Truck Camper Magazine examines the potential impact of tariffs on the US and Canadian truck camper industry and community. Here’s how the industry is facing this challenge and racing to adapt. There’s good news for Canadian camper brands.

From a manufacturing and business perspective, truck campers are a fragile balance of materials, parts, and components carefully designed and assembled for form, function, durability, manufacturing efficiency, serviceability, cost, and profit. Every material, part, and component is evaluated against these metrics to create the truck campers brought to market.

This is why it was so difficult for truck camper manufacturers to maintain production during the Covid pandemic. Putting aside the complexities of dealing with a pandemic in a factory setting, materials, parts, and component shortages wreaked havoc with the fragile balance. Manufacturers were forced to quickly find alternate sources and recalculate their prices and profit margins. We’ve had many a truck camper CEO and parts manager lament the months of stress they endured during that time.

Thankfully, most of the Covid impact has long since subsided, allowing our industry to reestablish its manufacturing rhythm and return to the fragile balance.

Sourced Worldwide

Walk through any truck camper factory in the United States or Canada and you’ll see the same story; truck campers being assembled with materials, parts, and components sourced from all over the world.

Of the countries of origin, one is ubiquitous. The words ‘Made In China’ are found on nearly every air conditioner, refrigerator, water heater, microwave, cooktop, solar panel, inverter, converter, charge controller, LED lighting fixture, backup camera, television, toilet, water pump, faucet, plumbing fitting, cabinet hinge, drawer slide, window, awning, cushion, mattress, lithium battery, and portable power station. Even the screws, bolts, fasteners, sealants and adhesives often bear these three words.

Beyond China, at least eight other countries also provide vital materials, parts, and components for truck camper manufacturing. Canada is a major supplier of lumber, plywood, aluminum, steel, insulation, PEX plumbing, copper wiring, and furniture foam. Vietnam supplies electronics, wiring harnesses, upholstery fabrics, and cushions. Thailand contributes air conditioner compressors, rubber seals, and gaskets. South Korea delivers lithium batteries and electronic components. Japan provides bearings and metal fasteners. Indonesia offers hardwood veneers and decorative paneling. Malaysia supplies solar panels and electronic components. Mexico adds foam, upholstery, and plastic tanks to the mix.

Of course, not every truck camper manufacturer sources from all of these countries but—as an industry—they’re all part of the fragile balance.

Scheduled US Tariffs: Starting April 9th

After the baseline 10 percent tariff that took effect on April 5th, the United States is set to implement additional country-specific tariffs starting April 9th. For materials, parts, and components used in truck campers, the following rates will apply: China at 54 percent, Vietnam at 46 percent, Thailand at 36 percent, South Korea at 25 percent, Japan at 24 percent, Indonesia at 32 percent, and Malaysia at 24 percent. Mexico is also facing a 25 percent tariff; however, materials and components that meet USMCA rules of origin are exempt.

Canadian lumber and plywood will be subject to a nearly 40 percent tariff. Canadian aluminum and steel will remain at the 25 percent tariff level imposed on March 12, 2025. Copper wiring from Canada is also expected to face increased tariffs, while insulation, PEX plumbing fixtures, and furniture foam have not been explicitly targeted as of this writing. It’s important to note that any Canadian product that’s compliant with USMCA—which enters complexities beyond the scope of this article—will be exempt from the new tariffs.

The Tariff Impact on Campers

In response to these looming tariffs, industry leaders in the United States are working hard to find non-tariffed domestic sources, or less-tariffed foreign sources for the materials, parts, and components they need. Some industry leaders have stockpiled materials, parts, and components over the past few months in anticipation of the tariffs. Others have prepared plans to absorb costs and are working with their dealer networks to keep camper and gear prices down as much as possible.

That stated, it’s very likely that we’ll see significant price increases in truck campers and truck camper gear in the immediate future—if the tariffs move forward as planned. The 54 percent tariff on China is of particular concern for its potential impact on our industry and the final consumer cost of truck campers. How much will the price of truck campers go up? That remains unknown, but it’s a safe bet it will be a double-digit percentage increase.

Beyond increased camper and gear prices, there could be a repeat of the shortages the marketplace experienced during Covid. As the manufacturers switch to the limited number of non-tariffed domestic sources, and less-tariffed foreign sources, those suppliers could be pushed to their production capacity limits. This often results in shortages and/or allocations where manufacturers can only purchase so much product from these suppliers over a period of time. When that allocation runs out, the truck camper and gear production lines stop, and the dealer lots and parts shelves go empty. We saw this very phenomenon during the Covid pandemic.

Canadian Campers: Good News

As part of the new tariff announcements, Canadian goods that comply with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (aka USMCA in the USA, CUSMA in Canada, and T-MEC in Mexico) are exempt from the new tariffs. That means, truck campers manufactured in Canada that are imported into the United States should not be subject to the new tariffs, provided that they meet USMCA requirements.

USMCA requirements include specific rules of origin and other criteria that products must satisfy to qualify for tariff exemptions. This includes being manufactured in Canada, with materials and parts that meet a regional value content (RVC) threshold. For example, aluminum, steel, and parts made in North America help a product (or camper) to qualify.

In the simplest of terms, if a Canadian manufacturer sources the majority of their materials and components from Canada, the United States, or Mexico, they should meet the USMCA requirement and incur no additional tariff.

As of this writing, we have confirmed with the leadership teams at Bigfoot RV, Northern Lite, and Overland Explorer Vehicles (OEV) that their campers meet USMCA requirements. We believe the other Canadian manufacturers—including General Coach/Citation Explore—will also be in USMCA compliance and have requested confirmation from their leadership teams. This should allow Canadian truck camper manufacturers to continue to import campers into the United States without new tariffs.

The Takeaway: Concern and Hope

This article started as our own internal research into the potential impacts of the scheduled US tariffs on the truck camper marketplace. To be clear, we are concerned about the potential price increases and shortages, but we also wanted you to know that our industry learned valuable lessons during the Covid pandemic and is working hard to adapt to this new challenge.

However, if the tariffs stay imposed long term, and/or are further increased, the impacts on the truck camper marketplace could be more significant than what we’ve outlined here. For now we remain hopeful that resolutions are found. After all, the fragile balance and worldwide sourcing that exists in the truck camper industry also exists in the majority of other North American manufacturing industries. The leaders of these companies will fight hard to adapt and find alternative sources, but those sources will come at a considerable cost, and may not always be available.