Help Deciding

[Graton]

I've been debating getting a T@B Outback or gong with a camper for my Tacoma - Four Wheel Camper seems to make the best one for my truck (2016 Tacoma TRD off-road). Plenty of pros and cons for each but the main differences for me is with the T@B I can leave the trailer and go exploring, plus it is not permanently attached and my truck stays a truck. It seems like removing and securing a camper is not a quick task. But on the other hand, I plan on camping more off the beaten trail than at campgrounds (rarely), and even the Outback option will not let me explore some of the trails I think I'll be on. Both my wife and I are backpackers, comfortable with minimalism, but wife really likes the idea of a wet bath. We recently moved to the west coast, we want to spend some time exploring the area (CA, OR, WA, UT, NV) and like the idea of not always being in a small tent.

Did anyone else have this debate of truck camper (light and maneuverable) and the T@B? Any words of wisdom are appreciated.

 

[Kolockum]

I looked at a trailer for the very reason you mentioned, leave the trailer and drive around with out breaking camp. I ended up going with the camper over a trailer (looking at a scamper) mainly because I didn't want to tow a trailer around everywhere I go. However there are several times being able to leave camp set up would have been really nice.

I lived on the road for several years so the camper did not get removed very often (1x a year). Now I have a home base and I take my camper off and on all the time. I bolt the camper through the floor to the truck bed. I have welded nuts on underneath the bed and use a spud wrench to help line up the camper, then screw in the bolts. Takes 15 minutes max.

Note: FWC is stopping production of the eagle which I think is the best fit for the Tacoma. I believe ATC still is making a model the same size as the FWC eagle.

 

[takesiteasy]

I'm guessing most people go through this quandry of trailer vs. camper. I know we did.

We ended up with the camper (ATC shell) and are happy with our decision. I agree with Kolockum that it is not difficult to take the camper on and off. We still use our truck (2011 Tacoma) as a truck.

That is not to say we don't wish every now and then for a trailer that we could leave behind with a few more amenities. But there are plenty of times we are happy we don't have to haul a trailer around and trailers quickly lose a lot of their utility when not hooked up to services in a campground. It's a two-sides-of-a-coin problem.

Just be true to yourselves when you make your decision and go with it.

 

[Trailbob]

Camper vs trailer was always a dilemma for us. I like the fact that I can tow a boat or motorcycles (etc) with the camper, but my wife likes the comfort and amenities of a trailer, especially for longer trips. We eventually (read: after the kids were out of the house) ended up with both, but the camper gets used the most since the majority of our trips are short and we are usually towing something else. If your truck is a daily driver, and you don't tow anything else (boat, etc) when you go, there is a lot to be said for a small camp trailer that you can just hook up and go. Also, since you are backpackers, you still have the option of taking the truck to remote places and tent camping if needed. If we didn't tow a boat so much, we would probably just have a trailer.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

We've gone the 'both' route, with ongoing iterations. From tents, to truck camper, to tent trailer, to travel trailer, to popup, and back to truck camper.

For us, the end goal is comfort and mobility with capability, and that means more than one rig. For really long trips, the travel trailer goes. For trips pulling boats, etc. the truck camper goes, for trips where rough terrain is in play, the little Ford Ranger (where I hope to have a small shell some day) and for now a tent.

So after all that rambling, if it were me... I'd start with a popup. If you find you want to basecamp, add in a travel trailer. If you're within the capacities of your truck, you can take both.

 

[Tuff Guy 62]

When we started our quest for a camper we were in the same position as you for all the same reasons. Realizing that no matter which way you go, everything is a compromise.

Started looking at the fiberglass eggs Casita, Scamp, Escape. Then we went through the inevitable teardrop phase T@B, T@G, Little Guy, Vistabule, Camp-Inn, etc. Also went through a brief R-Pod and A-Liner phase. In all this was about a two year process of looking and discussing pros & cons.

