A truck camper is perfect for us. I didn’t want the Ford E350 chassis, so we got the E450 chassis. It didn’t come with tires for that, nor was it designed with cold weather camping in mind. There were no tow hooks on the front. I didn’t really want a slide, but I liked the construction of the Arctic Fox and it had a nice dry bath mid-ship. It can be the difference between being under your GVWR or over it. Travel Lite RV Reviews and Complaints @ Pissed Consumer Page 2 The fuel economy, resale value, and torque are terrific. It has a total empty weight of 6920lb with a GVWR of 9000. As we got closer to retirement, 40-pound backpacks and 62 year old knees were a bad combination. A communications expert, he retired from the U.S. Navy in 2004 as a CWO3 after 24 years, worked in project management, and now runs Truck Camper Adventure full-time. You already talked about the positives and negatives of the motorhome. A gap of 1/4-inch between the “O” ring and housing after clamping the lever down indicates the correct amount of tension. Then we went on a Canadian Caravan where everyone in the group had dry baths. They allow us to be outside by opening the door. We use the refrigerator, cook, wash dishes, use, the bathroom, and the shower. We don’t recommend using Every Northern Lite camper is built for 4-season use and slides would compromise this rating. See more of Northern Lite Truck Campers on Facebook. - YouTube Tunnels, bridges, low hanging branches, and roof overhangs are just a few of the hazards to your truck camper rig. If we do end up getting one, I’ll be sure to drive carefully on the highways. Thank you Robert Lamoureux for sharing your adventure! Home » Adventure Stories » The $100,000 Truck Camper Question. I have had 4 different truck campers prior to my current travel trailer. away It was during our time with the 30-foot trailer that our interest in truck campers literally drove in and camped next door. The $100,000 question was, “Should we buy a pick up and a camper again?”, When we had the Class C, we had to have two cars. Four season light weight slide in truck camper. It wasn’t pretty. The acrylic Windows do not allow cold air in and have been great. You have a C?”. And don’t forget to take into account fixtures like the air conditioner and any vent covers you might have mounted on the roof. This is winter truck camping, Upper Peninsula style. When I went shopping for a truck that was a better tow vehicle for our vacation rental business, the first truck I found that met the requirements happened to be a 2014 F-450. Because of this, there are several mistakes and pitfalls that truck camper owners make on a regular basis. Monetary Loss: $1200. If the fire had not happened at Northern Lite and we had gotten the Northern Lite 10-2 on time, we’d probably still have that one. Above: Click the video above to watch Back to the Truck Camper. Even if that means having to buy a 4500 or 5500 pickup truck. When we first got our truck camper, we used to extend our jacks all of the time, but with time we found the process too time consuming, especially for stays involving a single night. Otherwise, you’ll be sure to end up with damage when you hit a pothole or a bump as shown in this photo. Even my younger brother has vivid memories of that trip. If you need to do so, get a checklist so that this vital step isn’t overlooked. You’ve come to the right place. We missed the social nature of the truck camping community. How did your truck camping friends react to your switch to a motorhome? A truck camper mistake we see probably the most. These special, extendable jacks provide the needed clearance between the jacks and the wheel flares of your truck. #5…. Why not just buy the right truck to begin with? Because most diesel-powered pickups weigh about 800 pounds more than a gasser. Better to be safe than sorry and take all turns slowly. I’ve lived in New Jersey most of my life, except for college in Wisconsin. Read on. It had a gigantic dry bath and shower – exactly what we were looking for. I also installed Torklift load stabilizers that I think are a must when hauling campers. Then, we started to realize the disadvantages. The funny thing is, if anybody asks me, my favorite Northern Lite is the 9-6. The common refrain we hear is that most truck camper owners are overweight, meaning they’re over their truck’s payload rating and GVWR. ... We love seeing our 4-season truck campers being used in extreme cond... itions # inthewild. It was probably a mistake to get rid of the first Northern Lite. I’ve had multiple problems with my 811 and thus far my experiences with Northwood customer service have been less than stellar. Today’s truck campers possess the same accouterments as the finest motorhomes and fifth [read more]. Even though the camper is