If you were to travel the world in a 4 wheel drive on many bad or non existant roads what brand would you choose? I'm going to buy a Unimog and for the sake of simplicity I was thinking about throwing a truck camper on it. There are lots of bad roads that are like a washboard for 100s of miles and I have heard of lesser campers just falling apart. Any ideas?
Toughest truck camper??
- Thread starter 355spider
- Start date
Photomike
White Turtle Adventures & Photography
I do not know if there is one that is the toughest.
I like, okay love, Northern Lite's for the build quality inside and out - mine is a '92 and looks like new as they use real wood and not press board. Add to that the fiberglass shell and it takes less maintenance to keep it water tight.
Biggest drawback is the size, even their largest is a lot smaller than many others as they do not offer slides. That being said if I was looking for tough I would not go the route of a slide as they tend to be the weak point and being in the bush it way be a non slide unit more than a slide on rough roads - and add to costs to keep getting it fixed.
How much space are you looking for?
With a Unimog I think a build would be in order to utilize all the space and make it exactly the way that you want. I do not know if a TCer of any type would clear the cab, something to measure first, without some modifications.
I like, okay love, Northern Lite's for the build quality inside and out - mine is a '92 and looks like new as they use real wood and not press board. Add to that the fiberglass shell and it takes less maintenance to keep it water tight.
Biggest drawback is the size, even their largest is a lot smaller than many others as they do not offer slides. That being said if I was looking for tough I would not go the route of a slide as they tend to be the weak point and being in the bush it way be a non slide unit more than a slide on rough roads - and add to costs to keep getting it fixed.
How much space are you looking for?
With a Unimog I think a build would be in order to utilize all the space and make it exactly the way that you want. I do not know if a TCer of any type would clear the cab, something to measure first, without some modifications.
I have a Northern Lite and love it as well however I would definitely not recommend it for any type of off-road travel. A short (10 mile ) trip up the road to Gooseberry Mesa resulted in major structural damage to my camper. The weight of the large ovehead bunk flexes so much when off-road, stressing the rest of the shell. This could be said for any truck-camper..........I would definitely stay away from the north-south bed arrangement or maybe opt for a non-cabover like an Alaskan, which seems to be popular with the Mog crowd.
There are Alaskan Campers from the 1960s still on the road. But no camper is immune from water damage. Any older camper has to be checked carefully for water leaks.
The Alaskan Camper is constructed of glued and screwed lumber and plywood. It's a lot heavier than today's aluminum frame campers, but the Unimog has enough carrying capacity to handle the load. Here's a U1300 with Alaskan Camper on board
The Alaskan Camper web site is a good example of amateur web designers at work. Don't be discouraged - Their campers are much better constructed! And Alaskan will build to your size and layout requirements, with the exception that the camper door has to be on the rear of the vehicle.
http://www.alaskancamper.com/sitemap.htm
The Alaskan Camper is constructed of glued and screwed lumber and plywood. It's a lot heavier than today's aluminum frame campers, but the Unimog has enough carrying capacity to handle the load. Here's a U1300 with Alaskan Camper on board
The Alaskan Camper web site is a good example of amateur web designers at work. Don't be discouraged - Their campers are much better constructed! And Alaskan will build to your size and layout requirements, with the exception that the camper door has to be on the rear of the vehicle.
http://www.alaskancamper.com/sitemap.htm
Photomike
White Turtle Adventures & Photography
Forgot about the newer ones and the flex, I love my older one as the cabover is a lot lighter (read into that a lot smaller as well) and doesn't cause the same pressure/stress when bounced around. Actually my entire unit is lighter and seems to be better for playing with in rough conditions.
Capt Eddie
Adventurer
XP camper would be a good choice for the toughest.
Overland Hadley
on a journey
charlieaarons
Explorer
If you want to go cheap, get a custom built Alaskan. If $$$ are no object, go GXV or Unicat. The latter builders will supply a proper torsion-free mounting system. If you do the Alaskan route, mounting is a good question and problematic since any Unimog, even a U500 twists a lot.
