Truck Camper?

[PJBrendel]

Hello outdoor enthusiasts! After spending more than sixty years living on Long Island New York I am ready to see more of this fantastic country. My original idea was to get a truck camper to start off with and possibly switching to the Escape 5.0 in a few years.
My thought is that the truck camper would allow me to get to much more remote places than anything I could tow. After thinking about it a little, maybe I don't need to be as remote as I originally thought. I more so want to be away from the crowded areas that I've spent a lifetime surviving in. The RV parks that I've seen seem a bit too closely spaced for me.
So as a complete novice my question is did you ever have a truck camper and are there things you miss? Or do you ever look at where truck campers can go and admire the ability of them to get to more remote locations.
I totally realize that there are trade offs and personal choices that play a big part in this.
Any suggestions will be appreciated.
Thank you
Paul J Brendel
Huntington, NY

[SageRpod]

Welcome Paul. I believe there are some veteran truck camper owners on this forum. Hopefully they can answer your questions. The only reason I am posting is that the truck camper configuration appears to be enjoying a resurgence of sorts. I witnessed this in dispersed camping environments over the past year where it appears truck campers are the new adventure vans.

As a 5.0 owner, I can tell you that after a year of ownership and several thousand miles of traveling, it is worth every penny and will deliver an elevated camping experience.

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by PJBrendel

So as a complete novice my question is did you ever have a truck camper and are there things you miss? Or do you ever look at where truck campers can go and admire the ability of them to get to more remote locations.

I don't miss the limited space and my Escape is way too comfortable to ever go back to a camper. My Escapes have gone from Alaska to Baja and across both Canada and US with some of the areas certainly a long way from RV campgrounds which I avoid when possible.

There are some forest service roads that I wouldn't tow my trailer on but there's many more that I do.

There's also a third option which I done many times. Put the trailer in a suitable camping area, unhook and take the truck into a remote area for the day. Works quite well.

Ron

[Sean Murry]

There are always pluses and minuses to every set up. We considered a truck/camper set up but the main reasons we didn't was the limited space but more importantly after setting up camp, if you want to go anywhere you have to take your "house" with you. You could of course unload your camper and then re-load, but unless you are staying for a lengthy amount of time it is unlikely you would want to do that continusoly.
The advantages of a truck camper as you have pointed out, is that you can go into even more remote places. We do what Ron has mentioned. Get to a nice campground (not the big commercial sites that don't offer a lot of privacy), drop the trailer then go into the more remote areas for hiking etc by using your truck. We also have a roof top tent that we have used in really rough back country areas. Gives us a nice place to sleep, but I would agree that option wouldn't be for everyone
No matter which way you go, I am sure you will enjoy the experience.

[Hawkeye Ed]

For a single person, a pop-top truck camper like a Four Wheel Camper https://fourwheelcampers.com has lots of advantages if you're regularly on the move from campsite to campsite. You can stop and park almost anywhere and never have to deal with hooking up to a trailer or maneuvering. On the other hand, if you like to set up a base camp and travel short distances in the area, not so good. With a truck camper you have to pack everything up every time you want to drive somewhere. I've had both a truck camper and my Escape 5.0. Love them both but they are really for different kinds of camping.

[Sean Murry]

Those pop up campers offer a lower centre of gravity, which is very nice if you are going down rough back country roads. Less wind resistance as well. We looked pretty hard at those as well, but the issue of not being able to drop your "house" easily was still an issue for us.
Aren't we lucky to have so many options. Depending on what you want from your camping experience, there is something out there for all tastes.

[Viajante]

Truck campers allow you to tow a boat. Truck/camper combo has much better suspension than a trailer so the camper doesn’t take the beating a trailer does. This brings more back roads into play. The cab over bed in a truck camper is comfortable, convenient and doesn’t have to be converted from a dinette as in some trailers.

So why don’t I have one? I like the convenience of detaching for an extended stay, and I don’t need the truck.

[Donna D.]

Watch your knees. How healthy they? A lot of those truck campers have steep steps to into the camper.

[PJBrendel]

Thank you all for the insights. I do like the idea of dropping the camper and going exploring. which is easier with a towable. The limited space of the truck camper could be a challenge for me on long trips and that's why I'm considering other options. I especially like the Escape 5.0 since you really get a lot of space without something too long behind your tow vehicle.

[iamunique127]

I had a truck camper for many years and now the 5.0TA. As has been said, each has its strengths and limitations.

Some of the places I got to with the slide-in camper, I wouldn't have wanted to leave it or any camper behind. I was happy it went with me when I left, even just for exploring. I had manual jacks on the camper but it was still relatively simple to take it off the truck, not much different than dropping the 5.0.

We avoid RV Parks like the plague and spent a night in a small provincial campground near Waterton Lakes National Park this past August where we didn't see any other ppl. The 5.0 was just fine on the gravel road into it.

One big benefit of the slide-in camper for me was the ease of hauling the boat. I have rigged up the 5.0 so I can pull the boat but not into the out-of-the-way places I could go with just the truck and not for any great distances.

The 5.0 is far more spacious, yet still small enough I can haul it with a 1/2 ton. Some decent sized slide-in campers I've seen are roomy but require a far bigger truck.

[Lorraine Pittsburgh]

I looked long & hard at a Bigfoot truck camper, as I wanted something that is all season. Due to the weight of the Bigfoot, it needs a dually truck. People do carry them with a standard pickup, but they are overweight & not actually legal; I was told that insurance wouldn't cover an accident in such a situation. Only needing 1 vehicle, & not wanting a dually, I chose an Escape 5.0. Besides several shorter trips, I spent 3 months in it traveling through the west over the summer. I spent many nights boon docking on remote forest service roads. Only once did I get on a road so rough that I turned around & chose a site a bit closer to civilization than originally planned.

