Hello everyone - Just wanted to first say I really appreciate this forum. Lots of interesting and informative reading since I first found it a few months back.
I am a travel nurse who recently pulled the trigger on selling my house. My plan was to then buy something to live in full time. I had thought of doing my own conversion, but have since decided against it. After much thought, I decided my best option would be a flatbed camper. I like the idea of being able to go just about anywhere. The ability to park anywhere in a city to sleep is a must as well (I work night shift and sleep during the day - parking on the street to do so is perfectly legal). I take the summers off and travel. I love the mountains and hiking. Being able to disperse camp in remote locations is extremely appealing. I have been using my 1999 Suburban (affectionately known as "Hotel Burban") to do this over the past 2 years. Besides being 2wd, the limitations of this vehicle mean it is time to upgrade. Now that I have committed to travel nursing and am now homeless, my search has been intense over the past month.
Despite searching daily on sites like this one, multiple nationwide RV sites, Craigslist, and have even desperately taken to combing through RV dealer sites around the country, I have been unable to find even one flatbed camper in my price range. I cannot spend over 100k on a camper. I love the fiberglass shells, such as the ones Bahn produces, and even talked to them back when I was looking into building my own, but $45k for just the shell and maybe a door and some windows was too high of a starting point for me. I do think it is the way to go if you can afford it though.
Anyway, I would love to find a used camper in the 30-40k range. That way I could buy whatever truck and flatbed I want. More than likely, I would have to buy the truck and camper together. The most I could spend is around 65k total. At this point, I would be lucky as hell to find one. It is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. It is clear that very few have even been produced and the people that own them keep them. I don't understand why there are a million slide-in truck campers and so few flatbed campers. The advantages seem pretty damn obvious to me. Having said that, my frustration with my desperate search has me at the point where I am now accepting the reality that I may have to buy a slide-in camper. If I end up going that route, I am going to go cheap used because its simply not what I really want. I drove down to South Carolina to look at the 2008 Tiger for sale. I might put an offer in, but they simply have that thing overpriced IMHO. Plus, there is no detaching that camper from the truck. I want the versatility. The other option would be to buy a new flatbed camper, but by the time you get the options you want it is likely well over 50k. And I don't want to wait months to get one, I want to hit the road YESTERDAY. The mountains are calling and I must go. I like the Hallmark Hero, but then saw they no longer produce them (of course). Finding a used one?
Well, that is why I am posting here. Advice?
Sorry for being so long-winded, just needed to vent. I appreciate any assistance.
Thanks,
Jeff
I am a travel nurse who recently pulled the trigger on selling my house. My plan was to then buy something to live in full time. I had thought of doing my own conversion, but have since decided against it. After much thought, I decided my best option would be a flatbed camper. I like the idea of being able to go just about anywhere. The ability to park anywhere in a city to sleep is a must as well (I work night shift and sleep during the day - parking on the street to do so is perfectly legal). I take the summers off and travel. I love the mountains and hiking. Being able to disperse camp in remote locations is extremely appealing. I have been using my 1999 Suburban (affectionately known as "Hotel Burban") to do this over the past 2 years. Besides being 2wd, the limitations of this vehicle mean it is time to upgrade. Now that I have committed to travel nursing and am now homeless, my search has been intense over the past month.
Despite searching daily on sites like this one, multiple nationwide RV sites, Craigslist, and have even desperately taken to combing through RV dealer sites around the country, I have been unable to find even one flatbed camper in my price range. I cannot spend over 100k on a camper. I love the fiberglass shells, such as the ones Bahn produces, and even talked to them back when I was looking into building my own, but $45k for just the shell and maybe a door and some windows was too high of a starting point for me. I do think it is the way to go if you can afford it though.
Anyway, I would love to find a used camper in the 30-40k range. That way I could buy whatever truck and flatbed I want. More than likely, I would have to buy the truck and camper together. The most I could spend is around 65k total. At this point, I would be lucky as hell to find one. It is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. It is clear that very few have even been produced and the people that own them keep them. I don't understand why there are a million slide-in truck campers and so few flatbed campers. The advantages seem pretty damn obvious to me. Having said that, my frustration with my desperate search has me at the point where I am now accepting the reality that I may have to buy a slide-in camper. If I end up going that route, I am going to go cheap used because its simply not what I really want. I drove down to South Carolina to look at the 2008 Tiger for sale. I might put an offer in, but they simply have that thing overpriced IMHO. Plus, there is no detaching that camper from the truck. I want the versatility. The other option would be to buy a new flatbed camper, but by the time you get the options you want it is likely well over 50k. And I don't want to wait months to get one, I want to hit the road YESTERDAY. The mountains are calling and I must go. I like the Hallmark Hero, but then saw they no longer produce them (of course). Finding a used one?
Well, that is why I am posting here. Advice?
Sorry for being so long-winded, just needed to vent. I appreciate any assistance.
Thanks,
Jeff