Intro

[cobiker]

Hi Gang,

I've been lurking for several weeks and it's time to introduce myself. I'm a 36 yo living in Boulder, CO with a wife and two kids under the age of 3. I love the outdoors - skiing, cycling and fishing are my main passions. But I'd like to learn to surf someday, and Costa Rica looks nice, and... you get the picture. There are way more places to see and things to do than I will ever be able to get to.

I discovered the idea of truck campers over a year ago, fell in love with the whole concept and eventually decided that I want an off-road style popup. The big RV's are a complete turn-off for me, I want a rig that can get me a lot further into the back-country than an RV can go. Well, last week I took the first step along this path and bought my first truck - and it's a beauty (to my eyes at least). I found a '03 Dodge Ram 2500 CTD, manual transmission, 4 door, long bed with low miles and a great price. I'm not used to driving a truck and I have to tell you this thing feels like I'm driving a tank down the road!




It may be a little large for back-country travel, but with a family of 4 (not counting the dogs) I felt I needed the extra space.

Sadly, the camper will have to wait at least another year, gotta pay off the truck first . I hope to get a FWC or ATC, and am also considering Outfitter as it seems they make a great camper and are about a 15 minute drive from me, which is a pretty major consideration. In the mean time I will be making some mods to the truck here and there to better equip it for off-road travel. I am completely new to all this stuff so will be asking the group all kinds of questions. I'll keep you posted as I make progress.

Happy Trails,
Chris

 

[K6ON]

Welcome

Hi Chris,
Welcome to the board. There's a lot of the "Fiat" CTD's on here so you can get some good advice if needed. I'd also like to recommend the diesel truck resource at : http://www.dieseltruckresource.com/dev/index.php
Just about anything you ever wanted to know about your CTD has been covered there. Lots of great ideas for off road and high performance mods. You'd be amazed how much HP & torque that Cummins is capable of making with just a few mods.
It's never too early to start looking at campers..Watch Craigs list, and www.usedfourwheelcampers.com you can sometimes find some great deals.
Welcome aboard.

 

[zonker]

Chris..

Today it feels like a tank.. tomorrow it will feel like a Fiat! Seriously.. I camer from a Series IIA Land Rover and a Range Rover and we now have a Ram 2500 CTD QC SB which I absolutely love. I can honestly say that it won't come close to doing what our Range Rover did.. but it can certainly surprise you. Actually I think it works better in the snow than our Range Rover.. with a camper in the bed. We have a FWC Hawk and I certainly wish that we had done it sooner. We just got back from a four day excursion (rained everyday) and it was heaven to have a real dry warm bed and not a damp Thermarest!

So have fun and we will look forward to hearing from you some more and enjoy your Fiat!

 

[Southern Gent]

Welcome Aboard

Cobiker, Welcome Aboard. Nice Truck. You and your family will enjoy your new Vice. This is a great Forum with supportive folks that will help you do the road " in a Truck Camper ". One day when you get all your stuff on or in your Truck and Camper you will ask your wife " Do you want the utility trailer to match or contrast the truck color ". Space is King. Travel Safe and have fun

 

[mtn-high]

Welcome. It's good to have another Colorado member on board! Have you been in-state long?

Not sure what units will fit your truck or what you are looking for but there are a buncha older/used FWC on the Front range (as you may know). It might be possible with a bit of looking to find a CHEAP, older unit to play with/fix up (as so many WTW'ers here have done/are doing) locally. I've seen em given away for FREE on crazedlist so if something like that is of interest/might be an interim project you may luck out if your are diigent/on the ball.

There are a few members here who have gone the Outfitter route due to the proximity/friendly/personalized service they've recieved from said company here in Colorado. IMO, and this is FRIENDLY criticism...FWC could learn a few things from how this company does business as it seems they basically bend over backwards to get someone's business. (as if they want/need it)

Good luck on the search!

mtn

 

[Marc]

Hey Chris, nice rig. Lots of good people and info here. Look forward to hearing about your new adventures. Welcome

 

[craig333]

I thought you stole my truck for a sec, but mines the short bed Very nice.

For a more Cummins focused site try http://www.turbodieselregister.com/forums/

 

[cobiker]

Thanks for the welcome everyone.

mtn-high, I've been in Colorado for almost 9 years now, and love most things about Colorado. I haven't travelled around the state and nearby areas such as Moab as much as I should have, but looking forward to lots of adventures to come.

I'll definitely keep my eye out for a good deal on a used camper, now that I have the truck I am antsy to get a camper on it and get out there!