36 replies to this topic

[Southern Gent]

I backed into my 1996 Granby after a year of research. I knew I wanted some type of Pop-Up Truck Camper. Low profile and low center of gravity. The Granby I bought used was within 300 miles and the Solid reputation and unsolicited reports from current Four Wheel Camper owners sealed the deal. This was my first camper and I budgeted myself on the low side as an entry test.
I wanted to tow my McKee Craft 14 ft Fishing rig and Camp also. Much of the time I'm camping by myself. My wife of 37 years will also camp with me sometimes.

I do belong to a Hunting Club in Alabama with 8,000 acres under lease. We have a Camp ground with County Water, Electricity and septic system hook ups available. I choose to be off the grid. I Pop-Up and Sleep if I'm staying several days. Sometimes I just drive in, Climb in and Sleep with top down and Drive out into our property to hunt the next day.

Flexibility with comfort available.

[DLN]

I also missed this thread the first time around so thanks for pulling it forward DD.

Much like Ted we are about 80% camp grounds and 20% wild land. We decided on the FWC for the light weight and low profile plus increased resale. With the camper on the truck full time and no option to store it on site it was the only choice for us. The Eagle and the truck has and will see lots of highway miles between camp spots at times but having the four wheel road option is always desirable.

[mtn-high]

Travelling 100% in the Western US...we're definetely *Forest/Fire Road* type campers 95% of the time. We've ended up in a few designated sites here/there out of necessity/while covering ground...but in general I loathe established campgrounds/fee sites and avoid them like the plague. For me, nothin' ruins a good evening (night's sleep/buzz) like some chowderhead pulling in late...parking right next to you (when no one else is there) and firing up his generator for an all night session.

I'm lucky. My wife doesn't demand a "bathroom" and hates fee sites as much as I...although we are finding that during the winter months many of the State parks and places with hookups that are still open are virtually empty... and she was thrilled a week or so ago when we were out on the road on a 10-15F night and I pulled into a SP where she could hook up her electric blanket...LOL.

Pat

[Yukon]

Fantastic replies by everyone! What a group.

For my wife and I, we have just moved up from a 30 year tenting life. We do not care for RV campgrounds, but enjoy camping by a river where with no facilities. We look for extremely remote places, with no services. No services means Few people. We are interested in 4-season camping in extreme conditions. (Been beyond Arctic circile twice and camped in places where grizzlies we very close). But, we want 'simplicity' in camper design, and the resources it requires. This weekend we are driving our camper to our cabin in the Sierra's of Calif. We are hoping to enjoy just pulling off in any remote location along the way on back roads, not the freeway. The critical element for us is not creature comforts, but the freedom to go anywhere on our terms. 4WC does this for us. We love it.

[masterplumber]

We use ours for almost everything. It stays on the truck most of the time & other than fresh food & water I try to keep it in ready to go mode. It's seen some 4+ rated trails when that was the only way to get to where I wanted to go but I try & keep it to just rough roads as it is hard on the frame etc... doing all that twisting. I can't count the number of road trips it's been on all over the west, Been to Baja once - would love to go back, makes a great place to change & have lunch when sking with the family for the day, also a great place to relax when the boys are at an all day 4H shooting competition.

I don't think I've found a limit to the ways we use it except that the truck doesn't make a very good work vehicle with the camper on so I have another old '95 Ford for that. I also have to take the camper off to tow a freinds gooseneck horse trailer. We've had everything from a class C motorhome to a travel trailer to tents & for us this seems to work the best - can go anywhere, park anywhere, & still get out of the weather & make something warm to eat quickly & easily.

Doug

[ScottBailey]

After 3 years of marriage, my wife and I went on a family--and friends--camping trip. It was horrible. Our little guy was cold, cooking outside was tough, and I spent a LOT of time packing and unpacking the truck. What a PITA!

All these autos are our group:


BUT, we enjoyed the out doors, and so did the children. So we looked at trailers. Pop-ups and hard-sides. No way could I get a hard side trailer all the places I wanted to go... And guess what comes up when you google "four wheel pop up"?

The other big cementer was looking at a friend's Westphalia. My wife loved it. (And, honestly, I think the Sportsmobiles are better than my setup, but too costly since I already OWN my truck.) Anyway, the amenities of the ATC are pretty much the same as the Westy.

Just imagine how much better this pic would be w/ an off road camper in it:


I like quiet, undeveloped campgrounds (high clearance required). But we like the ability to camp ANYWHERE.

[brett13]

Put me in the Kco/Edohart back country fiend category. The more remote the better.

Me too. I'd say we are 80% backcountry. We end up in campgrounds sometimes for convenience- like when we just don't feel like fourwheeling another couple of hours down a trail or don't know where we are headed or the weather turns and we are going to hunker down- and only when they are mostly empty and we can get a private site.

As for off-roading, I'm not nearly as adventurous as I was when we tent camped from our Landcruiser. I could take that just about anywhere and was confident in it. Having the camper on a long 1/2 ton makes me a little weary to climb steep grades and bounce over obstacles. One the 10-point scale, I take it on 3's. Used to take the Landcruiser on 4's or "easy" 5's. You need a heavily modified vehicle for anything over a 5, so I doubt many here do that. But a little moderate 4wheelin' will get you to really great places with not much risk to the truck/camper. And you won't find many people out there.

[pvstoy]

As time goes on I find my wanderings less of a four wheel hard core adventure. The truck is built for that kind of adventure. Last trip to Colorado it never went into four wheel mode. It is a special truck with dual transfer cases with a crawl ratio of 215:1 and a lot of other stuff to go where you point it.

We get to where we want to go on the highways and byways. But we really like to get away and camp 100% of the time away from anyone. It can just be off the interstate on a dirt road, in a gravel pit area or just tucked away behind some trees. I really don’t enjoy being in campgrounds, but there are times they are unavoidable.

Being out there in great spots you can enjoy sunrises vistas (pictures below, camped just off the Utah I-70 near Moab exit) or views of the Sierra’s on a bluff.

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[craig333]

Put me in that mostly offroad group. So nice to just look for a wide spot and call it camp. Don't need tables, stoves and bathrooms.

I will camp in campgrounds when they're empty.

That applies to my solo journeys. If I have friends who want to camp I don't mind campgrounds. I'm not completely anti social I understand some people with kids need (or want) some nicer facilities. Also, with a big group, sometimes a campground can work much better.

I don't get very carried away with the truck offroad. Just because its 4wd doesn't mean I want to beat it up.

One thing I like about camping with a group (whether in a campground or not) is kind of gear head. Hard to justify taking all my toys when I'm solo, but put me in a group and watch out. Solo I can use my ice chest for a chair. In a group I'll pull out the super deluxe mushroom chair. Maybe some of you'll see if I make the death valley trip

[robbie]

We live in the Yukon Territory so we are pretty well 100 % off road.


robbie