Four Wheel Camper (Hawk) for a family of 4?

[mountainsoul]

You would be OK putting a Hawk Model on a 1/2 ton, crew cab truck, with the shorter 5' 5" - 5' 8" bed.

We do this all the time.

The camper sticks out a little, but no big deal.

On most all of the 1/2 tons trucks you will want to add a set of helper springs or a set of air bags to the rear suspension so the truck will better handle the weight of the camper.

Attached are some sample pictures so you can see what it looks like.

You can leave the tail gate on, and in the lowered position, or you can take the tail gate off. Whatever you prefer.

Happy Camping !

Stan,

Thank you for the personal response and accurate information. That is good to know because I really want a fullsize crew cab if possible for the comfort of the family during long road trips. The fact that it sticks out a foot from the rear doesn't bother me as long as it is structurally sound. I may be contacting you in the near future to place an order. Just need to decide on a truck first. Cheers mate.

 

[taverre]

Still in the dreaming stage but...can a FWC accommodate a family of five? Kids aged 5, 3, 1.5. I'm thinking for rainy days it would be hell unless we all put on rain gear and go exploring. Sleep plans are, two adults in queen above cab then mount eye holes bolts in wall for bunk bed, hammocks above the slide out couch. This way either two kids share couch and one gets the hammock, or I set up two hammocks above the couch and each get their own bed, or one sleeps across the backseats of the truck cab, one on the couch and one above in a hammock. If there is no safe way to mount the eyebolts then what about stackable cots?
I have never been in one of these so I don't know if I'm being totally unrealistic with this or if I'm on to something. The other option I have been considering has been a sportsmobile or weekender type van for similar use. Is anyone able to weigh in on room comparisons btwn a van and a FWC, and the feasibility of a family of five using one of thee options?

I saw the gentleman who posted about six kids but I didn't see how many he would travel with at a time in a FWC.

 

[JHa6av8r]

We have a Grandby in a standard bed (6 1/2' bed) Silverado. We have the front dinette arrangement and sleeping 4 even if all were adults would be easy and relatively comfortable. The dogs sleep in the truck.

 

[JHa6av8r]

Still in the dreaming stage but...can a FWC accommodate a family of five? Kids aged 5, 3, 1.5. I'm thinking for rainy days it would be hell unless we all put on rain gear and go exploring. Sleep plans are, two adults in queen above cab then mount eye holes bolts in wall for bunk bed, hammocks above the slide out couch. This way either two kids share couch and one gets the hammock, or I set up two hammocks above the couch and each get their own bed, or one sleeps across the backseats of the truck cab, one on the couch and one above in a hammock. If there is no safe way to mount the eyebolts then what about stackable cots?
I have never been in one of these so I don't know if I'm being totally unrealistic with this or if I'm on to something. The other option I have been considering has been a sportsmobile or weekender type van for similar use. Is anyone able to weigh in on room comparisons btwn a van and a FWC, and the feasibility of a family of five using one of thee options?

I saw the gentleman who posted about six kids but I didn't see how many he would travel with at a time in a FWC.

Again I have the front dinette, you could sleep 3 on the queen and 2 on the dinette/bed. With the front dinette the galley is in the back. You could still make meals and all the kids would be out of the way. It's a good layout.

 

[ChuckB]

Great info! I have two kids (twins, 8 months) and two dogs. I'm also in the dreaming phase right now. I have no truck and no camper. Since I have started my initial research I had the same question as the OP. I'm also considering a used SMB and trying to weigh the pros/cons with a slide-in camper. In reality I'm a couple years away from making a decision and trying to absorb all the experiences I can from ExPo members. Thanks!

 

[mkish]

It's not the sleeping so much. It's the stuff.

We have 2 adults, 2 kids (5 and 8), and sometimes a dog (80 lbs). We couldn't imagine getting our stuff in a Hawk (or Grandby) no matter how hard we thunk, and we tried. We opted for something with underbed (and queen size) storage. It's not as sleek, nimble, or lightweight as a FWC or ATC but we can fit in clean underwear for every day and that's worth it to us. (We have a Northstar tc800.)

Something to keep in mind with a family in a squishy camper is that you will want to put the kids to bed before you which might mean THEY get the cabover bed (because it's hard to climb over the dinette/couch bed without waking up the sleepers).

We find it works best to sleep with three in the north-south queen bed sleeping east-west since three of us are short enough to do so (that doesn't work with most adults though). The tall adult gets the dinette and the dog gets the floor. Our dinette bed won't comfortably sleep two adults. Maybe 2 kids (but not mine!).

 

[NothingClever]

However the main concern is size - can two adults and two kids live in these units?

What's the climate like where you intend to live "in" your camper?

Where do you like to camp (i.e, KOAs or remote BLM / FS sites?)

I think you'll be fine while traveling because of the four doors but once you get to your destination, the usual camping clutter of four people (which you will have to load and unload out of the camper every time) will probably have you living "out" of your camper. An awning and some type of camping chairs will be important to keep everybody out of each other's way.

 

[NothingClever]

LOL...just noticed the OP posted three years ago. He's probably already bought and sold a camper and has everything figured out for his needs.

