15 replies to this topic

[tlilienfield]

I went through many of the same questions and decided to go with the flatbed Hawk (will be installed 6/21) over a van.  I too am only 5 feet tall and opening the latches is one of my concerns.  But in the end - I figured most of the time my much taller boyfriend will be with me and I figured having to carry a stool when I'm by myself was worth it for not having to deal with road clearance issues.  Having 4 wheel drive and good clearance was a top priority for me.  I decided against the sprinter because one it was even higher priced and two I've read that the cost of ownership is quite high.  I don't have an authorized mercedes dealer for repairs anyone close to where I live so so that was an issue too.  You can convert Ford and other RWD vans to 4wd, but that too is a big,costly project and I didn't like how they drove as much as the Ford trucks. 

 

As I went back and forth between having everything all set up as soon as you park (in the van) versus the better clearance, more spaciousness, two beds and the ability to have my dinette set up without taking the main bed apart...  those were some of the reasons I ultimately went the truck/flatbed route.   

 

I live in Lake Tahoe and I  do a lot of rock climbing. I"m often driving on forest service, rough roads which is why 4WD and clearance were  top priorities. In the end the brief hassles of setting it up seemed better than dealing with road clearance issues.  Also - take a look at Tiger trucks; very pricey but look fabulous.  

Edited by tlilienfield, 04 June 2017 - 07:45 PM.

[TwoPlusLu]

We were full-timing in a FWC Eagle (slide-in) shell and working from the road. Some of the reasons that you listed here are largely why we ended up selling the Eagle and switching to something hard-sided. In cold temperatures (think ~45F and below), we dealt with condensation every night - we didn't have a thermal pack and it just takes a wipe-down because the pop-up sides don't absorb any of the moisture, but it was still not something we enjoyed dealing with. With warmer temperatures, we had no issues with condensation.

 

For setup and tear down, it took us 45 minutes to an hour for each. The popping up itself is quick, but it's all the stuff we had to rearrange and set up afterwards that took time - making the bed (we couldn't fit any of our bedding with the top down), setting up our screenhouse/office space (like you, we didn't have a dinette in our FWC so we worked exclusively outside), and rearranging food, toiletries, work electronics, water, etc. because the storage in the camper was lacking in dedicated space for all these things. Not a big deal if we were staying stationary for awhile, but having our camper attached to the truck meant any time we needed to drive somewhere, we had to go through the rearrangement rodeo over and over. For us this got old fast. Also, the pop-up makes it difficult to overnight at Walmart/rest stops/etc, though we did do it a few times in ours. I know the flatbed has a lot more storage to it though, so setup and teardown may be quicker for you.

 

We ended up buying an Escape 5.0 fiberglass egg-style 5th wheel. It's the smallest 5th wheel on the market at 19' in length, and it is freaking awesome. It is so nice to get to a camp spot and be able to detach and drive around without our house in tow. We have a dedicated bed and a dedicated dinette/office, so no more building/taking down beds and even in the worst weather, we have comfortable living space to work indoors. And the camper only extends 15' past the rear bumper of the truck so we easily fit into two parking spots and haven't had any trouble navigating in tight places that most travel trailers wouldn't want to handle.

 

I'm not sure if a towable is even on the radar for you guys, but we understand the need to have an office space when working from the road and that was the #1 thing we were focused on when we decided to change rigs, so thought our decision may be worth of mention. Best of luck in your decision-making.

Edited by TwoPlusLu, 07 June 2017 - 10:46 PM.

[tlilienfield]

Just came back from our first three day trip with our new flatbed hawk; hopefully this will answer some of your questions.  Getting in an and out of the camper is easy.  We did get the scissor steps which work out well.  We kept them in our truck while traveling.  Thanks to another Wander the West user- I added two steps to the rear storage box on the flatbed which helps for quick in and outs.  
 
I too am petite  - 5 foot tall and have no problem opening the latches on the sides or front of camper when standing in the truck. The back ones are more difficult.  When I have our rear mounted bike rack on it's no problem as the bike rack makes a great foot hold.  I can also get them by climbing on the trucks bumper  - but I've been  a rock climber for many years which helps a lot.  Your wife  could always carry a small step stool if she's not traveling with someone taller.
 
