41 replies to this topic

[rich]

Hello All,

It has been a busy year and I haven't been very active around here. Lots has transpired including the purchase of a 2007 Tundra which handles my totally remodeled 89' fleet like a dream. However the PITA of getting the camper on and off and managing it at my house is getting to me along with a few other issues. With the height of the new truck it is hard to get in an out and hard for the dog, could get some scissor steps to fix that. I live on a hill which has made it dangerous and impossible to load and unload the camper safely at home so instead of paying storage fees I store the FWC on a flat bed trailer and tow it a few miles from the house to a flat parking lot, load it there, head home and park the trailer before heading out for the trip.

We have also found that when we take the camper deeper into the backcountry, due to our limited time lines we spend the bulk of our time driving or in the camper and not enjoying the outdoor activities and explorations that we love, so we have more often lately been using the camper as base camp in more of a front country or not so deep back country capacity to go launch our adventures.

This has all led me to the point of considering a travel trailer, blashphemy I know, but take heart I am not considering a 30ft living room on wheels. I am thinking of something in the 16ft range like a casita, scamp, MPG, livin lite or even an old air stream Bambi or globe trotter. The Livin Lite's have an off road package with higher clearance that you could take to a few deeper places and for anything more hard core we could just go old school in the back of the truck with the camper shell. What is really attracting me to this is the ease of hooking it up and going but more importantly the ease of dropping it at my destination as a base camp and still having mobility without having to break camp every day. A Big plus would be room for all of our toys on the truck like whitewater rafts, paddle boards, kayaks etc...

Now I know the general consensus here will be to keep the FWC but I'd like to hear from some people who have had both or gone form one to the other and maybe here some things I am not considering with the travel trailer option. Again these are under 3,000 lbs and in most cases under 2,000 lbs 16 foot trailers so fuel economy and wear and tear on the truck are not a huge concern to me.

Ok, thanks in advance for the advice!

Rich

[rich]

I should add that another factor in my thinking although a small one at this point is that we are considering starting a family but the FWC is big enough for us one kid and the dog but it would start to get pretty cramped and Jr. and the dog would be fighting for downstairs space :-)

[leadsled9]

With your usage and the way your family is growing....I'd have to say the TT.

[1tonpaulie]

Hey Rich
My name is Paul and I live here in the midwest. I started out with a 30 foot class C motorhome. It was me, the wife two kids and the pooch. We did that for 4 years. Got tired of paying car insurance 12 months and using it 4 months. Went to a Travel trailer 23 feet long. It was nice but backing up was a chore and took alot of time. Kept it only one year. Then I got a brain storm for a 4 season truck camper with all the toys. It was awesome, we all fit really good with A/C and a shower! The best thing was remote control electric jacks. Easy off the truck down and up. The bad thing about the midwest is the sun beating on the camper. I got the idea to get the FWC Grandby, nice and lite 800" compare to 2400" 4 season. Not so easy to take off truck. The first time using the battery drill I thought boy are you stupid for buying this camper. The nice thing about the FWC is I store it on a dolly in my garage out of the weather. Thats where it has been since last summer. You said it your camper is hard to load and unload because of the hill at your house. I wouldn't feel safe parking a travel trailer on a hill. I can not tell you to keep the FWC or get a travel trailer that is up to you and your better half. The only thing I would suggest is rent a trailer for a week and give it a try. Try and back it next to your house on the hill! I hope this helps, sorry to be long winded.

Paul Vollmer

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[Chukar Hunter]

I have had both for several years now and when it was just me and the dog my 5th wheel just sat but now with the girl friend and anouther dog the only time the Hawk goes out is if going into the back country. the big problem with the 5th wheel is I am always pulling doubles as I always have the Rhino or the boat. I feel your growing pains and I also live on a slope and if it came down to giving one up I think the Hawk would have to go.
I think you would be happy either way as long as you still get out.

[UHAULER]

I might be one of the few who think a small camp trailer would be ideal. I picked up an old (1977) 15' trailer. I nicknamed it KINDLING It didn't cost a bunch of money so if it doesn't work out I will either sell it or burn it.

I think a very practical small setup that would still be manuverable and be able to take stuff would be a pop up truck camper with a small, 12-14' trailer/mini toy hauler with a bathroom/shower in the front. you would then have room in the back for dirt bikes, kayaks, other toys, camp chairs, tools,etc. and not have everything packed onto the truck.

[Overland Hadley]

From what you have described, it sounds like a trailer would suit your needs better.

[craig333]

Sure its blasphemy, but you have to do whats right for you. Besides, you can always come back to the light

[TGK]

Like so many other things, with the pop up camper vs the trailer, there are trade offs. We had a FWC Grandby camper for 7 years and got a lot of enjoyment out of it, including wandering down all the back roads in the Northwest. We also had a boat for a while and we could tow it while still having a camper. We sold the boat however, and, since I always had been enamored with Airstream Trailers, we made the switch. The $ realized from selling the older boat and the '98 FWC allowed us to pick up a really nice 23' 1971 Airstream that had been restored. We use it a lot on the Oregon Coast when there's snow in the Cascades and too cold east of the mountains. A bit more room for us and the dogs if were at the coast in February and it gets damp. Dry weight on the older units is less than comparable length new ones. Our 23' comes in at 3,600 lbs dry. We've had it for 6 years now and really love it. We have taken it out into the high desert of eastern Oregon and into the Cascades but found that we shy away from the rougher more heavily washboarded roads when towing it. We decided we didn't want to beat the hell of it, so we use discretion on where we take it. We were also a bit gun shy about setting up camp in a really remote area and driving away from it. The older Airstreams are quite desireable and theft is always a concern. When we got the trailer, we put a topper on the back and resorted to tent camping or sleeping in the back if we were exploring down the rougher back roads. We did that and realized how much we missed the FWC. So, in March 2010, we ordered a FWC Grandby Shell to cover both our options. With the shell we have the built in bed but I have also have some made some minor modifications to it in conjunction with the closets I ordered it with from FWC. I have more room in the middle for carrying a variety of things such as bike when towing the trailer. It's a bit lighter than the Grandby full camper option and is more versatile. There are of course trade off, but it has worked well for us. I leave it on the truck all the time, including when towing the trailer. Of course, we can feel the added load when also towing the trailer, but it is acceptable. A slightly smaller trailer with a FWC shell could work well in some situations. I posted some photos of our Shell in the FWC section. I kept it very basic, with some modular pieces that could be taken in and out without much effort depending on where we were going.


I realize this may not be an option for everyone, but wanted to share our experience and how we resolved the tradeoffs.





Good Luck,

TK

[rich]

Thanks for all the great comments and stories, keep em coming, this is really helping with the decision making. TGK, both would be great but I don't have the budget or storage for that.....someday maybe. There is no perfect set up I suppose but we do so much carrying gear on a daily basis that I get tired of getting the camper off to load gear for day trips or having to haul the camper and the trailer to carry gear for day trips so I think a trailer is looking more likely. I'll have to save a bit to be able to afford a TT but I think it may be on the horizon.