Best of luck sorting out your considerations, & may you have many happy adventures in whatever you purchase.

[brroberts]

I have had trailers and pickup campers. Most of the pro’s and con’s have been discussed above. We like to base camp, so leaving the trailer is easier than taking the camper. Our last camper was a Bigfoot 9.6. A single wheel 1 ton can be legal. In Alaska and northern Canada we much preferred the the camper given the places to go. In the lower 48 and southern Canada we prefer the trailer. The fuel mileage is much better with the trailer, but more tires and wheel bearings to maintain. In our case, insurance and taxes are higher on the trailer. Overall we prefer the trailer, but we found the camper very comfortable. Same 6 cu Ft fridge, separate bed and dining. Plenty of storage, both wet bath. The camper was really 4 season, but we have the Escape set up to do just fine at 10F. Think about your own list of priorities related to the pros and cons. What works for one person my not work for another.

[sherminator]

I had an Alaskan Camper telescoping truck camper back in the 80s, and loved it for for me and the wife and our baby boy. We could camp anywhere we that we could park the truck. However, it had very limited storage space. Our kitchen space was pretty equal to the kitchen in our 21NE, and the wardrobe was about equal to the pantry space in the NE. We could put things on the seats of the two seat dinette or in the aisle when we were in transit, and whatever could fit behind the truck's bench seat.
I would consider it again if I were single, but not now. Besides the wife, out two granddaughters often accompany us, and we like the space and comfort that our trailer provide. Also, our camper collapsed to about a foot higher than the cab; and was only 3" wider on each side than the truck - the full size Bigfoot campers (or other brands) would turn me off due to their height, width, and weight, which impose their own restrictions, but do have a lot more available storage space. Plusses and minuses to any rig you choose.

[brroberts]

We had both an Alaskan and a Bigfoot. For us there was no comparison. Our Bigfoot was one of the two RV’s we really liked. The other is our Escape. Having said that, even our cheap, junk Forest River let us make great memories.

[Unit # 1]

I have both trailer and slide in Truck camper. I love them both but use them differently. The truck camper is primarily used when I am pulling a boat or if I am traveling alone. To me it is a bit cramped with two people, but very doable. We have done a longer 3 week trip to south west with it once, pulling small trailer with motorcycle, bicycles and other gear but we now prefer the trailer for our excursions together and load extra gear in truck bed. If not planning to "overland" you should not have problems getting in and out of most BLM land and National Park camping areas with a good tow rig and a trailer. The extra comfort of a travel trailer is appreciated when setting a camp and enjoying an extended stay. I did run a pop-up truck camper for a few years and loved the low profile and gas mileage with it but greatly missed the additional storage of a hard side slide-in and would continually hit my head while entering and exiting the short door.
What ever you decide you will enjoy your time away from the city. Good luck

[brroberts]

Unlike most comments, we did and do not find truck campers too small or confining. We spent 3-5 months at a time in our Bigfoot 9.6 several times and enjoyed it each and every time. We find after 8-10 weeks in the trailer, we are ready for a break at home. There are other reasons than the RV for that though. Life changes, but the truck camper had everything our E19 does, plus it was 4 season. The biggest difference between the two was the huge 50 gallon fresh water tank and the small 14 gallon gray tank in the Bigfoot.

[GregColdewey]

I've never had a truck camper, but one consideration seems to be that for most of them you will need a one ton truck whereas the 5.0 can be easily towed by a half ton. So, when not camping you're driving around in a one ton which I really don't want to do.

[brroberts]

A heavy duty vs 1/2 ton is a fuel and cost consideration. Some of us need one anyway. My experience, and mine alone, says my hd trucks last longer simply because they are built heavier. That helps offset some of the cost difference. My newest truck is a midsize however because it will do some of what I need to do at much less cost.

[HarleyD]

Originally Posted by PJBrendel

Hello outdoor enthusiasts! After spending more than sixty years living on Long Island New York I am ready to see more of this fantastic country. My original idea was to get a truck camper to start off with and possibly switching to the Escape 5.0 in a few years.
My thought is that the truck camper would allow me to get to much more remote places than anything I could tow. After thinking about it a little, maybe I don't need to be as remote as I originally thought. I more so want to be away from the crowded areas that I've spent a lifetime surviving in. The RV parks that I've seen seem a bit too closely spaced for me.
So as a complete novice my question is did you ever have a truck camper and are there things you miss? Or do you ever look at where truck campers can go and admire the ability of them to get to more remote locations.
I totally realize that there are trade offs and personal choices that play a big part in this.
Any suggestions will be appreciated.
Thank you
Paul J Brendel
Huntington, NY

We had 2 8' hallmark truck campers

https://www.hallmarkrv.com/

when were vintage racing and found them to be very good for that adventure. We took a couple of 2 week trips with this set up and found we needed a bit more room and larger tanks for staying in the camper for more then a weekend.
The 5.0 fixed both of these issues and we now are loving our trailer. I can not think of any place we took the camper I would not take the trailer, but we do not seek total isolation either. The 5th wheel will maneuver as well and any truck camper also.

[John in Santa Cruz]

the ultra light popup truck campers like FourWheel don't have toilets or showers. the beds oj almost all those 'cab over' style truck campers are transverse, meaning someone has to climb over the other person to get in and out of bed. and, my wife who's very short and has two bad knees simply can't climb the 4'+ steps up to the bed (same goes for a 5th wheel for her).

we test drove a number of larger truck camper rigs like Lance etc that did have showers/toilets, and found them very heavy and unwieldy even on 3500 dually class trucks, not something I'd remotely consider taking on anything but the flattest most firmly packed dirt road for only a very short distance.

I'll stick with...