44 replies to this topic

[craig333]

Did i have fun. Whats more important than that? Glad to hear its done the trick for you. Its a lot of fun to chat about the uprgades, the issues, the whatevers, but bottom line is did you have fun? Lots of us can can find faults, but few of us would go back to tent camping. I know my dog doesnt want to go back to the days of freezing our asses off!

[ski3pin]

We find this pretty amazing. Since our first trip with the old FWC/ATC hybrid on Friday November 27, 2009, we have logged 47 nights in the camper as of Dec 31, 2010.

All in all for a simple review, the bottom line is we love it. For our style of travel and adventure which is visiting remote areas where it serves as a simple base camp it fits the bill.

Things we really like about it are the light weight, relatively unobtrusiveness on the truck, simple but effective construction, and quick set up when we stop.

I did much of the remodeling of the interior with much help from info on the Wander the West forum. The SMEV appliances are great. I removed the built in refrigerator and use our old stainless steel coleman ice chest. It works but we are considering an engel for extended summer trips. Our travel cooking is kept simple so cooking indoors and eating outside when weather permits works for us. I did install an electric water pump for the sink faucet. I would not do that again. A simple hand pump faucet is better. No energy draw to get water out of the interior tank and no noise. For some reason I just don’t like the noise. Most places we camp are quiet and that pump sound irritates. We augment our water supplies with one of those 6 or 7 blue square jugs. We primarily use this and the inside tank is reserve or for quick water needs at the sink.

The inside furnace with a thermostat is the way to go. It is simple to operate, just move a switch. Coming in from a frigid outing and having quick heat is a comfort we love.

The interior size is small with limited storage. For travel many of our items (packs, gear, clothing bags) are on the floor and need to be moved as we set up. We have a simple system that works well so this is not a minus for us. We are backpackers, if you get one of those monster packs, it can tend to get filled.

Our camper is pretty much ready to go with sleeping bags, cooking, eating, and cleanup gear always stored inside. We use a small actionpacker for our dry goods and the ice chest for cold. These are packed and put in the back along with clothes bags, packs, fly rod, etc., and we are ready to go.

In cold weather the amount of condensation has surprised us. The main places are on the sideliners and under the bed pads. The inside bottom of the cabover sections appears to be a real cold spot. We keep a towel handy for wiping things down and cook with a lower port open and run the fan in the roof vent (a fantastic fan is highly recommended). Once we learned about the condensation we developed simple ways to keep in at bay. We always pull the sleeping pads out after a trip and thoroughly dry and air them out. We will be getting some sort of arctic pack and also looking at simple ways of cutting the drafts in real cold camping trips. The furnace fan draws current so we keep an eye on consumption. Finding ways to cut heat loss will help here.

We have one aux. battery in the camper. In very cold weather we can sit in place for two nights without draining the battery. In typical warm weather conditions, we have sat in place for five days without a problem and probably could have gone a day or two more. I did install an Iota converter in my camper wiring. This converts household 120 (through the exterior standard outlet) to 12V so we could come live in your driveway for weeks plugged in with a cord. The converter has the smart charger so it also will charge the aux. battery. The inside 120 outlet (when connected to shore power) is handy for lights and vacuum for clean up.

If I could wish for one minor thing, it would be enough head room to be able to sit up in bed. We come close on a tilt. This is really no big deal. We tend to leave most the clothes below and slide out of bed and dress standing up below. Also, climbing up into the bed takes a little effort. It’s easy for us spry old-timers, but is probably not for everybody.

Hope all this firsthand experience is helpful. This is the first camper of any sort we have ever used.

[Overland Hadley]

I did install an electric water pump for the sink faucet. I would not do that again. A simple hand pump faucet is better. No energy draw to get water out of the interior tank and no noise. For some reason I just don’t like the noise. Most places we camp are quiet and that pump sound irritates.

Water pump will be a Whale Gusher Galley MK3 Foot Pump.

[Overland Hadley]

In cold weather the amount of condensation has surprised us. The main places are on the sideliners and under the bed pads. The inside bottom of the cabover sections appears to be a real cold spot.

