Northstars

[griz]

Curious as to why you do not see these for sale. Maybe 1 for every 100 of the other pop up makers.

 

[DirtyDog]

I suppose it depends where you are looking. I would bet there are a lot of Northstars on the more mainstream RV sites.

 

[griz]

Maybe. I have only been on this site. Even craigslist has everything but the northstar. Must be me. Just something that I have notice for awhile.

 

[ski3pin]

From my searches on craigslist I regularly see northstars listed along with many other pop up brands such as bronco, sun lite, jayco, and a few others. To make my listings easier I generally keep to the brands most discussed here. I am, or have not, made any kind of judgement call as to quality or usefulness.

 

[knobbytracks]

I would say the reason you don't see many for sale is because the Northstar owners are very satisfied with their campers and feel there is no need to sell or "upgrade." I know I am and their customer support is phenominal! No, I don't work for the company . I also feel the quality of the campers is right up there with all the brands discussed on this forum. Everyone has their opinion on wood frame vs. aluminum....

 

[lqhikers]

the best reason i have as to why you do not see to many Northstar campers
on sites such as this is that there is only 1 size that i know of that fits tacoma size
trucks is model mc600,most models mc 650 are for larger trucks.

have had our Northstar for awhile and so far no problems and
take it every where we took eagle!

leaving tomorrow for Kofa wildlife area,Xmas in the desert!

Les,lqhikers

 

[lqhikers]

thought i would post some information on our north star mc 600.

figures might interest some folks.

just returned from a trip with a turn around at Missoula Mt. cut the trip short as the fires in Idaho
made it not worth spending to much time in the back country.

total of 2,832 miles.(highyway,forest roads a few 4x4 miles)

average mpg for whole trip 19.29.

cruise control on highways set at 64,on freeways 70.

2015 tacoma access cab 4x4 I-4,manual trans.

on the return leaving Boise towards Winnemucca we stopped at the weight scales that are on

at Burns Junction we weighed the truck,(2 of us +cat and all the "stuff"

no surprise came in at 6,350 pounds.

truck handles the weight just fine no brake problems, one reason i like manual trans,complete control on down grades.

yes by factory specs overloaded,by real use no problem.

just keeping it real

Les,lqhikers

 

[Bigfoot]

thought i would post some information on our north star mc 600.

figures might interest some folks.

just returned from a trip with a turn around at Missoula Mt. cut the trip short as the fires in Idaho
made it not worth spending to much time in the back country.

total of 2,832 miles.(highyway,forest roads a few 4x4 miles)

average mpg for whole trip 19.29.

cruise control on highways set at 64,on freeways 70.

2015 tacoma access cab 4x4 I-4,manual trans.

on the return leaving Boise towards Winnemucca we stopped at the weight scales that are on

at Burns Junction we weighed the truck,(2 of us +cat and all the "stuff"

no surprise came in at 6,350 pounds.

truck handles the weight just fine no brake problems, one reason i like manual trans,complete control on down grades.

yes by factory specs overloaded,by real use no problem.

just keeping it real

Les,lqhikers

So, you are 1000 lbs overloaded with a stock I-4 engine and it handles great, cruises at 64-70 mph, and matches its EPA economy? You should change your name to Tailwind.

 

[lqhikers]

sorry bigfoot if you doubt me your problem not mine.

i do not post hot air reports,if you doubt me come on down to La Quinta and i will take you for a spin
then make your remarks.

o by the way do you drive the same rig and set up if so post your figures.

i guess you want me to post untrue figures!

have a nice weekend.

Les,lqhikers

 

[Bigfoot]

sorry bigfoot if you doubt me your problem not mine.

i do not post hot air reports,if you doubt me come on down to La Quinta and i will take you for a spin
then make your remarks.

o by the way do you drive the same rig and set up if so post your figures.

i guess you want me to post untrue figures!

have a nice weekend.

Les,lqhikers

I do not question that you are telling the "truth" because vehicle handling is subjective and fuel economy reports depend on many factors. However, I doubt any vehicle will match its EPA rating when heavily overloaded and driven fast under normal conditions, hence the reference to tailwind. You may want to elaborate on how you achieved such fantastic results so the rest of us can learn.

I used to have a signature and photo describing our rig but it disappeared recently, not sure why (the recent site update?). It's a 2014 Ram 2500 CTD crew cab with Hallmark Guanella. I have driven an overloaded 2013 Tacoma V-6 with camper; it was a slug going uphill, and it had suspension mods and LT tires to handle the weight. Some might say it performed "great" for its intended purpose, but not I.

 

[lqhikers]

ok i will expand on orig post.

i have owned a 2003 tacoma I-4 manual 4x4 with fwc eagle yes overloaded never got better than 17mpg average
for the time i owned 2plus years.

