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I’ve been watching them on YouTube recently. They build nice stuff
Cache Camper Fishhook
- Thread starter COAKXterra
- Start date
COAKXterra
Well-known member
Well… picked up and inaugural trip complete. Ended up doing 7 days (6 nights) including the McCarthy Road into Wrangell-St Elias NP then down to Valdez. Great weather with a little rain here and there.
Stoked. Certainly some things to play with (more on that in a second) but absolutely fantastic.
We picked it up on the 30th from Cache Camper and took it home that night. Didn’t mess with anything right away (was exhausted from getting home from the Slope). Next day I got to work, installing our ARB fridge and packing/sorting the where and hows.
Friday we grabbed lunch and headed out, aimed for a state campground just north of Glennallen (about 3hrs drive from Anchorage). Easy enough drive. Dropped the bikes off the back (that’s on my project list…. We have a tilt down rack and that was a PITA to deal with during quick stops) and set to dinner and playing around the campground. When it was time for bed for the kiddo, dropped the blackout curtains, set the furnace to a low setting, and we set up the dinette spot for me, with tiny human and my wife claiming the cab over. And that was the sleeping situation the whole trip. Which worked great. Too much room for the two of them and actually just right for me. Dinette bed ends up being about 6’3” across, so with me at 6’2”… worked great.
Next day woke to being able to roll out of bed snd make hot water for coffee and oatmeal (tiny human) in our PJs. Amazing. Leisurely pack up then I to Glennallen for fuel before a stop at the WSENP visitor center to stretch legs, stamp parks passports, and look around. Headed through Chitina and across the Copper River, stopping on the shores for a quick lunch. Then along the 60mi-ish road to McCarthy (well, the base camp campground on the west side of the river/pedestrian bridge). Found a good spot under a little hill that we could walk up and see the Kennecott mine and glacier, as well as the Root Glacier. Based out of there for three nights, riding bikes up to the Kennecott mill and townsite, through McCarthy, and just playing around. The camper served us extremely well as a little cabin as our daughter calls it.
Stoked. Certainly some things to play with (more on that in a second) but absolutely fantastic.
We picked it up on the 30th from Cache Camper and took it home that night. Didn’t mess with anything right away (was exhausted from getting home from the Slope). Next day I got to work, installing our ARB fridge and packing/sorting the where and hows.
Friday we grabbed lunch and headed out, aimed for a state campground just north of Glennallen (about 3hrs drive from Anchorage). Easy enough drive. Dropped the bikes off the back (that’s on my project list…. We have a tilt down rack and that was a PITA to deal with during quick stops) and set to dinner and playing around the campground. When it was time for bed for the kiddo, dropped the blackout curtains, set the furnace to a low setting, and we set up the dinette spot for me, with tiny human and my wife claiming the cab over. And that was the sleeping situation the whole trip. Which worked great. Too much room for the two of them and actually just right for me. Dinette bed ends up being about 6’3” across, so with me at 6’2”… worked great.
Next day woke to being able to roll out of bed snd make hot water for coffee and oatmeal (tiny human) in our PJs. Amazing. Leisurely pack up then I to Glennallen for fuel before a stop at the WSENP visitor center to stretch legs, stamp parks passports, and look around. Headed through Chitina and across the Copper River, stopping on the shores for a quick lunch. Then along the 60mi-ish road to McCarthy (well, the base camp campground on the west side of the river/pedestrian bridge). Found a good spot under a little hill that we could walk up and see the Kennecott mine and glacier, as well as the Root Glacier. Based out of there for three nights, riding bikes up to the Kennecott mill and townsite, through McCarthy, and just playing around. The camper served us extremely well as a little cabin as our daughter calls it.
COAKXterra
Well-known member
Tuesday we packed up, headed back out the McCarthy road and turned south towards Valdez. Stopped at the Worthington Glacier to have lunch and hike but cut it short due to the crazy loose rock scrambling required to get to the ice, so just enjoyed a short walk and then back on the road over Thompson Pass and through Keystone Canyon into Valdez. Camped at the glacier campground by the airport (so many black flies while we were there…. Ugh). Next day rode our bikes into town saying hi to some pilot friends of mine and just exploring the town parks and docks, lunch at the Fat Mermaid, and ice cream before heading back. Kiddo was anxious to ride her little bike so we did that on the smooth areas around the campground. On any ride of length, she rides on my bike with a Kids Ride Shotgun seat/handlebar set-up. Game changer for getting out with a 4yr old.
