iott2551
Ronin
Fulltiming in a truck camper!
Well, I've come to a point in my life where i'm ready to abandon the usual fixed location living in favor or the Nomad lifestyle. Initially I had thought about fifthwheels and or travel trailers.‎*Taking several weeks to think about all the places I would want to go, I quickly realized that I wouldn't want to drag anything more than maybe a military utility trailer. So I started to look at truck campers. Sure, an X10 custom camper would be great, if I had tons of disposable income, but I don't. So back to 'off the shelf' truck campers.
Anyone who has looked around would agree that the current available TCs come in every size and shape, from basic function only to oversized, superior appointed flgships. Eagle Cab 1200 or Host Mammoth, Lance 1172 or AF1150... choices galore.
However.... I am somewhat frustrated. *The floorplans are pretty much all the same and do not really invite fulltime living. Assuming you're a single guy, what is it that you would look for? Certainly not a dinnette that seats four and faces the kitchen. As it is, it seems like the only think manufacturers can think of when they create a slide, is a dinette. Okay, if you camp with the wife and a kid or two, fine. But for a single person, what do I need seating for four or five for? Thinking about my one room apartment, I don't recall a time I sat at a kitchen table. I sit on a sofa or a lazy boy chair. Why? Well, it's comfortable. So I would much rather have a Brookstone massage lazy boy than a dinnette, which is basically just wood covered with a 2" foam cushion and completely uncomfortable. I don't know I could sit through a two hour movie on those things. Again, we're talking fulltime! One area where almost all manufacturers are doing a good job is the cabover bedroom area. Yeah, some matresses are better than others and some 'queen' beds are a few inches short of being 'queen' beds, but the general layout seems conducive to full time sleeping.
The kitchen....well, maybe it is just me, but it seems that the truck camper kitchens are designed ‎so the brochure looks like it has everything. IMHO, the cooktop is obviously a good thing. But the oven? I've been in some high end truck campers and the oven would have trouble fitting a chicken, much less a 15 lbs turkey for say, Thanksgiving dinner, when someone might actually want to sit in the dinnette. The microwaves are large enough to heat up a cup of coffee as long as it's not a tall cup or pop a bag of popcorn, which then will fillip the entire inside. I would rather have a large convection microwave in place of the oven. Saves weight and is more useful. I'm guessing the power draw on the larger microwaves would kill the batteries, which is why they are not used. The sinks are usually well done so no issues there. Some models have instant hot water, a nice touch!
The living area... well, this is where the difference between camping and fulltiming becomes visible. If all the camper has is a dinnette, which faces the kitchen, spending three or four rainy days inside is going to be rough. Again, i'm single, I want more of a mancave. A comfortable sofa or lazy boy that faces a TV, maybe a fireplace, like one would do if one were living in a one room apartment. Nobody sits in the kitchen. We sit in the living room.
Bathrooms... there are some really good executions of bathrooms I have seen and some that a midget would have trouble using. For fulltiming, I would want a shower with a glass door (or Lexan or whatever), not the crappy curtain. Okanagan 116ULT has the best bathroom I have seen. Host is a close second. I don't want to get into an argument over the benefits of a wet bath, so i'll just say that it won't work for me. I kind of like the way CampLite has the bathroom and Shower seperated in the back, but i'm okay with the midbath too, which usually leaves a nice 270 degree view out the back.‎
So, having said all that, I've come to the conclusion that there is no Floorplan like I envision in the marketplace. Truck camper manufacturers are stuck building the same, slightly modified, plans for every model and I don't know why! Yes, a Host Mammoth or Everest has some comfy sofas but it still mimmicks the usual Floorplan. One exception maybe, the 2018 Host Cascade. Something a little different with the rear facing recliners, TV/ fireplace that makes it more 'mancave' and less typical.‎
I could totally do without the dinnette but I also don't need another sofa in its place. I'm one guy, I don't need two sofas and two recliners or two recliners a sofa and a dinnette for four. The only nice thing about the dinnette slides is that it opens up the room, which for fulltiming is not a bad thing.*
So where does that leave the single guy, fulltiming? Seriously, the Host Cascade (2018 version) is the only camper with a living are I could see myself actually living in, but at $60k and 4500 lbs, it's not really in the budget and very heavy. I've looked at some of the custom camper makers...well, they are custom and so is the pricetag. Again, not an option. Host has a 'build your own' option, but it's not really what it sounds like, it's just adding options to the standard models.*
So, if anyone has an idea of a camper that one would want to really live in as a primary residence, please share. If any TC manufacturers are on this board, throw me some suggestions. It shouldn't be this difficult. I don't think i'm asking for something far out. Really, i'm asking for less. Less stuff, less weight, less semi useless appliances and more open space and comfort for one (or two). * But as far as I know, nobody produces a model like that
Well, I've come to a point in my life where i'm ready to abandon the usual fixed location living in favor or the Nomad lifestyle. Initially I had thought about fifthwheels and or travel trailers.‎*Taking several weeks to think about all the places I would want to go, I quickly realized that I wouldn't want to drag anything more than maybe a military utility trailer. So I started to look at truck campers. Sure, an X10 custom camper would be great, if I had tons of disposable income, but I don't. So back to 'off the shelf' truck campers.
