22 replies to this topic

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Jackie, my Northern Lite came in at 2725 dry out the factory door, and on the F350 it's just under 11 feet. We are about 3350 wet weight. I am putting airbags on the truck to level it out, but the truck handles it nicely as is. There is quite a bit of storage for a 9' 6", non slide. So far, my only whine is the bathroom is tight for someone my size (6' 2" and 200 lbs). I won't take this camper into the wild and woolly, but my Ranger towed behind it would let me do quite a bit.

Once the Grandby sells, I will probably put an ATC or FWC shell on the Ranger.

Have you considered the 10' Alaskan? We ran into a couple in Arizona with one, and it was a lot roomier than the 8 footer. They spend much of the year in theirs, plus with two German wirehaired pointers. I was impressed.

[enelson]

Also, Alaskan is very open to custom layouts.  You can make the camper as tight or open as you wish.  The trade off is that more open means less storage.

[Happyjax]

While a 10' Alaskan sounds roomy that's a lot of extra weight hanging behind the rear wheel. I would do a 81/2 except I am thinking of putting a motorcycle on the back and that would preclude any overhang.....

If I choose Alaskan it will be a custom build

[nobueno]

If your primary concerns are noise and warmth I wouldn't worry about the warmth. We came from a very well insulated hard side to an Outfitter and I was shocked at how warm it stayed. We haven't been out in below zero with the pop-up yet but in the 20s and upper teens the softwall was still not cold to the touch. I'm 6'2" so I appreciate the extra headroom as well. Noise is definitely worse but not considerably so and where we camp noise isn't usually a concern. I'm definitely glad we made the switch.

[Drew]

I'm very interested in this topic! The minimalist approach of the small pop-ups by FWC/ATC is perfect for me, but due to physical limitations they are difficult for me to open up, also the short doorway on those campers is hard for me to navigate.

 

I have been looking with great interest at the Travel Lite 690FD:  http://travellitecam...vel-lite-690fd/  Base weight is 1095 lbs, old-school wood frame/aluminum sheathing construction with a rubber roof. I really like the size and layout of this TC. Here's a guy running one on a 2nd gen Tacoma: http://www.cheaprvli...-with-a-camper/  Rear airbags are the only suspension mod he's using (I confess I have some doubts about the adequacy of that solution though he seems pretty happy).

 

Am I nuts to consider one of these campers on a Tacoma for use on moderately challenging roads? I'm thinking of roads like Racetrack Road in Death Valley.

[smlobx]

While a 10' Alaskan sounds roomy that's a lot of extra weight hanging behind the rear wheel. I would do a 81/2 except I am thinking of putting a motorcycle on the back and that would preclude any overhang.....
If I choose Alaskan it will be a custom build

We have the 8.5' long Hallmark Everest and are very happy with it. The camper does not extend past the rear bumper.
Some of the things that sold us was the warmth inside on cold nights, the large windows on the fixed as well as the fabric sides, the North/south bed option with the additional storage and finally the great lifting mechanism that is second to none. You might want to check them out...

Edited by smlobx, 24 July 2016 - 10:00 PM.

[Happyjax]

With a base price of 32K I'm afraid I'd be spending over 35 to put one on my truck. At that price I would go Alaskan....

[Bigfoot]

...I am trying not to have tunnel vision and really look at pros and cons to find what fits me the best.

As I am planning on long trips I will likely go 8 ft length for the space, 3/4 ton truck for the payload and whatever ends up sitting in it will be awesome

 

Most of the tradeoffs have already been mentioned. If you are tall or there will be 2 or more people then a popup has more head room and more flexibility in bed orientation. Our popup fits nicely in an 8-foot bed with no rear overhang and includes a north-south bed that is very nice; plenty of head room and ease of access for both people are welcome luxuries. The soft sides also provide many extra windows--10 in our case (18 total openings)--for air and light when needed. Less storage than a hard side but plenty for the two of us. A plus is that its loaded weight is perfect for our 3/4-ton truck, leveling the bed and requiring no suspension mods. 

 

On the other side of the ledger, a popup does require more effort to set up and take down--not a lot but it is another step that is particularly annoying when stormy. There is also some added maintenance of the soft sides and lift mechanism. We have not found the door height to be a problem even though I'm over 6 feet, although designs are different so that it something to check. 

 

Hard-sided popups such as Alaskan and XPCamper are attractive but they are also heavy and realistically need a one-ton truck. 

 

Have fun looking for the best fit. 

[rotti]

The biggest advantage of my FWC and truck combo is that they fit in my garage.

No off site storage hassles/fees, no loading and unloading, no HOA issues, weather proof (my camper would look like the exterior of a golf ball by now in hail country) and I'm free to head for hills at the drop of a hat.

[Squatch]

Compared to out west. Here in the east trails and FS roads are often tight and overgrown. I have had to duck my truck under more than one semi fallen tree across a FS road. I hardside will limit you in many places east of the Mississippi.