bins, milk crates, etc that are wholly independent from the bed-level storage. I went with the bigger Overhaul HD over lower-profile options like the Outpost HD because my rooftop tent is pretty huge, and if I had tried to keep it below the height of the cab, the overhang off the back of the truck would have been significant; I didn’t want to go there for various reasons. I also wanted the ‘shelf’ above the tonneau cover to have more overhead clearance for bigger items. That said, there was definitely a price paid on fuel efficiency, owing to the additional drag (average on my trip was around 22-23 MPG, though as mentioned below there were other contributing factors in addition to my ever-expanding gut).

For anyone who owns an iKamper and plans to purchase the Yakima HD bars, I should mention that the iKamper-included roof rack mounting hardware - the cooler and more minimalist ‘2.0 system’ that came with my rig a couple years ago - won’t work, owing to the thickness of the Yakima bars. However, the original 1.0 bracket hardware will work with this bar and the tent's rail system. So you’ll need to order that part separately (though iKamper says that the latest 3.0 hardware included with new tents/the newest rail system will work with Yakima bars). Further, the Yakima Tonneau Kit 1 [the adapter kit that interfaces with the Retrax T-slot rails] has been perpetually on backorder over the last year, and it was only through sheer luck and perseverance that I found a random set floating around in a sporting goods store very far from my home and was able to snatch it up. Plan accordingly!

CravenSpeed Stubby JR Antenna: needed this in order to avoid the factory antenna mashing up against the rooftop tent where it hangs over the back of the cab. Reception seemed fine, though mostly we use our phones/internet for audio.

Etrailer Folding Cargo Carrier: this may be TMI, but I needed a little more space for bulky items such as cooler, water jugs, etc…so I added this carrier to the truck’s hitch mount. I could have crammed most of these items onto the aforementioned tonneau shelf, but it would have been really tight and would have entirely eliminated my rear view. Anyhow, I’ve had this cargo carrier for a couple of years and it always annoyed me that the tongue length was so long – like why not have the carrier platform sit closer to the vehicle, for 1,001 reasons? But it turns out I was wrong, as the distance from tongue to storage platform on the Maverick left just enough room for the tailgate to open without interference. Yas!

Those were most of my tweaks for the tent rig and camping storage. Other random observations on the truck:

-The cruise control and lane-keeping software is stellar, if a little overzealous about checking for hands on the wheel. Seat comfort is stellar. Visibility is solid.

-Cabin noise is…a drag. It’s just a loud vehicle, particularly on rutted roads.

-Back seat space was/is adequate but not spacious; the kids were fine, and were way more focused on the various power options available for their devices.

-Most of the finishes and details in the truck interior are plastic-utilitarian, and I wonder if they will indeed prove to be “Ford Tough” after my kids put them through their paces. But I knew what I was buying and was not expecting perforated leather. Overall, I am very pleased with the fit and finish throughout the truck.

-I held off on lift kits or alternate tires, and mostly was satisfied with tire performance and vehicle height. But it’s summertime and the weather was good, so we’ll see…

Thanks again to all of you for sharing information with me over the past nine months – hope I’ve done my part to give a bit back to you!

,

Outstanding information and I must say I’m jealous as hell!!

Happy Mavericking.

 

[Bushmaster2000]

Can you explain how the yakima risers mount to the bed rails around your roll up box cover? How do these things jive together? I got the ford factory tri-fold hard cover on mine so i doubt that is compatible but im' still wondering how you can have a secure box cover and also riser rails.

I was also concerned with the antenna as well, so i wrote down what you bought just in case i go this route too for next summer

 

[MavCamper]

Sure thing. Forgive me if I botch the terminology a bit, but in short the Retrax retractable tonneau cover mounts to the truck bed…and then the Yakima rack mounts to channels/tracks on the edges of that Retrax. However, this requires an adapter from Yakima (called the Tonneau Kit 1). When you put these three pieces together - Tonneau cover, adapter kit, and rack - they all work together. You can see a photo of the rack mating with the cover in those channels above.

