Newbie Question: how much wind does your hard side truck camper catch?

[nsbohn]

I'm coming out of a Class C, a 30 footer at that. It drives about like you'd expect. Blows all over the road, and turns about as well as a jellyfish. I'm trying to decide between a hard-side and a pop-up camper, and weight will definitely be an issue. We're even considering building our own, but if we build a custom job, it will probably be a hard side.

So, back to my original question, how does your hard-side camper handle the wind? Is it more like towing an enclosed utility trailer, or more like driving a big class C that happens to be on a truck? How would that compare to a pop-up if you've driven both?

P.S. I'm planning on putting this on an F150 crew cab short bed.

 

[Buliwyf]

You'll have to stay light with just a 150. Anything that overhangs the bumper is going to be bad like your motorhome.

They aren't bad when you have twice as much truck as needed. Max the truck out, and it sucks.

Check out Capri Campers. They're light enough. But you should beef up your springs and tires.

 

[nsbohn]

You'll have to stay light with just a 150. Anything that overhangs the bumper is going to be bad like your motorhome.

They aren't bad when you have twice as much truck as needed. Max the truck out, and it sucks.

Check out Capri Campers. They're light enough. But you should beef up your springs and tires.

Thanks for the tip. yeah, we're planning to go as light as humanly possible. It's strictly going to be for camping purposes, if we need a shower, we'll find a campground or a hotel. I'd love to be able to leave my tailgate on and even close it!

The part I'm not sure about, is the wind the over-cab catches. Any thoughts on that? Obviously a pop-up would be better, but how noticeable is it really?

 

[Buliwyf]

It's not bad. My Reading utility box is flat on the front, way worse.

 

[Ari3sgr3gg0]

I've used both pop up and hard side, driving comfort goes to the pop up. It just has way less drag all around. A properly packed hard side isn't too bad and with all the extra maintenance needed with a pop up I went back to hard sided. I then changed course and went to a large truck canopy

 

[4x4JeepCamper]

I've used both pop up and hard side, driving comfort goes to the pop up. It just has way less drag all around. A properly packed hard side isn't too bad and with all the extra maintenance needed with a pop up I went back to hard sided. I then changed course and went to a large truck canopy

Thanks for commenting. I'm thinking of getting a hard side, but I'm not sure I want the weight and size. The truck can handle it, and I like the foul weather capabilities, but I may go with a pop up. I've had one before, and it was pretty painless off road.

 

[Buliwyf]

That's why I'm going custom. Basically everything, minus: fridge, stove, microwave, front window, and outside speakers. I'm considering skipping all of the up top cabinets as well.

Really just need a bed, shower, sink, porta-john, and AC. Never need to cook inside. There's no fun in that.

Takes a bit of weight off. But I went f250 for a reason.

 

[::Squish::]

We have a bigfoot 1500 on a Ford F350, there's no AC on ours so it's just under 10' tall and about 21' long

We've driven it all over the west. and we don't currently have a steering stabilizer on it. (the truck is 4X4 single rear wheel stock ride height)
The truck has typical Ford steering, in that it's more of a suggestion wheel vs a steering wheel.

Overall It's ok, we can feel the wind and it gets pushed around but only a couple of times has it been even mildly alarming.
We do just slow down and park it in the far right lane if it's real windy. I've driven a lot of high profile vehicles so I'm not really to bothered by it.

Three years ago at overland expo west when the winds were like 40-50mph at Mormon lake it was moving a lot while parked so much so we lowered the jacks and then it was fine.

 

[Buliwyf]

"Ford steering''

Reset the sector gear or replace steering box. Check joints and increase caster. Possible worn out steering shaft.

 

[redthies]

[QUOTE="nsbohn, post: 2584038, member: 201244”] I'm trying to decide between a hard-side and pop-up. So, back to my original question, how does your hard-side camper handle the wind? How would that compare to a pop-up if you've driven both?

P.S. I'm planning on putting this on an F150 crew cab short bed.[/QUOTE]

If you are even the slightest bit worried about wind, your P.S. says everything you need to know. You do NOT want to put a “normal” hardside camper on an F150 short box under even the most ideal conditions. Add in any kind of non-interstate kinds of roads, inclement weather of any sort, evasive maneuvers etc etc, and you are going to really not enjoy things. A light weight pop up is really the only practical option for a 1/2 ton short box. Yes, other people can, and do put big hardsides on half tons, but people can, and do tend to do really stupid things in life as a general rule.

 

[Sedonut]

I had a pop up on a Dodge 250 4x4 Cummings, drove like the camper was not even there. I'm another vote for something very light on a 150. Or buy more truck.

You can go everywhere with a camper shell and just a platform and a mattress or sleeping pads in back. Way cheaper, no weight issues. Comfort is like speed, how much do you want to spend.

 

[BritKLR]

Stay off I-70 and I-80 and you'll be fine.....just kidding. Coming from several light to heavy Lance hardsides on a full size 3/4 ton truck you'll find that any hardsideis going to catch the head and side winds. Headwinds will kill mpg and top speed (unless you mash the gas/diesel pedal and stress the engine/trans) full size hardsideswill catch the side winds like a sail. This will cause you to change lanes when you didn't think you needed to. Passing 18 wheelers will force you over to the shoulder. And, from time to time you'll get a uncomfortable feeling in your seat and stomach as you think your going to tip over. A good set of air bags, appropriate tires fully aired up, rear stabilizer all seem to mitigate it, but a shortbed light duty truck may struggle to handle such a load. Good luck!

 

[4x4JeepCamper]

I have to echo what others are saying here. It will be a white knuckle ride with a hard side camper on an F150. You're going to want to go with a pop-up, and a light one at that. A year ago, I sold my F150 and bought an F350. I just didn't think it was up to the task of 1500 to 2000 lbs. on the back of it.

 

[::Squish::]

"Ford steering''

Reset the sector gear or replace steering box. Check joints and increase caster. Possible worn out steering shaft.

Thanks for the tips, front end is good having been inspected and repaired as needed, in my experience Fords vans and trucks have never had what some would call accurate steering, they have always had a typical level of lack of response and an indirect connection from steering wheel to steered wheel.
Nothing outrageous or dangerous just typically Ford sloppy. It's been the same on vans and trucks that have virtually no miles to well maintained trucks with 150-200k miles on the them

 

[Buliwyf]

True. So true. But it's easy to fix on the solid axle trucks.