Four Wheel Camper - A Review

[kcowyo]

Darren was nice enough to send me some of his pics of my T100, from our trip. Of course you can't get your own action shots, so I'm very grateful Darren used up some his millions of gigabytes for me. Thanks man!! :bowdown:

My biggest concern about this camper, prior to purchase, was the mounting system and if it would hold up well off road. I'm happy with my truck's suspension and ground clearance but those would be of little use to me if the camper didn't stay fast to the truck bed. The Utah trip was to be a litmus test of the system and would let me know what to expect.

Now in hindsight, I would say that the camper's mounting system is up to handling more severe trails than my truck is! Other than the turnbuckles working a turn or two loose, there was no shifting with the camper or signs that it was under stress at all.

Hmmphh.. a product that delivers as advertised? In this day and age...? Wow!

 

[kcowyo]

...and a few more, because how it handles on the trail matters to me most of all. Plus this thread needs more pics!!

*** Special thanks to Darren for the photos in these two posts. See more of Darren's photography, 4Runner info and trip reports on his website - MyColorado.org ***

 

[OutbacKamper]

Awsome photos!
You should consider sending some to 4W Campers, their customer photos are pretty tame (& boring) compared to these.

 

[kcowyo]

A quick update -

Over the Memorial Day long weekend I took a trip up to Cooke City, MT and Yellowstone NP. Spent 3 days camped out and saw some crazy weather and wildlife. I'll put a short report with pics up in the Completed Adventures section.

Yesterday I had surprise visitor. My cousin, the fly fishing and tying prodigy (he was selling his own flies to Orvis when he was 12), stopped in Lander on his way to Jackson for a summer job as a fly fishing guide. He wanted to camp out before reporting for work today, so I took the rest of the afternoon off and we went to a favorite secret campsite along Bull Lake, on the Wind River Indian Reservation. He's got a great 3rd gen 4Runner that I helped him find and buy last summer. But as you can see from the pics, the boy needs some storage work!

Nothing to report other than a nice campfire, a big pot of red beans and rice for dinner and maybe I got him started a little early for his 21st b'day this Saturday... We were up by 6am this morning and I made it home in time for a quick shower then to work by 9am.

A random Wednesday night camping trip. Ya gotta love it!

 

[kcowyo]

I put up a small trip report from Memorial Day weekend in Yellowstone & the Beartooth Mountains with pics -

 

[Jonathan Hanson]

Thanks for the updates, KC! Terrific pictures.

 

[kcowyo]

An update to the thread, though more for me. I want to keep track of how many nights I use the camper this year, lately dubbed by others as the "Condo," which I kind of like.

I was inspired to do this by one of Graham's posts showing some of his favorite campsites with their GPS coordinates. I don't use my GPS often enough to be very proficient with it, so I wanted to keep a different log of nights camped. I haven't taken pics of every campsight, although I should start doing that, even if for my own amusement.

Night #1 April 16 - along the Palisades Resevoir in Idaho
night #2 April 29 - Sinks Canyon State Park, Lander, Wyoming
night #3 May 7- Glen Canyon Rec Area, Utah
night #4 May 8 - Canyonlands National Park, Utah
night #5 May 9 - near Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah
night #6 May 10 - Indian Creek/Lockhart Canyon, Utah
night #7 May 11 - Dead Horse Point State Park, Utah
night #8 May 12 - White Rim Trail, CNP, Utah
night #9 May 13 - Dead Horse Point State Park, Utah
night #10 May 27 - Bill Cody Resevoir, Cody, Wyoming
night #11 May 28 - Sunlight Basin, Wyoming
night #12 May 29 - Slough Creek, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
night #13 May 31 - Bull Lake, Wind River Indian Reservation, Wyoming
night #14 June 10- Sinks Canyon State Park, Lander, Wyoming
night #15 June 15 - Dumont Lake, Rabbit Ears Pass, Colorado
night #16 June 16 - near Keystone, Colorado
night #17 June 17 - near Leadville, Colorado
night #18 June 18 - Cottonwood Pass, Colorado

So 18 nights in the bush over the last 10 weeks. Not bad, but I wish it was more! The first three nights were spent in 3 different states, kinda cool. I should have a few more nights camped in WY and/or Idaho after this 4th of July weekend. The Condo has turned out to be a real asset to my outdoor experience and I find myself wanting to be out on the trail even more now.

A recent pic from the ExPo trip to Leadville, courtesy of bigreen505. Thanks Bill!

 

[oly884]

I'm re-read this thread again last night and I'm getting so excited to get my camper, only a couple more weeks!

:jump:

 

[kcowyo]

I'm sure the anicipation is agonizing David! Soon, very soon....

So you re-read the whole thread? Must have taken all night! :xxrotflma


...might as well update

night #19 July 1 - Viva Naughton resevoir, Kemmerer, WY
night #20 July 2 - Grey's River, near Alpine, WY
night #21 July 3 - Grey's River, near Alpine, WY

...and a link to a trip thread from Grey's River, with pics


The next 10-20 nights should include camping in Yellowstone NP, Montana, Glacier NP, Idaho and perhaps Oregon.
I may be headed out as soon as next week. :wavey:

 

[blupaddler]

I don't know if I have said this yet...


