Thread: Truck campers

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  1. #1
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    Truck campers

    School me on truck campers. I have looked at them for a long time and I'm seriously thinking about buying one. I have a F250 short bed truck so I know that will limit my options some but do you really need a bathroom? If you was buying another one what would you guys change about your setup?

  2. Sheepdog mike464's Avatar
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    #2
    I've had toppers, full size truck campers, and now an Alaskan (hard sided, pop up truck camper). I had the toilet taken out of this one, I usually am at a campground with showers or overnight at a rest stop so it wasn't needed. I use it at tournaments, a little crowded for 2 guys, great by myself or with my wife. I have not regretted removing the bathroom.

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    #3
    Quote Originally Posted by mike464 View Post
    I've had toppers, full size truck campers, and now an Alaskan (hard sided, pop up truck camper). I had the toilet taken out of this one, I usually am at a campground with showers or overnight at a rest stop so it wasn't needed. I use it at tournaments, a little crowded for 2 guys, great by myself or with my wife. I have not regretted removing the bathroom.
    Im thinking the same thing. I would be either in a campground or way back in the woods with most of our time using it. I didn't know that some of these things can cost over 70K. I honestly looking in the high teens or mid 20's for something new or close to new.

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    #4
    Jaime, Like you, I did a lot of research before I took the plunge. I had my mind set on a Northstar Liberty as I also have a F250 with heavy duty tow package (read overload springs w/o the camper cert) and snow plow package. I already knew at that time that I was going to get a new one ton truck next year. I'm going to use it to pull the boat and fish in different places and also to travel cross-country when my wife retires next year. I read all the forums and I could not find one negative thing about Northstar. Actually, they seem to be ranked #1 in customer service even by the none Northstar owners. When I went to A&M Services (campersplus.com) in Kittrell, NC the wife and I both decided that the Liberty was too small and wound up going with the Northstar Laredo SC. Love my Northstar and wouldn't change a thing about it. One of the items that I like and was looking for, which probably turn most people off, is that it has a cassette toilet. Like Mike said, when you're in the campground you'll use their facilities. When we boondock in the forest and national parks we'll still want the ability to shower and my wife isn't too keen in going outdoors (city girls ). Me, show me a tree with a good fork in it and hand me a magazine. Northstar is a no-frills type of camper but is rock solid. They only do truck campers, period. They also make pop-ups which may be right up your alley. You can find a lot of good info here on BBC. Recommend looking at A&M Services. Mark and the team are GREAT to work with!! Good luck!!

  5. Sheepdog mike464's Avatar
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    Jamie, if you're looking for a decent camper that won't break the bank, either Four Wheel Camper or Alaskan make something that might work for you. You can outfit them however fancy you want. Here's a link to Four Wheel and the Wandering the West Camper forum: https://fourwh.com/ http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/f...truck-campers/

  6. Member Bob B's Avatar
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    You can definitely find a truck camper that will work with a 3/4 ton truck. Make sure when you are figuring out the weight that you include the weight of your Water and other STUFF.
    I hauled an 11' Lance on my C2500 for many years but upgraded the tires. I have now moved up to a Lance 1181 and a 3500 dually....which takes it near the top of it's payload capacity.

    I personally wouldn't own a truck camper without a bathroom and the one I have now has a dry bath. I spend quite a bit of my camping time in CORPS camgrounts and it is cheap to get a full hook-up site with a senior discount. Just like it being nice to have your own bed and not have to worry about bed bugs ETC from cheap motels ... it is nice to have your own bathroom and shower. Some units have cassette toilets and other toilet options
    It is really up to you what you want and how many creature comforts you want. I started out camping with a sleeping bag by the side of a creek, went to a tent, went to a pop-up camper...then to a truck camper. As you get older creature comforts become more important.
    Will probably always stay with a truck camper because of the ability to camp and fish with only 1 vehicle.

