Newbie post. What camper to get to get to fit my needs.

[minnepiper]

Hello list!

I had planned to start doing a little horse camping on the weekends. I have a new F-250 4x4 standard cab with 8' box, and will pull a 13' 2-horse slant bumper pull with dressing room.

It would appear in the middle west that the new Palominos are best bang for buck. So the SS-800 or 1200? They seem near identical for about $10k. I have looked at the FWC and there appears to be a dealer in Wisc, which is doable for me, but $5k more that the pals. Is that extra $5k worth it?

This camper would only be used a hand full of times a year, and maybe deer season. I'm a bachelor, so don't need a monster hard side. Want to keep the weight down. don't see a need for a shower or crapper. Bed, beer fridge and stove for coffee is all I need. Still 10 years from retirement, but would start using it more then. I tend to hang on to things instead of sell them. Is the FWC better value for the money?

One thing is for sure, these new pop ups ain't like my dad's 1977 Cobra. ha ha. thanks!

 

[Regcabguy]

How about a used Northstar TC850? Mine's 15 yrs old now and doing well. They're made in indiana. The regcab's lend themselves to campers well with fairly even weight distribution.

 

[calicamper]

Hello list!

I had planned to start doing a little horse camping on the weekends. I have a new F-250 4x4 standard cab with 8' box, and will pull a 13' 2-horse slant bumper pull with dressing room.

It would appear in the middle west that the new Palominos are best bang for buck. So the SS-800 or 1200? They seem near identical for about $10k. I have looked at the FWC and there appears to be a dealer in Wisc, which is doable for me, but $5k more that the pals. Is that extra $5k worth it?

This camper would only be used a hand full of times a year, and maybe deer season. I'm a bachelor, so don't need a monster hard side. Want to keep the weight down. don't see a need for a shower or crapper. Bed, beer fridge and stove for coffee is all I need. Still 10 years from retirement, but would start using it more then. I tend to hang on to things instead of sell them. Is the FWC better value for the money?

One thing is for sure, these new pop ups ain't like my dad's 1977 Cobra. ha ha. thanks!

I think it depends on your load range. That should be your big first step. Our big extra wide heavily built two horse rig with two large Quarter horses and all our tack and typically a bail of alfalfa was a seriously heavy trailer by the time we were going down the road. Heck the horse I had for 12yrs was 17.5 hands and all our tack had to be hand made none of the standard stuff would fit him. He was a big boy!! And weighed like a BIG BOY too! Which case the pickups we used were all 2500 -250's etc and we didn't really much left in the capacity to put a heavy camper on the bed. Check out the rig weights thread its been a really interesting thread to read and a bit of an eye opener as you start to figure in your weight of stuff and campers etc.

I highly suggest you go read it and start writing weights down. You may find that the campers catching your eye will be far too heavy once you factor in all your stuff and the horse rig. I recall the horse I had when I was 13yrs old weighed more than my Mom's VW at the time! Pretty sure the horse was faster than that VW too! HA HA

 

[eblau]

I checked out a new SS1200 and was really impressed with the features you could get in the 12-15k range BUT after having a rotted wood framed pop up camper I would never own one again. Not to say that a new palamino would start rotting any time soon but they all die a slow death especially east of the Mississippi. I ended up buying a used FWC and while it doesn't have all the bells and whistles of that new palamino it was half the price, hundreds of pounds lighter and I know it's built to last for a long time!

 

[Overland Hadley]

My personal opinion is the Palominos are "disposable" campers. Great if you want to use a camper for a few years and then move on.

If you want a camper that will still be going strong in 20 years, and is worth repairing and updating, then go with something like the Four Wheel Camper. You get what you pay for.

It just depends what your priorities are.

 

[brianjwilson]

The extra money for the FWC is worth it. Go look at the Palominos in person. Cheap disposable junk IMO. Everything is very basic, loose fitting, the soft sides are just pathetic and flap in the breeze. It should not be windy INSIDE a camper with a light breeze outside and the windows closed. I have not been impressed, looked at them up close several different times.

If you buy one for $10k, expect it to be worth half in a couple years. Buy a FWC for $15k, expect to hold most of that value for quite some time. There is a reason. You will still be able to use the FWC when you retire. That palomino may be a rotten pile of firewood by then.

