Pop-up vs. Pop-up
- Thread starter bobg333
- Start date
benburnett
Senior Member
- Joined
- Oct 5, 2006
- Messages
- 771
pop up
Again, it depends on what you are looking for in the camper and what type of camping that you are going to be doing. Most other pop ups will not hold up over the long run and look at the cost of used ones of the other brands. That will tell you a lot about the quality of the camper a few years down the road.
As to why a FWC or ATC, here is a link on just that subject.
http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/showthread.php?t=642
Again, it depends on what you are looking for in the camper and what type of camping that you are going to be doing. Most other pop ups will not hold up over the long run and look at the cost of used ones of the other brands. That will tell you a lot about the quality of the camper a few years down the road.
As to why a FWC or ATC, here is a link on just that subject.
http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/showthread.php?t=642
HERR42
01110010110101
i think it comes down to one issue:
if you want to be able to use a 4x4 to go off road, reliably, then you must give up a heavyweight camper.
people dont like to admit it but i really think that most campers that you see ....and i do mean most....exceed the specified payload weight of the truck carrying them.
lets face it, a 3/4 truck is rated, by specification, for less than 1500 pounds. in fact, most full size american trucks can only tolerate a percentage of what you think they "should" be able to carry. other trucks are restricted further. a one ton truck cannot carry a ton + wife, dog, water, beer, ice, bedding, bicycle, etc.
that alaskan will need a dual wheel truck as will a lance etc. look at the weight!
dont forget that it is of no value to work with the dry weight of a rv.
dont forget that the tires have a load limit.
in fact i think its almost a conspiracy of sorts that the rv industry is so careful to facilitate the sale in spite of violating vehicle payoad limits.
wink wink yeah sure that'll fit fine!
i dont care about the "light weight" 2100 lb lance on a 3/4 ton truck...it wont be fine when its loaded.
you'll find that even with the little fwc units a lot of owners have to beef up their suspensions, especially on the light trucks. these things have a dry weight of only 750 pounds!
and just because some overloaded yahoo says " i dont have any problems" with the 12' camper with a shower, grey water tanks, etc on a little toyota does not mean its a "good thing to do"
it is risky
start with your truck, figure out the reality of what it can carry safely, and try not to exceed that.
when your out in the middle of nowhere it is really good to feel safe about taking that rock strew narrow goat trail. you wont feel good about it when your drivin the 'tilton hilton and the tires are overloaded and the 300lbs of water is sloshin' around and the suspension is creakin and each pothole causes the overloads to contact the frame.....and rant and rant
whew!
too much caffein!
my nickles worth.
if you want to be able to use a 4x4 to go off road, reliably, then you must give up a heavyweight camper.
people dont like to admit it but i really think that most campers that you see ....and i do mean most....exceed the specified payload weight of the truck carrying them.
lets face it, a 3/4 truck is rated, by specification, for less than 1500 pounds. in fact, most full size american trucks can only tolerate a percentage of what you think they "should" be able to carry. other trucks are restricted further. a one ton truck cannot carry a ton + wife, dog, water, beer, ice, bedding, bicycle, etc.
that alaskan will need a dual wheel truck as will a lance etc. look at the weight!
dont forget that it is of no value to work with the dry weight of a rv.
dont forget that the tires have a load limit.
in fact i think its almost a conspiracy of sorts that the rv industry is so careful to facilitate the sale in spite of violating vehicle payoad limits.
wink wink yeah sure that'll fit fine!
i dont care about the "light weight" 2100 lb lance on a 3/4 ton truck...it wont be fine when its loaded.
you'll find that even with the little fwc units a lot of owners have to beef up their suspensions, especially on the light trucks. these things have a dry weight of only 750 pounds!
and just because some overloaded yahoo says " i dont have any problems" with the 12' camper with a shower, grey water tanks, etc on a little toyota does not mean its a "good thing to do"
it is risky
start with your truck, figure out the reality of what it can carry safely, and try not to exceed that.
when your out in the middle of nowhere it is really good to feel safe about taking that rock strew narrow goat trail. you wont feel good about it when your drivin the 'tilton hilton and the tires are overloaded and the 300lbs of water is sloshin' around and the suspension is creakin and each pothole causes the overloads to contact the frame.....and rant and rant
whew!
too much caffein!
my nickles worth.
