Advice Picking out Truck/Camper Combo

[jaxyaks]

So I have decided that a truck camper suits my needs the best in the rv department, and I am sure like a lot of people I can sometimes suffer from paralysis by analysis syndrome...lol.

I have been reading as much as I can here and on other forums so I figured I would throw out a thread and give an opportunity for some opinions and ideas I may not have thought of.

So having said that this is kind of what I am looking for out of a rig, and I prefer to purchase pretty much built.

Budget
I generally don't go for the bottom budget things on big purchases but I also don't have to have custom over inflated, I am looking for reliability and longevity and if there is strong resale available that would also be a factor.

Uses
Pretty much an all around recreational travel vehicle. I don't rock crawl, but I do like to spend time in the backcountry in national forests etc, and would like whatever combo to not limit that as much as possible...so I guess...Don't care about rock crawling in Moab, but if I want to spend a week on dirt roads I don't want to be limited. Boondocking doesn't have to be weeks at a time but I would like to get off grid from time to time. Any rough off-roading can usually be done on the dirt bike or side by side (another reason the truck camper combo works)

I live on the east coast (GA) but we like to travel just about anywhere, and we tend to travel to a different spot everyday instead of parking in one spot kind of thing. I would prefer to buy once cry once so it needs to have some longevity to it, more so the camper, I know I will wear out trucks.

I'm torn on Diesel and Gas and on the fence about DRW vs Single as well. I like SRW trucks and I have had a Gas HD truck before. At the moment Its a clean slate, I would be picking out the truck and camper together expensive but I like being able to pair the right truck with the camper instead of having to make do.

4 Season is kind of important one of the trips I have is Alaska/Canada at some point and don't want to be limited by equipment.

I am partial to Ram trucks (I have owned them before) I have a tacoma currently but toyota has nothing that can really carry a camper. But I would entertain any other trucks that might fit the bill, I want the best most reliable combo and I won't let brand bias get in the way of that.

Camper needs a bathroom and creature comforts so a lot of the off road campers while I like them, the significant other is not as thrilled. This will be for 2 people (kids are grown)

I have looked at
Lance
Arctic Fox
Northern Lite
Bigfoot
and a few others

I am not opposed to a used rig if I can put together a reliable combo.

I know this is pretty generic but I think it would be a good thing to hear some opinions and options from the crowd on one thread. If there is already a thread that addresses the same stuff by all means let me know, I don't want to beat a dead horse so to speak.

Thanks!!!

 

[Buddha.]

A gas truck will get you more payload. I'd nail down which camper you want before choosing the truck.

 

[simple]

I've had a northern lite "lite" no basement on a 96 ram Cummins single rear wheel and a bigfoot 10' with basement on an 01 ram Cummins dual rear wheel as well as other 4x4 vans and camp trailers. I currently have a 2020 sprinter 170 4x4 which has its tradeoffs as well.

Out of everything RV with a bathroom, my favorite was the smaller northern lite on the single rear wheel truck. If I were to do it again I'd get the smallest lightest camper and mount it on an aluminum flat bed with storage boxes. Slide-in campers are severely limited on storage space.

For general exploration with mostly paved driving, the slide in was great.

Traveling on gravel fire roads was never fun with slide in campers. I would usually drive at a crawl. Every pot hole and washboard would shake the camper or cause it rock side to side. With all of my RV's on fire roads I was concerned about opening up seams and sealed areas as well as shaking cabinet doors etc. Going 5 miles up a fire road to find a camp spot was doable but felt like the limit that I wanted to push it.

Overland exploration and extended dirt road travel didn't feel like the best option for that setup. That's just my opinion though. A lot of folks have traveled all over baja and other rugged places with slide in campers.

 

[jaxyaks]

I've had a northern lite "lite" no basement on a 96 ram Cummins single rear wheel and a bigfoot 10' with basement on an 01 ram Cummins dual rear wheel as well as other 4x4 vans and camp trailers. I currently have a 2020 sprinter 170 4x4 which has its tradeoffs as well.

Out of everything RV with a bathroom, my favorite was the smaller northern lite on the single rear wheel truck. If I were to do it again I'd get the smallest lightest camper and mount it on an aluminum flat bed with storage boxes. Slide-in campers are severely limited on storage space.

For general exploration with mostly paved driving, the slide in was great.

Traveling on gravel fire roads was never fun with slide in campers. I would usually drive at a crawl. Every pot hole and washboard would shake the camper or cause it rock side to side. With all of my RV's on fire roads I was concerned about opening up seams and sealed areas as well as shaking cabinet doors etc. Going 5 miles up a fire road to find a camp spot was doable but felt like the limit that I wanted to push it.

Overland exploration and extended dirt road travel didn't feel like the best option for that setup. That's just my opinion though. A lot of folks have traveled all over baja and other rugged places with slide in campers.

