chopyourown
Member
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2023
- Posts
- 21
I'm doing some planning for a new camper setup on my truck, and shopping pop-up truck camper options. The two options I'm leaning towards at the moment are an ATC Panther or an OVRLND pop-up topper. Obviously these are pretty different setups, and each has pros and cons. One area that is hard to get a read on is the sturdiness/durability of each option.
I've been in several Four Wheel Campers (never in an ATC). I've not had the chance to inspect the aluminum frame, but I've read in a couple of places, including this forum, that the aluminum framing is very small diameter. This has me a little concerned about the camper holding up to long-term, rough use offroad. I'm also not jazzed on how often I see damaged roofs from attempting to lift with a latch buckled, hailstorms, branches, etc. I won't be doing any crazy offroad routes, but will definitely spend a lot of time on dirt, including washboard, heavily potholed forest roads, and rutted doubletrack, plus general wear and tear from frequent use. I live in the PNW and sometimes pushing through encroaching slide alder is unavoidable, for example. The comparison is an OVRLND camper, which uses 1x2 aluminum 1/8" diameter tubing, and in general seems like much stouter construction.
Obviously there are quite a few ATC campers (and FWCs) out there that have endured thousands of miles offroad and are still holding up fine. It's quite possible I'm overthinking this. Still, I'd be interested to hear folks experience. Is it a case of "these campers are strong enough to hold up with a reasonable standard of care"? Do you have an ATC (or FWC) and have experienced damage, either through regular use or through "user error"? How much annual maintenance are you doing to keep things watertight?
I've been in several Four Wheel Campers (never in an ATC). I've not had the chance to inspect the aluminum frame, but I've read in a couple of places, including this forum, that the aluminum framing is very small diameter. This has me a little concerned about the camper holding up to long-term, rough use offroad. I'm also not jazzed on how often I see damaged roofs from attempting to lift with a latch buckled, hailstorms, branches, etc. I won't be doing any crazy offroad routes, but will definitely spend a lot of time on dirt, including washboard, heavily potholed forest roads, and rutted doubletrack, plus general wear and tear from frequent use. I live in the PNW and sometimes pushing through encroaching slide alder is unavoidable, for example. The comparison is an OVRLND camper, which uses 1x2 aluminum 1/8" diameter tubing, and in general seems like much stouter construction.
Obviously there are quite a few ATC campers (and FWCs) out there that have endured thousands of miles offroad and are still holding up fine. It's quite possible I'm overthinking this. Still, I'd be interested to hear folks experience. Is it a case of "these campers are strong enough to hold up with a reasonable standard of care"? Do you have an ATC (or FWC) and have experienced damage, either through regular use or through "user error"? How much annual maintenance are you doing to keep things watertight?