What truck/camper combo won't shake apart off road, i.e. Dalton Hwy?

[BajaSurfRig]

I would recommend looking into a 2011+ super duty with the 6.2 and rear locker. I have a 2014 with a Lance 815 (their lightest and narrowest camper). I live off of a dirt road and spend alot of time on dirt roads north and south of the border and so far the Lance has been just fine. Added bonus is that is is wood framed so if something does break it is easy to fix.

 

[84FLH]

Did this for 20 years....

but the point is guns and camping is incredibly rare in Canada

View attachment 761593

Late 1970, early 1980's?

 

[84FLH]

I think any "RV" is going to rattle itself apart on rough roads after a while. We have a Northstar pop-up, and while being one of the better built of the regular truck campers, it's still a wood frame with thin cabinetry and normal rv fixtures, etc. It will go anywhere that the truck will but you're going to want to slow it down. Even at that be prepared for your cabinet doors to open and things to bounce around.

I'm a slow poke on pavement. Slow and steady as required on back roads would be SOP.

Tire pressure is huge, also going up about 2 sizes helped with the ride alot both empty and loaded. A rubber stall mat under the camper takes some of the vibration out and certainly glues the camper to the bed of the truck. Also spring -loaded tie downs are a must, and make sure you are constantly checking them for correct tension.

Another poster earlier in the thread said he went back to stock tires/suspension after using bigger tires/lifts/etc for years. From what I've read and vids watched, bigger tires allow you to clear bigger obstacles, within reason. How tall are your tires?

Thanks for the tip on spring loaded tie downs and constant inspection of same.

We've gone as fast as is practical on springtime Montana back roads, but every once in a while you hit that massive pot hole and cringe. The real rough stuff you just slow way down and you'll be fine.

What county in MT? Want to see Glacier, Kalispell, Bozeman, etc.

As for bears, you better have that gun or can of spray in your hand at all times to have it be most effective.

I cringe every time I see backpacker vids where their spray is in their pack or in a mesh pocket on the back pack. If it's not in your hand or readily deployed from a suitable holster (takes lotta practice to "readily deploy"), it's not gonna help ya.[/quote][/QUOTE]

 

[84FLH]

Right on the 1st point, wrong on the 2nd. Neither is effective if a bear means business... but in that case you may get lucky with the gun. If the bear doesn't mean business, pretty much anything you do will be "effective". Rangers prefer that you don't kill the bears, though. Thankfully even grizzlies rarely want to hurt you... especially if you aren't stupid.

Hey rruff;

I found several articles that said there's one major study that everyone references when they say spray's more effective than guns. Done around 2000, IIRC, by two or three scientists/biologists/fish and game guys (don't remember which).

The articles took a deep dive into that 2000 study and found it biased towards spray in several ways. I can't explain it very well, but the article explained it well, and showed how the study was skewed to say spray was 98% effective but guns only 67% effective.

What I recall most about the article(s) was that, as you said, spray was successful in repelling curious bears (considered an "encounter"). But the studies didn't note how many times spray stopped attacking bears, because that parameter ("attacking bears") wasn't included in the spray study.

Don't have the article links in front of me right now, but those articles were eye opening. They made me realize I never dove deep into the spray study (or studies) but simply accepted the claim that spray beats gun based mostly on the near impossibility of a CNS hit on a charging bear (or any other animal).

As a gun owner of 50 years, with much informal and formal competition shooting, the argument on CNS hit difficulty rang true to me. It's easy to hit swinging or moving targets all day long at the range. But when competition day comes, you find yourself missing a whole lot more than you did practicing alone during the week.

Now, if you add adrenaline overload in a live or die situation, whether from armed human attackers or charging bear, it's near impossible to hit a van sized target at 50 feet unless you've got lots (and I mean thousands of rounds a week) of practice shooting at attackers and haven't let your skills get rusty.

