I just returned from by 3rd trip with my new to me 2008 Hawk, and felt compelled to share a few thoughts. After spending a total of six nights, two solo and four with my 14 year old son, in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Northern CA, I could not be more pleased with my purchase. I had been passively researching pop-up campers for a couple of years, and quickly narrowed my focus to the Four Wheel brand, due mainly to the light weight and rugged construction of these campers. I was looking for something to fill the gap between a self-contained travel trailer used for full family of five outings, and a wall tent used for extended remote hunting trips. I needed something more mobile, that would be comfortable and easily handled for solo hunting and fishing trips, and for trips with my son, or one hunting buddy. I have found the perfect set-up.
New or Used: My budget would not justify the expense of a new Four Wheel camper, so I started the daunting task of trying to locate a very nice, near new used Hawk. After roughly six months of constant looking (using Crazedlist search engine and other on-line methods), and having numerous campers sold before I could even inquire about them, I finally found mine - a 2008 Hawk that had only been used about 6 nights, almost fully loaded for $12K. I saved roughly $4K over new. For those of you who think it can’t be done, just be patient, diligent, know the details of what you want, make use of digital photos, and be prepared to make an offer and seal the deal on the first phone call. Hopefully you will find a seller as honest and as a much of a genuine good person as I did, who will take a verbal handshake from you when his phone is ringing off the hook with inquiries. I only had to drive 6 hours to pick mine up, so I was lucky!
Hawk or Grandby: My truck is a 2007 Silverado HD Duramax with short bed. I entertained buying a Grandby, since there seemed to be a number of them available on the used market. I decided that since I will tow a utility trailer with ATV, and sometimes my horse trailer on trips with my camper, I did not want to mess around with hitch extensions and possibly endure handling anomalies. The Hawk has turned out to be a great choice. The Hawk has sufficient room for my purpose, and I really like not having the extra length of camper extending past the bed of my truck and getting in the way.
Mounting for 2007 and newer Silverado: My Hawk was originally made for a 2004 extra short bed Ford F150. The camper pack is made plenty tall for the bed sidewalls, but does not allow for the radius tailgate openings on the newer Silverado. The choice is to either build a platform to raise the camper approximately 1”, or notch the camper pack base to accommodate the radius on each side. I did not want my camper to sit any taller than it already does, so I chose to notch. With careful measurements, and advice from others on this forum who have done it, I accomplished a perfect job.
Must have options (This is of course a very personal subject): My Hawk came with the following options: extended queen bed, furnace, 3 Cu’ refrigerator / freezer, hot water heater / outside shower, screen door, florescent lights, camper jacks and aux battery. I retrofitted with a Fantastic Fan (per instruction on this forum – easy job). I would not be without any of these options. The furnace is simply awesome to take the chill off. The Fantastic Fan is a must when cooking inside. I BBQ outside, but all other cooking is done on the cook top. That’s what it’s for
I don’t want to mess with taking an “extra” camp stove for outside cooking. The 3 Cu’ refrigerator allows me to not have to worry about ice – a big deal if out for extended trips in the back woods. Hot water is just plain nice when camping in cold weather. What I don’t have and don’t miss is a roof rack. I can’t see wanting to put anything on the roof. You would need to unload it every time you pop the top up or down, and I want to move camp fast. Being able to set and break camp quickly and easily is a priority for me. Otherwise, I’d be camping in my wall tent.
Who would want a Four Wheel Camper: As hard as it is to buy a nice used Four Wheel Camper, there are still quite a few people laying down some serious cash for new ones, to only use them a few times and then sell. This had me a little concerned. I now know why this happens. After using my camper for three trips, I am convinced that my Hawk fills the specific camping niche that I was looking for. It is perfect for my needs. I can take it into remote places and I hardly know it is on the back of my truck. It is quick to set-up and take-down, and it is plenty comfortable for me. I’m certain it will keep me comfortable on long elk hunts in cold and wet conditions, and it is easy to use for weekend fishing trips. It fills the void between primitive camping, large wall tent elk camps, and fully self-contained, spacious RV’ing.
Who would not want a Four Wheel Camper (my opinion of course): If you want to camp for any extended number of days with more than two people, this is not the rig for you. If you need huge amounts of living and storage space, this is not the rig for you. If you are not somewhat physically agile, (getting in and out of this camper, especially if your truck sits fairly tall, is a challenge), this may not be the camper for you. If you don’t like getting up and going outside to use the restroom, this is likely not the camper for you.
What would I change / add: I think I’ll want an arctic pack for better insulation in colder weather. A few of the nights on my trips so far have dipped down to freezing temps and I’ve seen a little snow. Using the furnace a little has kept things very comfortable, and a decent sleeping bag makes nights toasty. If the temps were in the teens, I think I’d want a tad more insulation. I’ll likely be making my own arctic pack; unless one of you has a stock pack you don’t use and would like to make me a deal on I need to do some modifications to make some of the cupboard doors more secure while traveling rough roads. On real bumpy roads when I have heavy items stored in the kitchen cupboards or the small storage bins over the couch, the doors have opened and my “stuff” has fallen out. I’ll come up with a smart and simple remedy for this.