But, I must admit that I really like the way the camper fits on your T100. It doesn't stick out very far at all compared to how others do that I have seen.


:jump:


:truck:

 

[Scott Brady]

yes, very cool. It is nice to see that several on the forum own, or are buying a 4wheel pop-up.

The real world experiences are great.

I meant to ask you. How did the truck work in Colorado over the trails? Have you noticed any difference in performance off-road with the camper?

 

[DaveInDenver]

An update to the thread, though more for me. I want to keep track of how many nights I use the camper this year, lately dubbed by others as the "Condo," which I kind of like.

That's too funny. My truck's been given the adhoc name of 'Hilux Hilton' because of the WilderNest.

 

[kcowyo]

That's great Dave!

I've always been great at coming up with nicknames for others but since acquiring the blandly named "T100", I've hit a creative block for my own outfit. So when a guy whose handle is GoodTimes, dubs it the "Condo", you just have to trust his judgement!

And for pskhaat who asked, I will post up a "new curtain mod" thread soon. If it's not to yag!! :xxrotflma

blupaddler, that was the whole appeal to this particular model, getting a flush fit to the bedsides. You really should see it in person.

 

[kcowyo]

I meant to ask you. How did the truck work in Colorado over the trails? Have you noticed any difference in performance off-road with the camper?

I thought it did great in Colorado.

You know I'm more into the "touring" than technical trips, especially with this outfit. As I recall the short trail up to the first campsite was probaly the closest thing to a scrabble and it moved over and through everything OK. On the long and steep descent after we crossed the snowbank, it was an effort to keep it from wanting to run away. But I had the same problem with the lighter CJ when I ran CO trails before. Sometimes lo & lo just ain't lo enough!

At this point, low overhanging trees and such are more of a concern than getting off camber. It took a day or two in Utah to get used to the feeling of going up and down steps, often off camber. But with the unique mounting system, and the low COG with adequete distribution of my gear, it seems to bounce along as effortlessly as durango_60's FZJ80. Kind of a taller and boxier feeling than just a pick up, but it handles like one solid unit, not a combo outfit. The 3.4 is up to the task of moving the weight around all day with no problems and the 4.30 gears do help get the load moving and slowed down.

The airbags and adjustable shocks are working very well together. The side to side jounce has been nearly eliminated. Combine those with the 285's aired down to 19 PSI, the long wheelbase and sport seats, and the truck is up to the task. A brake upgrade would be a good idea before adding too much more weight. I'm stuck trying to think of a trail I've been down in the Jeep or the '85 that I wouldn't take this truck on. Some armor would be nice though.

More images from Darren -

 

[kcowyo]

The next 10-20 nights should include camping in Yellowstone NP, Montana, Glacier NP, Idaho and perhaps Oregon.

Turned out to be 40 nights.....

...and followed that up with a long weekend in Cali. (Can you say "Cali", if you're not from there?)


Total nights camped in the FWC last year - 60. Sweet......:rockon:


I've been getting a few emails lately, asking about the camper so a quick update as already one year has passed since that great trip to Idaho, to bring it home last Easter.

After 60 nights, I can definitely say this has been the biggest boon to my adventures in years. I love the security and comfort it provides while still allowing me to roam the backcountry trails I enjoy. The only negatives have been the loss of MPG's (worth it) and not having used a spacer between the camper body and the front wall of my pickup bed. The top front bed rail got tweaked pretty good and will require some BFH work.

Following the trip to Death Valley over Thanksgiving weekend, I pulled the camper off for the winter. I was anticipating spending most of my winter snowmobiling and towing my trailer. Mother Nature and El Nino saw that it didn't happen that way. So it sits in the backyard, a silent temptress as the warm weather arrives.



I've made a small list of improvements I hope to make to the camper. I've been in touch with former FWC owner and current owner of All Terrain Campers, Ben Burnett about some upgrades. I'm hoping to visit his facility in Sacramento, CA next Fall in anticipation of making my FWC experience even better. My short wish list of upgrades and improvements includes -

• ditch the icebox for an Engel fridge
• add the screen door
• get the wider 36" (?) door
• add a solar panel up top
• add a Fiamma awning
• update or upgrade the sleeping cushions to memory foam
• reinstall the bench that was removed by the PO
• ditch the dining table for something bigger than a lunch tray

From a comfort/convenience stand point, replacing the bench is at the top of my list. I like the easier access to the turnbuckles and the open floor space that not having the bench allows for. But I would prefer a little more secure storage and to have the bench to kick back on, at the end of the day or in a rainy camp.

The one other priority is a way to carry extra fuel. I've pulled into enough gas stations with the "E-light" on to know that a simple 5 gallon can would be enough in most situations. Just figuring where and how to carry it.

I'm hoping our next outing will be in May, for my annual pilgrimage to Yellowstone NP over Memorial Day Weekend. Following that in June, a return to Canyonlands NP, specifically the Maze District for a Father's Day Weekend trip. I'll be joined by my 6 year old son for his first trip to Moab. Should be a blast!!