waynemaple
Observer
I need to be sold a little more to spend the big bucks. Can they hold up and last until the loan is paid? Two side windows or one? with or without a furnace? I love this country.
Are FWC campers worth the money?
- Thread starter waynemaple
- Start date
Northern Explorer
Explorer
Been happy with mine. I sure hope it hold up another 10 months (when the loan is paid off). I plan on using it for many years after that. :smiley_drive:
Mine didn't come with an extra window option so I can only say that the windows and screens in the pop up section let in plenty of light and ventilation.
I went with relatively few options because I wanted to keep the weight down. I did however go with the furnace because of the climate that I live in (great lakes area). The auxiliary battery system w/ separator is a must as far as I am concerned. I also went with the water pump. Check out the link in my sig for a few other things I have done.
Mine didn't come with an extra window option so I can only say that the windows and screens in the pop up section let in plenty of light and ventilation.
I went with relatively few options because I wanted to keep the weight down. I did however go with the furnace because of the climate that I live in (great lakes area). The auxiliary battery system w/ separator is a must as far as I am concerned. I also went with the water pump. Check out the link in my sig for a few other things I have done.
Rockcrawler
Adventurer
They are definitely worth it... especially when you find a good used one. Ours is a 2002 and has a few cosmetic issues from the use over the years, but mechanically everything works as it should. We are the 3rd owners and from what I understand it led a pretty easy life before we got it as an on-road camper for state park use etc. Since we acquired it, it has been off road on top of the mountains in Utah and Arizona, through KOFA and several other offroad trips that I can't remember at the moment. They are most definitely built to last.
davidshourd
Adventurer
I also got mine used almost a year ago (FWC Eagle 2008'). it has been down to Utah once for a week out in the canyonlands, and dozens upon dozens of trips throughout Oregon, Washington and Idaho. Primarily on back roads with rock, snow, dirt, mud, logs, you get the idea. no failures of any kind to record. worth the money, and you will immediatly realize that once it is sitting in your truck. Good luck, and keep us posted as to what direction you go.
check out this video of us down in canyondlands Utah last year: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKRZlUyRMJ0 There should be a couple of them once you get to this link. but these show just how much beating they can take when mounted correctly to the right truck.
where in Oregon are you? I am out in Lake Oswego if you wanted to check one out in person first.
check out this video of us down in canyondlands Utah last year: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKRZlUyRMJ0 There should be a couple of them once you get to this link. but these show just how much beating they can take when mounted correctly to the right truck.
where in Oregon are you? I am out in Lake Oswego if you wanted to check one out in person first.
waynemaple
Observer
Thanks for the info, and advice. I know I'll be happy, I just have to convince the Mrs. There is only one lightweight camper on the market for this truck, so I pretty much have two choices for 4 season camping,;Tow trailer or Spend the cash on a pop up. Say "ya to da UP eh", Northern Exp! I grew up by the Mighty Mac. If you need some fun trails, for the coly, PM me sometime. I've wheeled with S-10s mostly, and a sweet 1954 ford tractor, all over the Mackinac area. Not alot of people+boredom=create your own fun!!!
waynemaple
Observer
Nice truck and good video David, would love to test the Canyon there soon.
Larry
Bigassgas Explorer
Everybody has an opinion and here is mine…..
I have come to notice a trend with the FWC crowd here and on other sites, as it seems so many people buy theirs used. Does anybody buy theirs new anymore? I have to tell you, after looking at them first hand in Denver this past winter at the show I can see why so many people patiently search and wait for a nice used one to pop up. FWC are built for the long haul and hold up incredibly well. As with any new product, purchasing a new one gets pretty pricy just to cover the bill of materials. Just as you can’t build the same exact house now that you built 30 years ago for the same money.
In my opinion, the down side of a FWC is a 2010 model looks just like a 1984 model. That is a huge turn off for me. Why bother buying a new one that looks just like a 25+ year old one? So you get black framed rounded windows instead of square ones??
As well as they are built, and as strong as that aluminum frame is, I don’t feel right about dropping $20,000 for a brand new Grandby that has corrugated aluminum siding and an old looking interior package. In the RV market, only the cheapest and lowest cost entry level class B RV’s and towables come with corrugated aluminum siding while everything else comes with smooth composite blow molded outer panels that look more modern and look a lot more at home on today’s smooth body styled trucks. I have a hard time believing there is that much of a weight penalty to use composite outer panels…even if it was an option.
I am a FWC fan but will continue on with my search for a nice used one as well but if I am going to settle for ancient looking corrugated siding and old looking interior….I am not paying $17,000+ to get it.
