Truck bed camper thingies

Easy to load you will lose about 4 to 5 mpg. Buy the quality frame mounts. What brand are you looking at?

Livin Lite is the brand I've been looking at.

This model: http://www.livinlite.com/6_8-overview.php

Nice looking unit would be good for one person. You will want to consider getting the upgrade for the jacks. Power jacks are the only way to go.

I had one briefly, it was an ultra lite deal with a pop top that fit on the back of my Z71. I agree with Rich on the power jacks, I hated lading/unloading it, had to go round and round jacking it up one corner at a time. It wasn't bad for one person, had air/heat, and a fridge. After adding the camper, boat and all my mileage went down pretty good. I ended up getting an older C-Class camper in good shape. Mileage is pretty close and MUCH more comfortable.

When I was younger my family took an older Amerigo 13' on several 3 week camping trips. That was 7 of us, that camper had a flip out on the back but we mostly slept in tents. I think they work great.

I have a wildernest top for my toyota now which is a tent that flips out. It works great if the temperature is reasonable. It only weighs 300 lbs or so and fit just like any camper top.

Karl, thanks for bringing this up, I've been thinking about adding one to my F150 for a while, but at $14,000? Ouch! I think I'll stick with the tent, or the Motel 6.

But I don't do the weeks long road trips you do, so for your millage and many trips to FL from MN, it makes sense.

What you also need is some way to 'home brew' diesel fuel! Then stop at every BK and MickyD's on the way down and pick up their used fry oil or something!

I know several cat sailors that have owned these. None have complained, so I think that speaks volumes.

They really are only good for one person, maybe a couple. Add a dog, kid, etc. and you'll be looking for more room quickly.

A separate RV is great, but that's another whole drive train to maintain; and no matter what you do with it, you're only getting 7 mpg.

A separate RV does have other advantages, mainly the larger water and waste tanks (the larger, the better, allows more showers, etc.). You also tend to get more storage with an RV.

As for the pickup models, buy used and save tons of money, even if you have to add the power jacks separately. One guy I know used a power drill to speed up the manual jacks (still have to do one at a time, of course).

The pop-up models promise less impact on gas mileage (drag), but then you add the complication (maintenance) of the tent portion. Usually not a big deal, but if you fold it up wet, you'll want to open it when you get home to let it dry out (avoids mold/mildew). If you buy used, you'll need to be sure the canvas doesn't leak.

Be aware of the normal things to watch for when buying any used camper: water damage, leaking roof, functionality of appliances.

Hope this helps.

Mike

The ultra light pop up model I bought was like a 2002 and was super clean. Paid $2000 for it, had the fridge that ran off of 12v, 110v, or propane, propane furnace, 5 gal fresh water tank, and an A/C. Great for one person, two at most. At $14K I'd go for an RV.

This is what mine looked like...made by a company called Sun Valley

How water tight were those pop-up panels? I mean, in a driving rain, would they let water in? It's hard to tell from the picture but are they canvas 'windows' that roll up with netting over, or are they solid plastic panels, that would keep the water out?

Mine seemed to be pretty water tight, didn't have it long though. Sold it to my cousin and he uses the snot out of it and hasn't mentioned any leaks. The windows were a tinted plastic that zipped up with netting on the outside if you wanted natural climate control. Seems like there was a canvas flap that would roll down to cove rthe windows for privacy. The canvas can be replaced if its worn.

I also had to set my mast on the trailer just right so it didn't hit the camper, basically it couldn't extend past the trailer tongue. Have to do the same with my RV.

The ones I've seen are identical to those in pop-up tent trailers. Admittedly, I haven't looked at either in many years, but they used to be roll up canvas with the built in screens.

They usually do a pretty good job of keeping out the rain. I don't think you'd really want solid panels, as you'd have poor ventilation, and it would get really hot inside when parked in the sun.

Good point about the mast. I know of at least two people that have broken their rear RV windows with masts...

Mike

Having a place to store an rv is a big issue.

A hotel does seem a whole lot smarter than anything else. I'm at the point I'm just sick of tenting it.

Lots of good pros/cons Mike.

My trailer the masts end up being about two feet behind the ball anyways. One of the many plus's of having a trailer that is almost 26 feet long on its own.

Karl,
You're on the right track with the long trailer, with whatever you get. My 28' A class RV(Krantz's old one) was way less than 14k and gets 10 miles per gallon. Whatever you get make sure you can sleep in it on the road with a min. of hassle(Rest areas,etc.).

There's no shortage of pros/cons to consider. We use our RV all the time.