Thats good to know about the cabover area being a cold spot. The wheels are turning on how to insulate under the bed.

[n0izh]

Thats good to know about the cabover area being a cold spot. The wheels are turning on how to insulate under the bed.

I run a piece of 1/2 inch solid insulation foam under the front section where I sleep. It used to be really wet in the morning under the mattress, but with the extra insulation it stays dry most nights. We had just a bit of damp one morning when it was 9 degrees out, but it still wasn't wet like it used to be. Our bed is the slide out style and we have chosen to leave it extended all the time when we travel so the sleeping bag stays in place.(Be sure to reverse the light fixture so the switch doesn't get turned on while driving!) We plan on having thicker, denser foam cut to replace the 2 inch pads. When we do that the 1/2 inch solid foam will be moved to the inside position, and I'll have a 3/4 inch piece for the front. That should take care of the cold coming from the bottom and causing the condensation problems.
John

[n0izh]

In cold weather the amount of condensation has surprised us. The main places are on the sideliners and under the bed pads. The inside bottom of the cabover sections appears to be a real cold spot. We keep a towel handy for wiping things down and cook with a lower port open and run the fan in the roof vent (a fantastic fan is highly recommended). Once we learned about the condensation we developed simple ways to keep in at bay. We always pull the sleeping pads out after a trip and thoroughly dry and air them out. We will be getting some sort of arctic pack and also looking at simple ways of cutting the drafts in real cold camping trips. The furnace fan draws current so we keep an eye on consumption. Finding ways to cut heat loss will help here.

We install reflectix on the inside held in place by 3(per side) spring loaded curtain rods. We never have condensation inside anymore, but still have some between the vinyl and reflectix. The amount is greatly reduced from what we got with the naked vinyl. Most times the side facing the sun is dry by the time breakfast is done, the other side is just a quick towel job. For heat we also carry a Wave6 heater we hang from the rear wood lifter. It doesn't draw any power, and doesn't have a noisy fan to keep you awake. It doesn't heat things up quick like the furnace, but once it gets going you'll be opening the vent. A Wave6 is overkill in all but the coldest weather, but it's what we had. It's also much more efficient with the propane than the furnace.
John

[Bajaahh]

Love my o9 Finch on my 4x4 Taco. I been from deep baja to freezing Canada with every condition in between. The 4WC handles it all. I think it's been the best thing I've ever bought. It gets me out WAY more often and there has been no restrictions on its abilities...I now have six friends that have 4WC's and two more are looking for one now(kickback Stan?).

The only reason I will write my "suggestions" are for a better product in the future...

1. Got rid of the couch the first week and made a dinette. Way more functional and I can still lay down and read a book.
2. The damn refrigerator latch keeps getting bumped open when I walk by. Dumped my entire fridge contents on the floor twice while driving.
3. For $16k how bout some LED light bulbs instead?
4. Pretty heavy to lift, especially with any gear up top, had to install the struts(way better).
5. The two emergency window latches spring open if I even fart in the camper. I had to zip-tie them closed so my window wont open(again).
6. Is it possible to move the thermostat switch? It would be nice not to have to get out of bed to turn the heat up/down.
7. Install a pee tube that drains to the outside so I dont have to get out of my warm camper at three in the morning after drinking a 12 pack of Tecates...jk.

These are all minor issues and its been fun modifying the camper so it fits my needs. Hope it helps.

-Scott

[Meach4x4]

I bought my 09 FWC Eagle used in June this year. I've camped in it 10 nights. It would have been more, but my 04 Taco has been having some problems with the OME rear springs. Adding air lifts hasn't helped, as I've blown 3 of them in the last two trips. New Alcan HD custom springs are on the way, so I'll be back using the heck outta my FWC soon.

I've had a lot of RV's before this, from a VW van I conversion to a 36' class A. My last RV was a converted cargo trailer that was featured in the September issue of 4 Wheel Drive Magazine.