I will also say, while at the Denver show the folks from Hallmark seemed a lot more interested in chatting with customers than I found at the FWC booth. While the Hallmark is in a different category than the FWC, Hallmark is a viable alternative for the money (if purchasing new) while the features and weight penalty justify the cost more than the FWC does in my opinion. At least for the full-size truck crowd.
Sorry Stan…. I am just sayin’ . Your camper needs an exterior update badly as well as your website. Last year you were asking for input for a new website. We are 10 years into the millennium here…..it is not 1984 anymore. My preference is FWC and I hope you realize your biggest fans can be the toughest of critics too. I have no problem with purchasing a new one….just not one that looks like a 1980’s model
I have come to notice a trend with the FWC crowd here and on other sites, as it seems so many people buy theirs used. Does anybody buy theirs new anymore? I have to tell you, after looking at them first hand in Denver this past winter at the show I can see why so many people patiently search and wait for a nice used one to pop up. FWC are built for the long haul and hold up incredibly well. As with any new product, purchasing a new one gets pretty pricy just to cover the bill of materials. Just as you can’t build the same exact house now that you built 30 years ago for the same money.
In my opinion, the down side of a FWC is a 2010 model looks just like a 1984 model. That is a huge turn off for me. Why bother buying a new one that looks just like a 25+ year old one? So you get black framed rounded windows instead of square ones??
As well as they are built, and as strong as that aluminum frame is, I don’t feel right about dropping $20,000 for a brand new Grandby that has corrugated aluminum siding and an old looking interior package. In the RV market, only the cheapest and lowest cost entry level class B RV’s and towables come with corrugated aluminum siding while everything else comes with smooth composite blow molded outer panels that look more modern and look a lot more at home on today’s smooth body styled trucks. I have a hard time believing there is that much of a weight penalty to use composite outer panels…even if it was an option.
I am a FWC fan but will continue on with my search for a nice used one as well but if I am going to settle for ancient looking corrugated siding and old looking interior….I am not paying $17,000+ to get it.
I will also say, while at the Denver show the folks from Hallmark seemed a lot more interested in chatting with customers than I found at the FWC booth. While the Hallmark is in a different category than the FWC, Hallmark is a viable alternative for the money (if purchasing new) while the features and weight penalty justify the cost more than the FWC does in my opinion. At least for the full-size truck crowd.
Sorry Stan…. I am just sayin’ . Your camper needs an exterior update badly as well as your website. Last year you were asking for input for a new website. We are 10 years into the millennium here…..it is not 1984 anymore. My preference is FWC and I hope you realize your biggest fans can be the toughest of critics too. I have no problem with purchasing a new one….just not one that looks like a 1980’s model
davidshourd
Adventurer
good point, and well put.
Stan@FourWheel
Explorer
Hello Larry
No hard feelings.
The forums are here for just this reason, so you can all discuss the pro's & con's, likes & dislikes of what is out there, share experiences. We encourage this.
We know that our campers are not for everyone. That is why there are 4 or 5 other big pop-up camper manufactures and we all seem to keep on building campers year after year.
Each company has a focus and a market share they go after.
Yes, we do sell new campers here, lol. For the past 10 - 15 years we have been selling approx. 300 campers each year (+ or -). We are not a big company, but we stay busy for our size & number of employees we have.
We have been building the FWC's for 35 years now and keep building what works. The aluminum siding works. It might not look as nice as the fiberglass sides, but our customers are usually looking for a camper that is "durability & utility" oriented. Most of our customers are not looking for the frills, bells & whistles, or the fancy paint job. They seem to be very simplistic folks & minimalists at heart.
If you ever have looked for or tried to find a used four wheel camper, most people realize how much in demand they are. When most people do a web search for "other" used pop-up campers on the market they can usually find quite a few for sale at any one time. Not so easy to find a used FWC. This is why we know what we are doing is right & that people like our products (or at least we think so, giggles). Who knows, we could be wrong. But as long as people keep buying as they are, I think the owner of the company here will keep building what we have build so well, for so many years.
I'm a "used" kinda of guy myself. If I can find a good deal on a used camper and save some cash, count me in! But there are some customers that don't mind spending the money to order a new camper with just the right options, the right sized camper for their truck, and with the new camper smell. Some used campers I have seen over the years were in excellent / like new condition. Other were beat, dirty, and smelly. It just depends on how the original owner took care of the camper. Some potential FWC customers just get tired of looking for a used FWC, tired of missing each used camper that hits CL by a few hours, and end up ordering a new one.
We all have different wants & needs. It is the beauty of living here in the USA. We as customers have lots of different choices.
Hopfully in the future Four Wheel Campers will be able to experiment with some new styles. We do consider all the options out there, we really do. But we continue to build what works.
Happy Camping !
