Need Help with Vehicle Selection

[boblynch]

This site is wonderful. Thanks to everyone for all the input. I've been reading all the old posts here, at ExpeditionCamper, and RVNet. I've reached the point of info overload and need help.

Here's my question:
I'm in the market for a new daily driver. Also trying to pick an expedition rig for my family (wife and I, 2 kids, and 95lb dog). Want a setup that can handle regular weekend trips to North Carolina mountains and beaches, plus extended exploration (3-4 weeks) in remote areas through the Americas.

Have debated the following combos:
1. Sportsmobile (too small? not enough storage?)
2. Tiger Motorhome (chassis flex, durability)
3. Diesel Crewcab & commercial Truck Camper (very wide and tall)
4. Fuso FG140 with Alaskan camper (no seats for kids)
5. Diesel Crewcab chassis cab with aluminum flatbed and custom camper
6. Toyota Tacoma Doublecab with trailer and rooftop tents on both (no bathroom for the big boss!)
7. Earthroamer or Unimog ($$$)
8. Diesel Crewcab and small Toy Hauler (with suspension upgrades)

Okay everyone what would you do? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

 

[mightymike]

A new Double Cab Tundra with a Four Wheel Camper!

 

[Clutch]

Diesel crew cab with slide in popup camper. Most versatile of the bunch. When not using camper, can still use truck for chores.

http://ford.off-road.com/ford/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=198442


This popup may be overkill, if it was me, I would choose a smaller camper like a Four Wheel Camper or similar. I would do a 8' bed instead of the 6', less over hang.

1. Sportsmobile (too small? not enough storage?) Plenty of room, not versatile enough for me, I hate driving vans anyway. Reminds me of our service vans for work.
2. Tiger Motorhome (chassis flex, durability) No opinion...
3. Diesel Crewcab & commercial Truck Camper (very wide and tall) Doesn't have to be wide and tall, would be smaller than a Fuso.
4. Fuso FG140 with Alaskan camper (no seats for kids) Could strap kiddes to roof...
5. Diesel Crewcab chassis cab with aluminum flatbed and custom camper. I like that option, can put some toolboxes under a slide in popup, plus under the tray=more storage.
6. Toyota Tacoma Doublecab with trailer and rooftop tents on both (no bathroom for the big boss!) I like to stand up inside the tent/camper when changing out of the elements, yeah, you can attach an outer wall tent thinger-ma-jig, would be a pain in the pouring rain/wind. Tacoma fanatastic vehicle, would get real small right quick.
7. Earthroamer or Unimog ($$$) I wouldn't want to take anything that nice off road....nice...but...come on, would you want to track mud and sand in that thing? Earthroamer $250K+...ouch, can get into a brand new truck and slide-in for $80K+
8. Diesel Crewcab and small Toy Hauler (with suspension upgrades) You would kill the Toyhauler....pulling a trailer means more things to go wrong. I have changed seized wheel bearings on the side of the road, pain to turn around in tight spots....I would like to ditch my trailer if I could.

Custom camper by Tortuga, on the Turtle Expedition rig, picture it with four doors. Spendy, though. Overkill for what you want? I don't know what ever happen to it, site hasn't been updated.

http://www.turtleexpedition.com/vehicles/turtle5.php

 

[absolute]

I choose number 8. Diesel Crewcab and small Toy Hauler (with suspension upgrades) b/c that is next setup we're buying and I've been doing some research.

I love the solid axle available in the Dodge/Fords and the Diesels that are out now are just plain monsters in power!!

Current config is 05 2500HD(6.0) Ex-cab LB with 20ft hybrid Travel Trailer (TT)
I also have a topper on the p/u also, but when we bring the toys, I remove it.

 

[ujoint]

There are gonna be 100 different answers to this questions, but I think a van would be the most versitile, especially with the family. Plenty of room for the kids to have fun while you're on the road, but still compact enough to fit on most trails. The only problem is that you can't get a diesel unless you buy used or find one already built on a dealers lot somewhere. I also like the idea of a crew cab diesel with a flatbead or slide in. But I wouldn't feel too comfortable off road with it. Hope this helps---

 

[Clutch]

There are gonna be 100 different answers...