 

[mkish]

That just means the OP's kids are even bigger now. But now we're talking to Chuck!

 

[ChuckB]

That just means the OP's kids are even bigger now. But now we're talking to Chuck!

Works for me!

The "stuff" issue does have me concerned. It boggles my mind the amount stuff we take with us just for a day at the beach. Packing for even a weekend away is a major evolution. Maybe that is because my kids are still under 1 year, but it makes my Land Cruiser seem small very quickly. I'm also a pretty efficient packer.

I have also been looking at off-road type pop-up trailers. adrenalin campers. I believe these have the under-bed storage.

The comment about the kids going to sleep first and putting them in the north-south bed is a good point. My issue with that is the wife and I not being able to sleep together on the dinette. Another issue to consider in our decision.

My main purpose for wanting a truck based camper is the ability to tow another vehicle behind the truck. Eventually, I would like to have an FJ40 to tow behind the camper in my retirement days. When and if that happens, my kids may be in college by then. So maybe that part of the equation won't be an issue. I would prefer to find a solution which meets all of these needs (current and future) and only buy one camper for at least the next 20 years. I'm not sure if that is possible?

Appreciate all the advice!

 

[mkish]

Some dinette beds are bigger than others. (And some walkways aren't bad--we can actually keep a dog and a portapotty in ours when the dinette is set up as a bed.) You just have to figure out how close you can stand sleeping (and how close your wife will want to be if you haven't showered). It's definitely a compromise no matter what you do. I think you just have to suffer until the kids are old enough to sleep in a tent. With the dog. Yeah that would be nice! Hallmark and Outfitter have bunkbed options but I haven't seen them. I might want to try to make my own though. The kids fight...

 

[ChuckB]

The bunkbed option sounds interesting. I'm quickly coming to the realization that this is going to be a VERY involved decision making process. There are so many options to choice from between RTTs, SMBs, hard and soft-sided campers, ground tents and trailer pop-ups. Considering that we are relatively amateur campers, I think I need to take a step back instead of diving in head first. We really need to consider what our intended use is going to be and what associated activities we plan on doing while camping.

It is really fun thinking about all the different possibilities. If only money were not object...

Thanks for the insight!

 

[taverre]

Virtually the same as me. I keep going back and forth btwn, flippac, FWC or SMB. My budget is hardly existent it is so small so this rules out new anything. My biggest concern is which would provide the most space. The FWC, although very nice, do not seem to have much space. The flippac seems like the largest option although I'm Leary about two things. 1) price considering it is a tent with a nice foam mattress, I.e. still have to set up a rain fly or tarp which will mean hot and low ventilation and 2) say you have two adults sleeping in the bed over the cab, one child in hammock bed across from cab, one/two on floor of truck bed, the adults would not be able to move in or out of their bed once the kids are in bed. This would mean early bedtime for adults and prayers that you don't need to use the bathroom during the night.

A fourth option that looks cool would be a flat bed FWC. Problems with this, however, are cost of camper plus cost of flat bed conversion and bed. Also, I'm not sure eliminating the wheel wells will yield that much extra space to justify. Not like you get an extra bed out of the deal.

I am excited to see what happens and the cost of the new 2014 ford connect. With any luck it will be a boost in interior, boost in mpg and drop in price from a sprinter.

Anyone with multiple kids, that can weigh in on the what and how's of SMB or flippac or FWC?

 

[LuckyDan]

Storage space specifically, and inside space in general is, IMO, the biggest gripe with and a major reason people leave FWC for something else. I have an old Grandby and have made it work for family-ish camping. The comments of living "out of" and crap management are pretty spot on. Though my children, (2) are almost grown up we still use it for mostly weekend but a few 3-4 night excursions when we can. We have learned to be deliberate in what we bring, trying to limit it to one duffle per person, and having non sensitive stuff in plastic tubs that can be set outside. If it's nice or nice-ish outside and we're boondocking, (usually) a lot of the time we cook over a campfire and one of us will use a cot outside. I have the FWC table, but if all three of us go and I think we'll be sequestered inside, I'll probably leave it behind. If inside sleeping is required for three I've built a cheap, I think ghetto is the term currently in vogue, pullout to extend the top bed to allow for n/s sleeping for the boys, now each around 6'01" or 02". I'm 5'11" and use the front couch that run across the camper. It too is modified to be level with the upper step sides so it's a level sleeping area from sidewall to sidewall. Of course this almost requires whomever rises first to get their stuff and get outside till we get the bed put away. We are fisher people and hauling three float tubes and wader bags anymore requires using the roof. It works but it looks like a carnival wagon going down the road.

I guess I should mention the reason I stick with it is:
#1 my boys will probably be out on their own sooner than later, meaning soon I'll have more me room.
#2 It's paid for
#3 I have an old fish/ski boat and quad I occasionally tow
#4 Unless towing or loaded to the gills it only doinks my gas milage 2-3 miles a gallon
#5 My expo-ing is directly related to to my funding. See #2 and #4 above

I hope this lengthy reply helps.

 

[ChuckB]

Great info, keep it coming!!