.
.
No hard feelings.
The forums are here for just this reason, so you can all discuss the pro's & con's, likes & dislikes of what is out there, share experiences. We encourage this.
We know that our campers are not for everyone. That is why there are 4 or 5 other big pop-up camper manufactures and we all seem to keep on building campers year after year.
Each company has a focus and a market share they go after.
Yes, we do sell new campers here, lol. For the past 10 - 15 years we have been selling approx. 300 campers each year (+ or -). We are not a big company, but we stay busy for our size & number of employees we have.
We have been building the FWC's for 35 years now and keep building what works. The aluminum siding works. It might not look as nice as the fiberglass sides, but our customers are usually looking for a camper that is "durability & utility" oriented. Most of our customers are not looking for the frills, bells & whistles, or the fancy paint job. They seem to be very simplistic folks & minimalists at heart.
If you ever have looked for or tried to find a used four wheel camper, most people realize how much in demand they are. When most people do a web search for "other" used pop-up campers on the market they can usually find quite a few for sale at any one time. Not so easy to find a used FWC. This is why we know what we are doing is right & that people like our products (or at least we think so, giggles). Who knows, we could be wrong. But as long as people keep buying as they are, I think the owner of the company here will keep building what we have build so well, for so many years.
I'm a "used" kinda of guy myself. If I can find a good deal on a used camper and save some cash, count me in! But there are some customers that don't mind spending the money to order a new camper with just the right options, the right sized camper for their truck, and with the new camper smell. Some used campers I have seen over the years were in excellent / like new condition. Other were beat, dirty, and smelly. It just depends on how the original owner took care of the camper. Some potential FWC customers just get tired of looking for a used FWC, tired of missing each used camper that hits CL by a few hours, and end up ordering a new one.
We all have different wants & needs. It is the beauty of living here in the USA. We as customers have lots of different choices.
Hopfully in the future Four Wheel Campers will be able to experiment with some new styles. We do consider all the options out there, we really do. But we continue to build what works.
Happy Camping !
.
.
Attachments
Regcabguy
Oil eater.
I'm a fan of the dated corregated aluminum exterior based on the appearance of a fiberglass exterior motorhome and another Northstar like mine with smooth exterior. Both look weathered and frankly,fragile. Stan makes the best offroad camper out there and packs a lot of practical and functional features into one. If I wasn't so darn tall I'd buy one.
Stan@FourWheel
Explorer
The campers (Grandby / Hawk / Keystone) we build for the Ford superduty trucks have 6' 7" of interior headroom when popped up ?
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waynemaple
Observer
Thanks to all and this is very helpful information. I have been looking for two years to find a used FWC that fits my truck bed. I don't mind buying used at all, they just don't make that many small campers. I don't have a problem with buying new, the product just has to last under normal wear conditions. I will soon be ordering a custom Finch shell, unless NorthernExplorer will sell his:elkgrin:.Hey Stan(FWC) could you speed up production from 12 to 6 weeks, if I help build it. Just a thought.
Stan,
Is this some sort of Apple inspired "product leak." I hear the commitment to corrugated sided camper, the suggestion of possible new materials, and then pictures of this (i know this next statement outs me as not totally committed as form follows function minimalist ) incredibly awesome looking smooth sided 4 wheel camper.
Do tell more!!
Dave
Is this some sort of Apple inspired "product leak." I hear the commitment to corrugated sided camper, the suggestion of possible new materials, and then pictures of this (i know this next statement outs me as not totally committed as form follows function minimalist ) incredibly awesome looking smooth sided 4 wheel camper.
Do tell more!!
Dave
kcowyo
ExPo Original
A lot of well thought-out and fair comments, several that I agree with...
Larry said:
I'll take a slight exception to this comment though... In fairness Larry, I worked that show for 5 long days, in front of thousands of people, on our feet with no breaks and we spoke to as many folks as possible until all of their questions were answered and my voice was shot. While there was no way for the two of us to talk to every person who came by the booth, we tried our best and worked our butts off while practically having to yell at folks over the jumping water dogs next door... A week like that might have killed a lesser man, ha!
I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to visit though... If you had said, "I'm Larry on ExPo, with the 8.1 in the '78 Chevy", I would have known exactly who I was talking to. I met a lot of folks from ExPo that week in Denver, and we were overwhelmed at the response from the public. FWC still has many loyal local owners from their days when they started in Colorado.
waynemaple said:
I put my '92 through as many abnormal conditions as anyone I know of... Structurally, it's still sound & solid. Externally, the appearance belies it's age. Some "wear items" such as cushions & flooring have taken a beating and require maintenance or eventual replacement. But they should last the duration of your loan. The reliability & durability of these units far exceeds, and in my mind outweighs, the perceived dated appearance.
