Host Everest or Cascade owners?

We drove from Alabama to Ohio just to see a Cascade. I think Host has quite a creative floor plan . The unit would be close in weight to my current Host camper. I wanted to check out the feel.. specifically this:



The other thing of interest was the weight is pretty close to my current camper:


I was not a big fan of the gray water plumbing routing underneath the camper or of the extra length of the sewer hose..

I was hoping someone here had one and could give us an owners perspective.

Grit Dog -

We all have experience that will help the OP. I have not been truck camping as long as many on this forum, but have had to ramp up my knowledge quickly due to the number nights we head out with our combinations. You bring truck knowledge on models of which I know little and I have picked up some good information from you.

DaveInVA wrote:
Great info Bedlam. In both your past AF and Mammoth, do you feel the slides are up to daily use? I guess it's the slides that make me hesitate more than any other feature. If I go with a Host, I'd probably use it more as a base camp, leaving the slides deployed most of the time. In your research have you come across any issues with the weight of the slides putting any stress on the rest of the camper?

The Northern Lite would be the absolute easiest solution, but I have a 7 and a 5 year old that I would take with me on weekend trips, so the larger camper would be nice. If the Northern Lite had a bunk above the dinette, this would be an easy choice!

Does the Host ever feel top heavy to you when you are driving? Or has your choice of truck managed the weight well while going down the road?

Dave, I don't have near the experience with campers as someone like bedlam, but I've had 2 old(er) AF campers and the slides have been no issue. Multiple in/out each day when on the road. For what little we use our camper compared to some, it's hit some rough dirt/off road stuff and there's no structural issues with either AF we've had.
7 and 5 can sleep on the dinette fine for a few more years. But the bunk is nice.

Bedlam wrote:
We really enjoy the expansiveness of our Mammoth. We just returned from one week trip of the Olympic Peninsula and are headed to Albuquerque in October.

Balloon fiesta?
Just got a box of Hatch chilis drop shipped up here. Lived there for a while....twice, love
Albq! Beautiful in the fall...
Eat at Sadies.

My toy hauler used a cable driven BAL slide and both my truck campers have used Lippert's Power Gear mechanisms. None of these slides ever had problems and we camp over 75 nights a year. The most problems I read about are with Lippert's Schwintek mechanism getting out synch, so I have avoided units using this system.

My Ram 5500 has no suspension changes and handles the Mammoth well - It actually has a better ride with 6000 lbs of Host than with my previous 4000 lb Arctic Fox loaded. Everything I have read has owners of DRW 3500's still needing some suspension aids on 5000+ lb TC's. I was able to safely carry 4000 lbs on a F250 but it required upgrades to make it stable and reduce squat, so the same can be applied to a truck you already own - I would not buy a truck knowing I have to do this, but don't have a problem keeping an existing reliable truck and putting some upgrades into it.

You can build a bunk for a Northern Lite or any other brand. My bunk attaches to the ceiling in my Host and folds down, but there are other people have built frames that are above the dinette.

My Host was built in fall of 2005 and I've had it since May 2006. The slides and camper are still good. I do think it's important to make sure that you are level using slides. Obviously, the weight that is in the slide will impact how much they potentially would fail or put stress on the rest of the wall.

Any TC will be top heavy compared to a truck without one. If you want the least top heavy, get one without a basement.

Great info Bedlam. In both your past AF and Mammoth, do you feel the slides are up to daily use? I guess it's the slides that make me hesitate more than any other feature. If I go with a Host, I'd probably use it more as a base camp, leaving the slides deployed most of the time. In your research have you come across any issues with the weight of the slides putting any stress on the rest of the camper?

The Northern Lite would be the absolute easiest solution, but I have a 7 and a 5 year old that I would take with me on weekend trips, so the larger camper would be nice. If the Northern Lite had a bunk above the dinette, this would be an easy choice!

Does the Host ever feel top heavy to you when you are driving? Or has your choice of truck managed the weight well while going down the road?

We really enjoy the expansiveness of our Mammoth. We just returned from one week trip of the Olympic Peninsula and are headed to Albuquerque in October.

I got to spend a couple of hours sitting in a Host Cascade and Mammoth and a NL (can't recall the model....one of the 9'ers I think). I really prefer the openness of the Host models, but it does come at a price in weight. I'm considering full-timing in a TC for retirement, so that maybe be worth it. :)

I had very good build quality on my both Arctic Fox and Host. There were minor things that had to be corrected, but nothing essential that left me without the use of the camper or appliances.

If you are looking at the best build, I still think Northern Lite shines above the rest. However they do not build a layout that we want. I feel Adventurer, Eagle Cap and Lance quality has slipped and I would be less likely to recommend those makes to people unless there is an exclusive layout they want. I have not looked close enough at any of the other brands to give you my impressions or track their trends.

I will say that Arctic Fox, Eagle Cap and Host are the heaviest campers and they also seem to be the ones that match my usage and preferences the most. They have big propane, holding and water tanks, large/multiple slides and substantial storage. Northern Lite is proof you don't need to have an overly heavy unit to have quality, but they do not have the storage or capacities of the these heavy units.

I look less at price and more at value when shopping. If the build quality, size and features meet your needs, what are you willing to pay verses settling for a less expensive product that does not meet all your criteria. When I was shopping trucks, I liked the Ford better than my Ram but found better value in the Ram and could not justify the higher Ford price. The differences in the Ram were not that far off from my expectations, otherwise I would have bought the F550. You will need to do the same when shopping for your camper.