In the book "Bear Attacks of The Century" (almost all the attacks covered were in Alaska....great!), several persons successfully used firearms to stop an attack, not just a charge. And most of those successes didn't kill the bear right off; but the bears moved off after getting shot.

Few weeks ago I read an article about a 2018 attack on an Alaskan man who was clearing brush on his property. His dog returned home without him. A search found his hat, clothes, and empty spray that looked like it was fired. Body found next day.

So for me, it'll be spray and firearm if in USA. Or firearms, plural. Big bore handgun and .375 magnum rifle. If they didn't weigh 12 pounds or so, I'd carry a .416 Rigby; a cartridge that's made for elephants, hippos, and other dangerous game of Africa. Go big or go home!

With a .416 Rigby, a hit anyplace on the bear's body will literally move the bear backwards or lift it off the ground. It might not terminate the bear then and there, but it'll give you enough time while he's wondering "What the heck hit me" for the 2nd shot to terminate.

Maybe I should just retire to Florida...... ?

I think as far as ride smoothness on packed dirt/gravel is concerned, you want a tire that carries the load with the least pressure. That favors tall, wide, tires... according to Toyo load and pressure tables. The profile is harder to pin down, though. The load at 50 psi for the 37x13.5r17 is 3195 lb, for 18" it's 3525, and for 20" it's back down to 3195, and 22" is even less at 2910. So I guess if you want 37s, the 18" rims are the best? ?

Thanks. Good info I'd have never known about. Is the load rating per tire, or for four tires?

 

[1000arms]

When I retire in 4 years I'd like to travel North America in a hard side truck camper. In particular, Alaska, BC, Yukon, Saskatchewan. I won't be rock crawling but want ability to drive the more remote roads in those places. Roads with washboards, undulations, off camber turns, rocks up to microwave size, etc.

... -Interior shower. -Good heating system (for 0 degrees to 10 below zero) -Good insulation in floor, walls, roof. ...

... Hard sided camper offers more protection from curious/angry/hungry grizzlies than soft side pop-up campers. Bears have a tremendous sense of smell, even when food's inside 12v fridges or coolers inside vehicles. I can't imagine sleeping comfortably in a soft side pop-up after a nice steak dinner in the middle of nowhere.

Keep your speed down to enjoy the scenery, to allow animals to avoid your vehicle, and to allow your vehicle suspension to work as designed. Low-range can help additionally slow your vehicle to smooth your vehicle's movement over rough terrain. Airing down tires can help with some terrain, such as long sections of washboard. Lockers and limited-slips can also help with traction, but be aware of their limitations, such as a locker engaging on a snowy road curve breaking the traction of the rear wheels. Tire chains can be very useful in snow, ice and mud. Keep your center of gravity down low to better handle off-camber situations.

Vehicle and camper choices are compromises. A stock 2-door Jeep Wrangler "Rubicon" with camping gear will get you in and out of many places, a long motorhome might scrape/hang-up going in to a gas station, and many truck camper roofs/beds/cabovers will be uncomfortable at your height.

Depending on your budget, you might want a flatbed (or an almost a flatbed) truck camper on a pickup frame or chassis cab frame to make the most use of your truck/camper volume.

Black bears routinely break in to vehicles in Yosemite National Park. Unless you fabricate a well-designed camper out of thick steel plate, grizzly bears will probably be able to break in to your camper. You might want to look in to portable electric fences.

You might want to read through some of the articles on:

Take It Off-Road - Truck Camper Magazine

Truck Camper Magazine is dedicated to truck campers and slide-in campers.

www.truckcampermagazine.com

and

Truck Campers Archives

Truck Campers - A collection of truck camper restorations, builds, and user reviews of newer models of truck campers by actual owners.

www.truckcamperadventure.com

In the Spotlight: F350 Hallmark Guanella 'Stormtrooper' Rig

The Overland Expo West is the premier truck camper show in America. New truck campers and expedition rigs are rolled out for this big show every year, and

www.truckcamperadventure.com

 

[rruff]

Thanks. Good info I'd have never known about. Is the load rating per tire, or for four tires?

