Scout Olympic vs Kenai

[svinyard]

Yeah I'm not sure on this but I did have an idea that might work. Any time you are running an AC you'll be connected to mains or on a small Honda 3000 generator (something like that). My thought was that one of those portable standup generators would definitely do the trick. I think honeywell makes an 8000btu one that is pretty small actually. You'd have to ventilate it somehow. You might be able to place it where the rinse kit goes and strap it down. Then you could cut a ventilation hole and use Kalpop (sp?) that Total Composites sell and glue the vent housing to it.

Dometic also has some Semi-truck coolers that run on 12V and sit on top. They sit on top. But I'm not sure they would be able to actually cool the camper in heat like you are talking. Not sure I'm in love with any of those but maybe the portable option would work and wouldn't be a huge commitment up front. You could likely jerry-rig the ventilation until you've proved you like it.

Palm Springs is hot man...might need to relocate to the mountains in the summer

Anyone have an opinion on the ability for cooled ventilation? I thought the Scout Kenai was ideal for my family of five... Then I realized there is no AC. We live in the Palm Springs area, where it gets HOT. Thanks!

 

[MontyMontero]

Yeah I'm not sure on this but I did have an idea that might work. Any time you are running an AC you'll be connected to mains or on a small Honda 3000 generator (something like that). My thought was that one of those portable standup generators would definitely do the trick. I think honeywell makes an 8000btu one that is pretty small actually. You'd have to ventilate it somehow. You might be able to place it where the rinse kit goes and strap it down. Then you could cut a ventilation hole and use Kalpop (sp?) that Total Composites sell and glue the vent housing to it.

Dometic also has some Semi-truck coolers that run on 12V and sit on top. They sit on top. But I'm not sure they would be able to actually cool the camper in heat like you are talking. Not sure I'm in love with any of those but maybe the portable option would work and wouldn't be a huge commitment up front. You could likely jerry-rig the ventilation until you've proved you like it.

Palm Springs is hot man...might need to relocate to the mountains in the summer

lol yes, we migrate to higher altitudes for two months. And to be fair, we would not really use it in the height of the Palm Springs summer heat (e.g. 120 degrees). However even places like Joshua Tree and other Southern California trailheads heat up pretty quickly year round. Direct sun means direct heat, which means hotbox. Or maybe the walls are naturally insulated? Thanks for all the input here @svinyard . I think we might pull the trigger on the Kenai... if we can figure out cooling / ventilation. Otherwise it redefines the idea of hotbox!

 

[Porkchopexpress]

I think fitting 5 people in a truck camper and keeping it cool on the summer in the desert is a tall order. Maybe rent a similar sized rv with AC to test it out first?

 

[MontyMontero]

I think fitting 5 people in a truck camper and keeping it cool on the summer in the desert is a tall order. Maybe rent a similar sized rv with AC to test it out first?

lol yes, we migrate to higher altitudes for two months. And to be fair, we would not really use it in the height of the Palm Springs summer heat (e.g. 120 degrees). However even places like Joshua Tree and other Southern California trailheads heat up pretty quickly year round. Direct sun means direct heat, which means hotbox. Or maybe the walls are naturally insulated? Thanks for all the input here.

 

[svinyard]

If the temps aren't ultra-hot, our plan is to use marine fans like the sailboat guys do. Caframo makes some that are ultra efficient and move about 300CFM iirc. I'll likely wire in one or two their Siccoro gimble fan on some thumb screws and mount on the metal ceiling brackets. Should be able to add/remove them pretty easily and point them in any direction to get air moving or blow over when sleeping.

There are also these 7in 10,000 Mha battery powered fans on amazon for 40$ that people use for RTT. They charge/run on USB too. Some mix of that would likely give you enough airflow if its warm but not super hot. Also the Roofnest has a vent port that some people have wired in a nice CPU fan into to keep the warm/wet air moving out.