A buddy of mine has a FWC Eagle mounted on his Dakota. Our first impressions were that it was a bit too small for our needs, however our opinion was about to change when on a group camping trip to Pinnacles National Park. I had reserved four tent sites for our group and as everyone arrived, the unloading of gear & tent set-up process began. My buddy with his Eagle pulled up, parked, popped and finis!

That's when my wife and I had our ah-ha moment. The slide-in truck camper, while a compromise in it of itself, offered us the freedom and mobility that we were really after. Also when pulling a trailer, the wise man's mantra of never go up a dirt road you've never been up before kept repeating in my mind. Whether it's boondocking or in a designated campground, your truck camper will go with you, limited only by your vehicles ability to get there. Whether it's miles off the grid up a rough dirt road or in a tent site in a campground with no worries about backing in a trailer or being relegated to a RV site listening to everyone's generators.

So with that in mind we decided on a slide in truck camper. We opted for an ATC Panther. The Panther is for a full size pickup with 6.5' bed. The Panther is 84" wide and so we have mad room inside for gear stowage. We went with a shell option and had the guys at ATC do some custom work for us so our rig is perfectly tailored to our needs. We picked up our camper in October last year and we love it!!

FWC and ATC both make a fine product and I suggest you look at them both. When looking at ATC, the model for the Taco is the Bobcat. We opted for ATC because they will do custom work, whereas FWC does not. Also with ATC you are dealing directly with the men who are building your camper which is important to me IMO. In either case whether it's FWC or ATC, a slide-in pop-up truck camper is a great place to start.

Good luck!

 

[searching for nowhere]

​My thought is for you to think about how you like to travel. I have a small trailer (Casita, now Bigfoot) and my system is to get to a location and park the trailer in one spot for a number of days and take day trips exploring. Then I move to a new camping site about 2 to 3 hours away. But I miss the freedom to drive anywhere while towing the trailer: parking in a city can be a challenge, I look at gas stations differently, unknown dirt roads are not driven down, etc.

Think about what you may like to store in your pickup bed that you will not have if you have a camper. On trips to nowhere I carry a second spare tire in the pickup bed plus fuel cans and a portable dog fence (to keep my wanderlust dog from walking away).

If you get a small trailer think about flipping the axle to give yourself higher clearance.

And a comment about the wet shower. The shower area is really small in a small trailer, plus when boondocking you don't have a lot of water available to use. I thought I would use the shower and it has never happened. I use sponge baths and wash my hair in the sink.

 

[craig333]

I've had to disconnect a trailer to turn around, not fun. The popup doesn't limit your offroad ability much at all. The only real reason for a basecamp is when you have one person that wants to stay and one that wants to go. If you're both on the same page then not much reason to maintain a basecamp.

I find myself using the shower more and more but it does require the weather to cooperate.

 

[iowahiker]

We had a small trailer, Aliner, before our truck camper and considered the trailer a hassle. The strength of a trailer is to go to a destination and explore from your base camp. We wanted to leave a campground drive to a trailhead to hike and then stay in another campground while most trailhead parking lots do not handle trailers. We take sink baths during trips lasting up to 60 days since most hiking trails are not near showers. Sink baths are nice since they consume less water and we do not need a dump station. We never take the camper off the truck but we have an older Astro van, less the seats, for hauling. Where in the East did you move from?

 

[Graton]

Thanks for all the insightful comments wish I could have both a pop-up and a trailer, but bank account says "no". I'm going to take drive over to FWC, they are only about 2.5 hours away and look at their Fleet model that fits my Tacoma. @iowahiker - we moved from the Berkshires (western Massachusetts) where we lived about a mile from the Appalachian Trail, great hiking back there.