Anyone who has looked around would agree that the current available TCs come in every size and shape, from basic function only to oversized, superior appointed flgships. Eagle Cab 1200 or Host Mammoth, Lance 1172 or AF1150... choices galore.
However.... I am somewhat frustrated. *The floorplans are pretty much all the same and do not really invite fulltime living. Assuming you're a single guy, what is it that you would look for? Certainly not a dinnette that seats four and faces the kitchen. As it is, it seems like the only think manufacturers can think of when they create a slide, is a dinette. Okay, if you camp with the wife and a kid or two, fine. But for a single person, what do I need seating for four or five for? Thinking about my one room apartment, I don't recall a time I sat at a kitchen table. I sit on a sofa or a lazy boy chair. Why? Well, it's comfortable. So I would much rather have a Brookstone massage lazy boy than a dinnette, which is basically just wood covered with a 2" foam cushion and completely uncomfortable. I don't know I could sit through a two hour movie on those things. Again, we're talking fulltime! One area where almost all manufacturers are doing a good job is the cabover bedroom area. Yeah, some matresses are better than others and some 'queen' beds are a few inches short of being 'queen' beds, but the general layout seems conducive to full time sleeping.
The kitchen....well, maybe it is just me, but it seems that the truck camper kitchens are designed ‎so the brochure looks like it has everything. IMHO, the cooktop is obviously a good thing. But the oven? I've been in some high end truck campers and the oven would have trouble fitting a chicken, much less a 15 lbs turkey for say, Thanksgiving dinner, when someone might actually want to sit in the dinnette. The microwaves are large enough to heat up a cup of coffee as long as it's not a tall cup or pop a bag of popcorn, which then will fillip the entire inside. I would rather have a large convection microwave in place of the oven. Saves weight and is more useful. I'm guessing the power draw on the larger microwaves would kill the batteries, which is why they are not used. The sinks are usually well done so no issues there. Some models have instant hot water, a nice touch!
The living area... well, this is where the difference between camping and fulltiming becomes visible. If all the camper has is a dinnette, which faces the kitchen, spending three or four rainy days inside is going to be rough. Again, i'm single, I want more of a mancave. A comfortable sofa or lazy boy that faces a TV, maybe a fireplace, like one would do if one were living in a one room apartment. Nobody sits in the kitchen. We sit in the living room.
Bathrooms... there are some really good executions of bathrooms I have seen and some that a midget would have trouble using. For fulltiming, I would want a shower with a glass door (or Lexan or whatever), not the crappy curtain. Okanagan 116ULT has the best bathroom I have seen. Host is a close second. I don't want to get into an argument over the benefits of a wet bath, so i'll just say that it won't work for me. I kind of like the way CampLite has the bathroom and Shower seperated in the back, but i'm okay with the midbath too, which usually leaves a nice 270 degree view out the back.‎
So, having said all that, I've come to the conclusion that there is no Floorplan like I envision in the marketplace. Truck camper manufacturers are stuck building the same, slightly modified, plans for every model and I don't know why! Yes, a Host Mammoth or Everest has some comfy sofas but it still mimmicks the usual Floorplan. One exception maybe, the 2018 Host Cascade. Something a little different with the rear facing recliners, TV/ fireplace that makes it more 'mancave' and less typical.‎
I could totally do without the dinnette but I also don't need another sofa in its place. I'm one guy, I don't need two sofas and two recliners or two recliners a sofa and a dinnette for four. The only nice thing about the dinnette slides is that it opens up the room, which for fulltiming is not a bad thing.*
So where does that leave the single guy, fulltiming? Seriously, the Host Cascade (2018 version) is the only camper with a living are I could see myself actually living in, but at $60k and 4500 lbs, it's not really in the budget and very heavy. I've looked at some of the custom camper makers...well, they are custom and so is the pricetag. Again, not an option. Host has a 'build your own' option, but it's not really what it sounds like, it's just adding options to the standard models.*
So, if anyone has an idea of a camper that one would want to really live in as a primary residence, please share. If any TC manufacturers are on this board, throw me some suggestions. It shouldn't be this difficult. I don't think i'm asking for something far out. Really, i'm asking for less. Less stuff, less weight, less semi useless appliances and more open space and comfort for one (or two). * But as far as I know, nobody produces a model like that
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