6 replies to this topic

[t4halo]

I'm a recently retired Army guy who now lives in Michigan. While living in Colorado Springs and Yuma Arizona we had the opportunity to camp quite often. Now the wife and I (daughters are grown with young families) camp in the midwest with a Camp Lite travel trailer and can't wait to travel back out west. My grandsons are young but before long it will be summers camping and fishing with grandpa. I'm looking for an older Alaskan to be used with my 2wd 1993 Dodge diesel 3/4 ton truck. I believe some of the older units need the 48" I have between the wheel wells and will not fit some newer trucks? I'm also looking for feedback on 8' vs 10' and cab over vs none cab over. Will probably be me and the boys and maybe an old bird dog. Alaskans are hard to find in the midwest, but a roadtrip to purchase a nice camper is part of the fun. Please let me know what you think will work with my situation and also, experiences you've had with a couple of kids and a bed camper.

Thanks, Tony

Edited by t4halo, 24 March 2018 - 06:33 PM.

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Tony, use SearchTempest to scan the craiglist ads within a user determined radius from your home.   You can get some pretty good deals on Alaskans that have been neglected, and if you are handy/willing to do the repairs.  If you don't need the room, I'd go with an 8' camper.   The new Alaskans are the most comfortable camper I have ever been in.  Sometimes I wish we would have gone that route.

 

Just remember...   Real dogs have beards!  

 

Good luck on the search...

[ckent323]

t4halo,

 

I have a 1993 Dodge LE clubcab Diesel W250 (4WD) with 5-speed Getrag trans.  It is the most reliable vehicle I have ever owned.  The truck will fall apart around the drive train.  I have recently replaced the radiator, intercooler and A/C condenser along with the A/C lines from the compressor to the condenser and A/C dryer.  Previously I changed out the A/C compressor and changed to R134 refrigerant. The engine and drive line just keep going.

 

Your truck bed is actually 50-1/2" between the wheel wells and the trail gate opening is 65".  Full inside bed with is 70"

 

(I have some drawings of the truck and I made confirmation measurements).

 

We presently have a 2007 Keystone camper which replaced a 1994 Keystone camper we originally had.  We like the larger size campers and we miss the extra interior width of the 1984 model.  I don’t think we would be happy with a camper smaller than a Grandby and there is only the two of us.  It is lighter than an Alaskan and we were able to find a good used model cheaper and in better shape than any of the Alaskans I looked at.

 

The father of one of my high school friends had a cab over Alaskan in the late 1960's.  It was a nice rig and he loved it.  I went on a couple of trips with them but it was cozy for three of us, my friend and I (we were around 16 or 17).  I have been in one non-cab over Alaskan and for two people it would be OK but too small for a family in my opinion.

 

The Alaskan's are fine but fairly heavy compared to the ATC and FWC campers.  We do a fair amount of off road camping and I like the lighter weight camper. My recommendation is the older pre-narrowed campers and in particular Keystone and Grandby campers for your truck  The downside of most older campers is that the floor of the over cab bed was particle board and the cabinets were made of particle board. Also the over cab bed was smaller than they are now (double vs Queen or even King). 

 

We have friends who own a 1984 Keystone that has always been stored inside with the top up (they have a shop building to accommodate that) and the canvas is still pliable and in great shape.  Unfortunately, I have seen a number of older FWC campers with deteriorated canvas and older Alaskans with water damage and I think one should assume they will need to replace the canvas on an older pop-up and the insulation and some of the interior in an older Alaskan camper so factor that into the cost. 

 

Refurbishing an older camper and extending the cab over bed, replacing the fabric and upgrading the interior is a big job but can be done.

 

I am sure there are older Alaskans and FWCs out there that are in very good condition but that is not what I was finding when I was looking to buy a used camper.

 

All that written we are happy with our newer Keystone even though it is noticeably narrower than our old one, and it is holding up well (we are the second owner).  I am presently modifying a second pickup bed for my truck to put storage compartments on both sides of the wheel wells that are accessible from the outside via fold down sides.  The work is still in an early phase but I will document it once it is done.  This will be my solution accessing the space lost on the sides of the pick-up bed when the camper is on the truck.

 

Now we were not able to have kids so I don’t have any experience in that regard as an adult camping with my own kids but unless your kids are pretty young, say under 10, I think the camper is going to be pretty cozy.  However, my family did a lot of camping when I was a kid, beginning about the time I was about 5 or 6 in the late 1950’s.  We tent camped out of the car at first using an old WWII canvas wall tent, In 1961 Dad bought a Valiant station wagon which we tent camped out of.  Shortly afterwards he bought a detachable roof top tent (the original RTT) called a Camp-o-Tel which we all slept in and it worked pretty well when my two brothers and I were little.  It was much less hassle than setting up the old WWII wall tent.