The "vaunted" 4Wheel Camper I had on my 88 F350 CC damaged the truck bed and was in the process of falling apart due to torsional forces when I got rid of it for the U500.
Charlie
The "vaunted" 4Wheel Camper I had on my 88 F350 CC damaged the truck bed and was in the process of falling apart due to torsional forces when I got rid of it for the U500.
Charlie
Stan@FourWheel
Explorer
Just keep doing your homework.
Get advice from the others on the forums who have been there.
See what they used and what they like and didn't like.
If you are going to spend big bucks on a camper, find something you like and that is well built.
This is just my personal opinion, not trying to stur the pot, FWC could be a choice but I can't say it is your best choice, I'm not even suggesting it.
I kind of didn't want to reply to this thread.
Just find it hard to see posts that say a certain camper is "the toughest" out there.
Especially with a new design that has only been out there for a few years and only have a handful of campers running around out there.
Doesn't seem like a time tested camper yet.
I know they are awesome, I do like them, i'm sure they are really well built, and I'm a fan and have been following their posts.
Not trying to bash. I would actually promote them because they do build a really nice camper !
But it is hard to say they are the "toughest" when there are so many other campers out there that have been around for years and years and hold up well for these type of adventures.
I have always liked the looks of the Alaskan Camper on the Unimogs.
.
Get advice from the others on the forums who have been there.
See what they used and what they like and didn't like.
If you are going to spend big bucks on a camper, find something you like and that is well built.
This is just my personal opinion, not trying to stur the pot, FWC could be a choice but I can't say it is your best choice, I'm not even suggesting it.
I kind of didn't want to reply to this thread.
Just find it hard to see posts that say a certain camper is "the toughest" out there.
Especially with a new design that has only been out there for a few years and only have a handful of campers running around out there.
Doesn't seem like a time tested camper yet.
I know they are awesome, I do like them, i'm sure they are really well built, and I'm a fan and have been following their posts.
Not trying to bash. I would actually promote them because they do build a really nice camper !
But it is hard to say they are the "toughest" when there are so many other campers out there that have been around for years and years and hold up well for these type of adventures.
I have always liked the looks of the Alaskan Camper on the Unimogs.
.
XP001
New member
You are right, who am I to say which camper is tougher.
I am very new here and I guess I worded my post badly.
I was trying to comment on the previous post where the poster remarked about the problems with the flexing of the overhead and where I had been watching for the flexing on our XP as it was a concern to me too, and we, much to our surprise saw little or no flexing and I should have just remarked about that and not suggested that the XP is the toughest. My bad!!!
But we really hope she is the toughest as we have sunk a ton of money into her.... LOL
I am very new here and I guess I worded my post badly.
I was trying to comment on the previous post where the poster remarked about the problems with the flexing of the overhead and where I had been watching for the flexing on our XP as it was a concern to me too, and we, much to our surprise saw little or no flexing and I should have just remarked about that and not suggested that the XP is the toughest. My bad!!!
But we really hope she is the toughest as we have sunk a ton of money into her.... LOL
bajajoaquin
Adventurer
If you were willing to do a cabover, you're not concerned about having it flush with the cab, right? Why not a short trailer on the bed, like Carl Hunter did with a Bigfoot?
Carl Hunter's Bigfoot
Carl Hunter's Bigfoot
deminimis
Explorer
Yes, Bigfoot is built like a boat. They are also heavy. Not an issue for a Mog. Not an issue for our 1-ton either. Very comfy in a variety of conditions too. I've pitched them before on here, but no vested interest. I did a lot of research when shopping and talked with folks that abused their BF's all over (as well as discussions with most mfrs and owners). With what I know now and armed with personal experience, if I was shopping for a hard-side camper today, I'd buy a Bigfoot again. My only complaint is the floor plan. Our dry bath is too big. I'd rather have a smaller wet bath and a wrap around dining area (so there would be a larger dinette bed).
