VikingVince said:Congratulations...great choice IMO...you'll have many wonderful times with that unit no doubt.:victory: :victory: Just curious, what's your wait time on the camper? I've heard it can be anything from 3-6 months.
Do you have stock suspension on your Taco? If so, I'll be interested in hearing how that works out with the camper plus gear. Firestone air bags might be in your future...I'm thinking of getting them if I add a hitch carrier and small motorcycle.
Congrats David!!
With as much time as you actually spend out in the woods, this is going to be a great solution. Maybe by getting a Shell model, the turnaround time will be quicker than usual...? I'm sure it will be a long wait for you either way.
Some favorite things I'm finding out about the FWC -
- love the interior height
- love that crappy weather in camp is a non factor
- love all of the screened windows and roof vent
- love the heater (when you live & camp where it snows in June & July, this is a comfort mod the equivalent of a portable fridge)
- love that it doesn't limit my truck's ability to get off the beaten path
I don't know if you'll be leaving your camper on daily or not. It's nice to know that it can be removed quickly if you have a buddy who's moving and needs your truck to help. Of course, it can be a good excuse to weasel out of helping a buddy move too! To me this is one of the biggest benefits of the FWC. You don't have to sacrifice the utility of the truck when you're not out on the trail. If you're anticipating needing to take it off from time to time, I would go with the adjustable airbags.
I look forward to seeing your set up and tormenting you over the summer with my own pics! :ylsmoke:
05TACODOC said:Lucky dog!!!
Now, if they would just make one that fits an 05 doublecab![]()
oly884 said:After I graduate next year and hopefully get a house I'll probably take it off every now and then. Keeping the usefulness of my truck bed was a HUGE selling point for me. Getting that wood frame out of the back of my truck is FAR from easy. Then the canopy itself, ugh. at 200 lbs. it's not exactly light....
I know I'm going to love the height with out question considering that my setup now has ~24" of internal height! ....
As for the furnace, how well does it work on a scale from 1-10 with 10 being the best? I'm also getting the arctic pack so I can go in the dead of winter. ....I'll probably not have any huge trips, maybe just 2-3 dayers. Then possibly something longer over the breaks. Though, in a year, I plan on going on a nice long trip, somewhere. Kinda a celebration for graduating.
kcowyo said:That makes sense with the apartment. It's not that bad driving around town with it on, barely noticeable. The big pass side window gives as good of visiblity as you're probably used to with your topper. Out the rear door isn't bad either. You don't have the width of the back window but you have a more vertical view of the traffic behind you.
I wish I had checked on the weight difference more between my tailgate, topper and sleeping deck vs. the 690lb camper. I figure those 3 things probably weighed 300lbs...? So the camper really only adds 300-400lbs overall....?
I remember when you first posted pics of your deck and someone asked about the interior height. It didn't seem like a big deal then but it sure will be nice having the room after a day on the mountain and to dry out wet gear. It was suggested to me on this board to carry a broom and step to clear away snow. I'm curious how many inches of snow on top of the camper would equal 200lbs and 500lbs and 1,000lbs. That's going to be a big factor for both of us to keep in mind in just a few months.
I've only used the heater a couple of times and real briefly. Probably the coldest morning so far was the very first I spent in it. The area is so small that it heats up in 5-10 minutes. On Memorial Day weekend I spent most of Saturday afternoon sitting in the camper watching the snow and rain come down. It was cold and at the top of each hour I would turn the heater on for 10 minutes and then shut it down. It was enough to knock the chill off the air and keep me comfortable despite the weather and temperatures outside.
The 2 and 3 day trips will be great because they'll give you a good idea of what you want to bring and how you're going to store your stuff, establish the morning routine, etc. It's not how many days you're out that matters anyway. It's what you get out of the days. A 3 day-er around SW MT will allow for some outrageous pics in unreal country. But you know that already don't you? :ylsmoke:
kcowyo said:I'm curious how many inches of snow on top of the camper would equal 200lbs and 500lbs and 1,000lbs. That's going to be a big factor for both of us to keep in mind in just a few months.
kcowyo said:I can't say for sure yet.
It was a full bottle when I got it April 15th and I've camped out 13 nights so far. I use it for the stove too and it's still going. I have an older bottle but I'd like to get one with a guage so I know how much I have left.
I think you'll be very pleased by how quickly and efficiently the heater works. If you left it on for more than 20 minutes, I bet it would sweat you outta there. True story.
I'll let you know when it runs out because I'm sure it will happen at the most incovenient moment possible!
oly884 said:Just some looking around pointed that the average weight per 1 inch of snow, per 1 ft^2 is .5 lbs. From FWC the roof area is ~59 ft^2. So 1 inch of snow would weigh 29.5 lbs. Keep in mind this is South Dakota snow, so I'd imagine it would be pretty dry. Dry snow is about 5% water, and wet snow is about 20% water per unit volume undisturbed. so that's 4x as heavy so 2 lbs per inch. So 1 inch of wet snow would weigh 118 lbs. Keep in mind that those are both extremes but both of us would probably be somewhere towards the lighter side. Heck, they don't call the snow here "cold smoke" for no reason!
The big one to watch out for is wet snow. 10" of that would be more than enough to exceed the weight limit. Light snow on the other hand probably wouldn't even be able to stack high enough, let alone, if you have 40" of snow on your roof, you've got other issues, haha.
kcowyo said:This is good stuff. You engineering guys rule. Always getting to the bottom of something. My good friend Joel on this board is like that. Sure helps me out!! :bowdown:
Wet snow vs. dry snow is another variable I hadn't taken into account. I'm more worried about wet snow in the Spring. That's when it seems to fall fast and fat and thus leaves us virgin powder on the slopes.
MMMMmmmm... virgin powder.....
What I'm more concerned with than how much can the roof hold, is how much can I lift and lower myself? A couple hundred pounds of wet snow or even gear on a rack is going to make a difference. The only way it's getting up in the air and coming down carefully enough to close properly is by man power. I like the idea of carrying a step and snow rake in the winter more and more.