Thanks for that insight, I have looked at the flat bed option as well

 

[NOPEC]

Hi

Make sure you get enough truck to start with. The camper brands you mention are all on the heavy side, I had the smallest Bigfoot and it worked perfectly with my newer one ton but fully loaded with all the stuff for a big trip, it was still starting to sniff around the max GVWR. The weight of stuff, both for your camper and personally, really adds up quickly, so I suggest erring on high side for your truck.

Another way to look at the decision around the truck and camper (and I am sure you are aware of this) is that modern trucks, regardless of brand, tend to last a long time. You might eventually be surprised how few miles your truck clocks up over the years, despite all of your tripping, especially if you are not using it for a daily driver or commuter vehicle. As such, if you get your dream truck equipped exactly as you want it, gas, SRW, flatbed for a custom camper or regular box, Dodge or whatever, you may find that your camper needs may change before your truck experiences any milage or time related degrade. Having the perfect truck tricked out just the way you want it, can make the simple replacement of a camper pretty straightforward. As well and I don't know if it still holds true, but historically, holding onto a truck over the long haul tended to better value on your original outlay. Also, again in my experence, trucks tend to depreciate more quickly than campers, especially these days when campers are being scooped up very quickly by folks feeling the sudden need to get outside, causing a supply and demand factor in their value.

Anyway, something to add to the pot.

 

[jaxyaks]

Hi

Make sure you get enough truck to start with. The camper brands you mention are all on the heavy side, I had the smallest Bigfoot and it worked perfectly with my newer one ton but fully loaded with all the stuff for a big trip, it was still starting to sniff around the max GVWR. The weight of stuff, both for your camper and personally, really adds up quickly, so I suggest erring on high side for your truck.

Another way to look at the decision around the truck and camper (and I am sure you are aware of this) is that modern trucks, regardless of brand, tend to last a long time. You might eventually be surprised how few miles your truck clocks up over the years, despite all of your tripping, especially if you are not using it for a daily driver or commuter vehicle. As such, if you get your dream truck equipped exactly as you want it, gas, SRW, flatbed for a custom camper or regular box, Dodge or whatever, you may find that your camper needs may change before your truck experiences any milage or time related degrade. Having the perfect truck tricked out just the way you want it, can make the simple replacement of a camper pretty straightforward. As well and I don't know if it still holds true, but historically, holding onto a truck over the long haul tended to better value on your original outlay. Also, again in my experence, trucks tend to depreciate more quickly than campers, especially these days when campers are being scooped up very quickly by folks feeling the sudden need to get outside, causing a supply and demand factor in their value.

Anyway, something to add to the pot.

Thanks for that as well, I have also looked at it from that approach that as long as I get enough truck in the first place, that changing truck campers over time if needs change I won't be limited by having to get another rig. At the moment I am leaning towards a SRW 1 ton and dialing in a camper model to suit, but as I am sure everyone that has gone thru RV selection process knows, things change often and just when I think I know what I want...I see something I haven't seen yet...lol

 

[Ninelitetrip]

Have you looked at what montypower (Peter) has written in his two threads about his truck and camper? Lot of information there.

2020-northstar-liberty-expedition-truck-camper-build.216281


https://expeditionportal.com/forum/...-on-37s-expedition-truck-camper-build.216282/

 

[Lance990]

I have an 11' 3" Lance 990 camper that is nice and luxurious with all of the creature comforts but is severely limited in where I can go with it. I have 2007 F350 4x4 DRW Extended Cab pickup with the V10 and it hauls it well. Personally, the camper is too big for what I want to do but the DW has to have her bathroom. For more adventurous off-road trips I built out the bed of my truck for sleeping and living with a lightweight aluminum truck topper (so I can remove it by myself). My truck can go anywhere it can fit and I have never felt limited by the DRW. It's a little wider than a SRW truck but I'm a good driver and I manage to squeeze through some pretty tight spots with minimal trail rash. The Dana 80 LSD with 4.30 and the smooth torque of the V10 are a great combination of toughness and longevity. I have the Dana Super 60 front axle and there's little chance of breaking anything, front or back. I don't rock crawl with this truck but I do tend to be adventurous with it. You might give me strange looks if you see where I have taken it.

I recently purchased an Oztent RV2 so that I could have some standing room when it rains and that quickly led to the purchase of a cot and eventually sleeping in it. One of the problems I have with the truck camper is nighttime bathroom runs. It is a chore to climb down from the cabover, turn on the water pump, stumble to the bathroom and do my business. Inside the RV2 I keep a Luggable Loo and I sit in the bed, stand up and take one step to use the bathroom. I sleep better outside and, in the winter, I use the Wave3 catalytic heater inside the tent (with ventilation) to stay warm at night. I have a heavy duty, -5F degree flannel-lined sleeping bag and I stay toasty warm at night.

