So here is my story i am 25 ill be buying a Ford F-350 Dually Super Cab (or extended if u prefer basicly not a 4 door ) with a 8' bed i am 100% noob to truck campers but not to trucks and off roading but i am also not calling my self a expert before i get into campers i would like to know what is more important having super light weight how much would be to much with a 6k payload and COG... how do the 2 specs come in to play with off roading i know the COG need to be at or forward of the rear axle beyond that i don't know much i would like to define the off roading ill be doing it will mostly be on trails but if i need to i would like to be able to travel off trails if i need get to the right camping spot but no MAJOR rock crawling or mud bogging that said i would like to also have a 6'' lift and 3'' body lift for when i do not have the TC with me. would this lead to way to tall and unstable.also what is too tall too as for camper i know i want a hard-side i like them best and ill be going to mostly cold climates. with bears and other not so friendly wild life (i know they got collapsible kinda and the clamshell like the Alaskan dont like dont want i would rather not be able to do or go certain places then not have the hard side. i would like but not need a dry bath but the toilet has to be the flushing kindi dont need a slide but if i found one light enough it would be a +and lastly i would take a larger fridge with the freezer attached over a ovenany imput and info would be great

With that truck, suspension lift, body lift and a hardside TC; one thing you need to consider is overhead clearance on offroad trails. Your vehicle will be extremely tall; likely the tallest vehicle to pass on those trails. I would guess 11' plus anything on the roof, like an A/C. That means you will likely hitting a lot of limbs with the top of your camper. I have run into that situation in developed campgrounds.Good Luck,Brad

Check out the CampLite truck campers from LivinLite.

Id take a look at northstar as they are non basement so will sit a little lower than most hardwalls. Ive seen a few videos of people off roading with them in Australia. Pretty impressive stuff

Check out www.expeditionportal.com, lots of info and forums.

12V Cummins wrote:Id take a look at northstar as they are non basement so will sit a little lower than most hardwalls. Ive seen a few videos of people off roading with them in Australia. Pretty impressive stuff what do you mean by non basement

NEW GUY Looking for Best Hard Side TC for light off roading

70 Replies

RobertRyan
Explorer
Aug 19, 2016
PAThwacker wrote:
Northstar truck campers are exported from the US. They make narrow truck campers built to off road with or ship in a shipping container. Slick operations to say the least.

These days, not that common in Australia,more off road Camper choices available
PAThwacker
Explorer
Aug 15, 2016
Northstar truck campers are exported from the US. They make narrow truck campers built to off road with or ship in a shipping container. Slick operations to say the least.
big_whitey
Explorer
Aug 14, 2016
Scars1989 wrote:
12V Cummins wrote:
Id take a look at northstar as they are non basement so will sit a little lower than most hardwalls. Ive seen a few videos of people off roading with them in Australia. Pretty impressive stuff
what do you mean by non basement

I'm in the minority on this forum when it comes to this mfg. pm me for about 30 reasons why.
jefe_4x4
Explorer
Aug 14, 2016
I'm still stuck on the Northwoods brochure pix. The one where the Ram 3 series has a front wheel off the ground tells me that there is a LOT of strain/pull on pass side front tie down pulling mightily on the TC frame. I wonder how it fared after this pic? I KNOW that if i did that with my puny little, wooden frame Lance without loosening the tie downs, it would be curtains for my TC. It would be pulled apart. I try never to get in a position to twist my axles up to their limit and will go way out of my way to avoid it.
Just a random thought about the physics of twisting TC frames, tie downs, and truck suspensions.
jefe
FreebirdFlies
Explorer
Aug 13, 2016
Ok, agree, Alaskan Campers are NOT for everyone. Not meant to be.
They are very popular among a small segment of the TC crowd, which is itself a small segment of the large RV pie. There are a LOT of the few Alaskan camper owners that LOVE them. A plus is they are custom made to be exactly the unit YOU want - if you buy new.
A better deal is to search out a solid used unit configured close to what you think you want, to see if it is a "fit" for you and your uses. Again, not for everyone. If it is a fit, you can order one exactly like you want new from the factory.
Advice-The Alaskans are wood construction, so be very thorough on a pre-buy inspection.
Steve_in_29
Explorer
Aug 13, 2016
woodhog wrote:
Take a look at these...

Hardside, low , off road truck camper

Excellent for travelling in low clearance areas, hard sides, and an excellent camper.. Cassette toilet for remote areas...etc

Absent spending an appreciable amount of money (we were quoted $2K) on top of their already not inconsiderable purchase price, Alaskans don't come with a bathroom nor holding tanks. This makes them non-players in some campsites that require the units to be self-contained.

Their stock shower setup is a dishpan set in the aisle with the sink sprayer as the shower.

Their cabover models also leave the sidewalls open to the elements until someone climbs up there to raise them. Those panels also lay flat on the mattress when the top is lowered so anything on them will run right into your bedding.

We looked at Alaskans HARD when we first started shopping for a TC back in the day but ultimately decided they had too many trade-offs for us.

Our Outfitter had more amenities and while spendy was still cheaper then the Alaskan.
Grit_dog
Navigator III
Aug 12, 2016
^ I liked my story better!
Scars1989
Explorer
Aug 12, 2016
Grit dog wrote:
Pulled this from the past!
Scars never came back. Wedged his dually between 2 trees, was stuck there for a month. Finally ripped the truck out from under the camper before the snow set in and has never posted again!
Lol

Hey guys I'm back long story..... In the next few days I'm going to go through this form and catch up I'll be in touch but I will say I never did buy anything I had to pay for a lawyer haha
Grit_dog
Navigator III
Aug 11, 2016
Pulled this from the past!
Scars never came back. Wedged his dually between 2 trees, was stuck there for a month. Finally ripped the truck out from under the camper before the snow set in and has never posted again!
Lol
bikepsych
Explorer
Aug 11, 2016
SCARS, what did you end up getting? I think I'm downsizing from an Adventurer 89RB to a Lance 825. Its close to 700 lbs lighter, shorter in height, and narrower, but giving up very little in the way of amenities. The most obvious being the generator.

BG