Sights Unseen?

Yesterday I finally loaded my '63 Alaskan 8' NCO onto my '63 Ford F250. (When I get the wanderthewest pic upload functionality to work again I'll post pics of the mated pair.)

Something that came out of yesterday's endeavor - beyond the incredibly close tolerances when loading - was a distinct lack of sight during the test drive with the Alaskan on the bed; both sides and rear views. This brings me to my questions for all of you seasoned Alaskan owners/campers out there...

1. Assuming you're using tow mirrors, which are most correct for both brand and time?

2. Wrt rear cameras, what is the best in class for a rig like mine? Did you go bumper mount? Top mount? both? Backup only? Driving heads-up display? (Yup... lots of Qs and options)

3. Understanding that the latter isn't anywhere near time-period specific, did you do anything to mask the camera(s) and/or screens so that they're not as obvious?

Thx in advance for your inisights/responses.

Here’s the linked picture. Looks like it’s going to be a nice nostalgia rig.

Thanks for posting you're Alaskan.
Looks very nice inside,clean with nice wood.
Enjoy .
Frank

I went with the Wolfbox mirror-camera [ https://amzn.to/3W4qynw ] and mounted the camera next to the door, so it's about 2 ft above the top of the tailgate. Clearly not 1963 tech but the Wolfbox mirrors come in several sizes, one is probably close to your stock rearview mirror, and the camera is pretty inconspicuous. Much better view than side mirrors can give you - I know I'll never back over a small child, for instance.

Dr.Science said:

I went with the Wolfbox mirror-camera [ https://amzn.to/3W4qynw ] and mounted the camera next to the door, so it's about 2 ft above the top of the tailgate. Clearly not 1963 tech but the Wolfbox mirrors come in several sizes, one is probably close to your stock rearview mirror, and the camera is pretty inconspicuous. Much better view than side mirrors can give you - I know I'll never back over a small child, for instance.

Click to expand...

I did the same. It was easy to install and it is good to use the rearview mirror again.

wow. camper looks great. hope the truck holds up !

Performance related question regarding the Wolfbox ... how is the night vision for glare? I have had a couple of similar camera/mirrors (Autovox) and the glare can be nasty.

Wolfbox, huh? Doing some research now.

I gotta say that I do like the idea of replacing my rearview mirror with a larger format screen.

I like that the Alaskan lets me look right through all it's windows while in the down position. I just use the rear view mirror that came with the pickup.

I used to have a clip on rear view mirror/monitor thing and camera but I removed it all. Looked terrible at night, looked pretty bad in the day as well.

Thank you to all for your suggestions!

I've recently purchased/received a Wolfbox g900 and am partway through install. More to follow upon completion...

"The mountains are calling and i must go." - John Muir

Sorry, have been offline for awhile. Recently did a 9000 mile drive with the Alaskan, 2 months, and used the Wolfbox daily. Night vision performance is quite good. It could be even better, but in general, superior to an old-fashioned rearview mirror. Another item of interest, the Wolfbox has both forward and rear-facing cameras and acts as a dashcam, recording what they see. In the rearview mode it gives a very wide angle view, good for backing up but not for driving. In 2-camera mode, which shows both front and rear views at the same time, the rear camera switches to a narrower field of view and then performs well as a normal rearview mirror.

Vic Harder said:

Performance related question regarding the Wolfbox ... how is the night vision for glare? I have had a couple of similar camera/mirrors (Autovox) and the glare can be nasty.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the update! 9000 miles...wow!