Overland Hadley
on a journey
Looks like a good trip.
SLO's FWC Hawk Refurb/Build...
- Thread starter SLO_F-250
- Start date
Looks like a good trip.
JEALOUS! Can't wait to see more.
SLO_F-250
Explorer
Hey Crew! Holy PAYING FOR MY VACATION! Been slammed at work since getting back. Ill take it though. Still working on getting the trip report up but thought I would post a few more picts for fun.
It was steeper and rockier than it looks! Promis! haha :snorkel:
So, I'm done with the old fridge. I gave it one last chance last weekend camping up at Morro Strand State Beach. I tried running it on 12v and it drained both my deep cycle batteries in no time. I'll be pony'ing up for a more efficient setup and getting solar. I've been looking at the truck fridge. They have indel compressors and a few guys on WTW have them and say that are good. I really like the fact that I can get an almost direct fit with the TF65 Model. Any comments or suggestions? I was debating edgestar but it seems a bit of a gamble plus Im not sure I like the "cooler" style fridge. An added bonus is the TF65 has a little icemaker. I like ice in my jack & Cokes. hehe :coffeedrink:
I've got a list of Mod's to do after spending some time in the camper. Overall pretty good. Wish I had the 4" mattress but picked up 1-1/2" Memory Foam at Wal-mart on the first trip. WOW did it make a HUGE difference. The girl was happy which makes for happy camping! haha :elkgrin:
The biggest thing I miss about the skamper is being able to keep the bed made when the roof is down. The only way to do this is to keep if fully extended which makes very hard to get the front of the roof up and down. Im going to try to add some struts on the inside to help with the lift so I can leave the bed made, pop it up, fold the mattress in half and push the bed support in. Reverse at bed time. We will see. Thanks to Overland Hadley for his advice on this to date!
Have a great weekend guys!
Paul
It was steeper and rockier than it looks! Promis! haha :snorkel:
So, I'm done with the old fridge. I gave it one last chance last weekend camping up at Morro Strand State Beach. I tried running it on 12v and it drained both my deep cycle batteries in no time. I'll be pony'ing up for a more efficient setup and getting solar. I've been looking at the truck fridge. They have indel compressors and a few guys on WTW have them and say that are good. I really like the fact that I can get an almost direct fit with the TF65 Model. Any comments or suggestions? I was debating edgestar but it seems a bit of a gamble plus Im not sure I like the "cooler" style fridge. An added bonus is the TF65 has a little icemaker. I like ice in my jack & Cokes. hehe :coffeedrink:
I've got a list of Mod's to do after spending some time in the camper. Overall pretty good. Wish I had the 4" mattress but picked up 1-1/2" Memory Foam at Wal-mart on the first trip. WOW did it make a HUGE difference. The girl was happy which makes for happy camping! haha :elkgrin:
The biggest thing I miss about the skamper is being able to keep the bed made when the roof is down. The only way to do this is to keep if fully extended which makes very hard to get the front of the roof up and down. Im going to try to add some struts on the inside to help with the lift so I can leave the bed made, pop it up, fold the mattress in half and push the bed support in. Reverse at bed time. We will see. Thanks to Overland Hadley for his advice on this to date!
Have a great weekend guys!
Paul
SLO_F-250
Explorer
Thanks for the compliment Scoutman! More progress to come soon! :smiley_drive:
SLO_F-250, Can you please provide the size of the FWC bed when it is NOT extended?
I assume in the FWC sleeping is inline with the truck bed while the Skamper sleeping is across the truck bed.
Also, do you miss the rear window in the Skamper's canvas since the FWC has a lift panel?
Sorry for all the questions but we have a Skamper 080S and I would like to upgrade to a FWC in the future.
I assume in the FWC sleeping is inline with the truck bed while the Skamper sleeping is across the truck bed.
Also, do you miss the rear window in the Skamper's canvas since the FWC has a lift panel?
Sorry for all the questions but we have a Skamper 080S and I would like to upgrade to a FWC in the future.
SLO_F-250
Explorer
Short Review so far...
Thanks Carl. I really need to get the report up. Lots of picts. Been working WAY too much... :coffeedrink: Coffee intake to the max! haha
Hey NC. I was waiting a bit to review the FWC, but now is as good of time as any. To answer your questions:
1) Bed dimensions. I will have to get you these a bit later but it is in between and queen and king size when open.
2) In both campers you sleep in the same direction. Across the bed so head at the passenger side and feet at drivers side for example.
3) Yes, both my girl and I do miss that rear window. Adds more light and makes it feel bigger as well as gives you another view.
Initial thoughts on FWC vs my old Skamper:
Downs...
- I REALLY miss the under bed storage. that was VERY nice!
- I HATE having to tear my bed down every time I pop the top down. This is a PAIN! In the skamper I could leave my bed fully made and pillows up there while the top was down. That was SO SO SO nice! Biggest drawback so far IMO.
- The under bench storage in my older FWC is pretty cumbersome. It could have been thought out a bit more.