Isn't that the truth!?

boblynch: How much money do want to throw at it? What type of terrian are you going to take it on?

Or maybe the best question of all, do the wife and kids really want to travel like that?

One of my friends, bought a big ol' truck and very nice slide-in camper to make the wife and kids more comfortable....he now camps alone in that big old thing.

 

[boblynch]

Vehicle Selection

Thanks for the feedback. I've ruled out the Tiger, Truck/toyhauler, Fuso, and Earthroamer options.

I'm leaning towards a Truck/Camper or 4wd Van (and small support trailer with roof tent for the kids). Really like the Outfitter setup pictured above.

Want to boondock off old forest service roads and have option to hit the beaches on the Outer Banks. No hard core wheeling, just durable, self sufficient backcountry rig for extended periods (i.e., Earthroamer functionality).

If I had the time and talent I'd do an F550 or Ram5500 chassis cab Nida Core custom camper (like the Taco-based Supercamper).

Bob

 

[Clutch]

Thanks for the feedback.

If I had the time and talent I'd do an F550 or Ram5500 chassis cab Nida Core custom camper (like the Taco-based Supercamper).

Bob

Your welcome.

You should do some digging on the Turtle Expedition site....they did that very thing. F550 with Nida core, aluminum skin.

Before that rig, they had a F350(?) with a Four Wheel Camper, put a lot of miles on that, they have a great story on a Russian winter in there. Pushing their rig to the extremes. Engine must run 24 hours a day, once shut off, it won't start 'til spring. Learned some tricks from the Russians to keep the tires from freezing to the ground...very good read.

Turtle IV

Years and years ago they used to have a column in Four Wheeler magazine, or was it 4Wheel and Offroad?...memory is fading.

One of my moto buddies has set up a very cool support trailer. A 7X12' enlcosed trailer. Holds 4 dirt bikes, has a bed that lowers out of the ceiling when bikes are removed, can be used in the raised postion too, with bikes under it, bikes sit in sunken trays in the floor for clearance. Up front he made a make shift kitchen and storage unit. Slick setup for not too much money. He does do all of his own fab work. You could ad RV windows in the trailer too, for views and ventilation. Read: play room for the kids...

 

[Czechsix]

Given your parameters - Daily Driver & expedition vehicle, about the only option I see is a Diesel Crewcab with a slide in camper.

Having to combine both the DD and EV duties is a tough job.

Doing the Fuso, Unimog, Pinzi, Earthroamer, etc as daily drivers.....ah, no.

Comes down to a heavy duty pickemup truck

Then again depending on how much traveling you want to do, it might be a better option for you to just get a cheap daily driver, and a dedicated expedition truck. I've wrestled with this too, done the 'mog bit, heavy campers, trailers, etc. I'm happy with what I've got now, but I'm a pretty minimalist tent camper, and I usually do base camps in one place for several days. Not too much set up and tear down.

 

[boblynch]

Thanks to everyone that responded to this thread. At this point we've decided on a diesel crewcab pickup and truck camper. The question know is what truck/camper combo will fit our needs.

We are currently looking at Ford F350s and Northstar Arrow8.5 hard-sided camper ). Trying to narrow down truck and/or camper upgrades to make it more expedition worthy. As it stands now we're over GVWR a bunch. May need to upgrade to a different truck or pull a small trailer for extra fuel, water, fridge, spare parts, etc.

Truck options:
dual alternators
larger capacity wheels and tires
front and rear lockers
upgraded bumper w/ winch

Camper options:
12v Tundra fridge
acrylic windows
more solar and batteries

Any additional ideas from you guys would be appreciated?

