Forum Discussion

ajriding's avatar
ajriding
Explorer II
Jul 03, 2019

Alaskan pro/con

I am interested to hear from Alaskan owners about what is bad about the camper.

How well do the seals work? Are they airtight? No drafts? How long do they last?
Are there risk of the lift system failing realistically? (I had a HILO and always worried each lift would be the last)
Folded, is it weather tight? driving in pounding rain, no leaks? No leaks when up?
What are the eventual weaknesses of the camper?
What breaks?
What kind of mileage do you get (include motor, truck, speeds etc)?
How sturdy is it off-road? very rough roads?

Has anyone put a shower inside? I personally am fine with a portable toilet, so would take out the toilet for a shower.

I have a very very, very nice fiberglass TC that I am happy with, it is the most aero hard-side (nonfolding) TC there is. My fuel mileage would not be that big of a difference, I get 15-16 now, and I imagine an Alaskan I would get 18 easily, maybe 19 on a great day, so the monetary difference is not that great. $200 for a 6,000 mile trip maybe, so mpg not a big factor, but stress on the truck motor comes into play and the speed I can travel too.
I also think the Alaskan would go off road more places than a full size rig.

Has anyone put a window AC unit on the back wall?

I have interest to have a lowered TC since I do many cross country trips, and end up off road where a low CG would e huge for me. I am not wild about folding campers, but the Alaskan is a maybe. I have had canvas side TC and trailers, and a HiLo and did not like them. The hilo was not airtight, but otherwise was great. It raised in 20 seconds so easy to stop, raise, get snack and lower in 12 seconds, I was just worried the cables would eventually break, maybe not an issue with AKan since no cables…

I am looking for happy or unhappy owners thoughts.
Truck Campers
  • Optimistic_Para's avatar
    Optimistic_Para
    Explorer
    Jul 07, 2019
    ajriding wrote:
    Has anyone put a window AC unit on the back wall?


    Given the design, I can't imagine any way to mount an inexpensive window AC. If you want AC, I think you're going to have to go with an RV roof unit.
  • Ramp_Digger's avatar
    Ramp_Digger
    Explorer
    Jul 07, 2019
    ajriding wrote:
    I am interested to hear from Alaskan owners about what is bad about the camper.

    How well do the seals work? Are they airtight? No drafts? How long do they last?
    Are there risk of the lift system failing realistically? (I had a HILO and always worried each lift would be the last)
    Folded, is it weather tight? driving in pounding rain, no leaks? No leaks when up?
    What are the eventual weaknesses of the camper?
    What breaks?
    What kind of mileage do you get (include motor, truck, speeds etc)?
    How sturdy is it off-road? very rough roads?

    Has anyone put a shower inside? I personally am fine with a portable toilet, so would take out the toilet for a shower.

    I have a very very, very nice fiberglass TC that I am happy with, it is the most aero hard-side (nonfolding) TC there is. My fuel mileage would not be that big of a difference, I get 15-16 now, and I imagine an Alaskan I would get 18 easily, maybe 19 on a great day, so the monetary difference is not that great. $200 for a 6,000 mile trip maybe, so mpg not a big factor, but stress on the truck motor comes into play and the speed I can travel too.
    I also think the Alaskan would go off road more places than a full size rig.

    Has anyone put a window AC unit on the back wall?

    I have interest to have a lowered TC since I do many cross country trips, and end up off road where a low CG would e huge for me. I am not wild about folding campers, but the Alaskan is a maybe. I have had canvas side TC and trailers, and a HiLo and did not like them. The hilo was not airtight, but otherwise was great. It raised in 20 seconds so easy to stop, raise, get snack and lower in 12 seconds, I was just worried the cables would eventually break, maybe not an issue with AKan since no cables…

