Ursidae69 said:
....Hey GT, you can get by with a normal camper shell, I'll bet you could still stand up in it too....
******** at Chuck (not Brian!) !! :jump:
Again, thanks everyone for the compliments! My idea for the T100 is to have a unique vehicle that is capable, comfortable and dependable that doesn't look like, perform or get used like any other T100. With barely 100K on this truck, I think we have lots of years together to get it dialed in to my vision. The camper gets it that much closer.
I may have to give into vanity and do something about the front end though. I've fought a brush guard/custom front bumper for years due to weight and my "if it ain't broke don't fix it," thinking. Plus if I were to have an accident and needed to replace the front bumper, I'd rather use the insurance company's money to buy a TJM, than use my own cash. But now all I can think is man, a custom bumper & grill guard would really set off the look of the truck and camper combo. And a snorkel.....
To quickly answer a few questions -
Swiss - Re the gas mileage, its still hard to say but I'll be watching it closely. I was driving into such a strong headwind on the way to ID, that even with the topper and tailgate off, I only got 15.8mpg. That's an all time low when not using 4WD or towing. But on the way home, loaded with the camper but now a strong tailwind (and crosswind occaisionally) that I averaged 16.9mpg...! When I had the shell on I consistently hit 19mpg in town and up to 22mpg on the highway.
Joel - Re the BL. Nope not yet, still collecting dust on the shelf. That's how the truck sits with the 285's. Actually I measured before and after mounting the camper. The rear wheel clearence, from the ground to the bottom of the fender flare was 37 3/4" before. After installing the camper I'm now at 36 1/4", so not a whole lot of squat but the Air Lift airbag system will correct that and provide good side to side leveling ability. Now with the camper, I may skip the BL or as you suggested swap the pucks for custom 1" UHMW blocks from Roger. I did just score a set of custom SDORI spacers off the Wire, machined down to 1" by Roger too. They should be showing up in the mail soon. The BL on the shelf was getting lonely....
GT - I'm assuming you're talking about a 7'2 parking garage height restriction...? Heck yeah, I'll be around in late June for some runnin' around. I'll PM ya' -
Willman - I'll PM you the original listing link that caught my eye. I will say the dollar amount was not as big an investment as my time in researching these and seeking a candidate for my own. I would venture to guess, that had I tried to add the features of this camper to just my truck and camper shell, I probably would be out more dollars than I spent on the Eagle. The trick really was not so much about finding a steal as it was finding the right model to fit the T100, in creampuff condition that was located within the Rocky Mountain region. I got lucky but it took lots of patience and a lot of looking.
I also see this as an investment to teach my children to truly see and value the wilderness and world around them and that, as they say, is priceless.
Vince, you know what a huge fan I am of your set up. I think you got a better "deal/steal" than I did and I just hope we can get together soon somewhere and put them to good use. If you and I get bored with our current outfits, maybe we'll just trade trucks and campers for a few months!
I also appreciate you remembering how important it was to me to find a solution for self contained travel that would provide a level of real comfort for my wee ones. :bowdown:
