FWC vs. Bundutec - Thoughts on importance of shower/toilet inside?

[Exeter]

Hey all -

My wife and I are moving from a rooftop tent to a truck camper. We are looking for more creature comforts and amenities as we travel, but still able to get off road. Most of our camping is during the summer/spring/fall, but we would like to do some winter camping. The most important thing to us is heat/AC, but also a shower/toilet. We are currently torn between the FWC Hawk and the Bundutec Wild. The Bundutec fits a full wet bath with A/C, but also comes in at 1,700 pounds. The Hawk comes with no A/C, and it seems that the toilet setup is less than ideal and the shower is in an award place, but it also comes in at or below 1,000 pounds. The weight is important as I have a 2500 Cummins and want to be able to comfortably navigate off road.

Anyone that owns either care to chime in? How often are you using the shower in your camper? What does your exterior shower setup look like if you are in a camp ground for the night? What about toilet? Curious everyone's thoughts on the values of these and the difference between the Bundutec and FWC. How do you set up if you have an exterior shower or bathroom?

Appreciate the responses!

 

[Buliwyf]

West coast desert, and Africa? The outdoor showers are fine. Nobody is around.

East Coast? An outdoor shower tent is just going to blow away. Tie it to the truck? Then it'll get blown away and swing into the side of the truck and camper denting both. Nothing is more fun than standing buck naked, covered in soap, in front of an Amish family and watching your shower tent fly away. Not to mention freezing rain, bugs, and curious critters that have never seen a shower tent before.

Don't forget about travel, not camping. Can't setup a shower tent at a rest stop or Walmart.

I'm east coast. Indoor shower is absolutely needed. Without it, a camper is just a tent. Outdoor shower is still handy for cleaning Scuba gear, dogs, muddy children etc. etc.

I think the Bundutec has the advantage for camping and travel. FWC'S seem better for short hops, campgrounds with shower houses, bathing in the ocean etc.etc.

You'll be overweight with a 10,000# GVWR diesel. I'm 1000# lighter due to being gas, and the camper has to be pretty much empty if I have bumpers, winch, 2 spares.

 

[kmacafee]

I’ve owned a FWC and have moved to a Bundutec - not the Wild but a flatbed version. We have a cassette toilet inside which is really great and my wife’s favorite. As for showers, we opted not to have an inside shower as they take up a lot of room. We do have an outside shower and use a Quick Pitch shower enclosure for privacy. Staked down, it provides privacy and is very easy to deploy.

We upgraded to the Truma furnace/hot water heater and it has been great - very efficient and super quiet. We did not see the need for AC.

Probably the biggest difference between FWC and Bundutec is the level of customization you can get. FWC offers options for each of their campers but you cannot change the basic layout. With Bundutec, they will build you just about anything you can dream up.

 

[Exeter]

West coast desert, and Africa? The outdoor showers are fine. Nobody is around.

East Coast? An outdoor shower tent is just going to blow away. Tie it to the truck? Then it'll get blown away and swing into the side of the truck and camper denting both. Nothing is more fun than standing buck naked, covered in soap, in front of an Amish family and watching your shower tent fly away. Not to mention freezing rain, bugs, and curious critters that have never seen a shower tent before.

Don't forget about travel, not camping. Can't setup a shower tent at a rest stop or Walmart.

I'm east coast. Indoor shower is absolutely needed. Without it, a camper is just a tent. Outdoor shower is still handy for cleaning Scuba gear, dogs, muddy children etc. etc.

I think the Bundutec has the advantage for camping and travel. FWC'S seem better for short hops, campgrounds with shower houses, bathing in the ocean etc.etc.

You'll be overweight with a 10,000# GVWR diesel. I'm 1000# lighter due to being gas, and the camper has to be pretty much empty if I have bumpers, winch, 2 spares.

All good points. Appreciate it! I'm not terribly worried about the payload rating as it is running the same rear axle as the 3500 without the leaf springs obviously. I'l throw some Timbren's on it to help, but am not too terribly worried as I don't anticipate being grossly over capacity. Some, sure, but not insanely. Payload for me is about 2,300. Camper is at 1,600 or so.

 

[Buliwyf]

Yeah, 1600 sounds nice. Just don't fill the camper up. Especially the Bundutec. He puts a ton of storage spots in those.

Check out Sumo Springs Rebel. Same idea as the Timbrens, but designed for expo people.