 

[gbsmith33]

I got an email update from Scout. They said they were struggling to get product from a couple 3rd Parties (Covid). So the colored fabric uppers are now only that same grey as the others. They also switched from the Roost tent to the Roofnest Falcon XL. I like the change a lot. I'm sure its not perfect but at least it has an anti-condensation pad, a mattress cover, waterproof side material and lightly insulated roof. I wasn't looking forward to DIY'ing those onto the Roost. Plus its all metal and a bit lighter. Downside is that it doesn't have much room for bedding when closing it down.

Wow tons of good info on this thread........I too am very interested in a Scout - was considering the Yoho as I'd like to put it on a Tacoma. The other option was the FWC Fleet (wife loves the bigger bed up top) but the feedback about moisture/mold and also the thin insulation for winter use is giving me second thoughts (I'm in the PNW, and will be using the camper year-round). Any other feedback on the FWC models in damp climates or for winter use?

Svinyard - I too have a couple young boys, just ages 3 & 1 now but of course they'll be 10 & 8 in no time. You mentioned you were inside the Yoho - do you see us quickly outgrowing it? I'm not tied to the Tacoma but would prefer to keep the mid-size truck. Also, any update on arrival of the Kenia? I'm in the gorge (Hood River) as well and would love to check it out if you didn't mind.

 

[Porkchopexpress]

I saw the Yoho in person. I think you would outgrow it pretty quickly with a spouse and 2 kids. I'm pretty sure the roof top tent isn't available on the Yoho? That seems like a key feature for families your size.

 

[GeorgeHayduke]

In addition to not having the rooftop tent, the Yoho dinette beds are in an L shape and shorter in length than the equivalent double bed you get from the Olympic dinette. Your boys are pretty young now, but eventually they'd likely outgrow the Yoho beds.

Our Kenai is supposedly en route to Colorado from Washington right now. I'll post pictures and info as soon as we get a hold of it.

 

[svinyard]

We've put the family in the Yoho at a dealer before. Definitely a no-go because of the sleeping situation. Olympic or Kenai are solid options tho. I know a guy outside of PDX that has 3 kids and is mobbing every week to camp at a ski resort. The love the thing and have it on a Tundra with air bags (I'd go with a 3/4 ton fwiw for either). Our Kenai arrives at PDX dealer on 18th I'm told and we pickup on 23rd (annoying to wait). We are here in the Hood too, your welcome to come check it out once we get it.

 

[gbsmith33]

Unfortunately this is about what I expected on the Yoho - probably too small for a couple growing boys; thanks all for the feedback. As to the rooftop tent, I'd likely skip that (how functional is it in the winter, or even on windy nights?) - so looking to sleep 4 inside. I also tend to agree on the 3/4 ton truck, although other than hauling the camper I'd never have any use for a truck that big. You see a lot of these - or even bigger campers - on Tundras with air bags. Obviously Toyotas are known for legendary reliability - I kinda wonder how the Tundra would fare after 6-8 years of hauling the camper around?

Svinyard - that's sweet you'll have the Kenai in about a week! Still time for some ski trips this season. I'd definitely be interested in checking it out at some point, whenever is convenient for you............no rush at all - I'm new to the truck camper setup and not in a big hurry to pull the trigger on any of these.

 

[svinyard]

The roof top tent works in the winter I'm told (by more than one family), I haven't done it personally obviously. I chatted with a family that sleeps their kids up there in bags down to around 20d iirc. They said that the only issue was that there was some frozen condensation on the roof of inner tent she'll top. The newer RoofNest tents they are using now have some light insulation and anti-condensation mat that will help with that. Heat wise, apparently the Dickenson fireplace was doing well for them and the heat rose up into the RTT enough via the inner hatch. The struts are also more stout on the Roofnest which helps keep flapping negligible. I saw a gal using it in some strong winds on a video and it does really well, but the awning flaps a bit and can be stored instead if it's blowing to fix that. Obviously parking into the wind helps too.

I'm a Toyota guy but the Tundra just doesn't have the payload to do the camper right imo. You get a 1300-1600lb camper, plus a bike rack with a swing out, plus 4 bikes, then 4 people, water for 3-7 days, food, fridge, propane, gear etc. You easily blow by the Tundras payload of 1500-1700lbs or whatever it is. People do it but not ideal. My buddy had to get airbags for his new Tundra just to add a Tepui RTT, gear, bikes, 2 kids. Not great and airbags take away some of your suspension in effort to level out the truck.