The less you use it, the more it costs per trip (if you divide the depreciation by time spent using it), which some people see as a reason to get hotels.

For week-long events, hotels are hard to beat (someone else cleans up after you, unlimited water for better showers, etc.).

For cross-country trips, the gas in an RV will kill you. Here, multi-stacking and sharing costs is the only good solution.

10 mpg in a 28-foot Class A??? Wow, what year, engine, make and model is that?

Mike

1993 Fleetwood Flair w/ Chev. 454.(Mike Krantz's old steed) Towing or not doesn't seem to make much difference unless you've got a strong headwind (which always seems to happen on the long trips).

The multi stacking is definitely the way to fly, but Karl may be in the same boat as I am without alot of other sailors in the area.

That a lot better than mine. I have a 92 fleetwood Jamboree C Class with a Ford 460, I get 7-7.5 no matter how I drive the thing. I love the thing though, nice to be able to bring your own crapper with you hahaha!

Diligence w/ staying out of the secondaries of the 4 barrel and not letting the cruise control downshift, help alot.

How fast do you run? I try and stay between 60-65 and do try and keep it from downshifting going up the hills. I never use the cruise, it always wants to floor it. When I came up your way for the Duck Cup, that was the longest trip I have take it on. 6hrs each way, spent about $400 on fuel. We usually only travel 3-4 hrs for most of the places we go.

Todd's correct on the mileage of my old RV

10mpg at 65mph

I towed b oats all over the us and up to Quebec

think if I bought a new one I think I'd have them turn the shitter into a closet. I don't need a can or a shower, it seems kinda ridiculous in the model I'm looking at anyway. I just need someplace dry/cool to sleep, and the ability to make breakfast in the morning would be sweet. Plus someplace to hide from you heathens when the rain is on. Nothing worse than a building packed full of stinky wet sailors.

Triple stacked with my pickup about the best I can expect is 15mpg, at worst I think I've seen mid-10's, typically I'm around 13-14mpg doing 72mph and I constantly use the cruise control, but that's with a proper transmission, not some automatical, and thats with ~600 ft/lbs of torque at the wheels. The worst mileage I've ever gotten period was coming north through illinois with about a 40mph headwind with a large safe in the box of the pickup, a 24' enclosed trailer, and about 25k lbs gross weight. I was down around 7mpg. That frickin sucked!

I have a 35' diesel A class and get 10-12 mph driving around 70 towing boat or boats. Tanks hold 90 gallons of diesel and 100 gallons of water.

Another pro off the camper is you don't pay licensing fees every year. Just put your truck plate on it when it's on the truck. Don't forget to put it back on the truck when you take the camper off. (Don't ask me how I know) Your state laws may vary.

Your heater will run off the 12 volt system but you need a genny for the A/C to run. For mileage I get about 18 to 19 without mine on and 14 to 15 with it on.

That's not a bad hit at all.

That rig looks pretty nice.
I'd keep the crapper,just put a closet rod over it and you've got a closet.I did that with the shower(hanging wet locker) in the rv and use the tub part to set wet gear and the beer cooler in.

My neighbor just picked up one of these used... it was high miles, but he got it cheap... think he said $15K It is set up like the old VW Vanagon Westfalia and he has no problem towing a trailer of four dirtbikes and gear all over the place..

http://sportsmobile.com/index.html

I had the VW Eurovan camper before I bought the rv and my main problem was you had to move to much stuff around to switch from sleeping to living, even with the pop-up loft, and not enough storage for clothes and sailing gear. It got 20 mpg until you hooked a trailer up then you got 13-14. It would tow a trailer fine though.
That 4x4 sportsmobile looks awesome.

Can't believe that I didn't think of this sooner. The main reason we bought our first RV in the first place was that at our local Hobie fleet sailing venue, there is nothing but a field and the beach. Most regattas we've attended have been very similar. So, the bathroom and shower were extremely critical in our decision making process.

Our first RV was a $4200 1978 Winnebago. Not much to look at, but everything worked, and we took it to a LOT of regattas.

Our current RV is a 1993 Fleetwood Tioga Arrow, Ford Econoline E350, with a 460-ish gas engine. Gets 7-7.5 mpg no matter how I drive, although it usually gets over 65 with no effort on flat roads (good luck finding those up here). The

hills

here will drop you to 40 MPH if you try to keep from downshifting, and the strain on the engine and tranny isn't a good idea.

Towing cats has never made any difference behind either RV (in terms of MPG), even when double stacked. All the drag is in the front of the RV, and the added weight doesn't seem to matter.

Mike