“Miley Cirrus” and “Sparkles the Truck”

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2020 nüCamp Cirrus 720 Truck Camper

(click link to download spec sheet)

“Miley Cirrus”

The Unicorn Truck Camper: Miley was purchased in July of 2020 from the Bob Scott RV dealer in Grand Junction,CO – the last one sold-as-new on the lot. The 720 was originally designed for the 1/2 ton truck market, but wasn’t able to meet the weight requirements, so was sold as a 3/4 and 1 ton truck camper. However, the innovative design and weight savings targeting the 1/2 ton truck market provides a great deal of payload overhead, leaving plenty of room for extras on a larger truck. The Cirrus 620 which was launched within the target weight for the 1/2 ton market took many of the innovations from the 720 but had to sacrifice many of the features that made the 720 so unique.

There are a few reasons the 720 was only manufactured for one season. The Cirrus 820 already filled the 3/4+ ton truck market with a larger, more established design. NuCamp didn’t need two campers for the same market. The 720 also received some bad press due to quality control issues. Some of the fit & finish wasn’t what many customers were expecting for a luxury truck camper. Another limitation to the 720 was in the requirement for light weight; many amenities such as a big battery bank and an A/C power inverter were missing from the option list.

However, we were taken with the modern European style and light weight, meaning off-road adventures wouldn’t be quite as white-knuckled. We knew up-front that we were going to have to make improvements and modifications to the 720, but that it was the perfect canvas to work with. Over the past two years we have camped all over the West, from boon-docking in the deserts of Nevada and the mountains of the Sierra to mooch-docking in the Bay Area. It has been the perfect pandemic escape platform. Here is a run-down of the factory options and modifications/improvements made to our 720, Miley Cirrus:

Included Factory Options

Ladder
Wireless Rearview Camera
Microwave
Air Conditioner
Roof Rack
200W Roof Solar Panel
TV w/ DVD Head Unit
Side Awning
Rieco-Titan Jacks w/ Remote

Power Upgrades

The lone 12 V lead-acid battery was swapped out for two BattleBorn 100Ah Lithium batteries (200Ah total). A Victron 2000W inverter was added to provide 120V A/C to all the plugs as well as charge the BattleBorns when on shore power. The inverter and BattleBorn batteries can power the microwave and air conditioner(for a short time). A DC-DC charger was installed along with a direct connection to the truck’s alternator to provide 35A charging capacity while driving.

The solar charger was upgraded to larger capacity along with a plug for an external solar panel. A portable/flexible 200W solar panel is included that can be located away from the camper but can also be placed over the truck’s windshield to act as a sun shade while still providing additional solar charging. A Victron BlueTooth capable battery shunt was installed to monitor the state of the battery charge. The Victron solar and DC-DC chargers are also BlueTooth capable and can be monitored using the Victon app on a mobile phone or tablet

WeBoost Cell Phone Booster

The WeBoost is installed in the utility closet along with the Victron chargers and inverter. It runs off a 12V switch so there is no need to start up the inverter. The WeBoost antenna is connected to a swivel mount at the top of the ladder on the back of the camper. No holes were drilled to route the antenna cable into the camper.

Refrigerator Fans

Three way RV refrigerators are notoriously inefficient. To help move hot air away from the back of the refrigerator, four thermostatically controlled fans were installed, two push and two pull. To further improve efficiency, an internal fan mounted on the cooling fins inside the refrigerator helps circulate air, avoiding warm spots.

Wireless Thermometers

Main cabin and three wireless thermometers: outside, basement, and refrigerator are included.

Microwave Frame Strengthening

The microwave frame surround was insufficient from the factory to keep the unit from moving around and cause damage. The frame was further anchored into the cabinetry to keep the microwave from moving while driving on rough roads.

Additional Sleeping Bunk

The dinette table was swapped out for one that can fit between the seats when the Lagun table leg is removed. This allows for an additional sleeping bunk for a small adult or child. The cushion to fit in between the seats is included.