    I bought both my truck campers used .... no way would I pay what they want for a new one.
    Last edited by Bob B; 12-11-2018 at 06:00 PM.
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    #7
    Just got a used Camp Lite 6.8 with a wet bath and I prefer it as I’m kind of OCD about bathrooms. Went with a short bed model on a long bed truck with no rear overhang. Center of gravity is identical loaded on long or short bed as the extra bed length is in front of the axle. Allows me a space for wet boat covers and other stuff I don’t want inside my cab or camper. Unit is 2100 lbs dry and on a single rear wheel 3500 only squats 2” which actually levels the truck. Only thing I wish I could change is mine only has one battery and no room for a second. Wish it had a second battery.

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    #9
    Thanks guys. I went and looked at some new ones yesterday and honestly was impressed. Its hard to look at pics and get an idea of how they look in real life. They had a used one with a slide out that would work on my truck for mid 20's that was really sweet but it would be pushing my truck if I was towing the boat. They also had a bunch of new ones in the mid 20 without the slide that I liked as well that would be no problem to haul and pull the boat with. Also I did look at a couple without the Bathroom that was cheaper but the bathroom didn't seem to take up as much space as I first thought. Still a lot of thinking to do before I pull the trigger on one.

    Now I got to get the wife to let me buy one.

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    Sweet!! The only advice I can offer is to be VERY CAREFUL with the cargo capacity of your truck. Your axles front and back will be rated for a certain weight. Do people overload their trucks? Absolutely, but something I was not willing to do. Also, be leary of what any RV salesperson tells you. Some would have you believe you could carry a Host Mammoth on your 250. I recommend weighing your truck now to see what you're working with on weight. Good luck!!
    Last edited by AdamB; 12-13-2018 at 02:38 PM.

  11. Member Bob B's Avatar
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    #11
    Adam is exactly right about not believing what the sales people tell you. When I got my first truck camper which was an 11' non slide wood frame truck camper with a wet bath the sales guy tried to tell me that camper would be fine on a 1/2 ton truck ..... It was a VERY heavy load even for my 3/4 ton truck and I had to install upgraded tires to feel comfortable hauling it.

    Truck dealers will try to do the same thing .... Then you ask detailed questions about payload capacity, tire and axle ratings and their story falls apart. Payload ratings on trucks are better than they were back then, but you gotta do your homework. I blew a rear tire once with my original set of tires .... and that is not fun with a truck camper on the truck. Those tires had a rating that should have been barely OK for that camper but I upgraded them to give me more of a safety margin.
    I had that camper for a while when I got my 3500 dually ... and it handled that camper like a dream. Would have been nice to have that truck the whole time.
    I'd probably still be using that camper except that it was very hard to get in and out of the bed since it was an "east / west" bed instead of a "north / south" bed. As you get older it's not fun for one person to have to climb over the other person to get in and out of bed....The orientation of the bed is another thing to keep in mind.

    We have had a lot of good family times camping .... If you really get into it you will probably be upgrading your truck and the comforts you want in the camper as you go along.
    Last edited by Bob B; 12-13-2018 at 03:42 PM.
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    #12
    check the weight of the camper you are looking at and than check truck capacities.
    my 2500 single axle diesel says camper max weight in the glove box

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    #13
    Thanks again guys. All of this info helps me make a better decision on what I'm going to buy. The first thing the guy at the camper place did was want to look at my truck and was talking about axle weights. He looked at the tires and everything. I have 10 ply tires on it now so they should be good and if I remember correctly the camper weighed about 1800 pounds wet for the one without the slide. The slide was a lot more but cant remember for sure. My truck has the camper package on it but not sure of the weight. Honestly everything was blowing over my head but I think I understand some what better now. Going to go back after the holidays and take the money manager (wife) and see what she likes.

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    Calculating payload get complicated. I researched a ton and it was very confusing at first. I checked my glove box and it said my 2002 Silverado 1500 had 698 lbs of payload. How could that be right? After much research I found out it factors in all seats in the truck having a 150 lb person sitting there. I know, weird and it was very hard to finally figure that out. So that 698 lbs went to (5x150lbs) 1,448lbs of payload.