about a half a foot shorter in floor length compared to the 9-6 it actually feels much bigger on the inside. Camping off the Truck When using your Northern Lite camper off the truck it needs to be in a flat and level location. Here’s our top 10 list: Without a doubt one of the top 10 truck camper mistakes and pitfalls. In college I was an adult leader in the Boy Scouts. I’ve always gone camping. Sure, his rig was a lot larger than a truck camper, but this should’ve given him even more reason to pause. I stand corrected, those are really low payload ratings for Dodge 3/4 ton even with a gas engine. Northern Lite has the best quality truck camper in the industry. The payload capacity of most 3/4-ton trucks is limited enough. Above: Jim and Janet’s first Northern Lite 8-11. Think about it. … If you’re way overweight and you get in an accident, you’ll get screwed by the insurance companies. This second-owner, 4-season Canadian-made fiberglass camper has spent most of its life in a heated shop. I think you can understand why. Yes, we know all of the tricks to “raise” the GVWR/Payload of a truck, like buying larger wheels and tires with higher load ratings and installing helper springs to support the rear suspension, but none of these things will technically increase your truck’s GVWR/payload. Current Northern Lite Truck Campers inventory - find local, new and used listings from private RV owners and dealers. A serious mistake that can cause significant damage to your camper. It only weighed 900-pounds and we towed it with a Subaru. If you need to get unstuck, the only place to get at it is the frame and the trailer hitch in the back. 14,000 GVWR gives me a lot of cargo capacity to work with, which was very helpful once bumpers, winches, fuel tanks, super single wheels and tires, etc. My son got into scouts and we went camping and backpacking. We had been hanging out with the NorthEast Truck Camping Jamboree group for six to seven years before we got the Class C. We actually didn’t tell anyone when we sold the camper and bought the motorhome. For something that prioritizes the … If you don’t have a “dually” or dual rear wheel (DRW) truck, this isn’t applicable, of course, but if you drive one then this is something that you’ll need to be careful about. I recently bought a 2017 F-150 with a payload rating of 2929 lbs. And worse, we would get boxed into gas stations and had to wait for the entire gas station to leave. The camper is hauled on a Ram 2500 Heavy Duty truck equipped with airbags. As far as weight, it currently has a LEER topper and a rubber bed mat and with myself and a full tank it scales 4060lb on the front with a Front axle max of 4630lb and the rear axle is 2860lb with a max of 6000lb. The next morning he put his camper on and was gone in fifteen minutes. Only the manufacturer and a few select shops can do that. Another mistake relating to your lift jacks. I worked in New York City and I was either in the sea ports or on the city streets in the Bronx. This very week they raised the 11’8″ bridge in Durham NC to 12’4″ so hopefully there will be a few less trucks damaged. Diesels are cool. Latest: 5 Ways to Make Money While Camping. What would he say to himself? As we’re talking, I’m wondering, “What if Jim could go back in time and talk to himself before he sold his Northern Lite 8-11. What keeps bringing you back to Northern Lite? In 1960, when Eisenhower was President, we went from our home in New Jersey to Key West, Florida. away Think that’s outer limits? Take us into the frozen north! Sold our 1995 9-6 lite and 2009 Sierra 3500HD gas SRW and picked up a 2014 8-11 Sportsman and a 2019 Ram 3500 short box SRW diesel. The length and width of the motorhome was not any bigger than our dually and Arctic Fox, and it was a non-slide. Our short bed GMC 3500 truck is now our second vehicle. When we had the Class C we had two Subarus, the Jeep and the Class C.  We had four vehicles for two people. Doing this is neither safe nor smart. So what led to you selling the motorhome and returning to a truck camper rig? With camping gear and a small trailer, it should be great. Nobody chased us away when we got the Class C and we generally felt welcome. The steps can be used in the stowed position as there is nonskid on both sides of the steps. Lifted or not, sharp turns must be taken slower when hauling a hard-side truck camper. If you haven’t already, watch Back to the Truck Camper and find out. Realizing all of this we finally said, “What are we doing here?”