Fulltime RV'ing-Truck camper; built-in washer/dryer Question

adamis wrote:
I think the idea behind the washer dryer in the Host was to use it while on Hookups. Using it for Boondocking doesn't make sense in my opinion.

If I was traveling lots of miles on highways and had the option to stay in RV parks from time to time on laundry day then perhaps. Even then, most RV parks have decent laundry facilities so what are you gaining.

Not to nitpick but are you certain a Host Cascade and an F550 or F600 are the right direction for you? The combined cost is approaching that of an earth roamer and they will be way better suited for OffRoad camping as you seem to anticipate. They might even be a bit shorter helping with tree clearance that an F600 and Cascade will cause. Plus, keep in mind that while the campers are aluminum framed, it doesn't mean that they are built to handle lots of OffRoad jostling all the time. F600s are designed for actual heavy use like delivery trucks or dump trucks. The suspension on it will be rock hard so the camper won't get much give going down rough roads.

That being said, if you do go with the F600 and Cascade, it would be the envy of many as it would be a heck of a nice setup.

Excellent points brought up in this thread! :C


Re: Earth Roamer;
2021 F-600: $55,000 to $60,000+
2021 Host Mammoth: $65,000+

5+ year-old Earth Roamer w/F-550 chassis: $350,000+
Brand new: $500,000+


As I am a life-long off roader; you bring up excellent points about tree clearance and suspension articulation/softness.

In factory form; an F-600 with a Host camper is the same or shorter than an Earth Roamer.

I figure with a 4,700lb camper loaded with 1,000lb would somewhat soften a suspension meant to carry 3X that.


What I don't like about the Earth Roamer (besides the price) is the narrowness of the camper's interior; no slide outs.


Re: camper construction handling off road traveling;
That's definitely on my mind, especially in the slide-out areas.


This is an accurate representation of how my rig will be set up:

EYEMLOST wrote:

adamis wrote:
I think the idea behind the washer dryer in the Host was to use it while on Hookups. Using it for Boondocking doesn't make sense in my opinion.

If I was traveling lots of miles on highways and had the option to stay in RV parks from time to time on laundry day then perhaps. Even then, most RV parks have decent laundry facilities so what are you gaining.

Not to nitpick but are you certain a Host Cascade and an F550 or F600 are the right direction for you? The combined cost is approaching that of an earth roamer and they will be way better suited for OffRoad camping as you seem to anticipate. They might even be a bit shorter helping with tree clearance that an F600 and Cascade will cause. Plus, keep in mind that while the campers are aluminum framed, it doesn't mean that they are built to handle lots of OffRoad jostling all the time. F600s are designed for actual heavy use like delivery trucks or dump trucks. The suspension on it will be rock hard so the camper won't get much give going down rough roads.

That being said, if you do go with the F600 and Cascade, it would be the envy of many as it would be a heck of a nice setup.

Excellent points brought up in this thread! :C


Re: Earth Roamer;
2021 F-600: $55,000 to $60,000+
2021 Host Mammoth: $65,000+

5+ year-old Earth Roamer w/F-550 chassis: $350,000+
Brand new: $500,000+


As I am a life-long off roader; you bring up excellent points about tree clearance and suspension articulation/softness.

In factory form; an F-600 with a Host camper is the same or shorter than an Earth Roamer.

I figure with a 4,700lb camper loaded with 1,000lb would somewhat soften a suspension meant to carry 3X that.


What I don't like about the Earth Roamer (besides the price) is the narrowness of the camper's interior; no slide outs.


Re: camper construction handling off road traveling;
That's definitely on my mind, especially in the slide-out areas.


This is an accurate representation of how my rig will be set up:

I was about to say, "I smell a Super Single coming!" :)

Another reason not to have the W/D is you can find a full service laundromat and just drop it off. Go do something cool instead of eating up time washin' yo draws'! Ha ha.

Every time I go to town, I drive by the armory. There's always a great giant army truck there. 6x6, super-duper size crew cab, Flat deck( w/ canvas cover), giant roof rack, giant winch. And I think, yeah, take the running gear of a trailer and plop it on the flat deck and off you go.....anywhere!

The Host model requires hookups or external dump tank and does not go into the internal holding tanks. We have a portable washer we set in the shower on trips longer than one week and stores on the basement slide tray during those trips. It does not have a dryer but we hang the wet laundry in the bath or clotheslines in our enclosed trailer. Since ours gets used only one or two trips a year, there was no way to justify the built in verses our $100 model. If you travel where laundry rooms are available, you get get multiple loads completed at once. Even our cheap model has not paid for itself verses the laundromat, but the convenience of being able to wash on or off grid was worth our choice.