Simimike,
A few more questions if you don't mind...
What type of truck and wheel base did you choose? (interested to hear rationale on your decision)
If you were doing a stretch of weekend trips only would you leave the camper mounted or remove and mount each weekend? (Wondering how cumbersome it is to drive around town).
Does the Webasto system tap into the truck fuel tank or is it separate?
What type of conditions did you use it in, were you able to do any off road while you had it? If so, how did it handle?
Thanks.
I had a 2005 Dodge 2500 4X4 long bed before I bought the XPC. The thought process on he long bed was since 95% of my driving would be on pavement then why not have a comfortable ride? Because of the cost of a new truck I decided to use my existing truck. A lot of suspension upgrades later it was able to handle the camper. Marc has a picture of the truck and camper on the XP web site. Driving around town was no big deal. The size of the camper was no bigger then any other truck and camper and the over all length was the same as the OEM length and the width is about the same as the FWC, give or take an inch. I was able to take the truck to my local dealer for servicing and they had no problems.
The stove and heater/H2Oheater have a separate onboard fuel tank. If I was to buy another XP I would have a dedicated truck just for the camper and not bother removing it. Even thou it is a simple task to load and unload the camper I would leave it on full time, Thats just me. I'd also see if it was possible to tap the fuel tank to supply the appliances. That would simplify things a bit.
Mostly the rig was used on FS roads, I'm an old guy and the thought of hiking 15 miles out to a paved road has lost some of its appeal. That being said I wouldn't hesitate to run the White Rim Trail in it. One of the ways the camper shines is in cold weather. I camped at 17F and had to turn the heater down. This is a well insulated camper. Because of the windows in the cabover along with the other windows it has good cross ventilation and cools off nicely at night.
As far as using an XP for weekend camping and quick short trips, well this camper does it all. But using it this way would not be using it to its full potential, you would be wasting your money. The XP is built and designed as an expedition camper. With 70+ gals of fresh water plus a water filtration system, diesel appliances, this is third world stuff. IMHO a well optioned FWC , ATC or even a standard Northstar would be the better choice.
Remember, Work is the curse of the camping class.
P.S. Go to the XP photo gallery to see my pics.
Mike