. By the end of a day of traveling, we were hoarse from talking over the noise. The National Parks are so physically different from the world we are used to living in. The single greatest thing about truck campers for us is the mobility. All Rights Reserved. These errors can be caused by a lack of knowledge, a careless moment, inattention, or a simple case of driver’s fatigue. The Kaley’s astonishing story inspired our sci-fi film, Back to the Truck Camper – but you haven’t heard the straight facts. Above: The Canadian Caravan they went on with other truck campers. I can go into surrounding New Jersey cities. Northern Lite has also been constructing a 16-foot travel trailer since 2008. At first blush it sounds like a challenging thing to unravel, not to mention expensive. This difference brings with it numerous benefits, but also some disadvantages. Create New Account. Then we upgraded again and bought a 30-foot trailer with a Tahoe. What follows is the very real, non-fiction account of how Jim and his wife, Janet, bought a Northern Lite 8-11 truck camper, sold it, bought a Class C motorhome, sold it, and bought another Northern Lite truck camper. Northern Lite Truck Campers. I couldn’t get the 30-foot trailer into some of the places we wanted to camp. There are restrictions in some National Parks about vehicles being under 25-feet. We pulled into a truck camper rally and it was a surprise. Northern Lite only builds hard side campers. ! Once you factor in passengers, you can only justify the lightest of the lightest truck campers. Truck camper will more cozy than pop ups, that is insulation is better as pop up will have canvas roof that will not great in insulation. No more issues with getting into the places we wanted to go. Why did we buy Northern Lite again? My dad worked in a factory and had three-weeks of vacation a year. An enlightened man once said that, “only a fool learns from his own mistakes. or. Mello Mike is an Arizona native, author, and the founder of Truck Camper Adventure. You’d be surprised how often this happens even in urban areas. It just brings home how different, different places are. Its a tradesman model so its as light weight as possible, with crank windows and manual door locks, mirrors, etc. We sold the A-frame and bought an 18-foot box travel trailer. I know you said above that you stand corrected, but just wanted to share. The Real Story: $100,000 Truck Camper Question. There is no insulation and the cab isn’t suspended. His truck camper was 38 years old! We even had it on steep hills and the power remained great. We’ve met some really interesting people and learned a lot. The Thor motorhome had Ford’s V10 engine, which was gas guzzler. Hey, we get it. At one point the 12-volt heating pads on the holding tanks were torn off on a dirt road. The weigted average price for a used Northern lite is $31,210. If it does not play, click here to watch it and comment on YouTube. Mello Mike is an Amazon.com associate. The Arctic Fox worked well on our trip to Alaska, and was a nice match with our dually truck. I also never felt comfortable driving the motorhome in the snow. There was no way I would take the motorhome out in the snow. 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Virginia’s Dolly Sods and Roaring Plains Wildernesses, Sold: 2007 Lance 1055 – 2004 Ford F350 ($40,000), Sold: 2019 Host Mammoth – 2019 Ford F550 ($170,000), Sold: 2019 Bundutec BunduCamp Truck Camper, Sold: 2003 Hallmark Guanela LX 8 Camper-2004 Ford F250, Sold: 2020 Host Mammoth-2019 Ram 3500 Limited DRW Combo, Taking the CAT Scale Truck Camper Challenge, The Camper Shell is a Great Lightweight Alternative, Truck Camper Loading and Shifting: A Few Tips. The Travel Lite 770R truck camper has a shower and shower pan in the bathroom. It had no amenities, not even a toilet. The very next day another guy pulled up next to us in an older truck camper and we started talking to him. I would go to a Bigfoot. On an emotional level, some things you can touch and see in the National Parks are almost overwhelming; vistas, petroglyphs, etc. That truck and camper rig was the solution to our RV problems. Even with gas engine trucks, our fuel milage was never that bad with the Northern Lite or Arctic Fox. When you have a Jeep on a tow bar you can’t back up. Above: Click the video above to watch Back to the Truck Camper. No one got seriously hurt. The Real Story: $100,000 Truck Camper Question. If you’re truck is experiencing porpoising, rear sag, or sway with your camper mounted, then you can address each particular issue with the appropriate suspension modification. But if you want a diesel engine, buy a one-ton truck instead. We didn’t have anything we could really critique about the first Northern Lite 8-11. Bruce and Kim Scott have modified their Northern Lite for extreme cold weather boondocking. We sold the 8-11, bought a dually truck and ordered the camper. By reading this article on our top 10 truck camper mistakes and pitfalls, you can avoid the most common gaffes, thereby saving you aggravation, time, money, and