Four Wheel Camper - A Review

[slooowr6]

60 nights!! :clapsmile: I have spend 6 nights in the camper now still getting used to it. Will post some impression later. It's been great to have a hard shell around when camp in Death Valley, it's so windy!
I'm also trying figure out how to carry extra fuel. With ATC on my Taco I get around 17-18mpg on long trips. I hope to carry extra 5 gallon so I don't need to find gas every 260milles, I'm paranoid. I've been thinking about what turtle expedition did, carry the Jerry can on the back.
Have you figure out how long will a 75AH battery will last with Engel running?:ylsmoke:

 

[GaryMc]

Bump for the thread that originally brought me to the EP.

Updates? Did you find a way to store more fuel? Do you think you spend more time in the field due to the ease and comfort of the camper? Where do you keep the inflatable sheep?

Help me with ideas to sell it to the SO...

 

[kcowyo]

Update? Sure -

Since April, I've logged about 20 more nights in the camper in Yellowstone NP, Colorado, Wyoming and Montana. Not as many as I'd hoped for the summer, but I did do several local overnighters with the kids in the Wind River Mountains. It would be a toss-up for favorite trip of the summer, between the Father's Day outing to Colorado and a very smokey Montana trip in August.

I have yet to resolve the spare fuel issue. Lots of ideas but none that I feel are winners. I still feel that occasionally carrying a jerry can will work best for me as opposed to a permanently mounted auxiliary tank. By doing shorter trips this year, a solution for this has gone from being a priority, to the back burner. But I'm still looking for ideas and taking suggestions.



I do and don't think this set up has made spending more time in the field possible. The camper has been on the truck all summer and it's my only vehicle at this time. I can easily get out of town for an overnighter or long weekend now, everything is already packed. What I have come to realize is that I've passed on some day runs on shorter or more technical trails, because I don't want to bring and bounce the camper along. I would like to have a dedicated trail rig for day trips when bringing the camper is overkill.

How to sell your SO? Warmth, security, privacy, comfort, reliable, durable and convenient. I've been breaking in a new travel partner this year, converting her from Airstreams and KOA's, to dispersed camping in a rolling clubhouse. Her favorite features include the option of cooking inside to avoid the bugs, ease of setting up & breaking down camp, having room to stand up & get changed, playing cards or watching a DVD before bed, the heater in the mornings and a shower & shower tent I picked up earlier this year.

It is definitely "easier" to head out for a few days now. The larder is always full of canned & dried goods, wet wipes and a bottle of Crown Royal. The kitchen box is stocked with utensils, pots, seasonings, paper towels and coffee. The chairs, shower, shower tent, cooler, sleeping bags, recovery gear and even a box of firewood are always on board, ready to go. To leave town I only need to throw some clothes & my camera in a bag, grab some beer, ice and gas and I'm gone.

So what's next? The biggest trip of the year and it begins on November 9th.

3,000+ mile loop around the western US, including -
WY to southern Utah -Escalante, Capitol Reef & Bryce NP's
Las Vegas - 4 days at the Venetian Hotel & Casino
Death Valley - Badwater, Dante's View, Zabriskie Pt, the Racetrack
Big Sur and the CA coast - a scenic drive up the PCH 101, Mendocino
the Oregon Coast - lighthouses, Bandon, sand dunes
east across Oregon - Sisters, Bend, sage brush
east across Idaho - I-84, Lava Hot Springs, Bear Lake, home

We're anticipating spending most nights in the camper except while in Vegas. I'm really hoping we'll get to camp on a beach at least one night, most likely at the Oregon Dunes and/or in Arcata, CA.

Thanks for the bump. And no, we're not getting married in Vegas. You never want to make your sheep jealous.

 

[erod]

awesom kc! thanks for the update! i agree, the 4wc has its pros and cons like everything else...i had to pretty much live in mine for @ 14 days and it rained the whole time...while i was pretty comfortable it was tough at times with 2 peeps and 2 dogs. currently mine is in the driveway whil ei have been working on some mods and driving around without it has been a treat...i have a pickup again! thanks again for you detailed thread, a big reason i went with the fwc and we all look forward to your update on the trip and adventure to come...travel safe!

 

[Willman]

Thanks for the bump. And no, we're not getting married in Vegas. The sheep wouldn't allow it.

:cow: (wish it was a sheep smiley)

Very nice KC!

Love to meet up with ya and the miss in your Utah part of your trip!

 

[suntinez]

Man this thread has it all !!! What a blast I had reading it – all the way through. In fact you’ve distracted me for hours now from a great book I was reading, awesome!

Slushy coke, collared lizards, non-leaking suspense, nosy buzz killing cops, Hemingway, Steinbeck, depth of 1000 lbs of snow, corruption and refrigeration, pictures that could hang in a gallery, trip reports, other trips, world travel and oh YEAH – a camper!!

