Truck Campers

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Just curious what some of your guys’ experiences have been with using a truck camper vs. conventional tent setups?

Over the last 20+ years I’ve always used my backpacking tents or slept in the back of the truck bed while car camping. Now that I’ve got a kid on the way, I’m wondering if a small truck camper is a more efficient way to go? I can store it in my driveway, it is always ready to go camping, instead of having to load up all the gear and camping boxes, I see myself just backing my truck up under it, tighten it down and we are off. So for those that use them or have used them, what are your thoughts?


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They're awesome. They're stupidly expensive. I've had a lance with the slide and built in generator....I loved it, but its not worth the $40k they want now.

If you look used, pay serious attention to water damage. If you see ANY lifting of the tipar, discoloration inside on the roof.....walk away. A fridge can be fixed, ac, water heater.....everything else is easy to fix. Water damage is a wild card.

I'd choose a top quality 2000 model before a budget new one.
 
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I am renting one for my elk hunt this fall. At least check out www.outdoorsy.com before pulling the trigger on buying one. They are stupid expensive to buy, and stupid cheap to rent!

Obv you have some downsides wrt convenience and keeping it stocked the way you want. But for my situation, renting is perfect. I only need access to a camper 1-2 weeks per year and any other trips I can use camping/tent setup, so I would rather deal with some of the inconveniences of renting than a huge outlay of $$$ for something that will largely be sitting in my driveway taking up space.
 
I use a Northern Lite truck camper on long hunts and take it off if I plan to use the truck very much. The camper is wide and heavy so I don't really like to 4-wheel with it on. I pull a RZR or quad behind in some cases too, either on a small flat deck open trailer or in an enclosed 6'x12' trailer.
For shorter hunts the small 6'x12' trailer does a great job as a toy hauler and one person camping trailer. Take the toy out and set up the cot, folding table, camp stove, 15,000 btu heater, folding chair and you are ready. I did order the trailer insulated, with an RV style screen door with inside lock, and folding jack on the front so you can open the tail gate. It also has stabilizing jacks on the back so you can unhook it and not have stability issues. I got two 30"x30" screened sliding windows in it too. The Dexter axle was spec'd to provide maximum ground clearance and the unit will go about anywhere I want to take my F350 (6.7 Powerstroke).
I also have a canopy for my pickup and often just take the truck and sleep in the back and cook on the tailgate. So, having options depending on the hunt, the roads and trails, duration, weather, etc is good. There are no perfect choices, just compromises. Note that I also backpack hunt a lot and have done that from rigs as small as a Civic, but usually prefer the truck with canopy as the travel rig.
 
As you age you'll want to tent camp less and less.
A truck camper offers great versatility with pulling a boat or wheelers. And it's really a completely mobile home away from home. In our case, 4WD too.

The popup style is particularly useful (and economical) due to the low profile.
Tips-- put some ride rite airbags under a half ton for stability, and make or improvise the front mounting plates. I use Ford F-150 plates on my Tundra.


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Love my truck camper. I got interested in them as a way to shoot across the country, stop to catch shuteye in a walmart lot, and get to CO to DIY elk hunt. Also wanted to be able to quickly pick up and move if the location I was planning to hunt didn't work out. When I found you could camp on the beach at Assateague with them, I got even more interested.

I got all droolly over new Lances, Northernlites, etc. As previously stated the new ones are stupid expensive (expecially for the amount of space you get compared to a trailer). But, being a cheapskate, I knew I'd probably never drop that kind of coin on a camper - or truck. So I started to watch craigslist.

An older, decent condition camper popped up for $800 and I snapped it up. I didn't even have a truck at the time. The PO delivered it in the fall and I started to look for a used truck. Found a 2002 F350 7.3L crew cab 4x4 for about $12k. Added AC to the camper for about $700 and a 3000W predator genny for $600. So I'm into the whole thing, including truck, for less than $15k.

So far, I've only used it to camp with the family, but we like it. Its small enough that it forces us outside unless the weather or bugs really suck. AC in the summer is the BOMB!

I wouldn't want to try to 'wheel' with it, but would be fine taking it on most of the forest service roads I've ever traveled.

Morale of the story - if you take your time, you don't have to spend a fortune on these.

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They're great. Way more convenient than a tent, and slightly more bear resistant.
But....

When you buy one, immediately remove and recaulk all windows and doors. Vents too if possible. Even if it's factory fresh. They're all built like crap. The expensive ones are built like crap, but it's more expensive crap.
If it's not a clamshell fiberglass like a bigfoot, then also recaulk all corner caps. If it is a clamshell style, check the seam. Make sure all the plumbing is also leak free. If the water pump occasionally cycles to maintain pressure, you have a leak. Check the floor for soft spots. Get into every corner you can.