- As alot of guys have mentioned, the older FWC's have the bed pull out over the stove. This means that I cannot make my morning coffee until my girl and I are both out of the bed and it is folded away. LAME! Some people have relocated the stove to take care of this.
- The original cabinetry was pretty cheesy/cheap. (Yes I think the Skamper was thought out better in that era.) It could have been thought out WAY better. FWC has made LEAPS and BOUNDS in upgrades in the past few years.
- I also am not a fan of the velcro windows.
- I also do not like where the water tank is located. Adds WAY to much weight up high. FWC has singe relocated it, but I was VERY surprised to see this in an advertised 4x4 camper.
Ups...
- FWC is MUCH lighter. I can hardly feel it on my rig where the skamper I felt. This could be due in part I made the skamper fit my rig and raised the center of gravity, but it does feel better on my truck.
- I like how the FWC looks and feels. Much lower profile, saves me at least 1mpg average. It is also very spacious, but I am comparing it to the small skamper I am used to.
- The overall FWC exterior construction is of higher quality.
- Love the racks on the roof and the structure of the roof. The skamper was just aluminum and fiberglass with wood trim.
- I like the fact FWC is still in business and has answered my questions to date. STAN IS THE MAN!
Because I like more remote camping and want a small low profile camper the FWC is perfect for me. A comparable size skamper IMO will be a bit more comfortable, but wont look as good and will be much heavier.
Remember those are my opinions after owning the 1989 Skamper 060S vs the 1990 Hawk. Other models of both companies might be different. Overall super happy as I have heavily "modded" it with plenty more to come. My girl and I are pleased and I am not very deep $$ wise into the project. I WILL be keeping this camper for years to come! Or until I hit the lottery and will be ordering and brand new one! haha :smiley_drive:
Thanks Carl. I really need to get the report up. Lots of picts. Been working WAY too much... :coffeedrink: Coffee intake to the max! haha
NCprepper said:
Hey NC. I was waiting a bit to review the FWC, but now is as good of time as any. To answer your questions:
1) Bed dimensions. I will have to get you these a bit later but it is in between and queen and king size when open.
2) In both campers you sleep in the same direction. Across the bed so head at the passenger side and feet at drivers side for example.
3) Yes, both my girl and I do miss that rear window. Adds more light and makes it feel bigger as well as gives you another view.
Initial thoughts on FWC vs my old Skamper:
Downs...
- I REALLY miss the under bed storage. that was VERY nice!
- I HATE having to tear my bed down every time I pop the top down. This is a PAIN! In the skamper I could leave my bed fully made and pillows up there while the top was down. That was SO SO SO nice! Biggest drawback so far IMO.
- The under bench storage in my older FWC is pretty cumbersome. It could have been thought out a bit more.
- As alot of guys have mentioned, the older FWC's have the bed pull out over the stove. This means that I cannot make my morning coffee until my girl and I are both out of the bed and it is folded away. LAME! Some people have relocated the stove to take care of this.
- The original cabinetry was pretty cheesy/cheap. (Yes I think the Skamper was thought out better in that era.) It could have been thought out WAY better. FWC has made LEAPS and BOUNDS in upgrades in the past few years.
- I also am not a fan of the velcro windows.
- I also do not like where the water tank is located. Adds WAY to much weight up high. FWC has singe relocated it, but I was VERY surprised to see this in an advertised 4x4 camper.
Ups...
- FWC is MUCH lighter. I can hardly feel it on my rig where the skamper I felt. This could be due in part I made the skamper fit my rig and raised the center of gravity, but it does feel better on my truck.
- I like how the FWC looks and feels. Much lower profile, saves me at least 1mpg average. It is also very spacious, but I am comparing it to the small skamper I am used to.
- The overall FWC exterior construction is of higher quality.
- Love the racks on the roof and the structure of the roof. The skamper was just aluminum and fiberglass with wood trim.
- I like the fact FWC is still in business and has answered my questions to date. STAN IS THE MAN!
Because I like more remote camping and want a small low profile camper the FWC is perfect for me. A comparable size skamper IMO will be a bit more comfortable, but wont look as good and will be much heavier.
Remember those are my opinions after owning the 1989 Skamper 060S vs the 1990 Hawk. Other models of both companies might be different. Overall super happy as I have heavily "modded" it with plenty more to come. My girl and I are pleased and I am not very deep $$ wise into the project. I WILL be keeping this camper for years to come! Or until I hit the lottery and will be ordering and brand new one! haha :smiley_drive:
Overland Hadley
on a journey
Sending PM. (Hint, gas struts in your future.)
Chevrolado
Cruisin'
Wow.. What a rebuild! Great job man. Love the refurbish projects. Job well done.
SLO_F-250
Explorer
Overland Hadley said:
You the man! Thanks!
I'll keep you posted on the fridge. Dang hard choice picking one! haha
Thank you! Its sure been a fun project so far!
We'll I have finally gotten a a trip report going from my first adventure with the new camper. I hope yall enjoy it!!
Bengreenfj
New member
Tons of great ideas ! Nice build!
Overland Hadley
on a journey
A photo is always good!