 

[iowahiker]

Graton, I skied Butternut a lot as a kid growing up on Long Island and hiked Mt Greylock with out kids on a northeast trip. Also, I worked a summer as a carpenter in Southern Vermont, near Emerald Lake SP. Our church pastor took our youth group to Cape Cod every spring. We go East during two long trips before July 4 and we go West during two long trips after July 4. We looped Wyoming, Utah, California Sierras, Colorado, and Nevada on our big fall trip last year. All trips are only day hiking. We have done several hundred miles of the AT between Pennsylvania and Georgia. We are planning a hiking trip through Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine for spring of 2018. We enjoy hiking the East as much as the west and so choose to retire to northeast Iowa.

 

[Icutitup]

Grafton,

We went through the same thing you guys are going through before we decided on the atc bobcat shell.

The t@b and the fiberglass eggs are really nice and we were so close to getting one. We spent hours in the different forums and approached people with these campers to learn more.

In the end we really liked and wanted the easy and freedom of the truck camper. We are also backpackers and minimalist. Most people we talked to did t use their shower and only peed in the toilet and they always cooked outside. Plus, we were worried about pulling a trailer and not being able to stealth camp.

We decided on the bobcat because Marty and Jeff are great to work with and will add custom features to your shell where fwc doesn't. Plus the bobcat is narrower and will be a tighter fit for our Tacoma. The fwc eagle is being discontinued.

We are excited about our new camper. We pick it up in May.

Good luck,

 

[Bill D]

All I can say is that I get so much use out of my FWC that I would not get if I was pulling a trailer.

We have already been on 3 winter trips since Jan 01. That number would be zero if I was pulling a trailer. I will be making another trip in Mar to Vancouver Island. I don't have to pay any more than a regular vehicle to get my truck on the ferry. It's $6.35 per foot extra for a trailer. $127 each way for a 20' trailer.

We take the FWC on day trips to glaciers, beaches and everything in between. On the road to the Mount Edith Cavell glacier, you are not allowed to pull a trailer. During day trips it's nice to be able to prepare lunch or grab a cold Coke Zero from the fridge. We've even used the hot outdoor shower after a cold dip in a glacial lake. Having a bathroom if needed is awesome as we never have to end our day of fun, just because nature calls.

One of the biggest things that I like about the FWC on day trips is after a hike etc. We can take a nap, warm up or whatever we need to do without the need go back to camp. We can then usually get in two outings per day instead of one. Usually we don't head back to camp until dark or to cook our evening meal.

If the weather turns for the worse, we don't need to worry. We can always head back to the FWC and change clothes, hide from the weather, or change activities.

Having the FWC is total freedom.

We also pull out motorcycles in the summer, which we wouldn't be able to do without a toy hauler.

We find the FWC more than comfortable and absolutely love the freedom it gives us. No need to plan anything, just go.

This may be a thought that you've never had before.
We always bring a tent with us as well. I have a 7' X 7' dome tent that sets up in 2 minutes and we throw all the crap inside there once we get to camp. On longer camping trips I also have a 12' X 12' X 7' height, expedition tent that gives us 144 sq. ft of living space. We set up a folding table in here and use it for changing, hanging out if the bugs are bad etc.

I have zero regrets owning a FWC. I would not want a trailer at all. When I'm 65 yrs old and stay in 1 place for 6 months at a time... sure. For now I love the freedom the FWC give me.

It's on my truck right now. We even take it to the local parks in our city. Everyone just stares and wishes they had something so cool.

BTW, it takes maybe 1/2hr max to load or unload the camper. It's really easy to do. I wouldn't want to do it every two weeks, but once a month, no big deal. Hopefully you keep it on though, so you get more use out of it .

 

[Graton]

More great responses making my decision even harder. Bill, that's a good point about bringing along a tent to leave at camp. What FWC do you have and any thoughts on the Fleet, which I think will soon be the only model that FWC makes for the Tacoma?

@Icutitup - I forgot that ATC was also near me and I can stop by both FWC and ATC on the same trip. Hopefully I can get there in the next few weeks, been doing a lot of travel for work and haven't had any free time on weekends since I visited a T@B dealer in Ukiah, CA.

 

[Bill D]

I don't have thoughts on the Fleet. I have a Hawk.