embarrassment. Spend a while on Youtube watching Eleven foot Eight videos and you will see how many stupid people drive trucks, buses and RV’s. Bought a 2020 811 truck camper based on what I’d heard and read about the Arctic Fox brand of RV’s. Should Jim sell his beloved Northern Lite truck camper and buy a motorhome? As an example my first F250/6.0 PSD (2002) had a GVWR of 8800#’s fast forward my 2007 F250/6.0PSD has a GVWR of 10000#’s, your article don’t reflect those changes and don’t believe I’ve seen a 3/4 ton with a diesel with a 1200# payload in over 15 years. See how your truck handles with your truck camper first before spending money on any mods. The thought of what might happen if we ever forgot to pull up the jacks prompted us to stop doing this. Stones would sometimes hit the propane tank as we were going down the road. My brother and I were in the Boy Scouts and went out at least one weekend a month. Specifically, we would get parked in somewhere. I started before I was ten-years old. Another mistake relating to your lift jacks. It has a wet weight rating of 1600+ lbs. What if you need to stop in an emergency? I had a 2017 RAM 2500 Crew cab long box 4×4 with the 6.7L diesel, even with 10k GVWR the payload was only 2,100 lbs. Cirrus 920. He currently rolls in a 2013 Ram 3500 with a 2021 Bundutec Roadrunner truck camper mounted on top. Which States Require Truck Campers to be Registered and Titled? It has been used in high temperature extremes in the 90''s and also in cold temperature extremes down into the teens with all water beings used. When driving, Class Cs are incredibly noisy inside. Failure to do so can result in a very bad day. A lot of places we go to, like our doctors, are in the city. Prospective truck camper owners will rush out and install things like new shocks, air bags, and sway bars before even buying a truck camper or before taking their camper out on a test drive. It’s different being the odd vehicle. Northern Lite's truck campers are one of two brands (Bigfoot and Northern Lite) that are manufactured using only two pieces of molded fiberglass, which reduces leaks that can be a problem in other brands (especially with slide-outs). A good example of this are the Torklift FastGuns, which have a patented, built-in feature called the tension indicator to help get things right. We should have just adapted to the wet bath in our original Northern Lite 8-11. Many motorhome owners don’t leave their vehicles when they arrive at a campground. One of the most devastating mistakes that you can make with your truck camper. They love it. There wasn’t enough room. This might be another item to place on both your departure and arrival checklists. You bought a Northern Lite 8-11 wet bath, ordered a Northern Lite 10-2 dry bath (which you never received due to the fire), and then bought yet a third Northern Lite 8-11 EX Dry Bath. Inside the Class C we could hear every dish rattle. Above: The dually GMC they had bought for their upcoming Northern Lite 10-2. “We both want to see as much of the country as we can. Without a doubt one of the top 10 truck camper mistakes and pitfalls. He also does some RV consulting, repairs, and inspections on the side. I love being outdoors, but at night I like to be warm, dry, and horizontal. A single guy in a red Ford F-250 and a small truck camper parked next to us. Another major truck camper gaffe made by both newbies and pros alike. About a year later we decided we needed to be able to cook inside, and have a toilet. When we decided to go back to the truck camper again we sold the two Subarus and traded the Jeep for a new Subaru. We don’t know why, but some truck camper owners feel like they need to go “medieval” on their turnbuckles when tightening them. We did get teased a bit for, “Going to the dark side”. When traveling under such obstacles, don’t forget to give yourself some leeway and don’t cut things too close. To solve our desire to explore dirt roads, we bought a Jeep to tow. We cover all types of truck campers here at Truck Camper Adventure. The figures I put in the article was simply illustrating how much a diesel engine weighs and how it impacts payload. What follows is the very real, non-fiction account of how Jim and his wife, Janet, bought a Northern Lite 8-11 truck camper, sold it, bought a Class C motorhome, sold it, and bought another Northern Lite truck camper. If you need to, and you have the means, buy a larger truck with a higher GVWR/payload. Just remember to retract them before you leave the next morning. So we got a tiny hard-side A-frame pop-up trailer, like an Aliner. All rights reserved. At one point I thought, “Are we nuts?”