2008 tacoma4x4 v/6 manual used with fwc eagle and at times a six pac hard side camper also over loaded again right at 17 mpg average.

so when i went to the 2015 i was planning on same milage so i was also doubting mpg.

talked to a couple of different toyo mech's seems like the new I-4 is little different for early ones
they require 0-20 oil not 5-20 also a few more hp than older,seems to be the reason for better mpg.

now on to my milage claims i said cruise set to 64 on high way yes but we travel on few high speed roads

1 La quinta to Vegas freeway (Prim Nev. to vegas cruise control) 1st fill up 17.6 mpg.
2 vegas to ely Nev. fill up 18.40 mpg.no cruise
3 Ely to Twin falls Id, fill up 20.73 mpg no cruise but a Tail wind Ha Ha!
4 Twin falls to Challis Id fill up 20.43 mpg no cruise
5 Challis to Salmon Id. fill up 18.19 mpg no cruise
6 Salmon Id. to Missoula Mt. fill up 21.00 mpg no cruise.
7 Missoula Mt. to Grangeville Id. fill up 20.23 mpg no cruise.
8 Grangeville to Boise Id.fill up 19.30 mpg. no cruise.
9 Boise Id to Winnemucca Nev. fill up 18.00 mpg no cruise
10 Winnemucca to Carson city Nev fill up (cruise control 69) to Reno because speed limit 75 did not want to be to slow! 17.50 mpg.
11Carson city to Independence Ca fill up 20.78 mpg
12 Independence to La quinta (cruise control tell Cajon pass) Tail wind all the way! 19.34 mpg.

them are the figures i thank milage increases once you get away from calif gas blend.also we did not hit head winds
on any stretch of trip.

we are never in a hurry and i really like to work at getting the most mpg that i can so i do a lot of hyper milage stuff.

EPA estimate rating's are just that estimates.

i also have a daily driver (toyota echo) rated at 38 highway but always get 42-44 mpg and a 2013 ford transit EPA highway
27 mpg and 28 mpg is what i get with it.

as far as being overloaded i still feel the rating are low to cover the manufactures.

example my transit says no trailer towing,but the same transit in Europe is rated for towing. go figure.

i"m to lazy to look it up but would not be surprised if GVW rating for same tacoma would be different in other country's.

i do not recall any rig that i have owned that was not over the limit including the 2012 Provan 4x4 bengal expo vech
that we had custom built. i know all my vw vans were always over loaded,my custom 1972 step van motor home.

i'm only expanding on subject for general information not trying to change peoples thought's on legal/safe/smart/.

i do know that i am well aware of what i'm driving and always keep this in mind as we enjoy the back country.

Les,lqhikers


on

 

[billharr]

If you want to do the Hyper Milage a ScanGauge helps. I have one on my Tundra and can increase my milage IF I use it. You can also make time on slight down hills as the MPG really go up. On the down side running into a head wind cut the MPG in 1/2 or more.

 

[lqhikers]

billharr.

i agree with you on scan gauge,my first "scan" gauge was a vacuum gauge ( thank it was called a milage minder) on my 49 chevy did the same almost!

lots of info on Hyper milage ideas kind of fun to read the extremes some go to to increase mpg.

my biggest secret is not to be in a hurry,good for the soul and mpg.

Les,lqhikers

 

[Bigfoot]

ok i will expand on orig post.
...

I assume you have the original tire size.
Were MPGs hand calculated?
What was your average speed?

 

[lqhikers]

Bigfoot,

original tire size yes.

mpg hand calculated yes (tacoma does not have mpg display)

no such thing as average speed ,no i do not have a gps unit nor do i want one.

remember i do the milage thing for fun, not to save money!

i do know that when i pass one of those electronic speed displays i check my speed and
it is always very close to spot on.

yes i'm still over weight

Les,lqhikers

 

[allanb]

I just want to say a big thanks to every one here for sharing all the great info.
All of the below is based on a camper to go on a stock gas chevy 2500hd with a 8 foot bed. Will just be my wife and I, with lots of toys. Hopefully out for a month or two at a time.
We did a tour this last weekend, went to the alaskan shop in Winlock wa. Down to portland to look at a fwc. Back up to bremerton to look at a 2011 north star 850sc.
All nice campers. For us it seems:
alaskan, nice, lots of storage, like the hard sides. to spendy for us with what you get. And pushing the weight
Fwc: again very nicely made. For us just to small and spartan and no storage.
Northstar 850sc: Seemed ideal in my research. Enough room and amenities, for the weight. Good rep, support, good people. Looked at a stock 2011 and we did like it the best of the 3. Just going to order a new one so we can get the options we want from the factory.