Thursday we packed up, grabbed fuel and coffee, and headed north again. Stopped at blueberry lake state park in mild rain so tiny human could ride her bike and then ended up cruising home since it was raining pretty much the entire way (valdez-anchorage is 5-6hrs).
So….
Things we love:
Heat
Shelter
Making it dark during bright summer nights
Organization
Ease of set-up and packing
Quality so far seems top notch. AK roads and highways aren’t known for their smoothness.
Things we are figuring out:
Where to put things
Bike rack for our bikes… probably go to a swing away ($$$$ ugh)
Onto the million dollar question…. It’s Mounted on a PW. How was that? Not terrible but not great either (as forecasted). It certainly settled the back of the truck, although wasnt on the bump stops. Even with the beefier sway bar and links, if it got rocking, it could take a second to ease back and it didn’t take much. Wife wasn’t real excited driving it.
We popped it onto her brothers 2025 rebel 2500 diesel (1900lb payload and airbags) when we got home and she drove that around a little as a comparison, and she decided to pull the trigger.
Ordered the Rebel 2500 (hemi) coils and shocks from that truck I’d compared AND airbags with the internal bumper and daystar cradles. Figured the coils and shocks primarily for payload and the airbags to help control the rear end. Still cheaper than a new Rebel 2500 or 3500. 😂
So that’s what I’m doing when I get back home next month. I didn’t get a chance to run it across scales but will try once I get suspension swapped and camper remounted before our sept trip.
Kingsize24
Well-known member
Love it! Great looking family you have there BTW! I'm sure this will go a long way to making more memories with them. I'm wondering if a front hitch and using the rack you have may work?
COAKXterra
Well-known member
Thanks! Yeah. We are stoked. Already looking forward to where we are taking it next month. Wife is heading out today (it’s still attached to her brothers truck while he is overseas) with the tiny human so (so far) the planned intent is working.
With the winch on the front of the PW I never really considered that, plus I’m not overly excited about stuff up front. But I’ll peek at options since I’m on day two of sitting at work doing nothing. And…. I already gave the mentioned bike rack away as an anger purge. 😂 we bought it for like $25 in ND when we were living down there with pretty much the only intent being getting our bikes up here on the back of her car when we moved back up. Half the rubber straps were broken and one even snapped on our drive allowing my bike frame to bounce onto the steel rails. So no feelings hurt purging it.
I’m debating hanging them on the back of the camper too, but currently a swing-out tray/hanger is the prevailing option.
Kingsize24
Well-known member
Sounds good. Ill be interested in what you settle on. I understand the anger purge. WANT THIS? Its YOURS! 🤣🤣🤣
COAKXterra
Well-known member
Been looking at those as an option. Also Rocky Mounts, and 1up.
Luckily not a pressing concern with winter arriving next month so we can watch marketplace and for any deals. Our neighbors have the Kuat as well and we were gonna borrow it to see what we thought.
Appreciate it!
Roam.Wild
Active member
Looks sweet, I really like the interior! We were camped right next to their facility last week over at finger lakes, we have been seeing a few different versions of their toppers and campers all over Alaska these past few months. Wonder if I can convince them to do a popup version of this...
COAKXterra
Well-known member
Yeah, pretty happy with it!
Always worth talking to them. They’ve certainly done a ton of custom stuff, and yeah…. They’re everywhere up here, which I take as a good sign. Be interested to see what they did if they took that on.
How long you guys up for?
Roam.Wild
Active member
We have been seeing them truly everywhere! Every parking lot has at least one!!
We have been in AK for 3 (amazing) months! Leaving next week to start our drive to the arctic ocean via the Dempster!
COAKXterra
Well-known member
Thats awesome! It’s starting to get chilly pretty consistently up along the coast. Be excited to see how your trip goes!
Ram recently updated their payload ratings on 2500 diesels. They apparently recertified 2500 CTD trucks and they magically have 850lbs more payload without changing anything, interesting. So any Ram 2500 CTD mfg after May 2025 will have a GVWR of like 11,800lbs. I'm not sure if that applies to Hemi trucks or not. Frame, brakes, engine, transmission, etc etc all stayed the same. I guess Ram has been under rating their trucks and when Ford and GM have 2500's with 11,800lb GVWR they had to recertify it to be competitive. Payload numbers are a thing but it seems like a game that can be manipulated by the manufacturers to one up each other as well. I sure wish my 2022 Ram 2500 CTD magically had 850lbs of additional payload LOL