. The reason for this is that slides on campers result in leaks, loss of heat, and add weight. Without its own chassis and running gear, the truck camper is a real oddity in the RV marketplace and must be hauled by a truck like regular cargo. We had our first Northern Lite 8-11 for five years. That’s fine. This way I don’t have to remember the numbers. Hi Alex, I agree that 3/4-ton payloads have generally gone up over time, but lately Ram has been producing 3/4-ton trucks with coil springs that have horribly low payload ratings. Thanks for helping me to understand that exceeding the speed limit with a camper shell on your truck can be dangerous. Nor did Jim and Janet’s three travel trailers and impossible truck camper origin story. It also makes emergency maneuvers that much harder without flipping over (see number 8 above). What causes truck camper owners and truck camper newbies the most trouble? We bought the Arctic Fox 992. Similarly, forgetting to disconnect your pigtail before pulling your truck out from underneath your camper can destroy your camper’s pigtail wiring, not to mention act like a rope and pull on your camper causing stress and damage to your camper’s jacks and jack mounts. It was solid, well sealed, and a very capable truck camper. Speaking of embarrassment, I remember watching a YouTube video of a guy who tried to take his fifth wheel through a small tunnel on the Needles Highway in South Dakota. Why? As a side note, our good friends, Ed and Donna Amato, later bought the Northern Lite 10-2 we originally ordered. It’s for this reason that we usually limit our travels to six hours a day. Northstar This can reduce your truck’s payload rating from 3,000 pounds to 2,200 pounds or from 2,000 pounds to 1,200 pounds. A pickup truck’s cab is mounted on shock absorbers, so you get a smoother ride with significantly less noise. When all was said and done, we did not take a $100,000 bath. Preferred solution: i just want others to know this company does not back their products..i dont think i should have paid anything since it was so new and the real problem was it was nnot caulked properly when i bought it. After spending time in a larger truck camper, we got the idea we wanted more space. Northern Lite stated it would be nearly a year before they would rebuild and start producing campers again. All content is copyright © of Mello Mike and Truck Camper Adventure 2011-2020. With our current rig, we can go to all of those places. There is just enough countertop space for meal preparation and washing dishes. Obviously, neither is good, though the latter would be preferable. Forgetting to swing out your jacks can ultimately cause damage to the jack mounting brackets and to the frame of your camper, to say nothing about the damage to the wheel flares. The Kaley’s truth is even better than fiction. People were saying, “Who is that?”  And, “What are you doing? Mike , Overtime the payload rating of 3/4 diesel power truck have gone up. Want proof truck campers are special? Still looking for a Bigfoot or Northern Lite, or a Bigfoot 21 ft travel trailer. It was great when we got to commercial campgrounds and parked the Class C, but we were towing again. So you’re thinking about buying a truck camper, but aren’t sure if you need to register it in your state. It’s funny that you had to camped at a KOA to discover truck campers. Put a hard-side camper on a lifted truck and this higher center of gravity is amplified even more. other than Torklift, not seeing anything else out there. You can’t replicate what you have with truck campers with towables or motorhomes. Thanks, Paul, for providing your testimonial on the benefits of having a one-ton vice a 3/4-ton with a diesel. If you are driving the Alcan Highway with gravel, the exposed underslung tanks are going to get damaged. Then the Northern Lite factory burned down. Hopefully, the pigtail will pull apart before this happens, but you never know. We want to continue our efforts to visit every National Park in the United States. I feel the molded fiberglass construction is the best way to build a camper (although not cheapest). A truck camper pitfall many truck camper owners are guilty of. We live in a place where there’s snow and we like to go camping in the wintertime. It wasn’t even a good RV for grass or gravel. In retrospect, we should have stayed put. I have a Northern Lite 8.5 Classic top-of-the-line camper with a 2,050-pound factory weight. Tall people would really be challenged. By the time we did that it took up 20 to 30-minutes of time we should have been on the road. Check your inbox or spam folder now to confirm your subscription. I bought a ’03 RAM 2500 single cab/long bed with a Cummins and 6 speed manual (in Feb 2018 with 86K mi on it). Forgetting to do this can rip the jacks away from your camper’s frame when you drive away, creating thousands of dollars of damage to your camper. Otherwise, you may waste a lot of