I couldn't be happier with our choice.  I'm not sure how to post photos here; if I figure it out I'll add some.  

[auser]

@tlilienfield, I'm curious to hear how your rig has treated you in the subsequent months. Still unbothered by the in/out height, stair setup and latch height? We decided to spend the summer in our van, but are back on this topic. 

 

I saw another post from you in a thread about garage door height, and I think you said the flatbed was going on an F-150 - is that the truck you ended up using, and how has it worked out? Seems like the payload would be close? 

 

-adam

[tlilienfield]

Hi Adam  Although we corresponded privately i thought I would also answer your questions from above and our emails here for anyone else looking into a flatbed hawk.

 

We are loving the flatbed/ pop up camper. We just came back from a three week trip  Mt biking and climbing near Zion  and Moab and couldn't be happier with it.  We love how spacious it feels. 

 

Only real negative is make sure the flatbed builder is good with making the gas easy to fill. Our guy in Oroville, CA was fantastic and tested it before we got it. He wasn't happy and made some changes; we really haven't had trouble with it filling too slowly.  We  do have to estimate the gallons and then pump slowly at the end or it spurts out gas when it's full.  

 

Only other negative is we carry mountain bikes on the back and on rough, 4 wheel drive roads one of our handlebars bumps the back of the camper and has made a small dent.  We added a foam cushion to the handlebar which seems to help a lot. 

 

We have the scissor steps and like them. My 7 year old dog is still pretty agile and uses them pretty easily. He was super scared at first. 

 

Popping the front and middle latches are super easy from the truck. The back ones are a bit of a pain - I'm a rock climber and it definitely helps. I can easily climb on our bike rack or bumper. I could also always bring a step ladder.   

 

We have two small foldable steps on the flatbed near the rear tire (flatbed builder put them in) which are fantastic. For me and I'm only 5 feet, it makes it very easy to get in and out when we don't have the steps out. Quick in and outs groceries , getting into refrigerator etc.  That was a tip from a fellow poster and can't imagine not having them.  

 

We haven't  had super high winds yet. Some moderate and all was fine. But not really tested. 

 

Ground level to entrance approx 3 feet. I did get a 2017 F-150. I'm probably very close to payload. I put on E rated tires right away and air bags and it drives great. We've taken it on a few very rough roads and it's done great.  No complaints on how the truck handles with the flatbed.   We don't carry a lot of extra stuff / weight   We don't have anything on the roof except two light weight - flexible 100 W solar panels which we are very happy with.  

 

I love the cassette toilet for nights. So luxurious for me and makes a nice seat. We've camped in the low 30's and the furnace is fantastic for quickly heating things up. We haven't used it much but we love it.  We got the outside shower which works well.  We've used that when it's hot and we're back before it's been dark / cold out and love it.   We've taken sponge baths inside when the temps made me hesitate to shower outside.  Personally - I didn't like how the inside shower set up and the possible condensation issues.  I also love the storage we gained by not having the inside shower. 

 

We couldn't be happier with our choice; very happy we went with the flatbed camper for the extra room.  We don't need to use the truck for other uses; if you did a slide in camper would work better.  We also had four storage boxes built into the flatbed; very useful for tools, hoses, shoes etc. 

 

​Good luck with your decision!

 

 

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auser

[Beach]

I might be a little late to the party but will chime in anyways. Originally mentioned; no front hitch mount for the bikes. I have a ranch hand grill guard on a F250/Hawk and built a bike rack that mounts to it. Bought a decent rack online for about 35 bucks and and couple ubolts from the hardware store, a little hack saw work and couple pieces of aluminum later and it works very well. Arms drop down when not in use so it stays on full time. I had a rear mount bike set up first and always hated how far the bikes road behind the truck so the camper door remained usable. One of the biggest pluses to mounting bikes in the front was apparent the first rainy day dirt road we traveled, almost no mud and road grime on the bikes. Having had a van camper years ago, I would have to second what's already been mentioned. I don't think your going to gain a lot(except 4X4) by moving to a FWC.