Camping in TC off truck

Ok. You're probably right, there is no reason at all for prohibiting campers from being used (or not) off the truck, facts be ****ed. There probably aren't any places that prohibit it either, since there can be no reason to do so.

Glub, glub, glub.

That's the sound of this thread going down the drain.

Some info to those who do not understand the laws, zoning regulations, and enforcement, etc --- Ace! actually posted a very common excerpt from normal zoning regulations in the USA. An un-licensed truck camper is actually classified as "cargo" carried by a vehicle. In some states, even a licensed TC is classified as "cargo" since it is not movable on a road without being on something with wheels under it. Argue all you want but that's the laws and statutes.

Please refer to or call your vehicle insurance carrier and most will find their truck topper/cap or a TC is only insured when it's on the insured truck as so many have found out the hard way. That's because it's insured by a rider clause on the vehicle's insurance policy which shares major coverage aspects at a very low premium cost that's allowed in most states. Some states do allow a totally separate insurance policy on the truck camper alone but the premium costs are very high like insuring something like a boat or a towable RV. A stand alone policy!

We've have at least one TC owned and insured for 51 years now as we love'em and always as a rider on our truck policy. Why? Our premium for this year is $35 per 6 months with $100 deductible with full TC loss coverage up to the present TC's market value, $2000 coverage for personal contents, and $1000 for trip interuption coverage. Medical and liability is covered by the truck's policy when the TC is on the truck. It's cargo!

Per our insurance agent in Feb of this year, for the same coverage on a stand alone policy on our TC, we were quoted $184 per each 6 months. Almost $150 more each 6 months.

languiduck, please make my day and bring your TC here and take it off your truck in a CG so I can watch you either get kicked out or quickly put it back on or if the police become involved, watch you get a nice fat fine and still put it back on and leave! I can assure you that you wouldn't be the first! Recreational Vehicle (RV) has wheels or it's not a "Vehicle" but rather just a box structure setting on the ground! Bet your zoning where you live won't allow you to live in an 8' wide X 8' high X 15' long storage shed even on your own property with having a toilet, a bed, and a place to prepare food. Just what a TC becomes when off the truck. There are laws whether you like it or not!

FYI, I'd served on the board of directors of a large 2 RV resorts complex (not our family owned ones) for 9 years and know the rules and written laws in our state. A little added as many on this forum know is that our family still owns 6 RV CG's in the deep SE USA and they DO NOT allow TC's to be taken off the truck either on their property nor do any of the other CG's allow it either in their areas. Sorry, I can't help it if you are inept at researching but so many on this and other forums actually know and acknowledge the laws and regulations on not taking their TC off in a CG etc where prohibited. Been many threads posted about this.

I'm going to see if I can't keep my response short and then let it go.

As of now, no one has produced a federal, state, or local law/ordinance prohibiting the removal of a truck camper from its truck at a campground, park, USFS, etc. Please do not confuse a gampground's rule or a state park's rule for this. That is not a law but a private rule.

I am a 20 year LEO so I have experience researching, finding, and interpreting laws. I also write policy and SOPs for my Dept. Needless to say I have a lot of contacts in other jurisdictions at the local and state level. I have reached out to all those contacts, and a USFS ranger. None of them said this is prohibited per their ordinances.

I'm not saying there isn't a local ordinance that specifically prohibits this, but if there is it is rare and not so common as some here spout off. I have personally removed my TC on state park property and USFS property and spoken with the rangers and none of them said it was prohibited.

My insurance covers my TC no matter where it is. I just paid the premium and it was $180 through Progressive with my USAA discount.

Some people want something to be true so badly they will find something vague and figure out a way to make it apply. The following is what is happening around here sometimes:

Start with a cage containing five monkeys. Inside the cage, hang a banana on a string and place a set of stairs under it. Before long, a monkey will go to the stairs and start to climb towards the banana. As soon as he touches the stairs, spray all of the other monkeys with cold water. After a while, another monkey makes an attempt with the same result - all the other monkeys are sprayed with cold water. Pretty soon, when another monkey tries to climb the stairs, the other monkeys will try to prevent it.