Per tire at 50 psi. Max psi varies according to load range and size.

 

[greengreer]

I'm a slow poke on pavement. Slow and steady as required on back roads would be SOP.


Another poster earlier in the thread said he went back to stock tires/suspension after using bigger tires/lifts/etc for years. From what I've read and vids watched, bigger tires allow you to clear bigger obstacles, within reason. How tall are your tires?

Thanks for the tip on spring loaded tie downs and constant inspection of same.


What county in MT? Want to see Glacier, Kalispell, Bozeman, etc.


I cringe every time I see backpacker vids where their spray is in their pack or in a mesh pocket on the back pack. If it's not in your hand or readily deployed from a suitable holster (takes lotta practice to "readily deploy"), it's not gonna help ya.

[/QUOTE]
[/QUOTE]

285/75/17 so about 34" Usually 50-60psi depending how much hwy we are doing. Probably the biggest I would run on the stock steel wheels. If it was a dedicated camper rig I would consider going bigger but I use the truck for work and am regularly towing 3-7 ton.

All over western Montana but one of the memorable ones was the road to Polebridge. Nothing technical about it, about 30' wide and you used every bit of it to avoid the holes.

 

[kpredator]

I’ve driven to dead horse twice, Dempster once.
Dead horse in a f150 with North Star pop up.
No problems. Air down and take your time.
Road wasn’t bad at all, till it gets wet then its
A mess.
dempster
F350 and a barn find hard side camper
Shadow cruiser. Found Dempster to be much
Worse road , pot holes mainly.
Again air down and slow.

research the Alaska marine highway
I wouldn’t miss that.

I am driving a 6.7 wished I went 7.3
Best mods
60 gallon transfer flow tank
Second spare on front bumper.

I take 300 mag thru Canada
Do the paperwork and no problem.

research marine highway
Google Annan bear observatory
Tracey arm fjiord tour
With adventure bound tours

also don’t miss salmon glacier
Fish creek bear observatory
Hyder alaska.
Off cassiar to Stewart BC then Hyder.
Bad road to glacier but fairly short.

good luck

 

[84FLH]

Dont waste yer time or money..... tree branches and leaves are plenty soft....

After all that....where's pics of the campsite?

 

[84FLH]

1000arms;

Thanks for a comprehensive post. I have a lot to learn about.

Should one disengage rear (or front) lockers on curves?

My dad used tire chains in the 50's. Still remember him putting them on. Every few years I say I'm gonna buy a set but never follow through.

I like the flatbed setups. Apart from the $300k ready made ones, some of the DIY setups are incredible. If I were to build one (and I won't...too old and not enough motivation therefore) I'd want radiant floor heat if possible. Maybe also run the tubing so it'd keep the fresh water tanks and plumbing (to sink, shower) from freezing.

Many of the flatbeds, though, are beyond what I wish to pay. That may change as I get closer to actually buying one preparatory to my travel/relocation plans.

This backpacking electric bear fence puts out 1.8 Joule and weighs 2.4 lbs. The battery powered energizer puts out 1.8 Joules at the terminals, and 1.0 Joules through the wiring. Under the URL is the owner's response to my questions. She responded to several other questions, also. For a camper I'd get a more substantial setup with larger fenced area.

Backcountry Syclone | Bear Fencing | Portable Electric Fences

Backcountry Syclone electric fence weighs less than 2.5 lbs ultralight design 8 x 19.5“. Shop our portable electric fences today and enjoy some bear-free camping, no matter where you choose to camp.

www.bearsentry.com

Yes they are waterproof with an IP54 rating as shown in the attached picture. They are sealed units and I've had mine out in the rain many times without issue. When I set mine up, I also put both energizer and battery pack back into the waterproof cinch sack, just to keep the battery pack dry. It's only 12 volts, so not a big deal if it gets a little wet, but it makes sense in the long term from a corrosion perspective.

