A short box nissan frontier or Toyota Tacoma, with a 5 foot box only fit the Finch or Falcon models with stock suspension. An eagle or bobcat shell, would require upgraded air bags or rear springs, but fully loaded with dogs and beer, would still not be a real safe ride at highway speeds. I experienced this with my 2008 Nissan crew cab v6 with a set of old Man Emu heavy duty springs, with my 1984 Fleet. With a basic load it handled OK, but I would have had trouble loading it up with beer, gas, 4x4 equipment and doing serious off-road or driving at 110km hour. If I was ever in an accident I would also have a tough time arguing with cops and insurance companies, not something I ever want to do.
Special thanks to Ski3pin for his craigslist magic. The 2007 falcon fit my price range at less then half of new as I prefer to have no debt and upgrade as I save. A dealer from Idaho took my credit card deposit after 24 hours of haggling (not recommended for a Finch/Eagle) and waited the 2 weeks for me to come down with the rest of the cash.
The falcon has the 5' bottom that almost allows a tailgate to be put up on the nissan but does not, by about an inch. It also often has the almost 6' roof, not the 6'4" roof on the late 2000 models. My 5'9" 175 pounds fits nicely in the camper and is fine when traveling solo. With a friend it gets tight quickly but as I love to be outdoors for most of the time it should workout. If you spend hours in side a camper, think long and hard if small spaces are for you.
With the bed extended to its 6' length there is room for one person to stand and access to the sink, not the stove. Two person hanging out might require one curled up on the 1/2 bed and one in the living area. A nice feature of the 2007 was the interior opening windows and with 4 full size windows the view everywhere but sitting is great. The door is easy to enter and a bare top is easy to pop up.
The base camper is well equipped for weekend camping with an icebox, sick, water and stovetop. For extended trips a battery and powered fridge are needed but can be added later.
Essential upgrades for smaller campers for me are a roof top box and rack to carry toys. I'll be installing a thule rack for my paddle boards and a yakima box. After using a Coleman catalytic propane heater for a weekend I am definitely going to try out a propex vented furnace. I enjoyed the heat of an Atwood in my old camper but prefer a quieter fan and have done enough Canadian winter camping to invest in a heater where I can close the windows, unlike the wave.
Mounting a Finch is recommended with 3 bolts through the bed of the truck and I have opted for 1 in the front and two bumper turnbuckles.
Build quality is top notch. After owning a 29 year old fwc, anyone can be confident if they buy one and treat it with care, you can enjoy it for decades.
Happy to answer any questions and here are some pictures.
http://www.wanderthe...iew_style=large
Edited by wetcoast, 01 April 2014 - 05:30 AM.
