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That might seem a distant trend at first blush but recall that hip-hop duo LвЂ™TrimmвЂ™s 1988 ode to mini-trucks, Cars That Go Boom, went viral on TikTok in 2020, mostly thanks to people too young to remember the eighties. One standout here was ToyotaвЂ™s TacoZilla, a Tacoma built as an homage to the classic compact Dolphin motorhomes of the 1970s and 1980s, complete with a charming wood-paneled interior.ДЄnother notable mention was a beautiful slammed Ford Maverick built by Tucci Hot Rods, whose lowered stance, aggressive rear wing, and white steel wheels recalled California mini-truckinвЂ™ culture of the late 1980s. Throwback paint schemes are showing up on a lot of brand-new trucks this year, as well as entire tribute-truck builds, adding up to a retro-styling trend that doesnвЂ™t take itself too seriously. The V6 Tacoma TRD Sport on which the build is based is an old enough design that it could almost be considered retro all on its own. ToyotaвЂ™s TacoZilla camper dials up the nostalgia with a quant but functional wood-floored camper that includes a hot-water shower, refrigerator, stove and sink. The adjustable-height rack displayed in MoparвЂ™s booth, for example, was built to clear the вЂњRamBox,вЂќ the neat bedwall-integrated locking toolboxes that are a favorite option on Ram pickups. Typically, these home-away-from-home setups are highly configurable, with components packed into smooth-rolling slide-outs and adjustable bed racks that make optimal use of space, while playing nice with both vehicle features and other accessory components in the manufacturerвЂ™s line.

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One F-150 Hybrid in the Ford booth built by Hypertech even leveraged the truckвЂ™s optional 7.2Kw onboard generator to power a plumbed washer-and-dryer combo. Truck-bed setups seen at the show included outdoor air conditioning, home-theater-grade A/V, elaborately-integrated holders for bikes and gear, and entire functioning chefsвЂ™ kitchens complete with cooktops, refrigeration, ice-makers, and microwaves. But between the pandemic-fueled acceleration in camping and Rivian launching its R1T pickup with an entire optional built-in kitchen, truck outfitters are now scrambling to outdo each other in take-it-all-with-you roadtrip opulence. The overlanding craze has been a fixture at SEMA since at least 2016, but this yearвЂ™s show dove deeper than ever into this hot trend.

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Built by BTR Customs, this 2021 Ford F-150 Tremor is equipped with an ARB fridge with freezer, roof-mounted tent, PullKitchen pull-out truck-bed kitchen system, ZeroBreeze portable A/C units, a projector and screen, as well as a host of Ford dealer accessories designed specifically for the truck by Yakima, including a roof rack-mounted portable shower. We walked the show to take stock of the top current and upcoming trends in the truck sector, and hereвЂ™s what stood out. Accordingly, what emerged at SEMA this year was an array of fresh approaches to the old pickup as the aftermarket trains its focus on overlanders, campers and a new breed of rugged EV haulers. One thing this yearвЂ™s show wasnвЂ™t short on? Trucks.ДЄ lot has happened since the last in-person SEMA show in 2019, including newly popular modes of family travel, a surge in motorsports interest, and the debuts of the first production EV pickups.

With many of the familiar pandemic-era struggles persisting and dampening the usual exuberance, the show had about 1,400 exhibitors this year, down from as many as 2,100 in previous years. This yearвЂ™s Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show certainly felt quieter than usual.

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