    I am looking for happy or unhappy owners thoughts.
    Hi ajriding. We have owned a 2007 8.5 foot cab over Alaskan sense new. Very happy overall with it. So here goes with my 2 cents worth. To answer your questions, the seals work really well they are double with two wiping type seals all the way around. The con is those seals need replacing occasionally. Mine have never been replaced in the 12 years sense new but will need them soon, they have tendency to crack from dry rot, cost I am guessing around 200 dollars. The cab over panels seals can have some minor air leaks when very windy, however I have never seen any rain leaks at all. Camper stays very warm with the furnace, very well insulated. lift system takes a little learning curve to operate but works very well, 12 volt hdy pump and 4 hdy cyl. Less than 2 minutes to lift, lock safty pins and raise front cab over panels. Toilet accessible with top down. Ref can but is difficult. Top down for travel no leaks in hard rain so far. 2005 dodge ram 3500 drw auto. 5.9 cummins,about 14 to 15 mpg at 60 mph. Last year in wyo. cruse at 80 mph about 12 mpg. Cons are no shower,but really like the cassette toilet. Very limited storage inside. Cab over mattress a little thin with little room to add a thicker one. No grey tank, storage and grey tank issue solved with adding a flat bed and boxes.
    See photo in TC photo thread page 134. AC can be added on roof. PM me if need further info. Ramp
  • northshore's avatar
    northshore
    Explorer
    Jul 04, 2019
    This is probably not relevant, but I had a Alaskan camper, not a cabover, it was constructed good, and I used it for many years. Never had a problem with it. I also would get another one if i had the chance.
  • cewillis's avatar
    cewillis
    Explorer
    Jul 03, 2019
    maddog348 wrote:
    O/kohldad ~`what does your post have to do exclusivly with "Alaskan" campers ?? ~~ Bugs are bugs.
    JM2¢ ~~ YMMV

    The cabover area is wide open to all elements - bugs, rain, etc - until the inside walls are folded up manually.
    (Unless they've recently changed the design)
  • maddog348's avatar
    maddog348
    Explorer
    Jul 03, 2019
    O/P ~~You want an 'Airtight' TC. What do you plan to breathe. 'Airtight' may be a bit of overkill.

    kohldad ~`what does your post have to do exclusivly with "Alaskan" campers ?? ~~ Bugs are bugs.

    JM2¢ ~~ YMMV
  • kohldad's avatar
    kohldad
    Explorer III
    Jul 03, 2019
    I don't have one and never will because of one simple fact: When setting up camp, the inside is exposed to all the mosquitoes and bugs flying around. So if they are bad, you could spend some time killing them and even then you likely will find one or two during the middle of the night that you missed.

    Whenever I see one, I think of the campground I stopped at in Kansas one evening with a travel trailer. When I set it up, there wasn't a bug around so no problem and we went for a 1/4 mile walk around the pond. About 1/2 way around as the sun neared the horizon, we could start seeing the black flies come out of the grass. By the time we got back to the camper, the shady side of the camper was completely covered with them and we had a swarm in tow. We stayed away from the door while one person ran up, unlocked it, then ran around in a large circle before jumping in. Then I would run by with one of the kids, my wife would throw open the door and I would throw the kid in as she slammed the door shut. Then I did the same thing. In the morning they were still around the camper and we had to repeat the process to get into the truck. I would hate to think of the mess we would have had with an Alaskan had we stopped a 1/2 hour later or the tear down in the morning.
  • SidecarFlip's avatar
    SidecarFlip
    Explorer III
    Jul 03, 2019
    Not owning one but would if I could find a used one (hard to find), people don't sell them., I'd have one in a minute. I'd say with proper care, they will last a lifetime. Not all that fond of the roof lift system as it intrudes in the living space but other than that, I see no negatives (other than new pricing).

    I run a pop up now but it's a Palomino SS1500 which is all optioned out. I had a Lance HS and I immediately noticed a huge difference in driveability, especially in cross winds or when passing a truck on the highway. There is no buffeting, no sway, nothing. In fact, don'\t even know it's in the bed unless I look in the mirrors and we primarily camp off road, unimproved and it's super easy to off road one.

    Far as mileage goes, I experienced maybe a 1/2 mpg drop overall. The low transport height makes for a much more efficient profile.

    Downside with any pop up (and the Alaskan as well) will be storage room. Pop up's by nature have limited storage capability. Glad I have a crew cab, my backseat doubles as storage though only half because out dog gets the other half.

    Would I ever go back to a hardside? probably not. An added benefit of the pop up is, I keep mine in my garage when I'm not using it. Out of the weather and will last decades. No hardside will fit in a conventional garage.

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