For reference, your Yakima rack purchase includes a full set of brackets to attach the rack to the truck, but this would interfere with the Tonneau cover function - so you basically set all of those aside and use the adapter instead.

 

[Stupak]

The Pirellis were the first thing I got rid of. They're fine for forest service roads, but they struggle a lot in mud and snow.

I obviously don't know your kids, but the durability of tbe interior plastic is atrocious. And that comment is based on my own truck...with no kids and no dogs.

Agreed. The interior plastics are just awful for endurance. The slightest scrape results in deep grooves to the plastic. Still love my MAV but it will be interesting to see what the future holds.

 

[MER21]

Sure thing. Forgive me if I botch the terminology a bit, but in short the Retrax retractable tonneau cover mounts to the truck bed…and then the Yakima rack mounts to channels/tracks on the edges of that Retrax. However, this requires an adapter from Yakima (called the Tonneau Kit 1). When you put these three pieces together - Tonneau cover, adapter kit, and rack - they all work together. You can see a photo of the rack mating with the cover in those channels above.

For reference, your Yakima rack purchase includes a full set of brackets to attach the rack to the truck, but this would interfere with the Tonneau cover function - so you basically set all of those aside and use the adapter instead.

KB Voodoo Fabrications also makes crossbars that will mount to the Retrax rails: https://www.kbvoodoo.com/all-prox-crossbars/prox-maverick-crossbars-retrax

You can also mount their Max-Modular bed racks to those rails with these: https://www.max-modular.com/attachment-brackets/retraxone-xr-brackets

Bed Racks: https://www.max-modular.com/ford-maverick-bed-racks

 

[ryan2366]

Hey MavCamper,

Great setup. I’m considering either the Retrax One XR or the Retrax Pro XR based on your suggestion.

My only concern is taking up what limited bed space there is with the canister. How do you find it for taking up that space.

Also do you have any pictures showing the tonneau fully retracted that would give an idea.

Cheers

 

[MavCamper]

Hi, I am not with the truck right now and can't seem to find any pictures that show the canister when the cover is retracted - sorry! That said, fortunately I found another poster who covered this topic well, including pictures; see the link below (my rig is identical):

https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/f...arket-bed-cover-installed-pics-feedback.4689/

It's true that you lose space in the [already small] bed...but in my experience so far, it's totally worth the trade-off. Also, there's quite a bit of room under the canister. For reference, I picked up a few sheets of 4x8 plywood last week and easily slid them to the back of the bed (above the wheel wells, below the canister) without issue - and then of course set the back gate to its partially-open position; worked great.

The two hoses which are meant to drain water are the lowest part of the canister rig, but again they don't get in the way much as they're on either side. Side note: those hoses are a bit creased from the tight bend they have to make to get to the drain holes on either side of the bed, which seems suboptimal for water drainage (but it hasn't been an issue yet).

I like the Retrax a lot so far. I let them upsell me to the alumunum version when they explained the warranty was longer and weight tolerance higher.

Hope this helps!

 

[ryan2366]

MavCamper,

Thanks for your detailed response. It’s posts and responses like these that make me reconsider deleting my account from all the negativity and why I come her in the first place.
Thanks for sharing the link as well.

Cheers

 

[Moby]

MavCamper,

Thanks for your detailed response. It’s posts and responses like these that make me reconsider deleting my account from all the negativity and why I come her in the first place.
Thanks for sharing the link as well.

Cheers

I think before you get your truck you read all the negative stuff . After you get it ,you start reading the positive . I am still about a week from getting my Maverick , but already started the switch over a couple weeks ago . Have fun and be safe .

 

[dpak]

@MavCamper - thanks so much for the detailed post. This is going to help me so much since I plan to have the same exact setup.

Does the Maverick with the iKamper fit in your garage? What’s the measurement from the ground to the top of the ikamper?

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