NEVER buy one (or any RV), from fat people. They are generally barely built well enough to support normal folks.

The wiring in them is garbage, wire nuts and scotch locks everywhere. You will need to chase wiring issues with lights.

Pop ups are cold, and you need a place to dry the canvas if it gets wet. May not be a problem, but I'm on the wet coast, so it's a problem here.

For sandy or muddy uses, beach, dirtbikes, your kids race mountain bikes, etc, an outside shower is great.

If you're going to be riding out weather inside, or spending any quantity of time inside, you need to get a generator, or a house battery, and wire up an isolator so you can charge it from the truck, but not drain the truck's batteries.
 
There is a middle option. The Kodiak Canvas truck tent. Packs down into a small duffle. Weighs 44lbs.

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I leave the tonneau cover on and fold it up as needed or use it as a shelf.

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I have a hybrid shell/tent made by Adventure Trailers in Prescott, AZ. When it has the same in bed space as a shell. When its deployed I have 7' of standing room in the bed. The entire thing is just under 400 lbs.
 

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Antarctica watch out for those ponies!
I had a Lance for many years. My family and I camped all over the USA including Asseteague island. We love Chincoteague!
I bought mine from a fireman who used it once a year to elk bow hunt Colorado. It was garage kept from new until we bought it. I paid 5k for it and sold it for 5k many years later.
My wife wants to get another as I’m retired and she’s close. We looked at a new one and decided our tent will work until we come up with something else. New price is jaw dropping.
They are great.
 
Thanks for the great advice. I’m in full research mode at the moment. I like the idea of something like the Four Wheel Campers Hawk, but at the price I’m seeing them at I doubt they are in the running. I am looking for used and have looked at a couple local ones within the last 6 months, but they have all been total trash. Is it worth dumping money into one to fix them up? Most have had soggy floors or leaky roofs and smaller minor electrical and such.


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Thanks for the great advice. I’m in full research mode at the moment. I like the idea of something like the Four Wheel Campers Hawk, but at the price I’m seeing them at I doubt they are in the running. I am looking for used and have looked at a couple local ones within the last 6 months, but they have all been total trash. Is it worth dumping money into one to fix them up? Most have had soggy floors or leaky roofs and smaller minor electrical and such.


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No, don’t fix one up. As other people have said they are not terribly well made so once they get to be a fixer upper they could be problematic. We love our Eagle Cap slide in. Make sure that your truck, wheels, and tires can support the weight of what you bought. The sticker on the side is likely not quite correct. We use ours in Western Colorado and other places year round. Solar to charge your batteries without having to use a noisy generator is great. We bought ours used, it was a divorce sale and we got it barely used for half price. Keep looking.
 
I use a Northern Lite truck camper on long hunts and take it off if I plan to use the truck very much. The camper is wide and heavy so I don't really like to 4-wheel with it on. I pull a RZR or quad behind in some cases too, either on a small flat deck open trailer or in an enclosed 6'x12' trailer.
For shorter hunts the small 6'x12' trailer does a great job as a toy hauler and one person camping trailer. Take the toy out and set up the cot, folding table, camp stove, 15,000 btu heater, folding chair and you are ready. I did order the trailer insulated, with an RV style screen door with inside lock, and folding jack on the front so you can open the tail gate. It also has stabilizing jacks on the back so you can unhook it and not have stability issues. I got two 30"x30" screened sliding windows in it too. The Dexter axle was spec'd to provide maximum ground clearance and the unit will go about anywhere I want to take my F350 (6.7 Powerstroke).
I also have a canopy for my pickup and often just take the truck and sleep in the back and cook on the tailgate. So, having options depending on the hunt, the roads and trails, duration, weather, etc is good. There are no perfect choices, just compromises. Note that I also backpack hunt a lot and have done that from rigs as small as a Civic, but usually prefer the truck with canopy as the travel rig.

Weird, as this poster has exactly the same equipment as me. Looks like he copied or composited my old posts on the Northernlite cab-over camper, F350, special order CargoMate, canopy,Civic, etc. Anyway, it was copied accurately.
 
Re: Roof top tents and Four Wheel Campers -

There is another recent thread on FWC, that I made comments on. IN a nutshell, I think they are overrated for what you get.

Roof top tents - I see lots of people selling them. Also comments in the aforementioned post...
 
My suggestion if you go with a pop up is DO NOT get one with electric roof raise, i.e Palomino. Best day of my life was watching that thing leave my driveway!
 
We bought an Arctic Fox 990 last year and really like it. It was expensive but it works well for family trips with my wife and two kids. It's pure luxury for me and my son or a buddy on hunting trips.