Something else to be aware of that seldom gets mentioned about these units is their incredibly high resale value. If you buy a new camper and in a year or two decide it's not right for your family or 'travelling style', with a fair asking price, you can more often than not, sell these within a week of listing it. The flip side of used models being a pain to find, is that new ones are often a breeze to sell. Points to consider...
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Larry
Bigassgas Explorer
Thanks for the receptive reply Stan. You are a very patient PR spokeman! The smooth sided pictures you posted leave one to think I am not the only one with a corrugated siding hang up. Perhaps I should call you to discuss exterior options outside of regular production specs. I hear you on the waiting game for the perfect used “thing” as I went through that for a topper on my ’78 and gave up on that quest and ordered a new Snugtop. BTW….the Grandby I want is for my 2005 HD standard cab long bed…not the ’78.
It is nice to see you post that you encourage likes and dislikes. Perhaps you can print this as ammo with respect to what customers want and present it at your next company staff meeting with the owners of FWC when they beat on the sales and PR staff to cultivate new conquest customers as all companies seem to do when they want to grow a business.
I am loosely related to your industry as my company manufacturers motorized stripped chassis and cab chassis for the RV and commercial truck industry and are members of RVIA. The echo we hear from both RV and Commercial end users is they are tired of rusting sheet metal, looking for weight savings, MPG gains and GVWR gains and we are exploring exterior alternatives similar to the material used on GM truck sportside beds from a few years ago (RRIM -Reinforced Reaction Injection Molded) polyurea polymer body panels as well as other composites in order to save weight, add strength, resist corrosion and UV resistant. I don’t know how well this material would work for FWC or add to your build complexity but maybe it is something to look at if the engineering and materials cost drives a business case and reasonable price for the end user. Not to say your old corrugated aluminum is heavy or corrosion prone…it is just out of date. Yes, corrugated siding “works” but so did carburetors, breaker point ignition, drum brakes and direct drive transmissions in my industry. There is always room to make a better widget even if it is only for appearance.
Kcowyo,
Take no acception. I have worn many of holes in carpet at booths at industry shows as well. Like yourself, our ambassadors spend more time out on the show circuit than our own employees. Long shows can take it’s toll on anybody. I totally understand but I actually did speak with you behind your Tundra and I did mention that I learned about the show via Expo and traveled 150 miles to see a FWC in real life. While we were chatting another gentleman that you were previously were talking to returned and you continued on with him while I was looking over your camper. I respected your conversation and let you have your time with him then I walked over to the other guy that was working the show with you, who I specifically asked if he was Stan, which he was not, and barely showed an interest in speaking with me while I looked over the other camper. Maybe I turned him off when I crawled on my exterior corrugated aluminum soapbox? LOL
It is nice to see you post that you encourage likes and dislikes. Perhaps you can print this as ammo with respect to what customers want and present it at your next company staff meeting with the owners of FWC when they beat on the sales and PR staff to cultivate new conquest customers as all companies seem to do when they want to grow a business.
I am loosely related to your industry as my company manufacturers motorized stripped chassis and cab chassis for the RV and commercial truck industry and are members of RVIA. The echo we hear from both RV and Commercial end users is they are tired of rusting sheet metal, looking for weight savings, MPG gains and GVWR gains and we are exploring exterior alternatives similar to the material used on GM truck sportside beds from a few years ago (RRIM -Reinforced Reaction Injection Molded) polyurea polymer body panels as well as other composites in order to save weight, add strength, resist corrosion and UV resistant. I don’t know how well this material would work for FWC or add to your build complexity but maybe it is something to look at if the engineering and materials cost drives a business case and reasonable price for the end user. Not to say your old corrugated aluminum is heavy or corrosion prone…it is just out of date. Yes, corrugated siding “works” but so did carburetors, breaker point ignition, drum brakes and direct drive transmissions in my industry. There is always room to make a better widget even if it is only for appearance.
Kcowyo,
Take no acception. I have worn many of holes in carpet at booths at industry shows as well. Like yourself, our ambassadors spend more time out on the show circuit than our own employees. Long shows can take it’s toll on anybody. I totally understand but I actually did speak with you behind your Tundra and I did mention that I learned about the show via Expo and traveled 150 miles to see a FWC in real life. While we were chatting another gentleman that you were previously were talking to returned and you continued on with him while I was looking over your camper. I respected your conversation and let you have your time with him then I walked over to the other guy that was working the show with you, who I specifically asked if he was Stan, which he was not, and barely showed an interest in speaking with me while I looked over the other camper. Maybe I turned him off when I crawled on my exterior corrugated aluminum soapbox? LOL