By Bryan Rogala
Choosing the right camper for your truck has always been tough, and now Tune Outdoor makes it even harder with two great offerings of their own: the Tune M1 and the Tune M1L.
At first glance, it might seem like a simple choice—go M1 for maximum space, and M1L if you want to keep things as lightweight as possible—but there’s more to it than dimensions. For a clearer picture of what makes these two campers different, and why someone might choose one over the other, I called up the guy who designed them: Tune co-founder Kristian Arnold.
Why did you design the Tune M1L?
Kristian:
I think the reason we wanted to make the M1L is that we realized, after some time in the marketplace, that the M1 demographic was often couples and families, and we were missing some of what I would call the Lone Wolf or single user, as well as the younger enthusiast.
In Colorado, especially, there's a huge population of people going on weekend missions—like mountain bike trips or climbing adventures—which is what we intended the M1 to serve. In fact, a portion of those people were staying in old-style toppers (the “climber’s hotel”), and I don't think they could quite justify the M1 or a more expensive camper than the M1.
I think the market needed the M1L as an answer to wedge camper shortcomings. It's very competitively priced and gives you a lot more room (about 60% more sqft than a wedge camper). It also just makes sense for us to do. We knew that we could design something that our current team could build in the same manufacturing line. We knew that a lot of the processes would be the same. We were able to update a few things and remove some expensive materials. So with less material, it weighs less, and it costs less to make. We pass that on to the community.
Is the Tune M1L better for smaller trucks?
Kristian:
I wouldn't really argue that one's better than the other. Sure, on a mid-size truck, an M1L is going to be a little lighter and have less drag, so it'll help fuel economy a little bit. But on the flip side, if you have a 5-foot bed Tacoma and you put an M1 on it, you get so much additional space in the 5-foot truck bed (nearly 20% more cubic feet). We have ambassadors and customers who have been stoked living out of M1s on 5-foot bed trucks full-time, which, before this WingWall innovation on the M1, sounded like a crazy concept for a 5-foot Tacoma.
An M1 on a full-size truck offers a ton of room. I think people could argue that a full-size truck’s bed is already so big, you don’t need all the room of an M1 and could go with an M1L. For instance, I have an M1L on a 2nd Gen Tundra, and it is comparable in volume to an M1 on a mid-size truck.
Are there any other things like that that people might not think about when they're looking at an M1L versus an M1?
Kristian:
With the additional width of the M1, you can sleep east-west. Unless you're very short and have a full-size truck, you're not going to be able to do that in the M1L, and you're going to have to have the bed extended north-south in the M1L anyway.
I don't want to compare it to a wedge, but it acts like one since you have to deploy the bed, versus in the M1, you can just use the over-cab bed platform and never have anything intruding into your living (or pass-thru) space. With the M1L, depending on your truck bed length and what size overhang you get on the camper, you might have to shuffle things around to fully utilize your pass-through space.
Anything else to consider?
Kristian:
The WingWall flares on the M1 are pretty substantial and T-tracked, so you can mount things to the underside of them, like fly fishing rods and stuff like that. This creates a lot of opportunities for customization, and if you're building an interior or buying our new interiors, it pushes the countertop deeper into that space.
On the M1L, because we don't have that WingWall base profile, we're not able to internally route the propane line, so it's exposed along the lower profile on the inside.
Since the M1L is the same overall length and height as a comparable M1 model, but doesn't have that big base profile, the side awning doors get a lot bigger. That can be viewed as a pro or con, but I think for a lot of people, it's a pro.
Other considerations to make when choosing between the M1L and the M1:
- If you are shorter, you’ll likely have an easier time accessing gear in the truck bed through the larger windows of an M1L.
- The M1L has better aerodynamics and slightly better fuel economy.
One great thing about Tune is that no matter which camper you choose, most accessories and future products will be available for both, since they’re built on the same architecture. Tune’s new interiors, for example, will work in both an M1 and an M1L, and new product developments are being thought about with both product lines in mind.
The moral of the story when it comes to choosing between an M1 and an M1L is that you really can’t go wrong with either one. It just boils down to personal preference and how you plan to use the camper.
Should you get a Tune M1 or Tune M1L? Take this quiz!
- How long do you camp for?
- Mostly weekend trips
- Mostly week-long trips
- I plan to live in my camper for 1 month or longer
- Do you value space or efficiency more?
- Efficiency
- I care about both
- Space
- How many people will be sleeping in your camper?
- Just me!
- Me and one other person
- My family
- Do you want to leave your bed setup all the time?
- No, I’m okay setting it up when I need to use it
- No preference
- I would like to leave my bed set up
- Do you plan to build out an interior?
- No, I plan to leave my truck bed empty
- I plan to build part of an interior, but not a big setup
- Yes, I’d like a kitchen and seating area
- Do you prefer sleeping East/West or North/South?
- North/South
- No preference
- East/West
- What is your budget?
- $12k or less
- $12-18k
- $18k+
Results:
- If you answered mostly “a”, the Tune M1L might be the best rig for you. You care about efficiency, both in space and price. You’re probably traveling alone or with a partner, and you likely take shorter trips that require less interior living space.
- If you answered mostly “c”, the Tune M1 might be the best rig for you. You care about comfort and having the most options available to you. You’re probably trying to customize your setup to make camping more of a luxury experience.
- If you answered mostly “b”, either rig could work for your lifestyle. You’re adaptable and can make any camping setup work for you!