I would only go with a camper if you intend to tow a boat or other trailer behind it. Otherwise you get way more for your money if you get a trailer.
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Another option I’ve been considering is getting one of these overland teardrop type trailers. They seem sturdy and well built, and I don’t have to deal with fabric getting crusty. I know they are mostly a sleeping and kitchen setup but the one I’m looking at is quite spacious and I can put a roof top tent on it in the future once the kid is older. I’m weighing the pros/cons of this setup vs a truck camper. Both serve the purpose of having your camping equipment ready to go. Seating arrangement in trailer is done by folding bed in 1/3. Cooking on trailer is from the back hatch and would have to be done outside, so bad weather cooking kinda sucks unless I add a canopy. Hopefully someone has done both and can chime in on this as I’m probably naive to this stuff at the moment.
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We bought an Arctic Fox 990 last year and really like it. It was expensive but it works well for family trips with my wife and two kids. It's pure luxury for me and my son or a buddy on hunting trips.

I would only go with a camper if you intend to tow a boat or other trailer behind it. Otherwise you get way more for your money if you get a trailer.
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Justin, I usually tote a dirt bike in the back of my truck during hunting season and summer camping, so towing a trailer of bikes is definitely an option. Although I could also stuff bikes into the bed of my truck and tow a camper trailer or teardrop as well. So many choices


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I'm looking at buying one as well. I've been researching slide in truck campers for about a year now.

Some things to note on brands I've done a lot of research on:

Four wheel campers have a reputation for furnace problems (motherboards seem to be the issue). Not sure if these have been fixed but the problem exists in recent models. You can read about these issues on wander the west and some other overland sites. Shell models built out the way I want are around 17k.

All terrain campers are similar to four wheel but a smaller company based in CA. They use a better furnace, are less expensive, offer more customization options but not as many cosmetic options. If you're wanting to do something a little more on the affordable side, this would be my pick. I've priced out a shell model, basically a pop up with insulated canvas, a furnace, solar, and dual 6 volt batteries (no water, stove, or Cabinets) for around $12k. This allows me to build out the interior the way I need it. I don't want water because much of my use will be late season and freezing weather is problematic to the water systems in all of these campers.

If money is no object:
Lite industries overland explorer camp-x would be my pick for a canvas pop up. These use all composite bodies which provide much better insulation and no cold bridges while being a little lighter. They won't suffer from condensation issues like aluminum frame/plywood construction campers due to the high rvalue composites and lack of cold bridges. Their insulated canvas is also better than the aforementioned campers. But minimum price is around $30k. There is a fridge delete but water systems are standard.


Hallmark makes all composite campers as well and they have some options for slimmer builds but they're not cheap either. I haven't fully priced one out but the base model exc starts at 20k and let's you pay for options from there. My guess is if you're going after something like I am you'll be at least 25k into this set up.

Many of the other brands that are full hard sides or even pop up hard sides (Alaskan campers) are expensive, heavy and bulky, and offer very little in terms of shell models... They're more meant for full luxury living. But they do insulate better and do better with condensation than canvas pop ups.


From what I understand, any one of these options with a furnace is an order of magnitude better than sleeping in a tent or wall tent. The furnace will be working hard with pop ups, some more than others, but as long as you're okay feeding it Propane and keeping power fed to it (generator or solar), it provides significantly more comfort in cold conditions. Many pop up owners do talk about bring extra towels in nasty weather so they can continually wipe off the condensation from the canvas.

Overall, I looked at a variety of trailer style campers, from building a cargo trailer, tear drops, small pop up pull behinds, but the truck camper eliminates alot of logistical issues even though it comes with caveats. Nearly anywhere I can get with my truck I can get to with a truck camper. Ground Clearance isn't an issue. Turning around on trails isn't an issue. Rough roads aren't as much of an issue. There are some trailers that alleviate some of those concerns but nearly all of the pull behind offroad trailers that are reasonably priced either provide no living space or no heat (roof top tent) . The ones that provide living space are either unreasonably expensive or are restricted to well established roads.

This is all of course my findings. Ymmv.

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Bear in mind one thing. The more weight, height, width and length you carry, the smaller your traveling world becomes. With a traditional tent or truck tent you can access places those with "portable cabins" will never reach. For me, getting into places that are remote and devoid of other bipeds is the goal. If you're willing to sacrifice that and pay a mountain of money to camp in a lock box then fine. Enjoy yourself. I cannot justify the long term costs (especially the fuel) or restrictions during camping/hunting season. My 10X14 Kodiak Canvas goes up in 15 minutes solo and hunting out of a tent just feels right to me. But now that I think about it...I agree, everyone should get a big lumbering camper & trailer. That would be perfect. LOL

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