25 replies to this topic

[LosAngeles]

Thanks SMLOBX. Awesome info.

What stairs do you use for the back?

I think we would get the 9.5’ so we lose the bumper as a step.

What would you suggest? Ladder? Or folding steps? Are those a pain for a quick pee / make lunch while hunkered down stop?

We stop to pee a lot. :-)

I'll try to chime in on my iPad and go over a few of the items you mentioned.

First I have an Everest which is 8.5 feet long on my long bed F-350 srw and it handles very well.

The North/South bed its the best thing since sliced bread. Definitely worth the coin.

We have a cassette toilet and for us it works great. We opted not to have an interior shower due to potential moisture issues but understand your reasoning.

The soft wall is actually three layers and much warmer than the FWC single layer. The wall are also better insulated. I don't feel the Mylar fabric is worth the cost.

When we were comparing FWC to Hallmark once you added everything up the price difference wasn't much given the advantages found in the Hallmarks.

We are upgrading to the Battle Born Lithium battery based on Matts suggestion and I agree over the long term it will pay for itself.

[smlobx]

We have the scissor stairs that came with the camper. I believe it originally was a four step model and after some minor modification to the truck decided that a five step version was the better option, particularly if the ground dropped off behind our camper.

I did end up putting some non-slip tape on the stairs after my wife had a nasty slip one morning because of the dew and it works like a charm now.

[desert-trails]

Hi, LosAngeles,

 

I thought I'd jump in and let you know about our Hallmark experience.  

 

We have been using slide in pop up campers for over 30 years and are now on our 5th.  Our newest is a 2011Hallmark Cuchara that we picked up locally earlier this year.  After having basic, no frills campers all those years upgrading to the Cuchara was a nice change.  It's mounted on our 2018 F-350 XL gasser 4x4 extra cab, long bed.  

 

We have been very pleased with the quality, fit and finish, and appearance of this camper.  Other than a torn screen on the popup portion over the sink and a small cut in the screen door screen this thing was very well cared for.  It came pretty much decked out, with oven, wet bath, air conditioning, ladder on the back and two brand new 6 volt AGM batteries.  It also had an aluminum box on the back mounted to the camper bumper for a generator (generator not included) but since we don't need or want a generator we use it for outside storage.  It also had the shovel/axe mounted on the back with the locking bracket.  I saw no reason to have an axe so I ditched that and was able to fit a halligan tool next to the shovel which seemed more useful to me. 

 

The camper sat a little too low in the truck bed for my taste on our new Ford so I added a sheet of 3/4" treated plywood on the bottom to kick it up just a notch.  Cleared the bedrails of the truck better.  I can also drop the spare tire no problem even with the camper's extra overhang.

 

It came with the East West oriented bed, which we prefer. 

 

Once in a while we tow an old 1976 Datsun truck bed trailer that we carry our canoe on.  I purchased a 48 inch long hitch box extension from etrailer.com for under $300.00.  It fits in the stock Ford hitch.  Works great.  

 

We had a set of Torklift scissor steps from our other popup rig and use it on this camper.  I store it just inside the door of the camper and it attaches to the little "porch" on the camper bumper.  We also have the Torklift handrails that are easy to set up at camp.  I'll be 70 next spring so having that extra support getting in and out is nice.

 

Immediately after we bought it we had to decide if we were willing to gamble on taking it or our tried and true small travel trailer on a cross-country trip to Washington, D.C.  We hadn't even given the Cuchara a one night shake down trip to Anza Borrego or even tried it out in the driveway, other than making sure the reefer (3-way) and hot water heater (6 gallon) fired up okay.  We decided to go for it and take the Cuchara.   Everything worked out fine.  Six thousand miles and not a hiccup the entire trip.  Possibly due to mid-west headwinds the camper did move back slightly in the bed, even with the rubber mat under it, so I added two turnbuckles at the front.  I attach one end of the turnbuckle to the factory in-bed tie down brackets down low at the front of the truck bed and the other end to a bracket screwed to that sheet of plywood.  I can install and adjust them pretty easy thru the access ports in the camper when I load the Cuchara.  That keeps it from walking back in the bed, especially on rough roads.

 

We are very pleased with the Hallmark.  Heading out to Borrego in an hour for an over the Christmas campout.  Maybe when we get back I'll see if I can figure out how to post a photo of it.  

 

Good luck with your research.

 

Cliff

[LosAngeles]

Thanks everyone for all the great thoughts.

J.

[DrJ]

We have loved our hallmark. Made the switch from a grandby and it’s been just terrific.
You will love it.

[meandmydog]

(Thom wrote) "If you opt for the Torklift double rear receiver hitch and camper tie-down extensions they also offer a receiver extension that has a decent tongue load rating and is triangulated for lateral loadings specifically for use with extended slide-in campers."

 

anyone here using a setup like this? 

 

I have a 2005 3/4 ton Chevy 4x4 with a 6.5' bed and a 2004 Hallmark Ute which is 8-1/2' long. That gives me a 2' overhang past the back of the bed. I use the Torklift super hitch with the double receiver and an 18" torklift super extension (double square tubes) to tow a 21' bass boat. This is the best way to tow anything if you have a camper that over hangs the bed. If you look around that is the setup that most people will use with big campers that want to tow things. 

 

I'll also give a vote of confidence for the Hallmark campers. I'm on my second ute and I really like the layout. Quality is very good. Someday I want to upgrade to the new style with the slick fiberglass sidewalls and N/S bed and compressor fridge and cassette toilet. But for now mine does everything I need it to do.

 

Good luck on your search. 

 

Dan

[LosAngeles]

Thanks again for all the great comments and thoughts on this thread. Awesome. 

 

any other Hallmark owners want to chime in? 

 

 

J.

[smlobx]

LosAngeles the only thing I would add is to use the Torklift Fast Guns tie down.
It is by far the strongest and easiest system to use once Hallmark installs it for you.
Interestingly enough they offered us a choice of several tie down systems and even though this system is the most expensive they didn’t charge us any extra for it.

The only other thing I would add (again!) is that most campers, including Hallmark, are heavier on one side than the other. In our case and probably yours it will be the left side. I added a set of airbags to level the rig but it is not necessary...

[LosAngeles]

LosAngeles the only thing I would add is to use the Torklift Fast Guns tie down.
It is by far the strongest and easiest system to use once Hallmark installs it for you.
Interestingly enough they offered us a choice of several tie down systems and even though this system is the most expensive they didn’t charge us any extra for it.

The only other thing I would add (again!) is that most campers, including Hallmark, are heavier on one side than the other. In our case and probably yours it will be the left side. I added a set of airbags to level the rig but it is not necessary...

Thanks.  :-)  It is my understanding now, that with the current Ford pickups, with the aluminum frame... the Torklift Fast Guns are the ONLY suitable tie downs.  They do look strong and easy.

 

One question is... how would I secure the camper from theft? The small (optional) locks on the Fast Guns dont look secure enough for my liking.....

 

J

[smlobx]

I just posted a response in your other thread.