Misue,
The best way to drive your truck camper through trees and taller bushes is to make it as narrow as possible and not tall with no extras on the roof or stuff hanging on the sides. So, no air conditioner. No awnings. No Max Trax. No canoe. No roof top bag of too much stuff.
What about solar panels you ask? Keep them inboard as much as possible. With two 100 watt solar panels on my now gone Lance Lite 165-s, I had to pick a spot for exposure of the 2nd panel. I kept the roof on the driver's side free of obstructions, like the panel, because you could see the trees coming and make a decision as to where you were to place the TC to get around.
The most injurious trip I've been on with our new Northstar Laredo SC was in the Inyo mountains in California. It was a very tight jeep trail and we had to remove many branches of Pinion trees just to keep from destroying the new camper. I wrote a TR about this on here with a link.
I planned on taking my small gas chainsaw along, but my son needed it so i substituted a very sharp bow saw to take along. Day after day we trimmed Pinion trees just to get by. Also, for some of the most egregious branches I used my winch to simply pull the offending appendages down. We move the broken limbs well off the main trall. I don't ever want to do that again. We were days in and too late before it dawned on us to turn around. I'm with Ben above: I'll take a telescoping manual tree saw if I ever think I'll be in this position again.
I've seen some giant Euro off-road RV's with those deflector bars, but I'm not sure anyone with a $500K motor home would want subject their rigs to that kind of abuse. It's mostly for what I call, "Expedition Eye Candy": Looks good but worthless in real life.
The most important thing is your talent and experience in driving in the rough.
From what I've seen traveling in Mexico or Sud Amerika, the big, two axle box trucks keep the clearance of trees at bay. If you are narrower and less tall than they are, you are good to go. If, in the end you still want to go way into, say the Darien Gap, rent a Jeep.
Here are some pix. The first is our current truck camper for so-called expedition use. That means it 'looks like' it will be effective in the rough.
the next two are of us winching a large branch out of the way.
The last is after a snow storm trying to get down Shadow Mountain near The Grand Tetons with leaves still on the Aspens.
jefe