BTW no in “cali” says “cali” unless they’re transplanted. Usually from Texas but sometimes you hear Bohemian~Redneck~OG~Rebel without soap~anti-social looking dudes say that when disguised as mild mannered salesmen.

Keep these coming KC, you've got the knack ...:bowdown: Thanks for a great read everyone.

 

[GaryMc]

I had fantasies of a new FWC Hawk model and pickup as I drifted off to sleep, in the front seat of my Xterra while parked at the rest area north of Roswell, last night.

I woke up @ 6:30amwith very pissed off knees and a crick in my neck.

-Gary
posting from San Antonio this week

 

[kcowyo]

I understand Gary...

It was in Escalante, Utah and waking up to sub freezing temps like this, that prompted me to get mine -

A night or two before this photo was taken, I spent the most uncomfortable night that I can recall, at the north rim of the Grand Canyon. I slept in the cab of the truck, shivering, waking up every 5 mins and hating every second of it. The sunrise over the canyon made it worth it, but I knew then that I had aged out of my invincible 20's and it was time to accept my comfort-loving 30's.

suntinez, thanks for the wonderful comments. I really appreciate it. This thread went all over the place as I am prone to random tangents. I'm glad you were able to follow it all. Thanks for the locals tip on the Cali thing.

:beer:

 

[Clutch]

That would be the biggest downfall of my Wildernest...cold weather! I have a Mr. Heater, since I like to travel in the high country, it usually shuts off because of the low oxygen senser. Better off being cold than dead, eh? Even with a -15 degree bag, I still have a hard time sleeping when colder than 20 degrees.

Nice write up KC.

 

[kcowyo]

Hey David. Thanks for the thought and welcome to ExPo.

I recently saw a pic of a FWC on a Tundra that I thought had a decent solution. The owner had left the tailgate on the truck and was using it as a platform to secure his jerry cans. My tailgate is off, but I could do something similar. Getting my tailgate peppered with gravel in the down position wouldn't be fun, but perhaps a spare tailgate sprayed with bedliner would be a decent idea...? I do miss having a tailgate for an outside work area.

Another solution I recently saw was from a guy who had welded two additional receivers to his receiver hitch. One in the middle for a trailer and two on the sides. He welded a jerry can carrier onto a slide-in hitch. So when he needs to carry additional fuel, he can slide it into a receiver hitch. It effects his departure angle, but not too bad. I like this idea the best so far.

I had hoped for a simple rear wall mounted carrier but I was told without frame reinforcements while it's being built, that the weight on a rough trail could force the carrier to tear away from the rear wall. I also like the rear bumper platform some guys have built and fastened a carrier to it. But my camper sits just over the bumper so I don't have that room. I've even looked at carrying a small rack over my truck cab and carrying a can up there, but there isn't enough room there either.

 

[kcowyo]

Thanks David.

I sent you a PM - :beer:

 

[ntsqd]

On the tailgate thot, it occurs to me that you wouldn't need (nor maybe want) a second tailgate exactly, just a platform that serves the same function.

How about a fabricated frame that picks up the tailgate hinge & support points, which is then covered in plywood or sheet metal or what ever suits your use?
The supports probably don't want to be flexible. Make them from something stiff so that the platform doesn't bounce when going over the rough stuff.
Could even build the frame to have QD mounts for the fuel cans & propane tank(s). Shouldn't be much more than a weekend job.

 

[mtn-high]

Wow. Thank you for this post. I realize I'm coming into this WAYYYY late but registered to say that your trip journals and experience with Four Wheel campers has sent me over the top. Whereas I first thought these models were a bit pricey and have searched for alternatives, I'm now convinced after reading your "adventures" that they are the way to go and are worth the $$$ they command. (I'm also in the Rockies)

Any further adventures/experience appreciated! Thanks again for taking the time!

mtn-high
Colorado

 

[kcowyo]

Welcome to ExPo - ?

The Four Wheel Camper continues to exceed all of my expectations. Not a single complaint after two years of ownership and almost 100 nights of camping out.

Here's a link to our most recent adventure just last month - Spring Fever in Utah

 

[VikingVince]

The Four Wheel Camper continues to exceed all of my expectations. Not a single complaint after two years of ownership and almost 100 nights of camping out.

Hey KC...how are ya, dude? As our resident FWC owner/expert, that's a really good endorsement. I'm pretty sure a FWC is somewhere in my future. Just wanted to confirm one thing though (sorry if it's in the thead)...you've never had any leaks? (assuming you've camped in the rain) I believe some other owners have, so maybe it's a hit-and-miss thing due to inconsistent factory techniques or age-related issues. But just wondering if you've been leak free.