PSD
Member
Starting in January 2013, my girlfriend and I spent just over 13 months traveling the Western United States/living in a hard-sided Lance Camper. I already owned the truck (1997 F250 4x4 Powerstroke, 4x4, manual trans, short bed, extended cab), and we found the camper for inexpensive.
Now - 30,000+ miles later - I have a better idea of what we'll want for our next rig. The luxury (mainly its size and storage) of the Lance was nice, but it was also limiting. Fortunately, we only bought the camper with the intention of using it for the year (and we certainly used it - it's beat up and ready to be retired).
I'm fairly certain that a FWC (or similar pop-up) would better suit our needs for future trips, but I do have a few concerns:
1. How much weight will the roof of a FWC camper support? We've got a lot of gear, and there is no way around this. All of our gear sees regular use skiing, climbing, backpacking, etc; and was the foundation for the focus of our 2013 trip, and will continue to be the focus of our future trips. We currently keep 2/3 of our gear stored inside of the camper, and the remainder in a Thule Box above the camper. My intention would be mounting a larger thule box (or 2 smaller boxes) on the roof of the FWC: Any thoughts on this?
2. Insulation: I understand that pop up campers are more akin to a tent than an RV: how difficult is it to keep a FWC camper (somewhat) warm in cold temperatures? We spent time in Utah and CO winters where nighttime temperatures dropped to -20F. We get our fair share of cold nights on extended backcountry snowpacking/ski trips: it would be nice to have the option of sleeping in relative comfort while in the camper. Has anyone dealt with severe winter cold in a FWC? Any way to increase insulation of a pop up?
Thanks in advance! Looking forward to figuring more out and learning
Now - 30,000+ miles later - I have a better idea of what we'll want for our next rig. The luxury (mainly its size and storage) of the Lance was nice, but it was also limiting. Fortunately, we only bought the camper with the intention of using it for the year (and we certainly used it - it's beat up and ready to be retired).
I'm fairly certain that a FWC (or similar pop-up) would better suit our needs for future trips, but I do have a few concerns:
1. How much weight will the roof of a FWC camper support? We've got a lot of gear, and there is no way around this. All of our gear sees regular use skiing, climbing, backpacking, etc; and was the foundation for the focus of our 2013 trip, and will continue to be the focus of our future trips. We currently keep 2/3 of our gear stored inside of the camper, and the remainder in a Thule Box above the camper. My intention would be mounting a larger thule box (or 2 smaller boxes) on the roof of the FWC: Any thoughts on this?
2. Insulation: I understand that pop up campers are more akin to a tent than an RV: how difficult is it to keep a FWC camper (somewhat) warm in cold temperatures? We spent time in Utah and CO winters where nighttime temperatures dropped to -20F. We get our fair share of cold nights on extended backcountry snowpacking/ski trips: it would be nice to have the option of sleeping in relative comfort while in the camper. Has anyone dealt with severe winter cold in a FWC? Any way to increase insulation of a pop up?
Thanks in advance! Looking forward to figuring more out and learning