The energizer is rated for 1.0 Joules with 20 km of wire attached (also shown in the attached picture). I think this is a little misleading, because the type of wire (and its impedance) is not specified. In any event, the energizer also has a rating of 1.8 Joules at the energizer output posts. From the research we've done, 1.8 Joules at the posts is more than enough for bear deterrence, especially when a campsite fence is measured in meters, not kilometers.

I hope that addresses your concerns, but if you have any other questions, just shoot me a note.

Kind regards,
Kate

Thanks again, 1000arms. I'll be reading the truck camper sites you posted.

 

[84FLH]

Hey billiebob;

Thank you. Appreciate the tire ply information. Have a question.

If max load rating is based on inflation to recommended PSI, does airing down reduce load rating? If yes, how do you know when you've aired down enough but not too much?

 

[84FLH]

285/75/17 so about 34" Usually 50-60psi depending how much hwy we are doing. Probably the biggest I would run on the stock steel wheels. If it was a dedicated camper rig I would consider going bigger but I use the truck for work and am regularly towing 3-7 ton.

All over western Montana but one of the memorable ones was the road to Polebridge. Nothing technical about it, about 30' wide and you used every bit of it to avoid the holes.

Western Montana is where I'd head. That's where the biggest mountains are. Would like to follow some of the Lewis & Clark trail. In the words of author Steven Ambrose, the Lewis & Clark expedition was the world's greatest camping and hunting trip.

 

[84FLH]

I’ve driven to dead horse twice, Dempster once.
Dead horse in a f150 with North Star pop up.
No problems. Air down and take your time.
Road wasn’t bad at all, till it gets wet then its
A mess.
dempster
F350 and a barn find hard side camper
Shadow cruiser. Found Dempster to be much
Worse road , pot holes mainly.
Again air down and slow.

research the Alaska marine highway
I wouldn’t miss that.

I am driving a 6.7 wished I went 7.3
Best mods
60 gallon transfer flow tank
Second spare on front bumper.

I take 300 mag thru Canada
Do the paperwork and no problem.

research marine highway
Google Annan bear observatory
Tracey arm fjiord tour
With adventure bound tours

also don’t miss salmon glacier
Fish creek bear observatory
Hyder alaska.
Off cassiar to Stewart BC then Hyder.
Bad road to glacier but fairly short.

good luck

Good info. Thanks.

How many days did you spend on each trip?

Thinking about renting a camper van or (pseudo) expedition 4Runner (from expeditionoutfitter.com in AK) for 3 weeks Aug-Sep this year. Lot of spots still avail for Jul-Sep (more in July, strangely enough). But should've reserved last fall for this Aug-Sep.

Three weeks ain't much, but I think I'll be ready for 'civilization' after three weeks in a vehicle without a real shower or toilet. Either that or I'll call into work, quit, and move to AK then and there.

 

[Peter_n_Margaret]

If max load rating is based on inflation to recommended PSI, does airing down reduce load rating? If yes, how do you know when you've aired down enough but not too much?

Yes, airing down reduces load rating and to compensate you MUST reduce speed.
Failure to reduce speed will see the tyre overheat quite rapidly. Then it fails, but maybe not straight away.
I use a Michelin tyre and they publish great data (if you can find it). This graph is adapted for my use directly from the Michelin data.


This is derived from Michelin data and my pics.

Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome

 

[1000arms]

1000arms;

Thanks for a comprehensive post. I have a lot to learn about.

Should one disengage rear (or front) lockers on curves?

My dad used tire chains in the 50's. Still remember him putting them on. Every few years I say I'm gonna buy a set but never follow through.

I like the flatbed setups. Apart from the $300k ready made ones, some of the DIY setups are incredible. If I were to build one (and I won't...too old and not enough motivation therefore) I'd want radiant floor heat if possible. Maybe also run the tubing so it'd keep the fresh water tanks and plumbing (to sink, shower) from freezing.

