Alaskan Sitka Interior and Survey - Truck Camper Magazine (2024)

Alaskan Campers reveals their new Sitka interior and showcases a number of modern design enhancements and state-of-the art components to their iconic hard side pop-up camper line. And they’re seeking your feedback.

When I first met the new team at Alaskan last fall, I practically chided them for even thinking of changing the beloved Alaskan Camper design and aesthetic. Five minutes later, I was encouraging them to shake loose from Alaskan’s past and bring about a fresh vision for Alaskan Campers.

To each declaration, the team agreed and assured me that Alaskan would remain Alaskan and that they were eager to charge forward with every element of the design. I can only imagine what they thought as I departed. “He said not to change a thing and to reinvent the product within like, ten minutes right? That guy’s nuts!”

Above: A 2024 Alaskan Camper. All images courtesy of Alaskan Campers

Well, yes. I am nuts. I’m nuts about the storied history of Alaskan Campers, and the instantly recognizable design and function that is so signature that there should be a picture of an Alaskan in the Truck Camper Dictionary next to the word iconic. This is the kind of legendary vibe that you can’t invent in a marketing meeting or create on Instagram. It’s earned by the brilliance of the concept, and the functionality and durability of a seventy-year-old design. Don’t mess with that. It’s gold.

I’m also nuts because I firmly believe a company that stops innovating is doomed to swim in its own circles. As perfect as the original Alaskan Campers were in the 1950s, the founders pushed the design, developed a cabover model, and continuously improved and evolved the camper.

Even in the 2000s, the Alaskan Camper was slowly, meticulously, carefully, brought into modern times. Air conditioners and 12-volt refrigerators were added alongside solar panels, LED lighting, lithium power, and cassette toilets. None of this compromised the iconic Alaskan look or function, but helped connect the campers to modern times and compete. Can a camper conceived during the Eisenhower administration have USB ports? If the owners have smartphones, it had better.

The New Sitka Interior

Alaskan Campers have had different interior finishes available before, but it was always done as a custom order. The new team has ushered in standardized interior decors that give customers a solid starting point, and guarantee the finished camper will look fantastic. As many of us have learned the hard way in life, it’s easy to mix colors and materials and wind up with a mismatch; especially when you’re often selecting these things sight unseen. Alaskan’s standardized interiors eliminate that concern.

Alaskan’s first new interior was called the Klondike (shown above). The Alaskan team presented the Klondike interior with their debut interview in Truck Camper Magazine this past February.

In addition, they retained the Classic Alaskan interior (shown below) ensuring that die-hard fans can continue to order the old-school, tried-true, and beloved look we’ve all known for years.

Above: Rob Scheele, Principal and CEO of Alaskan Campers, in a Classic interior

Now Alaskan is launching the new Sitka Interior. The Sitka has white ceilings, a white marble look table and countertops, brown leatherette dinette seating, and a lighter, warmer wood and grain cabinetry than the slightly darker Klondike. The Sitka also has residential style pulls and hardware and a number of other touches and finishes that maintain the Alaskan vibe, but tune it to a more modern coordinated palette.

Above and below: Alaskan’s new Sitka interior

As we explored the Sitka interior on this particular Alaskan build, we noticed a few more items worth pointing out. First, the camper features a Nomadic 12-volt, low-profile air conditioner.

This is about as cutting-edge as 12-volt air conditioning gets and beckons for an advanced electrical system and a sizable lithium battery system.

Speaking of an advanced electrical system, this Alaskan features a Redarc RedVision system. The RedVison interfaces with Redarc’s Manager30 battery manager to keep your batteries charged, monitors the batteries including state of charge and temperatures, and offers six tank level sensor inputs and two temperature inputs.

The Redarc RedVision system can also allow the user to control onboard lights, fans, refrigerators, inverters, and pumps. And all of it can be seen and changed via the RedVision panel, or an app via Bluetooth. Let’s just say they didn’t have this technology at Alaskan in the 1950s.

Above: More photos showcasing the Alaskan Sitka interior

For more information on Alaskan Campers, visit their website atalaskancampers.com.Click here to request an Alaskan brochure.

Your Alaskan Feedback Requested

The team at Alaskan would love to hear from you about the new Sitka interior and the modernization journey they’re on with Alaskan Campers. Should they concentrate on the classic Alaskan form, function, and aesthetic, or should they push the product, design, and materials further into modern times? Of course, the answer may be more nuanced than that. I’m hoping they do both.