    The absolutely best way to be certain. Check your GVWR in your door panel. Mine was 6,200 lbs. Then I weighted my truck with me and a full tank of gas. That was 4,720 lbs. So payload is 6,200 - 4,720 = 1,480. Close to the above but you want to weigh your truck to be certain. Remember, if you will not be using your tailgate, add that weight to your total payload or take it off before you weight your truck.

    It shouldn't be this hard to figure out, but it is.

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    #15
    Quote Originally Posted by AdamB View Post
    Sweet!! The only advice I can offer is to be VERY CAREFUL with the cargo capacity of your truck. Your axles front and back will be rated for a certain weight. Do people overload their trucks? Absolutely, but something I was not willing to do. Also, be leary of what any RV salesperson tells you. Some would have you believe you could carry a Host Mammoth on your 250. I recommend weighing your truck now to see what you're working with on weight. Good luck!!
    No one in their right mind would tell a potential camper buyer that a Host Mammoth would work on a 3/4 ton truck. I have a 2017 Mammoth and started with a F350 and recently moved up to a F450. These campers can be over 6000 lbs. Often the limiting factor on a truck can be the tire rating. My F350 handled the Mammoth pretty well(with help from stableloads and airbags) but the tire rating was what concerned me.

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    #16
    Quote Originally Posted by brinson View Post
    No one in their right mind would tell a potential camper buyer that a Host Mammoth would work on a 3/4 ton truck. I have a 2017 Mammoth and started with a F350 and recently moved up to a F450. These campers can be over 6000 lbs. Often the limiting factor on a truck can be the tire rating. My F350 handled the Mammoth pretty well(with help from stableloads and airbags) but the tire rating was what concerned me.
    Brinson, right.......hence my extreme exaggeration of the Mammoth on a 3/4 ton. It's important that Jaime be as prepared as possible without putting himself, his family or others on the road in danger.

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    Quote Originally Posted by AdamB View Post
    Brinson, right.......hence my extreme exaggeration of the Mammoth on a 3/4 ton. It's important that Jaime be as prepared as possible without putting himself, his family or others on the road in danger.
    Thanks again guys. All really good info. I was looking at my payload on the sticker in the door jam and it is only showing like 1500lbs. I honestly thought it would be a lot more so I still have some research to do. My tires are 6 ply Toko's what are showing 3800lbs load each.
    There sure is a lot to be concerned with because I don't want to be anywhere near full capacity on my truck driving down the road. Not just my family that I'm concerned about but everybody else's family that a pass along the way. I sure don't want to do something stupid and cause an accident.

  18. Member Bob B's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jamie View Post
    Thanks again guys. All really good info. I was looking at my payload on the sticker in the door jam and it is only showing like 1500lbs. I honestly thought it would be a lot more so I still have some research to do. My tires are 6 ply Toko's what are showing 3800lbs load each.
    There sure is a lot to be concerned with because I don't want to be anywhere near full capacity on my truck driving down the road. Not just my family that I'm concerned about but everybody else's family that a pass along the way. I sure don't want to do something stupid and cause an accident.
    Whenever you upgrade ..... get more truck than you think you need.
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    #19
    Quote Originally Posted by Bob B View Post
    Whenever you upgrade ..... get more truck than you think you need.
    I did when I bought the F250 was thinking about a camper then though. I guess my next one will be a F350.

  20. Member Bob B's Avatar
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    #20
    Quote Originally Posted by Jamie View Post
    I did when I bought the F250 was thinking about a camper then though. I guess my next one will be a F350.
    I went the same path ..... I now have a 3500 diesel dually .... regular cab for more payload .... some have moved on to a 450 or 550. I don't think I will get there.... although the older we get that Host Mammoth really looks sweet.
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