Many of the flatbeds, though, are beyond what I wish to pay. That may change as I get closer to actually buying one preparatory to my travel/relocation plans.

This backpacking electric bear fence puts out 1.8 Joule and weighs 2.4 lbs. The battery powered energizer puts out 1.8 Joules at the terminals, and 1.0 Joules through the wiring. Under the URL is the owner's response to my questions. She responded to several other questions, also. For a camper I'd get a more substantial setup with larger fenced area.



Thanks again, 1000arms. I'll be reading the truck camper sites you posted.

You are welcome!

Having a locker in the front differential and the rear differential AND being able to select whether each locker is engaged or disengaged (independent of the other locker) would probably be the best for what you seem to want to do, BUT keep in mind that isn't necessarily a requirement. My Jeep TJ Wrangler with an open front differential and a limited-slip rear did take me many places. (The "Rubicon" Wrangler I mentioned in my earlier post would be a lot more capable.)

There is a thread on this forum about unlocking the rear-locker when turning (while moving forward) to better allow the vehicle to turn, but the reference I made in my earlier post was about the danger of a automatically-locking locker engaging on a curve on a snowy or icy road. Such engagement can easily put the vehicle in to a skid. I have driven a two-wheel drive truck with such an auto-locker through lots of snow and ice with good tires, 700 pounds of sand under a fiberglass cap, and simply been careful with the skinny-pedal on the curves.

With independently select-able lockers, you would be able to disengage the rear locker during a forward turn for more steer-ability, but could re-engage the rear-locker if you needed the traction more than the steer-ability.

New and used truck prices are pretty high right now, but keep in mind that ordering a vehicle (or finding one on the lot if you are lucky enough) with the gearing and lockers/limited-slips that you want can be much cheaper than changing/adding them later.

Look up V-bar ice chains. Muwahaha! Make sure your vehicle will have room enough to use them on all four corners. Pick up another two pairs of chains that you can use on the road.

A truck (pickup frame or chassis cab frame) with a flatbed would allow for a simple insulated box. Maybe build one yourself, maybe have one made? Build the interior yourself, or maybe pay someone to build it for you? Keep all your tanks and hoses within the insulated box.

Dual rear wheels (DRW) would likely give more stability and weight capacity, but single rear wheels (SRW) would be easier to fit in and out of places, track the front wheels better in the snow and mud, and be easier to air down (DRW can rub at low pressure depending on the tire and the spacing).

Different rims have different load capacities. Be aware that some size rims don't hold a bead well when airing down. Tires may be available in different load ranges and/or rim size. Another rabbit hole for you.

DRW would about 8' wide, so why not have an 8' wide camper so that you can sleep without your head/feet jammed in to the walls (and without the long cabover needed for a front to back bed)? Perhaps too wide?

Alaskan Camper does make hard-sided pop-up truck campers, but check the interior height. http://alaskancampers.com/alaskan-campers-features-pricing/

You might want the right pop-up camper?

The 2017+ Super Duty pickups have pretty tall pickup-bed-floor to top-of-cab heights. Older campers might require a spacer under the camper to fit. You might want to look at the newer/new F-350 with the 7.3 L gas engine and the 4.30 (differential gearing) with locker (or limited slip with DRW). Lots of low end torque and gears good for slow careful offroad travel, but a 10-speed transmission which will also work well on the highway.

If a CCSB (Crew Cab Short Bed) would work for you, look for the "Tremor" F-350 (XLT or higher trim, CCSB only). I wish they would make a RCLB "Tremor" F-350.

I haven't watched them, but you might want to look at the Alaska Department of Fish and Game "Electric Fences as Bear Deterrents" videos:

Electric Fences as Bear Deterrents, Alaska Department of Fish and Game

Alaska Department of Fish and Game

www.adfg.alaska.gov