Lance 825 vs Northstar Laredo SC

Add us to the list of happy Northstar owners. Our Laredo is ten years old and we have had no problems. Northstar makes a high quality camper and outstanding customer service.

Thanks guys for your input. I've seen the Laredo and really like the compactness, features and quality of construction. It seems like a perfect size for someone who wants something small with a low COG. I haven't seen the Lance up close yet, but I've heard good things about these campers in general.

My primary concern with the Northstar is that it's 4 years old. Even though it's new, it's been on the lot for that length of time and I'm wondering how the elements (rain, UV) may have affected it.

It does have a rubber roof, but I'm not sure if that's a plus or minus vs. the fiberglass roofs.

Thanks again for any advice.

Cheers

I'll confess I'm a bit biased, but I prefer the cassette toilet on the Northstar vs a black tank which requires a dump station to empty. You can easily empty the cassette multiple times in any outhouse without having to search out a dump station. It also appears the Laredo has the thermal windows. If you plan on doing any cold weather camping you'll appreciate those. Though they are more fragile than the sliders on the Lance. The Laredo also appears to have the removable short bed wraparound. Meaning the storage compartments on the rear overhang can be removed if you ever decide to go to a long bed truck, or ever sell it to someone with a long bed for that matter.

I too toured the Northstar factory when I picked up my Adventurer and can also vouch for their solid construction. And the support from Northstar is absolutely fantastic.

I'm not sure there is any significant difference in COG. A lot of that depends on how you pack.

I doubt you'll be disappointed with either choice and whatever you decide, happy camping!
Dan

My current camper is a Palamino Bronco pop-up so, but I'm trading it in for a non-basement low COG hard side because of the convenience factor of a hard side.

Good info about the black water cassette vs. normal tanks. I don't even have grey water tanks on my pop-up so not sure what is involved in emptying those or the black water tanks.

The Lance does have a rear awning however and the Northstar is supposed to have a rubber roof and low COG. Correction, they both come with electric jacks. But the Lance is 2014 and the Northstar is 2010, though they are both new.

Here are the links to both:

http://www.arbutusrv.ca/unit/uvxxxx/12062/i/camper/lance/825-sb/a14n2408.html

http://www.trianglerv.com/RV-Details.php?stype=Truck+Camper&vehicle_no=321006

If you are off-road a lot then emptying a 5 gallon cassette is a lot easier to do than a 15 gallon holding tank. Any outhouse will do. The cassette will handle about 20 flushes before it needs to be emptied. Hopefully that's more than a day or two but that would depend on how many people are using the camper.

Two or three times raising or lowering a unit by hand will soon convince you that electric jacks would make your life a lot easier.

Both manufacturers have a long reputable history. I can't speak for the Lances but I spent a day at the Northstar factory recently and I learned first-hand how well their units are built to last. Everything in the shell and the interior is fastened multiple times at every contact point. They are rock solid.

And perhaps foremost, Northstar is absolutely number 1 when it comes to customer service.

Whichever way you decide to go, enjoy your camper.

I have a 2007 Lance 825. Love it but for offroad use wouldn't it be better to have a popup for a lower center of gravity? Some times when we go down dirt roads it feels a little tippy but that could just be my imagination. This is on a GMC 2500HD so we are well under our load capacity. I have never come near filling up the 14 gal. black tank however we always fill up the gray tank especially using the shower.
I think the Northstar is 5 gallons because its tank is removeable to dump anywhere. I would rather have a 25 gallon gray tank and a removeable 5 gallon black that I could flush anywhere or dump in an outhouse.