So, my point is that I went from tent camping to a large slide in truck camper, to truck bed camping and back to tent camping and I am happy to be back there. Inside my truck camper, despite its size, I can barely squeeze by my wife in the hallway. The dry bath is so small I have to put one foot in the shower so I am not sitting on the toilet with my knees touching and the cabover is just a pain to get in/out of.

My advice is to keep it as simple as possible. Get the lightest truck camper you can find if you have to have one but be aware of the issues with space. I simplified my camping experience quite a bit and I am more happy now. I'd like to get rid of the truck camper but my wife is attached to it.

This is a photo from a recent trip to Buffalo River Trail in Arkansas over the Christmas holiday.

 

[jaxyaks]

I've had a northern lite "lite" no basement on a 96 ram Cummins single rear wheel and a bigfoot 10' with basement on an 01 ram Cummins dual rear wheel as well as other 4x4 vans and camp trailers. I currently have a 2020 sprinter 170 4x4 which has its tradeoffs as well.

Out of everything RV with a bathroom, my favorite was the smaller northern lite on the single rear wheel truck. If I were to do it again I'd get the smallest lightest camper and mount it on an aluminum flat bed with storage boxes. Slide-in campers are severely limited on storage space.

For general exploration with mostly paved driving, the slide in was great.

Traveling on gravel fire roads was never fun with slide in campers. I would usually drive at a crawl. Every pot hole and washboard would shake the camper or cause it rock side to side. With all of my RV's on fire roads I was concerned about opening up seams and sealed areas as well as shaking cabinet doors etc. Going 5 miles up a fire road to find a camp spot was doable but felt like the limit that I wanted to push it.

Overland exploration and extended dirt road travel didn't feel like the best option for that setup. That's just my opinion though. A lot of folks have traveled all over baja and other rugged places with slide in campers.

Out of curiosity now that you have the sprinter (class b) set up and have had truck campers, which is your preference? I have looked at both set ups as well

 

[jaxyaks]

I have an 11' 3" Lance 990 camper that is nice and luxurious with all of the creature comforts but is severely limited in where I can go with it. I have 2007 F350 4x4 DRW Extended Cab pickup with the V10 and it hauls it well. Personally, the camper is too big for what I want to do but the DW has to have her bathroom. For more adventurous off-road trips I built out the bed of my truck for sleeping and living with a lightweight aluminum truck topper (so I can remove it by myself). My truck can go anywhere it can fit and I have never felt limited by the DRW. It's a little wider than a SRW truck but I'm a good driver and I manage to squeeze through some pretty tight spots with minimal trail rash. The Dana 80 LSD with 4.30 and the smooth torque of the V10 are a great combination of toughness and longevity. I have the Dana Super 60 front axle and there's little chance of breaking anything, front or back. I don't rock crawl with this truck but I do tend to be adventurous with it. You might give me strange looks if you see where I have taken it.

I recently purchased an Oztent RV2 so that I could have some standing room when it rains and that quickly led to the purchase of a cot and eventually sleeping in it. One of the problems I have with the truck camper is nighttime bathroom runs. It is a chore to climb down from the cabover, turn on the water pump, stumble to the bathroom and do my business. Inside the RV2 I keep a Luggable Loo and I sit in the bed, stand up and take one step to use the bathroom. I sleep better outside and, in the winter, I use the Wave3 catalytic heater inside the tent (with ventilation) to stay warm at night. I have a heavy duty, -5F degree flannel-lined sleeping bag and I stay toasty warm at night.

So, my point is that I went from tent camping to a large slide in truck camper, to truck bed camping and back to tent camping and I am happy to be back there. Inside my truck camper, despite its size, I can barely squeeze by my wife in the hallway. The dry bath is so small I have to put one foot in the shower so I am not sitting on the toilet with my knees touching and the cabover is just a pain to get in/out of.

My advice is to keep it as simple as possible. Get the lightest truck camper you can find if you have to have one but be aware of the issues with space. I simplified my camping experience quite a bit and I am more happy now. I'd like to get rid of the truck camper but my wife is attached to it.

This is a photo from a recent trip to Buffalo River Trail in Arkansas over the Christmas holiday.

View attachment 636525

Interesting perspective and I kind of know what you mean, when I camp by myself I am in a hammock and not much else. The truck camper rig though process is kind of a longer trip or trips that involve multiple days just traveling around. We like to a lot of longer road trips that put us in different areas everyday and a lot of times I really don't have a solid plan of a destination just kind of loose area to explore. For example we spend a month in Utah with no other plan other than spend time in Utah..lol A van would probably serve the same purpose but one thing I want to be able to do is pull an ATVs and Side by sides when needed, I like to explore some of the atv trails that are spread out around the country. I also may need to pull a flats skiff at some point. Nice Rig, I have looked at those as well. I am leaning towards something without a slide for long term durability and I don't like the idea of having to move a slide just to get in the door of some of them.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

If it was me I'd get an F350, STX, with the 7.3. Plenty of power and payload.

