Slide in truck campers

[Stroked68]

Still lookin for some kind of camper. I know earlier I talked about gettin some kind of toy hauler, which is not out of the question but I just keep thinkin of what to get. I def need to be able to take my atvs with me. Thats a must. A toy hauler would be great. Camper with a garage is a great idea. I do already have a 21ft enclosed trailer. I've always like the slide in campers. Especially pop up truck campers. Bein able to go really far into the woods or up the mountains would be so awesome. Gettin away from everyone. Anyone on here have experience with truck campers? Pros/Cons? What to look for? I really like the ones made by outfitters mfg. All aluminum frame and look very well built. A used one would be in my budget right now. Luckily my stacks are really easy to take off!

 

[BIG JOE]

We had an 11.5' Lance for years. Pulled the boat behind it.. or a Geo Metro when traveling. Liked the hell out of it. Miss it at times.. even today.

A Pro: I left it on the truck, full time.. where ever we were.. we had "a place to be" (the bathroom ? ). It was very, very Handy. We went alota places with it.. Prolly some places we shouldn't have.. but the 'ol 91 DRW handled it well.

A Con: If you have one, of any size at all, the length & weight will call for a DRW, IMO, and if you have a smaller one, they can get kinda "Tight" for more than two. (reason we up-graded to a 5r). Got tired of crawl'n outa the Overhead Bed too. A personal choice i guess.

Alot of improvements between Then & Now though. Slides, electric jacks and the like.

Cost comparison is an issue too ?



Joe

 

[DaveBen]

There are many things that would be nice to have. Now, what specifically, are you looking for. A toy hauler and camper in one, or a camper AND a trailer. There are pluses and minuses to each style. Sit down and make a list of the pros and cons of each in your lifestyle. Then you should have some good information of what is right for you. Many different options here as well.

Dave

 

[Stroked68]

We had an 11.5' Lance for years. Pulled the boat behind it.. or a Geo Metro when traveling. Liked the hell out of it. Miss it at times.. even today.

A Pro: I left it on the truck, full time.. where ever we were.. we had "a place to be" (the bathroom ? ). It was very, very Handy. We went alota places with it.. Prolly some places we shouldn't have.. but the 'ol 91 DRW handled it well.

A Con: If you have one, of any size at all, the length & weight will call for a DRW, IMO, and if you have a smaller one, they can get kinda "Tight" for more than two. (reason we up-graded to a 5r). Got tired of crawl'n outa the Overhead Bed too. A personal choice i guess.

Alot of improvements between Then & Now though. Slides, electric jacks and the like.

Cost comparison is an issue too ?



Joe

Yea true. One thing I do know I dont want to get another truck. Got to use the one I got. Most of the truck campers I've seen are easily carried by a 3/4 ton SRW. I would probably add air bags to the rear too and update my tires. I like the idea of a 4x4 camper. I could def go farther up the mountain too. One reason why I want a pop up truck camper is to go farther down the trail and they are lighter than the hard sided campers. And the center of gravity is smaller. It would have to be an 8ft or smaller. It would just mainly be me and my gf. Sometimes her two little kids. It would be a lil tight but all we really use a camper for is sleeping. We are always out all day riding or sittin around the fire. Not to mention no extra insurance or tags for a truck camper.

 

[Stroked68]

There are many things that would be nice to have. Now, what specifically, are you looking for. A toy hauler and camper in one, or a camper AND a trailer. There are pluses and minuses to each style. Sit down and make a list of the pros and cons of each in your lifestyle. Then you should have some good information of what is right for you. Many different options here as well.

Dave

Well I do already have a toy hauler. Just a very nice enclosed trailer. It can haul more than a toy hauler camper would haul. I've hauled 5 atvs in it before. It will hold a lil ford escort too.

Pros

1 Go farther up the trail camping. 4x4 camper!
2 Lighter, smaller, has everything I would need to stay for somewhat long of time
3 No tags or insurance I believe for truck campers.
4 Easier to maintain? Since its smaller.

Cons

Tight, small
1 Hookin it up, having to take my stacks off
2 Some truck campers dont have bathrooms. got to have that.
3 Add airbags to my truck probably depending how heavy it is.
4 Need to get an equalizer hitch too anyways.
5 Probably not as warm as a hard walled camper since its got canvas on the pop up part.

If any of you have any other pros or cons to add please do. I could probably think of some other stuff later on.

 

[Stroked68]

Anyone have any other experiences with truck campers or what brands have you owned?? Im not against buying new. But I dont really want a camper that its frame is made of wood. (If they are still made of wood). I'd rather have one that its frame is aluminum for strength and longevity.

 

[Elk]

We have an Arctic Fox 990. It is a very solid unit and I would recommend it. The one thing about aluminum frames is the wall thickness. Our AF has wood inserts at critical points to help hold the screws. I know not all manufacturers do this.

 

[Roland_Jenkins]

How deep are your pockets? Artic Fox is about the be$t, Palomino is on the other end of the spectrum. Still not a bad camper tho.

Problem I would have with a toy hauler, the inside is going to smell like gas and oil.

 

[Stroked68]

We have an Arctic Fox 990. It is a very solid unit and I would recommend it. The one thing about aluminum frames is the wall thickness. Our AF has wood inserts at critical points to help hold the screws. I know not all manufacturers do this.

I've also looked into other manufacturers that make hard walled campers. I guess im not totally against them, just they do weigh more. I was thinkin most of the hard walled campers were wood or partially wood. I think there are two pop up camper manufacturers that make all aluminum frames and thats four wheel campers and outfitter. So far four wheel isnt badly priced and are the lightest on the market. Sucks there aint a dealer close to me. One in woodland cali, NC, and up in wisconsin or minn.

 

[Stroked68]

How deep are your pockets? Artic Fox is about the be$t, Palomino is on the other end of the spectrum. Still not a bad camper tho.

Problem I would have with a toy hauler, the inside is going to smell like gas and oil.

Palomino is by far the cheapest. I can get a new pop up from them for a lil over 8grand. They are made of wood too. Just not sure about frames bein made of wood on a 4x4 camper. You'd think aluminum would hold up better. Plus always worried about rot.