Bob

 

[Jeep]

My current rig is a 2004 Dodge crew cab diesel 4x4, 4" Fabtech lift, 35"tires, Trailready front and rear bumpers, Warn 12 000 winch, and appropriate engine upgrades for towing. It's a great daily driver with great fuel economy. I tow a 26' travel trailer and haul my quad and bike in the back of the truck, it works well for base camp, we explore with the toys. And like you, the wife and 2 kids have to be happy! I am going to be picking up a new camper for some of my trips when I want to tow my Jeep(ESJ,Rubicon trail) and will be picking up a 9.5' Bigfoot or Northern Lite camper with a bathroom (same boss). I have destroyed 5 campers and 1 motorhome on western Canadian forestry roads, logging roads, etc. they were all stick built or hardwall. I had a 1 Bigfoot and it held out just fine, so you might want to consider that for your camper. All fiberglass, no sticks, no bonded walls, built like a boat hull which is about the strongest camper you will buy at a dealer, and you actually get your resale value with it.

 

[Rhode Trip]

My suggestion:

2002 Dodge 3500 Cummins Turbo Diesel-AFE/FASS/Bilsteins/Bridgestone AT Revos
2000 Northern Lite 10-2000cd-Trimetric/Hellroaring BIC/LifelineAGM-440ah(in truck bed)-Onan generator/wet bath/6.3cf refrigerator/36gals water/40lbs propane.
2007 Outlander trailer-SherpaII-extra 30 gals diesel/40 lbs propane/2 spares/bikes/AE inflatable kayak/parts, tools, etc.
We recently spent 21 days in Northern Quebec. 4347 miles, over 1400 miles of gravel road. Here is our campsite on the Arctic Ocean at James Bay

Full Queen size bed in the cabover for you and the Mrs., dinette converts to 6 foot bed for the kiddies, dog sleeps on the floor!

 

[boblynch]

Rhode Trip great pics. Your setup is very similar to what we're considering. Based on your travels have the duallys been any trouble on narrow trails, rock stuff, or deep sand?

 

[Rhode Trip]

Thanks. You can find more about our trip to James Bay, the Trans-Taiga, and the Route du Nord here:
http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/20250980.cfm
The camper itself is the same width as the dual wheels. It was important to me to be under GVW (the Northern Lite has a wet weight of about 2500lbs), and have the lower center of gravity provided by the wider stance. Rig handles well, and will fit anywhere the size of the camper allows.
The beaches here in Rhode Island are extremely fine sand. I air down until the tires just touch in back, and to about 20lbs in front, that gives me a little more to let out if I start to sink. This is the softest sand I have experienced anywhere. I have a Coleman inflationmate 110 volt compressor, and fire up the generator to air back up. I run 70lbs on the rear wheels.
I don't really do any rock-crawling. I had heard that gravel can get jammed in between the wheels and cause problems, but after 1400 miles on gravel roads in Quebec (not to mention probably another 1000 crossing Labrador last year) I have not encountered this.
I agree with "Jeep" about the fiberglass clamshell construction. The camper has seen a lot of rough handling...washboard, low tree limbs, etc. it used to have a railing on the top...ripped off long ago. Replaced the plumbing vents with heavier ones after breaking the originals. Still structurally fine, and the fiberglass is easy to repair.
I think a longbed dually is too big for a daily driver, but I see people doing it. Wouldn't work for me, as I leave the camper on except for servicing. I have 4 AGM batteries in the truck bed (250 lbs) and have to disconnect wiring for charging, house, and lights to separate. I do recommend the electric jacks and the fastgun tie-downs, because if you are not at campgrounds it is almost impossible to find a level campsite, and they make it easy to level out.
This is Maine:

and this is a size comparison:

(Photo taken in Newfoundland, Gros Morne National Park)

 

[haven]

dually

For use as a camper, I'd try hard to avoid the dual rear wheel setup, even if it means towing a small off-road trailer to take weight off the camper. These days you can get single rear wheel trucks with 12,000 lb GVWR.

Once your kids reach the age of 10, they won't want to stay in the camper with mom and dad anyway. Let them sleep in a rooftop tent mounted on the trailer.

Chip Haven