Tomas Tierra
Contributors
Very good, realistic, informative answer to a question we've all had to field..
EdoHart
Grasshopper
I agree with Jeff
Weight and strength were my prime considerations. I wanted something that would take the stress of off-roading and wouldn't overload my truck. After a few years of searching, I finally found a used FWC that fits my truck beautifully. Even if money was no consideration and I could have any truck/camper combination, I would still go with a FWC or ATC.
Weight and strength were my prime considerations. I wanted something that would take the stress of off-roading and wouldn't overload my truck. After a few years of searching, I finally found a used FWC that fits my truck beautifully. Even if money was no consideration and I could have any truck/camper combination, I would still go with a FWC or ATC.
lqhikers
Senior Member
my 2 cents worth (bored on sunday!)
as someone who started out with vw campers (early 60's)and remembering the reviews by "auto" writers how worthless they were,bad handling,brakes,no power,etc.if i had listened to them we would of missed some of the best trips and experience's of our life.we have always traveled with the knowlege that it is a trip, we are not going to spend the rest of our life on this trip but as a learning experience applied to our next trip.the small things should not worry you,showering, nothing beat's a nice warm solar shower after a long day,a simple meal,even a warm beer if your ice has all melted.it is all temporary,part of the journey.each person has their own feelings as to what is their comfort level ,once you find this the rest is just a great ride.i'm so lucky that i have a wife who is always looking forward to the next trip.and we have found that no matter what size or type of transportation you use,bike,motorcycle,backpack class a motorhome,van,truck,boat,(we have used them all )we have always filled them up till there was no room left that is why i always say drive slow and enjoy "its the journey"
as someone who started out with vw campers (early 60's)and remembering the reviews by "auto" writers how worthless they were,bad handling,brakes,no power,etc.if i had listened to them we would of missed some of the best trips and experience's of our life.we have always traveled with the knowlege that it is a trip, we are not going to spend the rest of our life on this trip but as a learning experience applied to our next trip.the small things should not worry you,showering, nothing beat's a nice warm solar shower after a long day,a simple meal,even a warm beer if your ice has all melted.it is all temporary,part of the journey.each person has their own feelings as to what is their comfort level ,once you find this the rest is just a great ride.i'm so lucky that i have a wife who is always looking forward to the next trip.and we have found that no matter what size or type of transportation you use,bike,motorcycle,backpack class a motorhome,van,truck,boat,(we have used them all )we have always filled them up till there was no room left that is why i always say drive slow and enjoy "its the journey"
b team
Senior Member
- Joined
- Dec 26, 2006
- Messages
- 252
What lq said 
Choices...
I think the main reason we picked the camper we did...FWC was because my wife knew what she wanted and saw it for sale on a Jeep Comanche 4wd truck. We bought it, wore out the truck and bought another truck to use it on.
We live a debt-free life , only have what we own and are blue collar folks, so we need to buy used. I am a retired mechanic so wielding a wrench is no biggy, in fact I insist! This is all within our reach financially and we actually camp (not RV) so the camper is only a large backpack for us.
The main reason I like these campers personally is that all the others I looked at required us to sleep across the camper or separately and had terrible lift mechanisms.
I am 6'2" and am old enough to have to get up nightly to offload some used coffee. Our FWC camper allows us to sleep fore and aft in a queen size bed and either of us can slip out with out disturbing the other....nice.
The newer ones like Ben and Marty showed me in their shop have the extended bed and 4" mattresses! Amazing and outstanding!
If I won the lottery I think I would get a 3/4 T diesel truck and order the biggest ATC or FWC I could fit on it! I would also outfit it with the great stuff people keep talking about on here....diesel stove/heater, Engel reefer, solar panels, etc.
Brian
I think the main reason we picked the camper we did...FWC was because my wife knew what she wanted and saw it for sale on a Jeep Comanche 4wd truck. We bought it, wore out the truck and bought another truck to use it on.
We live a debt-free life , only have what we own and are blue collar folks, so we need to buy used. I am a retired mechanic so wielding a wrench is no biggy, in fact I insist! This is all within our reach financially and we actually camp (not RV) so the camper is only a large backpack for us.
The main reason I like these campers personally is that all the others I looked at required us to sleep across the camper or separately and had terrible lift mechanisms.
