Truck-camper recommendations for long-distance treks up North?

[rstl99]

Hi all,
As you can see from my sig I've owned and sold a number of 4x4's and other truck/camper vehicles over the years. I currently own a rather rare (on these shores anyway) 80 series diesel Land Cruiser, which is fairly comfortable and rugged, has a 5 speed and no AC. I could get a good price if I sold it, to finance another kind of truck.

I recently acquired a country place with lots of dirt/gravel roads nearby, and the 80 has proved very useful for hauling stuff back and forth from city to country places (in the cargo space in the back after removing the rear seat, or pulling a small utility trailer). And I figure I can enjoy using it to explore the secondary roads and some old logging trails nearby.

But I've been debating on whether it's the right truck (if I am to own just one) to head back North (starting next year, after freedom 55!) to explore Labrador, James Bay, eventually Yukon. I'm over 50 and comfort and convenience are more and more important to me, so I'm thinking that a good pickup with a slide-in camper (with comfy bed and some amenities) has more appeal than off-road trailer and roof-top tent, which is the option I was considering if I was going to keep the 80. I am not a hardcore off-roader, and see my future travels being largely on-road, though at times rough gravel roads up North, hence need something that will take the abuse and yet provide sufficient driving comfort to make the long distances to get to those remote areas.

Over the last several years, I've been attracted by a few truck/camper combos for sale locally, especially Dodge Cummins trucks (gen 1 being more affordable for me). The campers on them were too big for my taste though. I'll be traveling either solo, or with a dog and/or a single companion.

Whether a Dodge Cummins, or Ford, or Toyota, the versatility of the truck-camper has great appeal to me. As well as the ability for stealth camping (boondocking). I could use it to drive back and forth from my city to my country place, haul stuff with it, store the camper at the cottage. I'll probably always have a car to scoot around town with, so it won't be my only ride.

I've owned a few diesels and like them, so am leaning toward a Dodge because of the great Cummins engine (thinking simpler 12 valve unit), being less familiar with the diesels offered by Ford/Chev/GMC. I am also toying with a full-sized gas Toyota truck with popup camper.

Obviously, with the distances I'll be driving to get to where I want to go, I would prefer something that would get decent MPG on the highway. And that I could put up with, driving 6-8 hours a day (AC, comfortable seats, etc.).

I recall someone I had asked about this in the past, recommending that I figure out which camper I need first, and then buy the right truck to haul it. If I'm going with a smaller (as opposed to larger) camper, I suppose it may be less of a consideration (unless it means I can get by with a 1/2 ton instead of 3/4, or 1 ton!)

Any thoughts, advice would be greatly welcome, to help me in my though process and selection. Thanks!

 

[Photomike]

I bought a 2002 GMC a couple years ago and put a 9'6" 1992 Northern Lite camper on it. Main reason for a Northern Lite was the light weight of the camper. Camper comes in at 1600lbs and is a lot lighter than most others on the road. I have everything that I could ask for bathroom, stove, fridge, lots of storage (for one or two people storage is great ~ more than that it gets tight), my bed is more comfortable in the TC than at home. Another big plus for me is the fact that Northern Lites are very well insulated so I can use my unit 365 days a year without a problem, I do drain the water for -30 camping as I do not want to risk a freeze up.

The truck drives great, it is as comfortable ~ if not more comfortable ~ than any other vehicle that I have driven. It is easy to drive on the highway, in cities and does a good job off road. I do not even notice that I have the TC on the back.

You can get units for smaller trucks as well. I like the size of mine and going smaller really would not have saved that much weight. I looked at pop ups and did not like the fact that I was always raising the roof and winter use was not as warm as the one that I have.

 

[Regcabguy]

If I were a little shorter,a Northern Lite 9'6" would be on my truck. Excellent compromise camper. My Northstar popup wouldn't work out well in the fridged wet north.

 

[Photomike]

If I were a little shorter,a Northern Lite 9'6" would be on my truck. Excellent compromise camper. My Northstar popup wouldn't work out well in the fridged wet north.

Funny you should mention about being shorter, was standing in the bathroom the other day in my TC and I have about .25" extra space from the top of my head to the ceiling (yes I am slightly height challenged), the bed is also more than long enough for me, but I can see it being a problem for taller people. The newer ones have a full size mattress and are a lot roomier, but they are heavier.

 

[mcgovski]

I will make you a ripping deal on an 2005 Eagle Cap 850. we have about 50 nights in it, slide out nook...real nice

 

[Regcabguy]

Funny you should mention about being shorter, was standing in the bathroom the other day in my TC and I have about .25" extra space from the top of my head to the ceiling (yes I am slightly height challenged), the bed is also more than long enough for me, but I can see it being a problem for taller people. The newer ones have a full size mattress and are a lot roomier, but they are heavier.

My wife says in her next life,her man's going to be shorter and wealthier.:sombrero: There's a nice 2005 8.6 Lance Lite in Craiglslist here
,but that sucker'd last maybe a few hundred yards offroad.

 

[haven]

I think one important feature you should look for in a camper is
good insulation for the interior and the water supply. Most campers,
particularly those built in USA, are relatively thinly insulated. Models
from companies that have manufacturing facilities in the northern
USA and Canada tend to have better insulation.

 

[kcowyo]

Bigfoot on a Cummins would be my choice for a truck & camper.... But a Tiger Provan might be an even better choice.