 

[jaxyaks]

If it was me I'd get an F350, STX, with the 7.3. Plenty of power and payload.

I have been looking pretty close at the F350 and Ram 3500 Gas, I have owned a truck with the 6.4 in the past (2014 2500 with 6.4). The 7.3 is looking like it may turn out to be a good engine, I am not too sure about the 10 speed in the Ford just yet. The 6 speed in the Ram wasn't too problematic and they have built it for a while, the rumor is that they will move the 8 speed into the 3500 series, and the 8 Speed has been a good transmission for them. The only thing I really don't like about Ford is when building a truck, you pretty much have to add a bunch of fluff and move raise the price on the truck to get anything more than a basic truck. Ram seems to have a lot more flexibility where you can get more creature comforts for a lower entry price on some of the lower trims. I was playing around with the configure app on both of their websites a few days ago and the pricing was a little far apart apples to apples on both. But I am totally open to both brands as well. Ford does seem to be a little easier to set up most truck campers or at least seems to be a popular option for a lot of rigs.

 

[simple]

Out of curiosity now that you have the sprinter (class b) set up and have had truck campers, which is your preference? I have looked at both set ups as well

Like Lance990 we prefer to tent camp. We use our Express awd for almost everything but it is not big enough for multi day highway travel.
An RV is only useful to my family for road tripping when all we need to do is stop and sleep. An RV is also nice for the winter season in the NW for the occasional adventure. I'm not sure I prefer one configuration over the other. They have their tradeoffs. On the sprinter I'm not a fan of all the new computerized systems. I'm also doing a DIY build because I prefer a more basic setup and have a specific layout in mind that isn't available in any production models.

What I like about a production slide-in is that the layouts are pretty good and they are ready to go without much hassle. Bolt on and go. I liked the fiberglass shell types because they have good insulation and less seams to come apart. They are still prone to leaks with all the roof and window penetrations sealed with butyl putty. Why the designers put 4 to 6 holes in the roof for marker lights is beyond me. At the time I was using my dodge diesel and camper setup I was often pulling a 27' offshore fishing boat and that combo was what was needed. I liked the bathroom with black tank and am the one to service it at the RV dump station. My wife and daughter are happy with a luggable loo trash bag and woodchip setup.

My wife prefers driving the sprinter and the simplicity of it. She is not a fan of learning RV systems that are often quirky. She also doesn't care for the cheap materials and styling commonly used on RV interiors.

 

[wwpage66]

Currently I have FWC Hawk on Nissan Titan XD with Diesel.

Looking at moving to a NorthStar Liberty or Laredo (40 gal Freshwater, perfect for boondocking). My main reason for leaving the FWC Hawk is the need of a better bathroom for the wife. I enjoy getting off road to remote locations but not rock crawling to get there (I use the Xterra for those trips).

My main reason for the NorthStar is the cassette toilet for ease of dumping and keeping black/gray water separate. I am also a fan of the windows that they use acrylic with gas argon, and built in blackout shades and screens, widows open fully for passing items back and forth and not 1/2 slider.

My Nissan is the nicest truck I have had but the Diesel takes up much needed payload, Best payload is gas RAM 2500/3500 with 4.10, but I will likely do a Ford 250/350 when I pull the trigger.

I still do plenty of solo trips with the FWC and do enjoy it.

 

[jaxyaks]

Currently I have FWC Hawk on Nissan Titan XD with Diesel.

Looking at moving to a NorthStar Liberty or Laredo (40 gal Freshwater, perfect for boondocking). My main reason for leaving the FWC Hawk is the need of a better bathroom for the wife. I enjoy getting off road to remote locations but not rock crawling to get there (I use the Xterra for those trips).

My main reason for the NorthStar is the cassette toilet for ease of dumping and keeping black/gray water separate. I am also a fan of the windows that they use acrylic with gas argon, and built in blackout shades and screens, widows open fully for passing items back and forth and not 1/2 slider.

My Nissan is the nicest truck I have had but the Diesel takes up much needed payload, Best payload is gas RAM 2500/3500 with 4.10, but I will likely do a Ford 250/350 when I pull the trigger.

I still do plenty of solo trips with the FWC and do enjoy it.

I have looked at the FWC and I really like them, I think the bathroom situation would be difficult as well, in a perfect world I would love to put a FWC on my current truck and use it solo or pretty much solo for a while until I am ready to pull the trigger on a bigger rig. Funny you should mention North Star, I was just digging in deep on their models last night and I do like them for the some of the same reasons you mentioned.