Wind

[timtana]

How does the FWC handle wind when parked with the top up? I used to have a 26' travel trailer and have had a few nights in the eastern sierras where the wind gusts up to 50 mph and would shake that little trailer, kind of scary! I just got the call that my Hawk will be delivered on tues. in Reno, Woohooo!!!

 

[DirtyDog]

I did some spring camping in Nevada and the winds were really bad at night. There were no problems at all with the camper or top. I even forgot to close the top vent one night and some particularly feirce winds hit us. I was surprised the vent didn't get blown right off, but it managed to survive the night with no damage.

 

[OutbacKamper]

Congrats on the new camper!
Our Hawk survived a 120km/hr wind and sand storm, one night, in Australia with no damage and no sleep for us inside it as it rocked back and forth. I got up in the night and turned the truck so it was facing into the wind. Our table, chairs and food box actually blew away in the wind. In the morning the wind was just as stong and it was extremely difficult to lower the camper top in this wind, it needed 2 people. You should have seen the mess, we had sand in everything. The next night the winds we not so strong (maybe 60-80km/hr), but we stayed in a roadhouse (motel) which had lost part of its metal roof because of the wind, to rest and clean up.
I guess you could say the camper was able to withstand stronger winds than the people inside it!

Cheers
Mark

 

[Ted]

FWC in the wind

Hi Timtana,

120 km/hr is 73 mph/hr to us standard units users. Not sure many of us can top that. We have a Hawk and did camp during some big winds at Chaco Canyon in 2005. Not sure what the speed was, but you could see the windward side stabilizing legs of some trailers coming off the ground during the big gusts. With the camper jacks down, we had no problems.

Because camper jacks are on the outside of the vehicle, unlike trailers which are underneath and within the wheelbase, they will keep you much more steady in windy conditions. So if you got the optional jacks, you should have no worries.

Ted

 

[DirtyDog]

we stayed in a roadhouse (motel) which had lost part of its metal roof because of the wind

There ya go, FWC roofs are tougher than motels

 

[benburnett]

In high winds you will notice some flapping of the liner on the camper and of course the rocking back and forth of the camper. I have never seen any damage to a camper due to wind though.

If you have the external jacks, just let the opposite corners down in these type of conditions and it will take out the rocking motion of the camper.

Sincerely,

Ben
www.allterraincampers.com

 

[craig333]

My old camper and truck (even being a camper special) I had to use the jacks all the time or it would rock. My Dodge is so stiff and the fwc is so light I've never wished I put the jacks back on.

 

[chnlisle]

I concur. We've been in big wind in Saline Valley. That cold wind flies down the eastern Sierra gathering speed until it hits bottom. We've never had a problem.

Jay

 

[benburnett]

Don't' throw your jacks away yet. I carried a Grandby on a Dodge 2500 for some time and had the joy of being out in 50 to 60 mph gusts. Sitting with the wind coming sideways at the camper, it tended to sway a bit. With the jacks down it stayed still, just the flapping in the sides after that.

A lot depends on how you will be using the camper and what conditions you end up in. Over time and a few trips you will figure out what you need and don't need to take with you.

One other thing that I like about the jacks, when I was in a camping spot that was just a little off level, I could use the jacks to help level the camper also. You can't pick up the truck with them but if you are just a little off level you can use them to help level you out.

Again, you will figure it out over time and use of the camper. Let us know how it works out for you.

 

[craig333]

That reminds me. My old camper was heavy. I got a flat tire. Slide the floor jack under there and it would not pick up the truck. I was about to get frustrated when I looked at the camper jacks. Sure enough, jacking up the camper did the trick. Good thing it was on the side that didn't have all the rot. Not sure the jack on that side would have worked

You never know what you might run into some day. Maybe theres a spot somewhere I can stash the jacks in the camper.

 

[benburnett]

tire change

Finally a good story about having a set of jacks on the camper. Going to have to archive this one for customers. Never heard of helping to change a tire before. A new one for the books.