Four Wheel Camper - A Review

[GaryMc]

Well, hell..... I ordered my Eagle yesterday and will pick it up in early January in Reno. The Troopy project has burned me and left a terrible taste in my mouth and I'll sell it as soon (if ever) it gets titled.
KC, I told Stan w/ FWC that it's your fault that I'm buying one of these things!

I've got a Tacoma with an Expo quality build and after I add rear airbags to it it'll be good to go for the FWC.

 

[kcowyo]

Well, hell... it's about time. :clapsmile

Sorry to hear about the Troopy not working out. I'd have given up long ago, so kudos to you for sticking it out for so long.

The Eagle with your Tacoma is going to be a great match. You did get the heater, right?

Good news Gary, I'm stoked for you. Stan and the FWC crew are good people. I'm sure your transaction will be a painless one. Keep us updated.

:campfire:
.

 

[TerribleTom]

Hi KC - I've read over some of your adventures and experiences with the FWC unit. If you have difficulty accepting compliments - you better get used to it my friend LOL - For I also have been inspired by your travels. I am a wanderer at heart. Every summer I head out east to western New York state to go camping and offroading with friends of mine and it is always the highlight of every year for me. Unfortunately I don't have time to do much more than a weekend or two a year... but I hope to change that soon.

I started looking around at truck campers and eventually found myself reading this thread. The FWC seems to be the best all around truck camper out there, for my needs and camping style. I prefer to keep things as basic as possible. Reading your travels and seeing the photos has energized my wanderlust and has me itching for the day I am free from the every-day BS that has bogged down my life.

I have wanted to take a Steinbeck "Travels With Charlie" trip for years... (I hang my head in shame because I have started reading that book a few times but never have been able to finish it)

Pack up my truck and just get away from it all... I'm aiming for a year or so straight, out on the road. From Florida to Washington State and Texas to Alaska... I want to see it all... throw in some hiking and some geocaching and call it complete eh? :safari-rig:

Thank you very much for your contributions to this forum - I decided to join up tonight vs. continuing to be a lurker. I look forward to being an active member here.

 

[kcowyo]

T-Tom, Welcome to the Portal - ?

Thanks you for the kind words. To me, sharing the inspiration is what ExPo is all about. That's why I post so many pics, because I love to look at everyone else's photos too. The FWC makes getting out there so much easier and more fun. There is a FWC dealer in Eagle, WI if you ever want to check one out in person - Go Anywhere

I hope you have a few good adventures of your own this year. I look forward to seeing you around here. Don't be a stranger.

:campfire:


Boysen Reservoir, Wyoming -

 

[kcowyo]

Time for the first update of 2009....


I celebrated the third anniversary this month of owning my beloved FWC with a trip to Utah. While everyone was in Prescott, enjoying the big Overland Expo show, I took a 4 day trip through the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. We found a secluded beach on Lake Powell, managed to dodge the wind & rain, ran some new trails and some old favorites. It was, as the kids these days say, the shizzle.

Despite our recent flirtation with a Columbus roof top tent, as seen on our southwest US adventure here - Good Times, Great Memories Tour - being back on the road with our Four Wheel Camper was like going home. Our home on the road....


A big thanks to the two forum members who loaned me books & maps and shared some favorite secret spots. ?

In the absence of a formal trip report, I'm submitting the following photos. If a picture is truly worth a thousand words, then these images should save me a lot of typing...

 

[Ursidae69]

Damn that is a nice photo. :bowdown:

 

[chnlisle]

No one should be surprised at how good the photography is here. Another KC Coup. Too bad you couldnt meet up with Brett at the secret beach.

 

[suntinez]

I really should wait and be patient and know that the answer will appear ... but I gotta say

Study in dirt textures?
Sat radio meltdown?
Stealth T100 branding, in case you thought it was a Tundra?

Good to see the FWC out and about again!

 

[kcowyo]

Utah red dirt on a very hammered monogrammed floor mat, that once upon a time more clearly read "T100".