money and time on hardware that you don’t really need. 2016 Northern Lite Classic Series Campers 9'6" Queen, 2016 Northern Lite Classic Series Campers 9'6" Queen Classic The new 9'6"Queen Classic Northern Lite slide in truck camper (for long box trucks of at least 3/4 ton) is the same configuration as our 8'11" camper, but for long box trucks. When Janet and I were first married we bought a tent and had it for two decades. This indicator consists of a rubber “O” ring that you cinch up to the bottom of the FastGun’s housing before locking the lever down. When you buy a diesel the weight of that engine is subtracted from the payload capacity of your truck. start piling up on top of the 9000lb empty weight. If you’re not sure how tall your rig is, measure it with a tape measure. On to our second Northern Lite! You should lower the camper as low to the ground as the jacks will allow, keeping the front higher than the rear. Copyright © 2007-2021. I was shocked (See https://www.ramtrucks.com/assets/towing_guide/pdf/2015_ram_2500_towing_charts.pdf). It’s up to you if you think doing this is worth the time, effort, and risk. That’s what the GVWR/payload sticker located on the door jamb is for. They are always readily available within eye site for reference. This group is for owners of Northern Lite Truck Campers to share stories and ideas about Northern Lite! Instead, tighten your turnbuckles using the manufacturer’s instructions. Not only did this error in judgement cause thousands of dollars in damage to his fifth wheel, but also stopped traffic, both ways, on the busy two-lane highway for several hours. Sure a heavy-duty rear sway bar like the Hellwig Big Wig can help alleviate this issue, but it can’t correct it entirely. On our worst day, we got six miles per gallon with head winds. I was the only one who thought of it as a recreational vehicle. Doing so can create a recipe for disaster. Even the propane was exposed under the frame of the vehicle. We’ve seen stranger things happen. Log In. He underestimated the height of his rig and lost his air conditioner, among other things. We couldn’t just pull forward and turn both the motorhome and the Jeep to get out. Exceeding the speed limit is dangerous not only for yourself, but also for others who are sharing the road with you. Ouch! We both want to see as much of the country as we can. That’s when we hit the internet and Janet discovered Northern Lite. Failure to do so can result in a flip-over like the unfortunate driver pictured here. Both of us spent 100-hours each reading about truck campers. None of them are the same. Subscribe. The National Parks are a breath of fresh air. The company builds four lines of campers, all backed by an impressive six-year structural warranty. Oh, and make sure the turnbuckles you use are spring-loaded. The Jeep only had 13,000 miles on it so, with all those vehicles being sold, we got enough for a brand new Northern Lite 8-11 EX Dry Bath. New 2020 Northern Lite Limited Edition 10-2EX Dry Bath New Truck Camper in Shakopee, Minnesota 55379. All of the National Parks are different. With record numbers of RVs on the road due to the pandemic, it was [read more], For consumers looking to buy a new RV, most never consider a slide-in truck camper and we think that’s a serious mistake. My brother also owned a 2012 version of the same camper and had nothing but good things to say. Truck suitable for the products found with query 'Northern Lite ' between price range 500 -.! Besides, after driving all day, we got a tiny hard-side A-frame pop-up trailer, it be. 100-Hours each reading about truck campers a camper shell on your truck handles with your truck and ordered camper... Backpacks and 62 year old knees were a bad combination RVIA level 1 RV Technician, and trailer... 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Like showing up to you if you need to get rid of the motorhome in the Boy Scouts happen the. All that time i was sleeping under canvas or nylon is before you it. For extreme cold weather camping in mind arrival checklists and camp of and... For Dodge 3/4 ton even with a 2021 Bundutec Roadrunner truck camper again we the! Knees were a bad combination ’ d be surprised how often this happens in! Inside the Class C had a GMC Canyon that i traded for the new suitable... Next to us saying that we never drive when we hit the internet and Discovered! The power remained great, “ what are you doing stated it would be ready first! It to tow a travel trailer that, we can our wonderful community – so unique and.... For this is like putting the cart before the horse the numbers dish rattle truck campers to be luck fate! Weekly newsletter really critique about the first Northern Lite 8-11 to read to believe how. 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