I am 6'2" and am old enough to have to get up nightly to offload some used coffee. Our FWC camper allows us to sleep fore and aft in a queen size bed and either of us can slip out with out disturbing the other....nice.
The newer ones like Ben and Marty showed me in their shop have the extended bed and 4" mattresses! Amazing and outstanding!
If I won the lottery I think I would get a 3/4 T diesel truck and order the biggest ATC or FWC I could fit on it! I would also outfit it with the great stuff people keep talking about on here....diesel stove/heater, Engel reefer, solar panels, etc.
Brian
brett13
Lovecock
- Joined
- Dec 10, 2006
- Messages
- 1,026
we actually camp (not RV) so the camper is only a large backpack for us.
Brian
Excellent! Said perfectly. Mind if I use that one?
Brian
Excellent! Said perfectly. Mind if I use that one?
Sam
Senior Member
Iqhikers said it all!
as someone who started out with vw campers (early 60's)and remembering the reviews by "auto" writers how worthless they were,bad handling,brakes,no power,etc.if i had listened to them we would of missed some of the best trips and experience's of our life.we have always traveled with the knowlege that it is a trip, we are not going to spend the rest of our life on this trip but as a learning experience applied to our next trip.the small things should not worry you,showering, nothing beat's a nice warm solar shower after a long day,a simple meal,even a warm beer if your ice has all melted.it is all temporary,part of the journey.each person has their own feelings as to what is their comfort level ,once you find this the rest is just a great ride.i'm so lucky that i have a wife who is always looking forward to the next trip.and we have found that no matter what size or type of transportation you use,bike,motorcycle,backpack class a motorhome,van,truck,boat,(we have used them all )we have always filled them up till there was no room left that is why i always say drive slow and enjoy "its the journey"
as someone who started out with vw campers (early 60's)and remembering the reviews by "auto" writers how worthless they were,bad handling,brakes,no power,etc.if i had listened to them we would of missed some of the best trips and experience's of our life.we have always traveled with the knowlege that it is a trip, we are not going to spend the rest of our life on this trip but as a learning experience applied to our next trip.the small things should not worry you,showering, nothing beat's a nice warm solar shower after a long day,a simple meal,even a warm beer if your ice has all melted.it is all temporary,part of the journey.each person has their own feelings as to what is their comfort level ,once you find this the rest is just a great ride.i'm so lucky that i have a wife who is always looking forward to the next trip.and we have found that no matter what size or type of transportation you use,bike,motorcycle,backpack class a motorhome,van,truck,boat,(we have used them all )we have always filled them up till there was no room left that is why i always say drive slow and enjoy "its the journey"
Marc
Fire Proof
Hi Bob and welcome. Other than back-packing and sometimes sleeping in a tent, I have always had a pop up of one sort or another. During my college years and for sometime there after I camped and seasonaly lived in an old (1971) Volkswagen Westy. At the time it served my needs very well and although kind of cramped at times it kept me dry and warm when the weather went foul. The biggest downside to this set up was limited storage and the inability to venture into the back country. My second rig was a Ford F250 4x4 xcab with an Alaskan 8ft. NCO. This was a good set up that was off road capable, had adequate storage, was very well insulated for colder weather and looked like a wood cabin inside. I also spent a number of years seasonaly living in it when I worked for the US Forest Service. Overall I really liked this rig but wanted something a little lighter and with a shorter overall length, those tight switch backs in the high country can get hairy at times. My present rig is a Ford F350 diesle reg. cab 4x4 with an ATC Cougar Camper that I ordered from Ben about a year ago. So far I have been extremely happy with this combination and it has been exceeding all of my expetations and then some. ATC, Alaskan and Four Wheel all make really good products. Of the three, Alaskan is probably the most refined, offers more amenities and is a true four season camper. That being said it is also the most expensive and the heaviest. Also you would need a 1Ton truck to carry it. As mentioned before it all boils down to what your needs are and the comfort level you are seeking. One thing to keep in mind with any of the three campers mentioned is the reality of only having a Porta Potti and a Solar shower. If you can live with that, the opportunities and adventures that awaite you are endless. Enjoy.
Here are a couple of pics. the first is of the Alaskan and the other is the ATC.
Here are a couple of pics. the first is of the Alaskan and the other is the ATC.
Marc
Fire Proof
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