I really like having the bigger truck at times. I've towed a 10k lb excavator and trailer around to build a jumpline/pumptrack. I just got done hauling a bunch of drainage rock as we put in a bunch of drainage at Golden Eagle bike park jumplines. The extra cab room is noticeable for gearing up with ski gear with everyone in there. Obviously it opened up the opportunity for a hardside camper too. I don't love taking it downtown on busy days tho or into downtown PDX. But everywhere else it does well, gas mileage aside. We've slept in under a canopy up at 8mile for quick MTB overnights with my 8yro too because the bed is 6'9".

So, if you want to camp with 4 people...your options are basically tent camping, which is really a "moving simulator" and keeps most from camping nearly as often and certainly very little late fall-spring-winter camping around here. Also really hard on the wife for prep work etc, at least in our case with the kids. Or there is a Scout with the RTT (the tent is THE hot feature for anyone with a family...total game changer).... or a 24' Travel Trailer or a 140 Sprinter van that is VERY tight for sleeping with kids on the cold floor and a fortune (but sweet for ski lot gearing up when its 0 degrees).

 

[GeorgeHayduke]

I'd never have any use for a truck that big

I see this misconception all the time. A 1/2 ton truck isn't really any smaller than a 3/4 or 1 ton, at least not in terms of width, height, or cab size. Fullsize single rear wheel trucks are basically all 80" wide. A Ram crew cab with the 6'4" bed has a wheelbase that's only 3" longer than a Tundra doublecab, but you get way more interior space. The Ram turn radius is actually better than the Tundra by 3'. With a 'heavy duty' you get stronger axles, stronger transmissions, better ground clearance, a payload matched to how you're planning to use it, the same if not better mileage when loaded, and peace of mind for drivetrain durability.

 

[Porkchopexpress]

I see this misconception all the time. A 1/2 ton truck isn't really any smaller than a 3/4 or 1 ton, at least not in terms of width, height, or cab size. Fullsize single rear wheel trucks are basically all 80" wide. A Ram crew cab with the 6'4" bed has a wheelbase that's only 3" longer than a Tundra doublecab, but you get way more interior space. The Ram turn radius is actually better than the Tundra by 3'. With a 'heavy duty' you get stronger axles, stronger transmissions, better ground clearance, a payload matched to how you're planning to use it, the same if not better mileage when loaded, and peace of mind for drivetrain durability.

I agree, but the 1/2 tons usually sit a bit lower because of the smaller frame rails and independent front suspension. Unless you put a lift on a half ton then it's hard to tell the difference at a glance.
Also, the perceived reliability advantage of Toyota is definitely negated by overloading the truck.
I ordered an F350 and out of curiosity I configured an F150 as close as possible on the Ford website. The price difference was effectively nothing. The F150 would get better mileage unloaded but I intend to keep a camper on most of the time. Also, I believe 1/2 ton trucks design for the tests where as 3/4 plus aren't tested so they are designed more for real world economy. Therefore, I believe the real world difference is less than manufacturers numbers suggest.

 

[svinyard]

Is your Kenai already on the move? How did you know that? This could be the week! Oh and also better brakes/rotors etc on the 3/4 ton+.

Our Kenai is supposedly en route to Colorado from Washington right now. I'll post pictures and info as soon as we get a hold of it.

 

[GeorgeHayduke]

Is your Kenai already on the move? How did you know that? This could be the week! Oh and also better brakes/rotors etc on the 3/4 ton+.

We've been bugging our factory contact at Scout and the CO dealer nonstop for updates and they both confirmed it shipped out last week. Haven't gotten any updates since, but I'm hoping to maybe pick it up this weekend.

And great point about the bigger brakes too! Half tons are a great match for travel trailers where you've got say 500 pounds of tongue weight and an extra axle or two with additional braking. For truck campers though, you've got much higher payload demands without any additional braking capacity from the trailer. It winds up being a much harder task for the truck than pulling a travel trailer despite the combined weight likely being less.