Based on the ten nights of camping so far here's my impressions:

Good:

- The quality seems good and solid.
- Interior finish is excellent.
- Prewired for solar, so when I added two 50 watt panels it was easy to wire it without wires exposed. (Thanks for the info Terry)
- Support via phone has been excellent.
- 4 inch pads with the extended cap version are nice (a bit firm, but that's better than bottoming out. We will probably get a topper to soften things a bit.)
- Resale value is great.
- With two 50 watt panels, the aux battery is fully recharged withing just a couple of hours in the morning. Even when we were parked between a couple of trees the battery was fully charged each day.

Could be improved:
- As mentioned earlier in this thread, the location of the rear floodlight switch is bad. We have to be very careful to not put anything on the sofa that may slide and bump the switch on. I will probably end up building some sort of protective guard to fix it.
- With the solar panels it is not easy lifting the top. I will probably go for the struts to help lift it up.
- When installing the camper on my truck it is like standing on your head to hook up the turnbuckles and tighten them. It is especially hard on the forward driver's side.
- When I am on bumpy trails the camper seems to move around a bit. I've got a couple of spots on the camper where the paint has been rubbed off by the sides of the truck when the camper slid around. I've got spray in liner that is sticky, and put lock nuts on the turnbuckles to minimize loosening.
- With my 2004 truck and 2009 eagle, the camper is several inches above the cab. This wastes some clearance, raises COG, and adds more wind drag. Not really anything to do about it, but if someone was buying a used camper for their truck they may want to shop for one that is of the same era as the truck. (Yeah, like they have a lot of choices, eh?)
- We have the mini-dinette style side bench. It's ok, but it would be nice to have a wider bunk for a place to sleep when you don't want to set up the pop-up.

That's about it. I guess I'd have to rate my FWC camper as "Love it, but with just a few minor reservations.

Gil

[cfike]

I have a slightly used 2010 Fleet I purchased in April 2011. I just got back from a 2 week cross-country road trip so here are my initial impressions after my first real use. Since my wife and I had traveled several times with just a bed on a platform beneath a regular camper top we really appreciated all the room inside and really liked the camper in general. It fits our style since we don't really want to spend much time inside the camper or hanging around camp. Instead we usually like to go hiking & exploring all day and then just have the camper as a place to eat, relax a little and sleep. I appreciated the fact that it sets up and takes down quickly. It is small so we can basically go wherever we want and not worry about a big RV or pulling a trailer.
In terms of weaknesses I have been very disappointed with the appliances. Even though the camper was practically new I already had to fix the furnace (faulty sail switch) and replace the water pump before the trip, then the fridge did not work well on this trip. When driving, it did not get cold with 12V and the flame blows out on propane, so we basically gave up on it after a couple days. In terms of a general weakness, the mattress was way too hard so we replaced it with memory foam from Walmart. The dinette was also way too bulky and I removed it as soon as we purchased the camper.

[mojave joe]

I recently bought my Fleet model pretty cheap. The camper had some water damage, the lifting panels and the cab over particle board were pretty wasted. That was the obvious.
The lower portion of the camper is constructed only of plywood and staples. No aluminum frame here. The plywood wood is exposed to the weather and it shows. I ran some deck screws along the joints, most went at least half way through the first layer of plywood. I'm now planning on gluing and screwing a aluminum angle along each joint, along with working some resin into the weathered wood. I'm plan to do some heavy offroading and I hope it holds together.
I made a attempt at rebuilding the lift panels, but the spring loaded hinges kicked my tail. I could not figure a way to re-attach the roof hinge with the canvas attached. For a temporary fix, I'm using my back to raise the top and a single hinged panel that swings up to support the roof.
I hope to install the lifty strut thingies since I need to carry my oversized spare on the roof. I'm reworking the cabinets to accommodate a fridge, along with alot more useable storage. I.E., nested storage for dishes, cookware, and food containers.
I've installed a fantastic vent, water pump and facet, and electric fridge. I plan to add a bigger water tank in the space under the truck, in the former location of the spare tire.
It hasn't been on the truck since I brought it home. I'm hoping to have it done enough to load it on in the next week or two.