BTW, did I forget to say that I love my Hawk
New or Used: My budget would not justify the expense of a new Four Wheel camper, so I started the daunting task of trying to locate a very nice, near new used Hawk. After roughly six months of constant looking (using Crazedlist search engine and other on-line methods), and having numerous campers sold before I could even inquire about them, I finally found mine - a 2008 Hawk that had only been used about 6 nights, almost fully loaded for $12K. I saved roughly $4K over new. For those of you who think it can’t be done, just be patient, diligent, know the details of what you want, make use of digital photos, and be prepared to make an offer and seal the deal on the first phone call. Hopefully you will find a seller as honest and as a much of a genuine good person as I did, who will take a verbal handshake from you when his phone is ringing off the hook with inquiries. I only had to drive 6 hours to pick mine up, so I was lucky!
Hawk or Grandby: My truck is a 2007 Silverado HD Duramax with short bed. I entertained buying a Grandby, since there seemed to be a number of them available on the used market. I decided that since I will tow a utility trailer with ATV, and sometimes my horse trailer on trips with my camper, I did not want to mess around with hitch extensions and possibly endure handling anomalies. The Hawk has turned out to be a great choice. The Hawk has sufficient room for my purpose, and I really like not having the extra length of camper extending past the bed of my truck and getting in the way.
Mounting for 2007 and newer Silverado: My Hawk was originally made for a 2004 extra short bed Ford F150. The camper pack is made plenty tall for the bed sidewalls, but does not allow for the radius tailgate openings on the newer Silverado. The choice is to either build a platform to raise the camper approximately 1”, or notch the camper pack base to accommodate the radius on each side. I did not want my camper to sit any taller than it already does, so I chose to notch. With careful measurements, and advice from others on this forum who have done it, I accomplished a perfect job.
Must have options (This is of course a very personal subject): My Hawk came with the following options: extended queen bed, furnace, 3 Cu’ refrigerator / freezer, hot water heater / outside shower, screen door, florescent lights, camper jacks and aux battery. I retrofitted with a Fantastic Fan (per instruction on this forum – easy job). I would not be without any of these options. The furnace is simply awesome to take the chill off. The Fantastic Fan is a must when cooking inside. I BBQ outside, but all other cooking is done on the cook top. That’s what it’s for
I don’t want to mess with taking an “extra” camp stove for outside cooking. The 3 Cu’ refrigerator allows me to not have to worry about ice – a big deal if out for extended trips in the back woods. Hot water is just plain nice when camping in cold weather. What I don’t have and don’t miss is a roof rack. I can’t see wanting to put anything on the roof. You would need to unload it every time you pop the top up or down, and I want to move camp fast. Being able to set and break camp quickly and easily is a priority for me. Otherwise, I’d be camping in my wall tent.Who would want a Four Wheel Camper: As hard as it is to buy a nice used Four Wheel Camper, there are still quite a few people laying down some serious cash for new ones, to only use them a few times and then sell. This had me a little concerned. I now know why this happens. After using my camper for three trips, I am convinced that my Hawk fills the specific camping niche that I was looking for. It is perfect for my needs. I can take it into remote places and I hardly know it is on the back of my truck. It is quick to set-up and take-down, and it is plenty comfortable for me. I’m certain it will keep me comfortable on long elk hunts in cold and wet conditions, and it is easy to use for weekend fishing trips. It fills the void between primitive camping, large wall tent elk camps, and fully self-contained, spacious RV’ing.
Who would not want a Four Wheel Camper (my opinion of course
): If you want to camp for any extended number of days with more than two people, this is not the rig for you. If you need huge amounts of living and storage space, this is not the rig for you. If you are not somewhat physically agile, (getting in and out of this camper, especially if your truck sits fairly tall, is a challenge), this may not be the camper for you. If you don’t like getting up and going outside to use the restroom, this is likely not the camper for you.What would I change / add: I think I’ll want an arctic pack for better insulation in colder weather. A few of the nights on my trips so far have dipped down to freezing temps and I’ve seen a little snow. Using the furnace a little has kept things very comfortable, and a decent sleeping bag makes nights toasty. If the temps were in the teens, I think I’d want a tad more insulation. I’ll likely be making my own arctic pack; unless one of you has a stock pack you don’t use and would like to make me a deal on
I need to do some modifications to make some of the cupboard doors more secure while traveling rough roads. On real bumpy roads when I have heavy items stored in the kitchen cupboards or the small storage bins over the couch, the doors have opened and my “stuff” has fallen out. I’ll come up with a smart and simple remedy for this. BTW, did I forget to say that I love my Hawk
