Posted 18 March 2017 - 12:21 AM
I took delivery of a Hawk shell model in sept 2016. A few months later I traded it in for a hawk front dinette with an inside shower. I traded the shell model for a fully optioned model so I would have a water system, inside shower, built in fridge, and cabinets. I gained a little insight from the trade up experience that may be useful for you.
My FWC dealer, Denny Saunders at FWC Jackson Hole (who is awesome), lent me a Granby for a few weeks after he sold my old Hawk while my new Hawk was on order. I just followed normal RV water system sanitization procedures with bleach and the water smelled and tasted fine. I did not hesitate to drink and cook with the water.
On my shell I used a 7 gal water jug and a 5 gallon bucket sink/drain. I would put my 7 gallon cube shaped reliance water jug with spigot on the bench with the bucket below to catch water when I washed my hands or dishes or whatever. It worked fine but was a pain to use. You have a bucket to store and move out of the way. You have to store, lift and tilt the water jug every time you use it (or at least move camp). It's hard to get the spigot on the water jug to point down and also be screwed in tight enough to not leak. I had to put a garbage sack or plastic sheeting on the cabinets by the bucket to keep them dry from over splash. Having a sink and built in water supply is definitely worth the money to me. As far as pump failure goes, when I received the loaner Granby, the pump had failed (frozen). Once I received the new pump it took about 15 min to install.
With me shell I used a camp shower made by Nemo. It is outstanding. In fact, when I'm camping in the winter and it's too cold to have water in my Hawk water system I plan to use the Nemo with the inside shower drain. The Nemo is a 3 gallon heavy pvc bag with a bellow foot pump and a dishwasher type spray nozzle. You warm up water on the stove and add to some cold water in the bag for a nice hot shower. I used a Kelty blockhouse shower tent when the weather was bad outside or for privacy.
I don't have any cassette toilet or luggable loo. I am usually camping in areas where I can just go in the woods. I do have a dedicated (and marked !) plastic jug for peeing at night. I carry a couple of wag bags in case I find myself in an area where I can't go in the woods. There are many brands but I have the Go Anywhere Toilet Kits. This might be TMI but I once found myself in Texas where I couldn't get to a bathroom and found that the toilet kit was usable for "solid waste" just by opening it on the ground. It is a quite large sack and opens wide for a very sanitary use. With the gelling agents that are included and the double bag it can be disposed in regular trash. I wouldn't want to use everyday but it is fine for once in awhile.
My take on a shell model vs a built model is that the shell does have quite a bit more room starting out. Then you add water jugs, bucket for sink/drain, a food box for food and pots and pans, a battery operated and fridge or coolers and suddenly you have a bunch of things cluttering your space. I found myself constantly moving stuff out of the way to get into the under couch storage or whatever. Lifting the water jug and rotating it to use the spout and putting it back down for travel. It wasn't that bad but I find that with the fully built model all my pots and pans and food etc stored but easily accessible. The fridge is built in and out of the way. I just feel much more organized.
I have a 2011 Toyota Tundra. I had a spring pack job done by Boise Spring to carry the camper. I do not have airbags. My truck hauls the camper fine. It drives great and doesn't wallow around in the mountains and stops well. I thought about getting a new 3/4 ton truck. The main reason I did not is true off-road ability is very important to me. When I started looking at truck specs I found that the Toyota Tundra double cab 6-1/2 ft bed truck is the smallest full size double/crew cab type truck with four normal opening doors available so I kept the Tundra. That said, if I didn't already have a truck I would definitely buy a 3/4 truck. If off road wasn't so important I think the decision would be between a 6-1/2 bed truck with a true crew cab or a 8 foot bed and bigger camper with a double cab. An 8 ft bed with a crew cab is quite the beast....
One thing for sure, whatever route you go you are gonna love it. The upgrade from camping in a camper shell for almost 40 years to standing up with lights on out of the weather with the heat on is nothing short of revolutionary! You stay so much more refreshed so you can expend your energy hiking, biking, climbing, hunting, fishing, running or whatever instead of just staying alive. Good luck and have fun!
