It is also supposed to work on skylights, water tanks, vent covers, or waders. I have to watch headspace. Also, as you are traveling, make a habit of regularly checking out the truck in a systematic way on a regular basis. General Pros and Cons of the Lance Truck Camper Pros: The Lance truck camper was recently awarded Consumerâs Digest highest rating, so there is definitely a lot of pros to this travel trailer if it is winning awards. More than once, I’ve stopped for a hike or a rest and used the bathroom or made a meal in the kitchen. Similarly, my former Dodge pickup required an Allen socket to check or change the transfer case fluid. As you can see, it’s pretty convenient for traveling. I’m not sure exactly how tall the rig is, but I figure 12 feet maximum to the top of the air conditioner. New Truck Camper in Gambrills, Maryland 21054 Travel Lite Super Lite 625SL truck camper highlights:Bed Over CabU-Shaped DinettePorta-PottiPantryIf you have a full-size truck and enjoy traveling with your own accommodations in your own truck, take a ⦠I have also seen a new pickup break a serpentine belt in the Arizona desert 90 miles from any kind of service. Although I don’t bother taking it off my truck for stays less than 2 or 3 nights, I do take it off when I know I’ll be someplace for a while and will need to do some driving while there. On the one hand, you don’t want to carry something you don’t need and won’t ever use, but on the other hand you don’t want to be missing an essential item when you need it most. Not exactly true… I’ve seen quite a few people that have 5th wheels setup with hitches and pulling another trailer, typically a boat, behind the RV. When we were driving up the Dempster Highway toward Inuvik this past summer, I managed to pick up a screw in one of my tires resulting in a slow leak. There is an old saying that goes, “When you go on a trip; you either have great times or great stories”. In the half-century since Steinbeckâs trip, truck campers and travel trailers have increased in size, quality and choice of amenities. I figure that it takes about 15 minutes to offload the camper. Then I use the remote to extend the legs so the camper is completely raised at least two inches off the truck. Due to the weight, I canât do it by myself. The bent piece of coat hanger is useful to clear hair from the shower drain. Opening the slide is as easy as turning a key. I check these regularly while we are traveling. Leaving a Parked Helicopter with the Engine Running. I’ve considered the whole range of Class A/B/C, 5W, etc. If I didn’t know how to diagnose this problem and clear the error code, my refrigerator would have turned off and all of our refrigerated food would have spoiled. Fellow travelers seem to be a bit more approachable at campgrounds than in ⦠Get new posts by email. During these experiences, I have made my share of mistakes and learned some very important lessons. I must remove them from the truck but can leave them dangling from the camper if I like. Although I’m not towing anything on this trip, I do have the ability to tow if I want to. You may also consider bringing along a product like EternaBond® Roof Tape. From small pickups like Ford Ranger to 1 â ton rating truck, you can easily find a suitable truck camper and dpf deletekits for your vehicle. They collapse down into a small package and have handles to move them around. Talia Lakritz. My mail concern is getting the camper relatively level. All Northwood truck campers are built with Quality First. I’ll be looking for more of your posts. Here’s the camper and truck parked side by side at the KOA in Las Vegas. Setting a slide-in truck camper atop a truck isn’t difficult to do, but it does require care and patience. That’s what I’m learning this snowbirding season. We were in northern British Columbia when the internal temperature sensor on my refrigerator failed. The previous owner’s truck was a 2013 Ford F350 nearly identical to mine. If you’re well prepared, you’ll have the confidence to not only enjoy the backcountry with confidence, but return safely. — and take curves and corners slowly. ... like-minded community where you can ask questions and get answers from experienced truck campers. As with preparing your truck, it is much easier to fix things at home than on the road. Normally, you’d back up until the front of the camper bumps the lip of the truck bed right behind the cab. With preparation, your long-term, long-distance, off-road, and off-the-grid adventures will be full of fun and adventure, not breakdowns and disappointments. You may need to carry both SAE and metric size sockets for your truck and camper. Expect to pay about $100 for this inspection in addition to any service or repairs that you might need. Guns. There are too many important variables with selecting wheels and tires for this article, but carefully consider what will fit your truck, and what type of travel you’re interested in. For example, if you are near a service interval for your transmission fluid, change it ahead of time. You may also want to consider bringing a Haynes or Chilton service manual with you. Inside these Scout Campers, youâll find detachable camping equipment that you can take with you on other adventures too, even without the truck camper itself. The last step is to use four spring-loaded screw tie-downs to attach the camper to the bars I installed earlier on the truck. Want to help me keep this site up and running with fresh content every week? One Mega Mod will... Just for fun, here’s a crossword puzzle on truck campers. Above: The fuel filter on a GM Duramax engine is much easier to change in your driveway at home. A lot more. This is better than attempting to find a service center on the road, or neglecting to get this important service done on time. I’ve since bought a much shorter hose. For: Flat-bed trucks. Steven Merrill reveals his extensive preparations for a long-term, off-road, and off-the-grid truck camping experience. While breakdowns and disasters may make for an entertaining stories for friends when you return home, they are not fun when you are in the midst of them. I usually completely remove them, however, and stow them in a safe place where they’ll stay clean and dry. Even if you personally can’t do all of the repairs outlined in the manual, it might serve as a reference for a mechanic, especially if you have an older truck. The Group 27 batteries provided almost half again as