 

In the mid 1960’s he replaced the station wagon with an International Double cab short bed pickup with a bedcap and sleeping benches in the truck bed.  My folks and my youngest brother slept in the Camp-o-Tel and my middle brother and I slept on the benches in the truck bed.  Dad found and bought an old JC Higgings tent trailer (it was the larger of the two sizes made) that was quite rugged. It was bigger inside than the Camp-o-Tel and we all slept in it (or two of us would sleep in the Camp-o-Tel) but the tent trailer had no kitchen or bath just beds so we used the kitchen set from the Camp-o-Tel

 

The International was totaled in an accident (it was T-boned by a guy who ran a red light) and the Camp-o-Tel was destroyed when it came off the roof in the accident. After having the truck repaired Dad replaced the International not long after that (I think it was around 1969) with a used Dodge crew cab W200 Power Wagon which had a small cab over hard sided camper on it (he actually still has that rig).  My two brothers and I slept in the tent trailer. Mom and Dad slept in the camper. Mom cooked in the camper (or outside) and we all ate in the camper dinette or outside. We went on lots of off road excursions with that rig.

 

Unfortunately he traded that JC Higgins away in about 1972 and bought a 1956 26 foot Airstream which, while more comfortable than the tent trailer, really was poorly suited to off pavement or at least anything rougher than a well graded dirt road. Also it was a beast to tow.

 

Anyway, getting back to our rig, we carry a screen sided pavilion type tent which we set up over campground picnic tables.  It provides shade, protection from rain and importantly minimizes bugs.  I recommend something like that and perhaps a pop up tent or even a small basic tent trailer for older kids to sleep in as the camper would be pretty cozy for two adults and two kids much older than 10.

 

Hope this information is of some use to you.

 

Regards,

 

Craig

Edited by ckent323, 26 March 2018 - 08:10 PM.

[PackRat]

I had an 8 ft. NCO Alaskan from the 60s on my old 86 F-150 but the sleeping arrangements didn't cut it. Now I have an 8 ft CO which, with the CO berth and the convertible dinette/lower berth you can give some additional comfort to two adults and probably even have room in one of the beds for a couple grandkids. I looked for over a YEAR for one exactly like that. I would be OK with ice-box or two-way fridge, with or without a toilet, preferably without an oven (more space wasted for occasional baking).

 

I missed out by being #2 on one from Sonoma last fall but the buyer decided to go a different route and kindly sold it to me. You have to be aware of damage to the wooden frame as evidenced by dark stained wood and you need to be ready to add the following:

New Pirelli seals

New vent gaskets

New O-rings

New lift cylinders (this one had two that were split and held together with radiator clamps and leaked all over)

New upholstery/bed mattresses

Possible refurbishing of the interior lighting system

Running light lenses/bulbs

 

Bottom line is I looked from Seattle to San Diego and from Salt Lake to Albuquerque back to the Bay Area and that took the better part of a year to find a "good one"...

 

But, the low profile on the road is cool, and my F-250 460 gasser 4x4 can handle it with ease. I did not personally like or want or even looked at the 10' Alaskans....I liked mine inside the bed of the truck and decided the 8 ft. CO was what I wanted based on having owned one of the 8 ft. NCO versions previously.

 

If you can get a chance to look at a few to get a feel for what you want and how much work/time/money is involved you will be ready to jump on one that meets your criteria....the one I originally missed out on was around for only ONE day and gone the next. It did come back to me so I guess my Camper Karma was good!

[t4halo]

All great info guys. If the wife is going to camp with me, we'll be taking the travel trailer. I'm looking for the Alaskan or FWC for weekends or summer fishing trips for the grandsons and me. I am looking at the 8' models but wouldn't turn down a 10' if it was ready to go and priced right.

I've looked at a few of the restoration threads and can't believe how good some of you guys are. I don't think I'm qualified to take on a full resto.

Craig, I really like my old 12 Valve Cummins, she should last me forever.

Packrat, I agree about the limited space in the NCO. I do dig the look of them on an older restored truck like my 93 or even older.

Tony

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Tony, if you’re considering a FWC, add All Terrain Campers (ATC) to your list as well. They are very similar to older FWC campers, and pretty much bullet proof. New, they’re less expensive than Four Wheel, and the crew is very open to custom work. Their motto is “Built to Survive” and they live up to it.

[PackRat]

Tony, if the Alaskan is your choice, with you and two GKs, you will need the CO model. Two beds means they share and you can stretch out and sleep.