Pot & Pan Slide Out

Our 720 came with no drawers or bins in the storage cabinets. To make pots & pans easily accessible, a soft-close slide out rack was installed in the narrow kitchen cabinet. The slide out has withstood numerous off-road excursions proving its integrity.

Hanger Rails

The 720 has only one small closet. To provide additional space for hanging clothes and other light items, hanger rails were installed on either side of the bed on the ceiling.

Additional HDMI Input for TV

The Jensen TV unit from the factory has only one HDMI input. To provide additional HDMI inputs from devices like cell phones and Apple TVs, an HDMI switch was added. The TV audio out was also wired back in to the Jensen stereo for house audio from the TV.

Shower Mat

The shower in the 720 is one of the most innovative in the market. The way the door slides around to make the floor of the shower available to the living space is one of the features that sold us on the 720s design. The shower floor makes the perfect spot to place wet shoes when coming in from outside. However, this makes the shower floor get dirty very quickly and is difficult to clean. A custom fit shower floor mat was created to keep shoes off the actual shower floor and bare feet off the shower floor while showering. Cleaning is a breeze. A very effective addition.

Bamboo Floor Mat

A Bamboo floor mat was custom fit to the unique floor plan of the 720. It helps out with the soft-floor feeling of the NuCamp campers and makes cleanup simple. Roll-up, shake outside, roll back in. Looks nice, too.

Hanging Shoe Rack

The shower door was used to connect a hanging shoe rack. This provides a convenient place to hold shoes (keeping them off the floor) and other light items like toiletries. It can easily be removed when taking a shower.

Replacement Screen Door

The screen door from the factory was a nice sliding screen door. Unfortunately these doors aren’t very rugged and almost all of them eventually fail. Ours failed after less than a year. Replacements are difficult and repairs are a pain. Instead, the tried and true magnetically closing screen door was installed. This actually works better when going in and out with hands full and for pets entering and leaving.

GlowSteps

Folding GlowSteps make entry and exit much, much easier and safer. Especially on a lifted F-350. They fold up and store right inside the door.

Dolly

A Rieco-Titan Camper Dolly with hitch is included.

Ford Super Duty Insulated Bed Frame

The 720 was originally designed for a 6 1/2′ truck bed. The Ford Super Duty bed is 6 3/4′ long and the cab roof is slightly higher than a 1/2 ton pickup. As such, a frame is needed to fit the 720 properly into the bed of a Super Duty. The frame is built to keep the 720 perfectly centered in the bed and includes additional insulation between the camper and truck bed.

Hitch Extension

A 32″ hitch extension is included for towing or adding a bike rack behind the camper.

Maintenance

Ongoing maintenance of the unit. The camper has been on rough roads and would arrive home with screws that had loosened up. Each time, the screws would be either re-tightened with additional caulking adhesive for the exterior screws or re-inserted with true anchors for the interior screws. Once addressed, the screws haven’t needed to be re-tightened. The caulking around the front star-gazer windows has been removed and re-caulked with the best caulking available. The camper has been stored in a climate controlled garage since it was purchased.

“Miley” Inquiries

Located in the Tahoe/Carson City/Reno area.

“Sparkles the Truck”

A 2020 Ford F-350 Diesel Super Duty Lariat with the Tremor package in Star White (thus “Sparkles”). Optionally available for sale with “Miley” = a complete turn-key rig. “Sparkles” has about 29,000 miles on the odometer. Additional options include:

Wirelessly controlled air bags
TorkLift FastGun tie downs with locks
Bed liner
Roll up tonneau cover
Permanent sun shade hood for rear camera
Direct high amp charging to “Miley” w/ Anderson connector
Rear camera & DC charger controlled from up-fitter switch
All the factory goodies with the exception of adaptive cruise control:

“Miley” plus “Sparkles” Inquiries