small bed, big aspirations

[mojave mark]

We have a 2008 GMC crewcab pickup with the really short bed(5'8"). It seems that a hawk or panther would be the best fit. Any thoughts? Do any of you have experience with other popups such as Hallmark, Northstar, Phoenix campers? Your forum has been a wealth of information so far. Thank you!

 

[the fisherman]

Hallmark, Northstar, Phoenix ?

Not sure I've ever heard of any of those, you need a Hawk. Welcome to the forum.

 

[Tomas Tierra]

in short

General concensous here would be "don't waste your time with the other campers, get an FWC or an ATC"

Welcome to the Forum!

 

[mojave mark]

I forgot to mention that our truck is only a GMC 1500. So the weight ot the camper is a concern. The other popups I mentioned are "plusher" but heavier and maybe not necessarily more functional. From your threads, it seems the FWC/ATC products are definitely trail rated.

 

[craig333]

We may be a bit biased here, but you really don't want to go any heavier than you have to. You'll be hating life with an overloaded truck. Hard to find anything lighter than an fwc or atc.

 

[Sam]

The FWC is very simple, the other campers are as you say plusher, and have some sort of mechanical roof lifting system (which I like) as others have mentioned you will not find a lighter lower profile camper than the FWC, and yes they are "trail rated" for sure. If you will be keeping to the smooth roads and need more amenities then you should take a look at the other brands, but try to find one with an aluminum frame. The FWC Hawk will be fine weight wise for your truck, but you will probably need to add air bags or some other suspension upgrade to the rear, as with the extra short bed the camper will be hanging over the back and the rear of the truck will sag a bit with the weight carried that far behind the rear axle.

Good luck, ask lot's of questions.

 

[Stan@FourWheel]

Hello mojave mark


The Hawk Model fits those trucks pretty well.

It sticks out a little in the back beacuse the truck bed is so short.

But really no big deal. Still fits and drives well.

You can take your tail gate off, or you could leave your tail gate on and in the lowered position.


Just call if you have any questions down the road.

I would be glad to help answer any questions you might have.


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We have a 2008 GMC crewcab pickup with the really short bed(5'8"). It seems that a hawk or panther would be the best fit. Any thoughts? Do any of you have experience with other popups such as Hallmark, Northstar, Phoenix campers? Your forum has been a wealth of information so far. Thank you!




.

 

[mojave mark]

Thanks everyone for all the imput. Stan: seeing that picture with the hawk on the crewcab has got me thinking. I'll call you when I'm ready!