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[cnynrat]

Seems that these decisions often come down to making tradeoffs between competing requirements. Who wouldn't want more comfort until you realize it usually comes at the expense of more weight and higher price. Choices.

So the first step is probably to spend some time thinking about what you want to do with the new rig, and based on that what's important to you and what's not so important. It will help to prowl around some campers to get a good idea of what's available. We spent a lot of time at the local RV shows doing just that before we bought our camper. As an example of why that can be important, I'll tell you that one of the most critical deciding factors in our decision was that we wanted a camper with the traditional dinette layout as opposed to the U-shaped layouts that were popular in the late '90's. We wouldn't have figured that out without spending time sitting in a bunch of campers and "trying them on" so to speak.

Once you've got some idea what features and characteristics you are looking for my guess is you'll be able to narrow the choices down to a few that are in the right ballpark and then go from there.

I recommend picking the camper first and the truck second. If you are looking for something towards the smaller/lighter end of the spectrum you may be on the cusp of a 3/4 ton vs. 1 ton decision. Conversely, if you have the truck already, it may limit your camper choices.

A diesel engine truck is ideal for carrying a camper IMO. Nothing wrong with the Dodge Cummins, but I also like the older Ford 7.3L Powerstrokes (we have a '99 F350 Powerstroke).

We ended up with a Bigfoot C2500 10.6, which sounds like maybe more camper than you are looking for, but we are really happy with it. I'm 6'4", and the fact that I can stand up in it, sit up in the bed, and even stand up straight in the shower were big factors in it's favor. We also liked the fact that it's designed for cold weather use, and liked the floor plan and available storage. It's big and heavy, but we weren't intending it for any serious off road use - comfort is more important to us when we are on the type of trip where we use the camper. Those were some of our key requirements, but they may not be yours.

 

[Regcabguy]

If I had a large hardwalled camper,a regcab dually would be necessary for me also. We had a lot of wind on I-15 southbound in the Vegas area last April and the srw's w/hardsided campers were getting tossed around like a ragdoll. Conversely,the duallys were like the Rock of Gibralter. So many considerations and parameters out there.

 

[cnynrat]

Something else to consider is that getting a camper on/off a DRW truck is significantly more complicated than with a SRW truck. If you have any thoughts about being able to conveniently drop the camper when you are staying somewhere for a while, a SRW truck has a big advantage here. We often drop the camper so we have the truck to run out to explore, get to trailheads, and so on without having to secure everything in the camper.

Regcabguy does have a point about driving a SRW camper rig in heavy winds though. I've made the drive down the 15 from Vegas to SoCal in windy conditions, and it makes for a stressful drive at times. Overall though we're happy with our setup.

 

[deserteagle56]

From someone who spent a few years with a slide-in on the back of a SRW Powerstroke - and drove on dirt roads a lot:

You've never experienced pucker-factor until you've experienced a blowout (or even a good rock break) in a rear tire with that tall and heavy camper on the back. The main reason, were I ever to do slide-in again, I would go with a dually.

Any, even very mild, off-camber conditions become very dramatic as again, that tall load leans waayyyyy over. Even when encountering on-coming traffic on a narrow dirt road where both vehicles have to take to the ditch to get around each other.

The slide-in makes the truck useless for anything else. Even with a SRW it takes time to mount and dismount. Get good electric jacks if you plan on doing that a lot to save a lot of time and your arm. So when you get to camp you can dismount the camper and then use the truck to run around in.

Personally, I have found a small camp trailer much easier to live with. It is much more stable being much lower to the ground. That makes getting in and out of the camper much easier also - it took 4 steps up to get into the back of my F350. It leaves the bed of the truck free to carry dirt bikes, etc. And when you find a place to camp all you have to do is unhook the trailer and your truck is free to go. Best of all - even a small camp trailer has a lot more room than a slide-in.

As far as the truck underneath the camper - any 7.3 Powerstroke or 5.9 Cummins is fine - with manual tranny for ultimate reliability and fuel mileage.

 

[Rhode Trip]

Something else to consider is that getting a camper on/off a DRW truck is significantly more complicated than with a SRW truck. If you have any thoughts about being able to conveniently drop the camper when you are staying somewhere for a while, a SRW truck has a big advantage here.

I have never heard this before. Why is it more complicated? The front jacks swing out to clear the wheels on a camper for a dually.

 

[cnynrat]

I have never heard this before. Why is it more complicated? The front jacks swing out to clear the wheels on a camper for a dually.

My understanding is you are not supposed to occupy a camper when it's on jacks with the front jacks swung out. So, to remove a camper from a DRW truck you swing out the front jacks, raise the camper, pull the truck out part way, lower the camper so the front of the camper is setting on the bed of the truck, swing the jacks back in, raise the camper back up, pull the truck out all the way, and then set the camper down.


I probably should have mentioned electric jacks are essential IMO unless you plan to install the camper on the truck pretty much permanently. On the other hand, with electric jacks taking the camper off the truck is about a 5 minute process, and maybe 5-10 minutes to install depending on how much time you spend fussing around getting the truck lined up under the camper. A little longer than the time to connect or disconnect a trailer, but there are some tradeoffs with a trailer as well (parking, backing in tight areas, minimum campsite size, etc.).

I agree with others comments that you aren't going to do anything off road much beyond a well graded dirt road with a big camper, but that's just another reason why it's important to assess what your needs are before you jump in.

 

[Vapor_Trails]

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