Now, put away the cold water. Remove one monkey from the cage and replace it with a new one. The new monkey sees the banana and wants to climb the stairs. To his surprise and horror, all of the other monkeys attack him. After another attempt and attack, he knows that if he tries to climb the stairs, he will be assaulted.

Next, remove another of the original five monkeys and replace it with a new one. The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. The previous newcomer takes part in the punishment with enthusiasm! Likewise, replace a third original monkey with a new one, then a fourth, then the fifth.

Every time the newest monkey takes to the stairs, he is attacked. Most of the monkeys that are beating him have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs or why they are participating in the beating of the newest monkey.

After replacing all the original monkeys, none of the remaining monkeys have ever been sprayed with cold water. Nevertheless, no monkey ever again approaches the stairs to try for the banana.

Why not?

Because as far as they know that's the way it's always been done around here.

I like the comment about people East of the Mississippi not knowing what a truck camper is. I found that out trying to finance one!!!

I guess everyone has their own reality. In 8 years of owning my camper, I've only camped with it on the truck a few times and never camped where I was not allowed to take it off had I wanted to. Obviously, parts of the world unvisited by me have rules against taking a camper off, it just isn't part of MY reality.

egarant wrote:
...
I an sorry, but I don't carry ANY other supports except the 4 jacks the camper was DESIGNED to be supported on. ..

Hope you don't use Happijacs. From the manual "Camper should be supported on a sturdy base during storage to prevent damage to camper floor and the wing walls. When living in camper, the floor should be firmly supported."

languiduck wrote:
You are embellishing and adding things to an ordinance and only quoting part of it to boot. Nowhere does it say an rv has to have wheels. A truck camper is an rv and it is manufactured solely to be an rv. Taking it out of the bed for a few days does not instantly transform its use and classification. It's all about intent. I would bet a call to that jurisdictions authority would confirm your interpretation isnt correct.

Not that I agree with an ordinance or regulation that would restrict offloading a truck camper, but unfortunately TCs are technically considered residences by many jurisdictions.

For instance, in California, wheeled RVs (Class A, B, and C self propelled RVs; travel trailers; 5th wheels) are licensed by the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Truck Campers are licensed by the California Department of Housing and Community Development, which also licenses manufactured homes and floating homes.

rider997 wrote:


Not that I agree with an ordinance or regulation that would restrict offloading a truck camper, but unfortunately TCs are technically considered residences by many jurisdictions.

For instance, in California, wheeled RVs (Class A, B, and C self propelled RVs; travel trailers; 5th wheels) are licensed by the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Truck Campers are licensed by the California Department of Housing and Community Development, which also licenses manufactured homes and floating homes.

I think you're making a point that is often missed and in this discussion, gets confused in the debate.

Laws, rules, regulations, etc, do vary. Interpretations of same is open to some discussion of course.

But arguments often stray from the factual to the assumption (point being in this discussion, folks arguing the 'why it should be', i.e. "makes perfect sense"). It's a valid discussion of course, but as we all know, common sense isn't so sometimes. And there is a world of difference between written law, interpretation of said law and the understanding of why it came into existence.

Laws, regulations, etc, are guidelines for the masses to do the right thing. That's why Officers have 'discretion'. Which leads me round about to my earlier comment about bureaucrats...

"an official in a government department, in particular one perceived as being concerned with procedural correctness at the expense of people's needs."

I like the monkey story... that fits really well on this forum. The old "my brother was in Mississippi once and his cousin said...". Kind of like the water tank falling out of a camper once when it was off loaded. Great story that apparently affects all TC's, or all AF's or.... no matter what the actual facts were.

Entertaining reading and still lots of good info....in between the lines at least.

When I bought my TC 3 years ago, I called DMV and there is absolutely no registration on them at all.
Coming to "manufactured homes" the description is pretty stretchable.
They can be mobile homes with wheels still attached, or a structure that is different from "stick build" house only by the place where the wall panels are assembled, with several options between.