much power storage. Hunting. Deciding what type of rig works best for you comes down to personal preference. It easy enough to back up or park on any sort of angle in relation to a parking spot or campsite. Fits all smaller trucks with a max. If any of these detectors are out of date, replace them immediately. The last step is to tug on each of the tie-downs to make sure they’re still tight. An envelope. If you don’t have radiator hose repair tape, duct tape will work in a pinch. A truck camper is mounted on the bed of a pickup truck. I highly recommend creating a standard packing list for your truck and camper. One other quick hint for maintenance while you are traveling is to purchase an enzyme-based drain cleaner. This put our power storage/consumption systems in a better balance. The Gun that Won the West. My “postcards” that allude to this have generated a few questions and I thought I’d answer them here. The basic premise of truck camping is being entirely self-sufficient, which means being able to travel (aka the truck), sleep, and cook. While towing a trailer might be easier for hooking up or unhooking when parked, having a pull trailer has two drawbacks. The nut drivers are handy for the water heater and refrigerator, the spark plug wrench is specific for our generator, the others have been added as they have been used. Here’s the camper on its sawhorses while parked in my friend’s backyard. Like a 3-month trip? This allows me to refill the truck air springs (aka air bags) when necessary. On the road, it’s like driving a big (but not huge) truck. I bought these at Home Depot for about $50 each. There are also truck campers that come with slide â out sections. It is the smallest RV out there and isnât even counted as an RV in 42 states. In most cases, this means removing the securing pin and using a detachable handle to loosen it. Forget motorhomes and trailers. Thereâs a wireless remote control for the four jacks right inside the door. Announcing the Truck Camper Adjustment Bureau Mod Contest. These were fine when we could plug-in regularly, but did not hold enough charge for backcountry use. RV appliance service manuals are often available online and I recommend that you take the time to download and print one for each appliance and bring these printed manuals with you when you travel. The tarp also helps to prevent the loss of small tools or parts that might otherwise disappear into the dirt and leaves on the ground. Parts can come loose or crack. It indicates the ability to send an email. Whether any camper can be used with your truck (2WD vs. 4WD, standard cab vs. extended cab, etc.) Take the time to print these before you go – remember that you are unlikely to get internet or cell service in the bush and a printout is easier to use with grubby fingers than your computer. I knew someone would point this out. Let’s get prepared. Even though I have changed the filter before the trip, the wrench goes into my truck toolbox. You may want to consider bringing Slime tire sealant and a tire plug repair kit. Arctic Fox Truck Campers include the 811, 990, 992, 996, 1140, and 1150. If I don’t have a hookup, I can use battery power, propane, and the onboard generator (if needed) to operate the refrigerator, stove, water heater, furnace, etc. The 2021 NuCamp Cirrus 820 pickup camper is a model specifically targeted to 3/4 ton short-bed pickups and features a very usable package in a fully featured RV that you can simply drop off for the day's adventure ahead. Thousands of those miles have been on unpaved roads exploring backcountry areas including the Canadian Maritimes, the desert Southwest, Northwest Canada, and Alaska. It’s the perfect rig for any spur-of-the moment trip; I can have it on the truck in about 30 minutes and put it away in my cavernous RV garage even quicker. Purchasing is not an option if you are looking for saving money. The camper holds 30 gallons of fresh water; a battery-powered pump delivers it to any faucet or the toilet. This past summer we went over three weeks without plugging in and could have continued indefinitely without any problems (we were driving almost every day). All of these field repairs are short term fixes to allow you to get to a parts store and repair the system properly. And the inside of each one is just as impressive as the outside, with all the comfort, technology, and convenience that makes travelers and campers anywhere feel like home. Again, sometimes this requires me to raise them individually. They’re relatively new — I bought them last February while traveling and have been getting them rotated on schedule. Want to go for a hike? This was a huge step down in size from the fifth wheel I bought back in 2010, the Mobile Mansion, which I sold in September of this year. Here’s the spacer, made with 2x4s, that the camper’s previous owner gave me when I bought it. Truck campers are kind of like backpacks for trucks â and usually come with many of the same things a regular RV has. That is how small and convenient it is! Some pop-top lightweight models fit into smaller trucks, but the typical hard-sided truck camper is ⦠If my overnight parking space has utility hookups, I can connect water, power, and even sewer with the camper still on the truck. Two-track road? It’s perfect for me and my tiny dog. In addition, we replaced all of the incandescent bulbs in the camper with LED bulbs. Travel Interactions. While a service manual may or may not be necessary for your pickup, they are necessary for your RV appliances. This includes your refrigerator, water heater, water pump, furnace, and battery system. Once I put these on, they stay on until the camper is put away after a trip. You can find a blog post about my “poor man’s backup camera” here. There’s only about two inches of clearance on each side. The nuts and bolts of snowbirding with my new(ish) home away from home. So when I say “you can’t really tow something behind a pull trailer,” what I really mean is that it just isn’t practical (or, in my opinion, safe) to do so. Similarly, I have replaced the electronic ignition for my water heater (a recommended spare part to carry) as well as the high and low temperature sensors for the tank. A fifth-wheel travel trailer can have the same amenities as the conventional travel trailer but is constructed with a raised section in front, which allows for a spacious bi-level floor plan. 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