 

[tanglefoot]

Have you looked at used listings near you? I find truck campers to be great used buys because folks usually don't use them as much as they thought they would, they don't really have "miles" on them and they often sell for a fraction of new cost. I'm really happy with my 27-year-old camper, and I don't feel too guilty about not using it often.

There are lots of manufacturers to choose from, especially in the used market. I think a primary advantage of the FWCs and ATCs is their off-roadability. If you're on the highway most of the time, you might appreciate the extra space of the wider, wood-construction campers. FWCs and ATCs tend to be lower profile and narrower.

Since you don't need too many amenities, there are other alternatives out there such as http://www.duracozy.com/ and Quicksilver (with an added fridge and stove)http://www.livinlite.com/camper-overview.php, to name a few.

You might also consider a hard-side. There are some more basic, lighter-weight hard-sides out there, especially in the used market. They usually have quite a bit more storage space and they keep the elements and noise out better, and the aerodynamic and center-of-gravity differences between a pop-up and hard-side are less than one might think.

 

[freedomrider]

How about a used Northstar TC850? Mine's 15 yrs old now and doing well. They're made in indiana. The regcab's lend themselves to campers well with fairly even weight distribution.

I think this is a good option if you don't require an inside shower. Easy access to the side well storage is nice too. But I think Regcabguy meant TC800 made in Iowa.

 

[parkkitchings]

I recently bought an FWC for my Tacoma. Initially, I shopped the Northstar and Palomino brands in order to save a little money. I thought the Northstar was too heavy and the Palomino is pure junk in my opinion. I would certainly stay away from the Palomino brand. I think if you do a detailed comparison between the FWC and Palomino you'll see what I'm talking about. Since buying my FWC in April I've spent over 90 nights (trip report here with some details on the set up: http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/125634-Roam-About-with-quot-Big-Hank-quot in it and have had zero problems. You get what you pay for.

 

[longhorn1]

parkkitchings,

You should post at Wandering the West. I don't recall seeing your name. Great FWC section.

jd

 

[ripperj]

Northstar TC 850sc has cassette toilet and shower

 

[ripperj]

I should have stated that they don't go up for sale used too often , probably for a good reason , people hang onto them

 

[minnepiper]

thanks!

Thank you all for the input. Yes I would rather have something that will still be sound in 20 years, or if I have to sell would still be worth a few pennies.

If I did my maths right, I can ala carte one of these Grandby shells for around $12k. Is that right? Would include furnace, couch, stove, fridge. Ah, but no sink. Water jugs and a bucket are no issue. I like the idea of LED rear flood lights. very handy for horses in the dark.

Remember I'm mostly interested in a place to eat and sleep for a weekend of horse riding, a few days of deer hunting, or overflow sleeping at the cabin.

Plenty to think on. Thanks!

oh, one other thing. I'm in MN, closest dealer is down by Milwaukee. Looks like there is a $1k delivery charge. Can I pick up at factory and save the $1k? Gas would be cheaper than that.

 

[longhorn1]

I'm from Indiana and if I remember, there is a California tax that was fairly steep and when you add fuel cost to that, the delivery charge to Eagle, Wisconsin was considerably cheaper.

John

 

[calicamper]

Thank you all for the input. Yes I would rather have something that will still be sound in 20 years, or if I have to sell would still be worth a few pennies.

If I did my maths right, I can ala carte one of these Grandby shells for around $12k. Is that right? Would include furnace, couch, stove, fridge. Ah, but no sink. I like the idea of LED rear flood lights. very handy for horses in the dark.

Remember I'm mostly interested in a place to eat and sleep for a weekend of horse riding, a few days of deer hunting, or overflow sleeping at the cabin.

Plenty to think on. Thanks!

oh, one other thing. I'm in MN, closest dealer is down by Milwaukee. Looks like there is a $1k delivery charge. Can I pick up at factory and save the $1k? Gas would be cheaper than that.

I grew up not more than 15 minutes from the FWC shed. CA taxes would probably be a deal breaker. However!! You could probably do a meet half way sort of deal in a state with low or zero sales tax to help dodge that cost. The FWC is exceptionally well made and the family that runs it is very very good at helping folks out if they ever have some sort of odd ball issue or even if you want to add some type of option later they have helped owners sort out how to get it done etc. Really can't go wrong with the FWC. Also from a weight stand point the FWC vs sort of cherry picking your options you can fine tune your weight for the best approach to your needs etc. The Artic pack is worth it by the way both hot and cold locations it really adds a layer of comfort to the rig.