23 replies to this topic

[mrfritz44]

I've been watching truck camper videos all weekend and the more I watch the less I know. Please help me narrow down my options!

1. 2006 Toyota Tacoma dual cab
2. I like mobility and the option of getting way back into areas not frequented by people.
3. I'm leaning towards a popup truck camper because of list item #2
4. We'd need a queen size bed
5. Would like a flush mount cook top and sink
6. No need for an inside toilet, but perhaps a shower

I'm a backpacker, but my wife not so much. What do I need that I don't know yet and what would you buy and why?

Fred

[DavidGraves]

Howdy

 

You should buy:

 

1.An off road camp trailer.

 

2. A longer bed truck and an FWC /ATC....if your truck has only a 5 foot bed,

 

Welcome to the forum...you will find lots of friends here.

 

David Graves

Edited by DavidGraves, 25 February 2018 - 09:33 PM.

[kmcintyre]

There are a few options for you but both FWC and ATC have models that would work.  

 

I had my Eagle on a Dodge Dakota and was great (just underpowered) and now the truck in the picture. I like the smaller FWC on a full size truck myself.  More aerodynamic and we don't need anything else.  No shower but the bed is probably a Queen.  Our model is older so no flush mount cook top.

[klahanie]

... What do I need that I don't know yet ...

 

A fullsize diesel.... JK.

 

Truth is only you know what is right for you (both of you). We are all different in this regard.

 

My advice:

 

Make a list of wants in order of importance. Apply said list to each possibility. Usually the wants start to conflict with each other around line 3, this is normal. Accept that most likely there is no perfect fit but, with compromise, there is a good fit out there, somewhere. Knuckle down on your list. Repeat.

 

Again, make it right for both of you.

Make sure you have a place to park, store, maintain, load up etc whatever it is you want to purchase.

 

 

Enjoy the hunt !

[CougarCouple]

Hi mrfritz44
Small truck but I do believe there are campers out there. Find out first what weight your truck can carry “payload “
I understand the desire to get back there and a small vehicle it the ticket. Look in to shell type campers that fit.
FWC probably does a hot water tank but not ATC. How ever they will frame an opening for one just speak with them.
I see your biggest problem as weight. Keep looking and do some searching on this site.

Russ

[longhorn1]

We have an F-250 long bed (8') with a FWC Grandby. Bed pulls out to queen, there is an option for a king pullout. We sleep North/South as I'm 5'-9" and my wife 5'-2", my feet hang over a little, no climbing over each other. Flush stove, but not sink as we wanted a pull out faucet. Our camper is loaded. 2 AGM batteries and 100W solar on our 2014 Grandby. In 2015 FWC went to 160W on the roof. We also have 80W portable solar. Probably should consider a 3/4 ton truck, but that depends on the size. As mentioned ATC doesn't have a hot water heater, but they offer other options and will do some custom work. FWC have distributors coast to coast. Good luck. jd

[ckent323]

I have done a lot of backpacking and a lot of "car" camping all my life (fill a jeep or VW Bus with stuff and go out in the boonies not in organized campgrounds).  The backpacking is a whole separate deal from the pop-top campers. So I am going to separate that out.

 

My wife does not backpack.  She does like our FWC Keystone Camper.  While she does not care for the diesel smell she does appreciate the size and power of our truck and its dependability.  She also likes the little bit of comfort the FWC pop-up camper provides.

 

In our 20's 30's and even into our 40's sleeping on a thinner mattress with less built in stuff (using ice chests, water jug, Coleman stove, etc was easier and cheaper).  In our 50's and now 60's we appreciate the cab over queen size bed and the built in refrigerator, sink and range top as well as the porta potti (for the middle of the night bladder relief).  Having the camper to hunker down in on the bench seat  during a rain sure beats sitting in the front seat of a vehicle or dealing with a wet tent that needs to be set up and taken down.

 

We still like camping in places without other people around so gravitate to out of the way campgrounds or in the boonies.

 

So it is a pick your poison decision.  If we were younger I think we would probably be happy with a Jeep like vehicle with a roof top tent (RTT) or a pop top.  But now we can't imagine being without the big FWC and the full size truck.  There are places a Jeep like vehicle with an RTT can go that we probably cannot but I have usually backpacked into those kinds of places rather than driven anyway.

 

P.S. As a coastal California resident I eschew trailers for camping because of the speed limit max of 55.  For other Western States that is not as much an issue.

Edited by ckent323, 26 February 2018 - 01:02 AM.

[mrfritz44]

You all are giving me reasons to cash in my Tacoma and buy a brand new Tundra! With a passenger, it'll be important to consider creature comforts. Assuming a Tundra is the platform, can a recommendation be made on a pop up?

[PaulT]

We have a 2010 Tundra Double cab with a 2014 front dinette Hawk. We added E series tires, Helwig rear stabilizer bar, and Ride Rite air bags. Have been happy with it.
Get more solar than you think you need, two batteries, and ask for 2 or 4 gauge wire from truck to camper to allow more effective charging by alternator.

Paul

[klahanie]

You all are giving me reasons to cash in my Tacoma and buy a brand new Tundra! With a passenger, it'll be important to consider creature comforts. Assuming a Tundra is the platform, can a recommendation be made on a pop up?

 

You'll find a lot of love on here for Four Wheel Campers, All Terrain Campers, Hallmark, Northstar among others.

 

There is a school of thought that says choose your camper first then the truck with the payload to haul it. I'm not knocking Toyota btw I've happily owned a few of their vehicles. Research you weights.

 

A bigger, heavier camper can offer more "creature comforts" but the increasing camper and vehicle size can reduce where you can travel. That's where the list and compromises come in.

 

If you can swing it, it's wise to consider the whole package: camper, truck, what you want to carry and where you're going to put it all - both on the rig and at "home". A new vehicle also opens the door to the option of something like a Sprinter van ... maybe ...