Bronco Cryptozoology #18 - The Bronco Camper

Cryptozoology is the study of mythical creatures that may or may not exist.

This applies to Broncos how? Well, there is a lot of mystery and myths surrounding certain Bronco models and specialty-built Broncos.

So, this new segment at the blog will focus on these prototypes, one of a kind, special editions and the most historical Broncos ever built.

To keep the posts short, we will include only a brief story of each

We will try to separate fact from fiction and possibly come up with more questions than answers.

At first, I was going to compile this into one post, but it got waaay too long.

In 1976 Chevrolet introduced the Blazer Chalet, it was a factory mounted camper mounted on a K-5 Blazer (the GMC Jimmy version was ironically called the "Casa Grande")

This, however, was not the first time a manufacturer offered a factory mounted camper on an SUV.

Our beloved Classic Bronco was the first to be offered with a camper.

In 1966, as a part of the Bronco launch, Ford partnered with the Dreamer Campers (Travel Industries Inc) of Oswego, Kansas.

The Bronco Campers would be ordered custom at the Ford dealer, Ford would supply the U14 Bronco 1/2 cab pickup that was specially equipped with overload springs, dual batteries, heavy duty alternator, camper plug and an extendable rear bumper. A "Camper Special" if you will, although Ford curiously did not use that moniker as it did on the F-series trucks.

Dreamer supplied the custom camper designed specifically for the new Bronco, including matching trim paint.

Below are the promo photos done with the 1966 Bronco

The Nylint Toy Company even built a toy version of the Camper model

By 1971 the Bronco Camper model was revised, and a pop-top camper was now available, supplied by the Four Wheel Pop-UP Camper Company of Broomfield, Colorado.

These Broncos were U-15 wagons, but were delivered without the hard top, the Four Wheel Camper was designed to act as a unitized design, like a modern Class C motorhome.

This design saved weight, provided more interior space and had better on and off-road manners.

Ford offered the option all the way to the end of the classic Bronco run in 1977. Four Wheel Campers continued to sell their design to Bronco owners through mid-1983, by then they cancelled production due to slow sales.

The truth is these were all aftermarket and while some Ford Dealers helped with installation of the campers, they were never listed as a factory option, at least as far as I know.

For the record the first factory mounted camper on an SUV was the Scout Camper.