Travel Westword: Radica Products Takes You Into the Outdoors With MoonLander

In our Travel Westword series, we don’t just show you where to go in Colorado’s high country. We also show you gear that will help elevate your time outdoors. This installation of Travel Westword is presented by Radica Products.

Luke Bushek and his now-fiancée, Madi, were adventuring in the Aspen backcountry in September 2022. Colorado was showing off its epic autumn colors, and nights were getting pretty chilly. The couple drove off-road for about two hours on a rough trail before eventually setting up camp on an alpine lake.

“There was nobody back there,” Bushek remembers. “It was gorgeous. The ridge was lighting up from the sunset, there was a lot of wildlife, and the stars were amazing when night fell.”

The couple could hear movement outside during the night, but they weren’t afraid.

“Being able to go into the MoonLander and feel safe when there is no help if anything happens – that was pretty cool, and my ultimate accomplishment with it,” Bushek says.

MoonLander was created in a Denver garage

In 2011, Bushek moved to Colorado from Madison, Wisconsin. He got a truck, and one day veered off on a random trail. He found 4x4 networks throughout Colorado and began off-roading in the solitary backcountry, spending nights under the stars and the Milky Way. For those solitary trips, he needed a truck-bed camper that could accommodate nature, the elements, and the occasional bear or moose.

“I enjoyed getting back into nature,” Bushek says. “I realized you could turn your truck into this mobile space station for exploration.”

Bushek was working for Anthem Displays, a digital billboard manufacturer, when COVID hit. His employer moved the factory to North Carolina during the pandemic, and Bushek was traveling back and forth as the head of manufacturing operations. But at the same, he began building a DIY camper in his garage in Denver's Sunnyside neighborhood, starting Radica Products in 2021.

That’s when MoonLander was born.
“I wanted something that was more than a truck topper, but not as complicated as a regular truck camper with a pop-up that adds weight and complexity,” Bushek explains. “I wanted something that was taller and extended on the sides. As I was building it, I realized there was more sleeping length if you slept sideways over the truck bed. I also realized there was nothing else like it on the market.”

After he built the first truck-bed camper, Bushek and Madi drove to Yellowstone National Park. The interest in MoonLander was immediate. People approached Bushek at gas stations and in parking lots, asking where he got it.

“I’ve always been a little entrepreneurial,” he says. “I posted an ad on Craigslist with the name MoonLander as a bit of a joke.”

The name stuck. Within two days of posting the ad, he had three orders.

By January 2022, Radica Products had moved into its first warehouse. Eleven months later, it moved again – this time into a 3,000-square-foot warehouse, doubling the size of the first. Today the company resides in a 20,000-square-foot warehouse and has nineteen employees. “We’ll be here for a while,” Bushek says.

What makes MoonLander unique

Radica Products focuses on simplicity with its products, aiming to avoid too many features or complications. That goal is reflected in its tagline: “Simple, but better.”

“The goal of engineering and design is to make it as simple as possible while serving the needs,” Bushek says. “This makes the product less of a hassle to deal with, aesthetics are better, it ties into manufacturing because there are less issues, and we can build them faster.”

MoonLander is built to the exact truck model size and runs the entire length of the truck bed. It’s designed to be lightweight. The total weight will depend on your option configuration. As one of the lightest truck-bed campers on the market, MoonLander drives like a topper, not a camper. The two lofted bed panels are removable, making room to haul gear and supplies. The design is also aerodynamic, minimally impacting highway gas mileage.

One major feature is MoonLander’s extended side pods on both sides, which allows you to sleep sideways over the truck bed. This makes it possible for MoonLander to have zero setup. Just park, and your palace awaits. The hard-shell design also adds protection from nature’s elements, making it very quiet for a peaceful night's sleep.

Your MoonLander is waiting for liftoff

Current lead times are about two and a half months, with a starting cost of $5,600. According to Bushek, this is one of the lowest entry price points in the industry for custom truck campers.

MoonLander customers start with a base shell, then build on à la carte options. “You can have a more budget-friendly camper, or a fully tricked-out camper with solar, lights, fans and lots of windows,” Bushek says.

At the end of the day, Bushek and his entire team are passionate about building great products that people love. “Radica was formed to grow this passion and use my knowledge of lean American manufacturing to deliver what the people want, built right here in Denver, Colorado.”

Radica Products is located at 470 East 76th Avenue in Denver. Call 720-678-9947 to speak with a Radica employee about camping or its product, to set up a factory tour and see MoonLander in person, or build your own MoonLander online to get pricing and modification updates.