Is anyone out there?

[captainkettel]

Where did you first hear about The Four Wheel Camper? Do you think after owning one you would buy a brand new FWC again or a good used deal? After I read an article on Outfitter campers in a Off Road magazine I checked out pop top truck campers. I found the Four Wheel Camper's web page. Then I saw what Gary Wescott did with the Four Wheel Camper in his Turtle Expedition Unlimited Adventures and I was hooked. I do have my Sportsmobile but if I ever decide to go to a Pop up camper it will be a FWC. Does everyone have the FWC on their favorite 4X4? Or are there some 2 wheelers out there?

 

[DirtyDog]

Used FWCs in good condition are hard to come by. I looked at some used ones but decided to get a new one so I could get the best fit for my new F150 (wider and deeper bed than other trucks).

The Outfitters look nice, I'd like to get a look at one inside.

 

[oly884]

I would definitely say yes to buying another FWC.

I remember I was searching on the internet for campers just for the fun of it. I came across their web site and now i'm $x,xxx down the hole but enjoying every second of it. haha.

 

[captainkettel]

Looking for the Lone Ranger

I have been looking for a used "Ranger" model forever! I saw one come up on craigslist once. It lasted about one day. Man, if you see one on there you had better jump on it, FAST. I have found a older model "Fleet" on traderonline that will fit the 7.5ft bed but there is no photos and it's 1400 miles away. To far to drive just to check it out. So, I'll keep looking...

 

[simimike]

I first read about FWC in 4Wheeler Magazine many years ago. Of course the Turtle Exp. So after some trial and error with other campers and trucks I bought my first FWC in 1998. and put it on a light duty F250. Circumstances conspired against me and I sold the camper and then the truck.

Fast forward to 2005 and a new 4X4 truck and a year later a new FWC. So yes, I would buy a new one again. I think the only thing Outfitter and FWC have in common is they are both pop-ups. The Outfitter is much more deluxe both on the inside and especially on the lift mechanism. But a couple of the reasons I went with the FWC is the almost Zen simplicity and the much lighter weight.

 

[DirtyDog]

Fast forward to 2005 and a new 4X4 truck and a year later a new FWC. So yes, I would buy a new one again. I think the only thing Outfitter and FWC have in common is they are both pop-ups. The Outfitter is much more deluxe both on the inside and especially on the lift mechanism. But a couple of the reasons I went with the FWC is the almost Zen simplicity and the much lighter weight.

I was under the impression that the outfitter was almost as light as the FWC.

 

[simimike]

I stand corrected. I was thinking of a slightly optioned FWC as opposed to a stock Outfitter. The stock Outfitter comes standard with just about every option that FWC offers.

 

[captainkettel]

Outfitter weight

The weight of the Outfitter campers I think is quite a bit more. The 6.5ft similar to the Eagle is a mere 940 lbs. The 8.5ft is similar to the Granby and is a whopping 1500+ pounds. They have quite a number of options and are aluminum framed like the FWC, but HEAVY!

 

[simimike]

I just hopped over to the Outfitter web sight. They are saying that a Caribou 8 with 3cf refer, heater,innerspring mattress. Corian type counter top, Under bed storage,and lift mechanism weighs 1005lb's. That impressive. 110lb's more than a stock FWC. Thats dam good engineering! Maybe it's time for me to rethink my idea that FWC are the lightest. Maybe.

 

[DirtyDog]

One inriguing feature of the Outfitter is that I think the roof can be stood on. Some even have ladders on the back to access the top. I do a lot of photography and the ability to stand on top of the camper would give me some good vantage points.

The Outfitter has a larger profile, is taller, and is several thousand more dollars (the FWC price tag is already steep).

So who's gonna be the first to get an Outfitter and give us a full report

 

[captainkettel]

One cool feature on the Apex Outfitter is the basement water storage. This lowers the center of gravity, prevents freezing and keeps the overall height down. I personally still like the lines of the FWC. Low to the roof top of your favorite ride and compact looking. But the article I read said it did work great while traveling down on the Baja Coast. Can't hardly wait till November. I'm going on the Turtle Expedition down the Baja coast for 8 days. That's going to be killer! Then I will see how my 4X4 Sportsmobile works along with any FWC's if they make the trip.

 

[rich]

How was the baja trip?

Captain Kettel,

I was bored at work so I was surfing old posts and found this. I came across the turtle expeditions while searching for FWC's online. I saw their trips and thought they looked great. Did you end up going? How was your trip? What did you think of the FWC's Vs. your sportsmobile while in baja? If you already posted this info and I missed it just throw up the link to that thread.

Thanks

 

[Stan@FourWheel]

We just had a potential new customer come by and spend a little time in our showroom last night. He has one of the Outfitter 9.5' models and is now looking at the FWC Keystone Model. He loves his Outfitter and had only good things to say ! But, they are quite a bit bigger, I think wider, and for sure taller. It was almost an exact 1/2 point between a Four Wheel Pop-up Camper height and a Six-Pac Hardsided Cab-over Camper height while sitting on the truck.

After looking at his camper on his truck and how tall it was, I think at that point I would just choose a small cab-over camper (something like a Lance 815 or a D850 Six-Pac) instead of the pop-up up. He said his Outfitter was approx. 1800 lbs. with all of options he chose.

Again, he really like the Outfitter and highly recommended it for comfort and quality, but he is leaning towards a Keystone Model now beacuse it is so much lower profile and a little lighter. He said the Outfiter was too big & tall for the off-road travels he was wanting to do.

Having the basement holding tanks and storage under the cab-over bed, only increase the over-all height of the camper unfortunatly.

I still really haven't seen any other camper manufacturers these days building a camper as lower profile with an off-roadable design like the FWC & ATC campers.

PS -- The trip with the Turtle Expedition should be excellent. We loaned a camper and truck combo to a couple last year that took their tour to Baja -- they came back more stoked and excited than anyone I have met. Shoud be very fun trip --- I wish I could go


=========================================================

One cool feature on the Apex Outfitter is the basement water storage. This lowers the center of gravity, prevents freezing and keeps the overall height down. I personally still like the lines of the FWC. Low to the roof top of your favorite ride and compact looking. But the article I read said it did work great while traveling down on the Baja Coast. Can't hardly wait till November. I'm going on the Turtle Expedition down the Baja coast for 8 days. That's going to be killer! Then I will see how my 4X4 Sportsmobile works along with any FWC's if they make the trip.

 

[b team]

It was a cold desert morning. I popped my head out of my tent and saw a little camper go by on a 4x truck. Talked to the owner and less than a year later I had my own

Best money I have ever spent.

 

[Puffins]

My in-laws had a Sportsmobile ( I still really like those rigs) and decided it was to expensive so they sold it and bought a pickup. They were looking for a used FWC and I found a Hawk for sale on the side of the road while driving around town. They bought it that night.

Later they upgraded and I bought the truck and camper the the blue book of the truck. I would love to upgrade to diesel $$$$ but will keep the caper as long as I can.

 

[DirtyDog]

But, they are quite a bit bigger, I think wider, and for sure taller.

Yeah they are quite a bit bigger.