How much off road can they handle?

[bob91yj]

Thanks for the input. I'll run my Jeep's as low as 4-6 PSI (beadlocked 36" TSL/SX's) when playing in the rocks. Haven't played with the truck pressures much.

Not a fan of adjustable shocks at all. Truck currently has Bilstein 5100's, torsion bars and leaf springs are factory, lift is accomplished through drop down brackets and blocks <shiver down my spine>. Considering putting some Fox 2.0's on before the trip. Emulsion in the front, reservoirs in the back. The lift was a mistake, I bought the truck with it. Other than larger tires, EVERYTHING else about it is negative. Getting some National or Deaver springs under it and getting rid of the blocks is on the list. I work at a GMC dealership, I see numerous trucks with the same lift. Amazes me that I've never seen one with a broken/cracked block.

Average speed on the dirt roads of Baja in my truck are probably closer to 25MPH than 35MPH. The last time I was on the road in to Coco's, it was at night, lots of race traffic going both ways, 10MPH with occasional bursts to 20MPH! Our crew in the truck behind me was also in a loaded Dmax, but pulling an empty car trailer...now they were miserable!

 

[NothingClever]

Any reason you don't want to go with a pop-up? They have electric lifts now so Mom and the kids could sit in the cab while you take the minute to raise the roof. Would help a lot with your COG concerns.

 

[haven]

This crew cab Ford with utility body and popup camper got a lot of thumbs-up when it appeared in these pages a couple of years ago.
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/12766-A-very-nice-built-FWC-on-Ford-super-duty

If you prefer a hard sided camper, there's the XP Camper
http://www.xpcamper.com/

How about a Tiger CX?
http://www.tigervehicles.com

Sportsmobile is an option, too. Diesel, 4x4, off-road suspension.
http://sportsmobile.com/ultimate.html

 

[bob91yj]

There are a couple more utility body/pop up campers on the forum recently. I think they are an awesome set up, especially for how I use my truck.

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/83268-Utility-Bed-Install-with-Popup-Camper

Toolboxguy has one too, Ford chassis I think. I'm in the market for a utility bed for mine. My CFO (wife) is onboard with the idea as well, so hopefully it will happen sooner rather than later.
'
No matter what you end up with you're still trying to get an 8000+ pound vehicle down a crappy road. Like I said before, set your expectations low, then you'll be happy when/if it outperforms them!:sombrero:

 

[dkoug]

Check out the Alaska Campers, heavy but they raise and lower for much improved centre of gravity. Google and you will see how many are very happy with this well proved off road hard wall camper.

dkoug

 

[Clutch]

Here's Rick's 4x4x4 on a long sandy stretch in Death Valley-just the kind of roads you'll see in Baja, no?

Yes and no, that is a great road by Baja standards, roads that see race traffic are beat to Hell and back, and beat to Hell again.

The worst roads can be the older paved ones....they pave them once and never come back to fix the potholes, should just leave them all dirt,
at least you can run a grader or dozer down a dirt road to kinda get it smooth again.

 

[bob91yj]

If there is commercial value in maintaining a dirt road, sometimes private parties will help maintain it (factories, mines, etc). You'd be amazed at some of the goat paths that they'll run tractor/trailers over on a daily basis. Remember, most of the race course is on public "roads", Trophy Trucks have 3 FEET of rear travel and use it all. Keeping shocks cool is one of the biggest challenges in any class of desert racing, 350*+ or so was normal for our Jeepspeed car.

Kermit is spot on regarding race traffic. A month of pre-running, chase crews, not to mention local traffic and spectators take a huge toll on the roads. If they've had any of the monsoon rains down there like we had in east San Diego/Imperial counties, they'll have run off ruts adding to the mix. Always an adventure!

 

[Clutch]

Kermit is spot on regarding race traffic. A month of pre-running, chase crews, not to mention local traffic and spectators take a huge toll on the roads. If they've had any of the monsoon rains down there like we had in east San Diego/Imperial counties, they'll have run off ruts adding to the mix. Always an adventure!

The run off holes on the sides of the road are always fun encountering them at speed...sometimes marked with rocks and dead cactus branches by the locals...my favorite sections are, when they were were going to put in a bridge but never did or the bridge was there but was washed away and never fixed it, but left the drop off there...yeah those are wicked fun!

Speaking of Baja. Abreojos is an interesting little fishing town, I am convinced that the people that live there,
are descendants from land pirates...there is an old lighthouse quite a ways in from shore. Story has it, that when the Russians
came to fish out the abalone in the early 1900's, that the town's people erected the light house inland to crash their ships on the rocks, at least that is
what the drunk hotel owner told us...that was an interesting over-night stay to say the least.

 

[jefe4x4]

Poor Jeff Nelson. The OP asked a simple question about a hard side camper's viability and survivability off road, which I thought was a valid one, and it comes to this. These user forums are all about a lot of personal opinion and a few facts. Sometimes, as hard as we pound, the round peg just doesn't fit in a square hole. My mea culpa is that I have supervised a few thread highjacks myself. My final thought is that in all the issues discussed above, form follows function.
regards, as always, jefe

 

[bob91yj]

The conversation has drifted around a bit, but for the most part it stayed relative to taking a truck/slide in camper off road.

 

[Clutch]

Poor Jeff Nelson. The OP asked a simple question about a hard side camper's viability and survivability off road, which I thought was a valid one, and it comes to this. These user forums are all about a lot of personal opinion and a few facts. Sometimes, as hard as we pound, the round peg just doesn't fit in a square hole. My mea culpa is that I have supervised a few thread highjacks myself. My final thought is that in all the issues discussed above, form follows function.
regards, as always, jefe

I dunno, get a group of people talking no matter where the locale is nor the subject matter, the conversation is going to bounce around...then usually there is a
pause, and someone will spout up, "what were we talking about again?" usually it is mostly rubbish, then again you might learn something new.

As for hard-side campers off road...American made slide-ins with except about 3 manufactures, have nothing on what is being made in Europe, OZ, and Africa.

I have seen hard-sides that barely go off road and are falling apart no long after purchase. Full composite structures seem better suited than panel over frame construction. Sure all personal opinion...

YMMV

I would say if you really want a vehicle/camper combo that will take a pounding, get something like what Maltec of Germany builds.

 

[Plannerman]

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/1915-not-for-USA-Ford-SORP

 

[Truck Camper Porn]

Yeah I think she could take a pounding. Where do I find one of those?

 

[Clutch]

Yeah I think she could take a pounding. Where do I find one of those?

The camper or the Ford?

If it is the camper here you go: http://www.maltec.org/

 

[Regcabguy]

If you've got the buckeroos,Marc's offering is hard to beat. www.xpcamper.com.