Lance 825 vs Northstar Laredo SC

Pops up in under 30 seconds once unlatched. To pop down, you have to close all the windows and turn on the fan, then crank it down. The fan sucks the sides in so no tucking. Then latch and go. Doing the latches is the most time-consuming part (unless someone unzipped all the windows)--I imagine they are the same as on your Palomino. I think the company has videos of up and down popping and they are fair representations of the process.

We often do pop up when we pull over for lunch. I wouldn't bother (I can stand up in ours with the top down) but my spouse prefers it. I'm the short one.

I really like the Laredo though. I don't know how Lance is with customer service, but Northstar is great--they'll answer the phone and tell you where to drill and stuff. If you're ready to move to a hardside but don't want a behemoth, I think it's a great choice.

A friend bought his Laredo from a dealer in Florida. While it was new, it had been on their lot for two years. He had no issues with the rubber roof or caulking at all. I would think two years of Florida sun would be more than equivalent to four years in BC. I wouldn't be too concerned, though I would, as already suggested, get up on the roof and give the caulking a good inspection.

Holding tanks require a dump hose and access to a dump station. As one respondent indicated you can get away with a bucket for a gray tank but I would never want to do so with a black tank. I remember the older Lance 815 had one tank for gray and black which made for some interesting showers when the tank was close to full. I assume they separated the tanks in the 825.

The layout of the Laredo is well thought out for trucks where the rear axle weight is close to being maxed out. With the fridge and the fresh water tank located in the front of the unit, some of that heavy weight is transferred to the front axle. The 825 is pretty much a straight copy of the Laredo with the exception of the extra wardrobe in the sleeping area of the Laredo which is a necessity for couples :-).

I note that the Laredo has a Heiki vent and the Lance doesn't. While several members here have cursed the Heiki vent, I've never had any issues whatsoever with ours and we love the extra light and skyview it affords. The sleeping area can be a dark cave otherwise. And from 2008 on, Northstar sealed them to the roof with Eternabond so there should be no problems with it leaking. Just make sure it has the rubber gasket on the rim to ensure a complete seal when the lid is closed.

I can't speak for the northstar, but i really like my lance 825. I boondock 95% of the time, just returned from a week long hunting trip and liked the fact that the holding tanks were large enough that i did not have to break camp to empty(black or grey) or fill fresh.

The cassette is so easy, once I forgot to dump it in the camp toilet, ended up just taking it into work and dumping it in the toilet there. Just drive by those long lines on sunday at the dump station.
The office busy body wanted to know what was in the plastic thing--I told him he didn't want to know.

We love the Lance 825. We have a 2012 and close to 75 nights in it. Two 3 week trips and we did have to empty the holding tank half way through.

The radio works great with the 100 watt solar panel I installed, I am am a music guy. I like rockin out while cookin breakfast inside.

As for the microwave, ditch it, call lance and order the door and all the harware. I think it was like $60 and not hard to install. Also put some wire rack shelves in both sides for more space/organization.

I did the pop up of a palomino before and it was not supper easy to lower the popup. I had to walk around and stuff everything in.

The shower is nice after 3 days of playing.

Good luck on your choice. And I have not had any major problems with the Lance, some minor trim falling off stuff around the sink but we are using this thing and driving alot.

Does anyone know if the fact that the Lance has a welded aluminum frame and the Northstar a wood frame have any bearing on weight, strength and resistance to rot?

Thanks