I am 6'3 and close to 300lbs. I'm built like a grizzly bear.
My first concern was that I was going to feel cramped. Unbelievably I do not feel cramped going in, or getting out of the Hawk. With a 6'6" roof height I have lots of head room and the light airy design makes it feel big. I really enjoy being inside it. The door is much wider than most campers. You step up and in and down and out, so the short door height is not at all a factor.

It's just myself and my GF. She is a small (but tough).

I always feel like a giant when I enter most campers unless it's a 5th wheel. Usually I have to watch I don't hit my head on the AC units and the doorways feel cramped. The stairs feel cheap and even the floors can feel cheap.

FWC are an engineers dream. All the best materials and very easy to fix. All the parts are standard off the shelf parts.

 

[smlobx]

Grafton-

Welcome from another former New Englander!
I think that most of us went through the same quandaries as you are having and most have gone with the truck camper route for many of the reasons already posted.
We just came back from a great week at Death Valley (flew from VA) and were able to explore some amazing scenery in our rented SUV. One thing we noticed were several trails were either restricted by length (usually 25') or that trailers were specifically not allowed. The ability to camp at the end of one of these trails and spend a couple of days hiking and exploring would only be possible with a truck camper or in our case a tent. BTW, we saw several FWC's at DV.
In our case we have have a larger truck and have ordered a Hallmark Everest truck camper and can't wait to start using it!
As said any choice is a compromise but I think a truck camper will give you the maximum flexibility with most of the comforts of home.

 

[Freebird]

For those choosing, keep in mind you are hearing from a group of self selected TC owners.....
Me included. NOT that we're biased, or anything.... lol

 

[PaulT]

For those choosing, keep in mind you are hearing from a group of self selected TC owners.....
Me included. NOT that we're biased, or anything.... lol

I'm shocked! Shocked! Biased?
Everyone here agrees that not only are self selected TC owners NOT biased, but we all agree that 2014 front dinette, FWC Hawks are the best, nay, only, suitable choice for everyone.

Paul

 

[Smokecreek1]

Well let me add my biased/non-biased comment ! I went directly from backpacker/tent/truck camper to my Granby in 05 in one quick move-but lot's of thought! I thought about a trailer too, but that really restricts where you go and, besides I can always tow a small trailer for more gear, if I really want to stay a long time or establish a base camp to work from. My only regret so far is not getting more goodies at first and having a F150 4x4 and not having and F250 or a big Dodge. More goodies you say- over the years I discovered as I retired and added on a few more years and miles on me and the rig (and the dogs), the more comforts were welcomed and enjoyed, and they enabled me to stay out longer and boy am I glad I bought that hot water heater.

Another hint, I wish I had done allot of this upgrading ( especially in regards to solar) in the beginning while I was working and had the extra money, but (again), my out look on life and on WTWing changed over time. More cabinet space-yes all you can get to fill up with all those neat camping things you buy! Still don't need a inside head or shower, but who knows! What ever you get, just enjoy it (you can always get something else later-things change); all I can tell you is I have had a great time these last 9 years (and hopefully many more) playing with my pop-up and planning (or not) all those trips, going here and there, upgrading my rig and meeting new people and doing new things-and number one, staying in the out-of doors. To me this has always been about a life style and not so much about the exact vehicle I use to enjoy it. Enough said, get something and go WTWing.

Smoke

 

[Graton]

For those choosing, keep in mind you are hearing from a group of self selected TC owners.....
Me included. NOT that we're biased, or anything.... lol

That's why I also posted in a T@B forum since I was very interested in the decision process and to learn about alternative reasons that I might have missed - and their were plenty. For example, Bill's point about winter camping - I'm less than four hours to Tahoe and didn't really think about how bad it would have been going over the pass pulling a trailer in the winter. I'm still leaning towards getting a camper for the truck since I don't like double the length of my vehicle and limiting the places I can go. The ability to drop a trailer still appeals, but I think that is a less important factor.