Several years ago after my first trip into the backcountry of Utah, I noticed a thin layer of red dust on my transfer case lever's boot. I started to wipe it off but changed my mind. I liked the idea of carrying around a bit of Utah with me. That it was on the boot of my transfer case lever somehow seemed all the more appropriate.

So when I saw that first bit of red dirt on the floor mat, I dunno, I just liked the image. I guess instead, I could have taken a picture of my truck with a front tire parked on a rock, but that lame crap is so 1997....



.

 

[tdesanto]

Yes, yes, park it on a rock and post some pictures; we've never seen that before :sombrero:.

Or, better yet, go to a formal campground where you're surrounded by other campsites and tons of people. Be sure to park the camper right next to the picnic table and fire ring. Then, for the next several months post the same pictures of that campsite over and over again. That'll inspire us to get outdoors more. And, don't forget the all-too-important duraflame log.

Okay, maybe I've had too much of this :coffeedrink:.

 

[kcowyo]

Dried out from Ouichita and BBL, already are we?

I can pretty much guarantee you'll never see pics of my truck perched on a rock, posing like some four wheeled Captain Morgan. And no, no duraflame logs. Ever.

Although ironically, seeing those pics does inspire me to get out more. To get out so I'm not sitting here, forced to look at those pics again, and before I'm tempted to jam a pencil in my eye.


Here is something new....

 

[tdesanto]

...posing like some four wheeled Captain Morgan.

...and before I'm tempted to jam a pencil in my eye.

.

I think these indicate the need for a couple more useful smilies. I know I could use the pencil-in-the-eye smiley.

Awesome photos; well done.

 

[kcowyo]

I returned to Idaho for 8 days around the 4th of July. In particular, Stanley, Idaho - population 100.

I first visited Stanley in the summer of '95 (...gawd, has it been that long?) and fell in love with the place. Tucked deep in the Sawtooth Mountains on the Salmon River, it is a river rats dream. Fly fisherman, kayakers and rafting companies dominate the area. Completely understandable...


The Sawtooth Valley -

Stanley on the Salmon River -

I have tried several times over the last few years to get back to Stanley, but huge wildfires kept me away. This year the rains have kept the fires so far, at bay. I was able to do a lot of poking around the various lakes in the Sawtooth Valley; Alturas Lake, Pettit Lake, Stanley Lake and Redfish Lake. They are all a treat for the eyes and the perfect spot to relax, wet a line, float a canoe, read a book and reflect on the good things in life.


Stanley Lake -

Sunset on Redfish Lake -

I didn't accomplish very much while I was there, which was pretty much the idea. I had hoped a sportsman's paradise such as this would have had an amazing collection of ExPo type vehicles, at least a Four Wheel Camper or two. Sadly, I saw very few. The local adventure vehicle du jour by a wide, wide margin was the third generation Toyota 4Runner, in stock trim with a Thule or Yakima cargo box on the roof. I could have photographed a hundred or more of those... The river raft and kayak was the other top choice for getting into the heart of the area.


Rafting on the Salmon River -

I spent the majority of the week enjoying the peace and quiet. I visited with a few other campers, read a couple of books, drank a bunch of Shock Top - a nice Belgian White and watched the daily afternoon thunder showers from the safety of the inside of the camper. It was exactly the type of trip I wanted to do there, just being...


Campsite near Stanley Lake -

Double rainbow -

Campsite on the edge of Redfish Lake -

Unlike my trip into Idaho, last year on the 4th of July, which was a clustermess of vampire-like mosquitoes, obnoxious tourists, sweltering temps and a nightmare evening trapped in Idaho Falls, this year was a serene and comfortable escape. I couldn't have enjoyed myself more or found a better place to celebrate our nation's birthday and the heart of Idaho.


The Sawtooth Range -

 

[craig333]

Nice report. I need to get up that way someday.

 

[FourByLand]

Simply beautiful photos, KC!

I tried to get ahold of HMR through Gear but I never got a reply through email... looks like you made the best of it!

We plan to be on the Front Range permanently come Dec... looks like we will have some more campfires in our future!