Northstar truck campers
Hello, I am looking at purchasing a Northstar truck camper. I have been lurking on the forum for awhile and see that their customer service gets high marks. I would like to know more beyond that. C...
Forum Discussion
I have a 2005 Northstar Igloo 9.5 which I bought used and in nearly perfect condition in 2010. Most of the first 5 years were spent on the dealer's lot after the original owners kept the unit for a couple of years and then resold on consignment. At the time of purchase the dealer repaired the screen in the rear door, replaced the kitchen faucet, and replaced a cracked, deteriorated cover in the vent over the bathroom. I replaced the mattress with a foam mattress. I had the dealer add a second 125 watt solar panel and 2 AGM batteries for a total of 300 A/H.
I did some recaulking and in addition have had two leaks. The first leak was in the caulk around one of the front windows. Once found that was easily fixed with no damage. I recently had to replace two wooden sides for my generator compartment. The leak occurred because of electrical connection box for the Happijac motor was installed upside down. Water ran down the wiring and eventually into the box and into the camper. This was partly my fault for not noticing the small opening. No matter which camper you buy, it is important to check every square inch of the exterior at least once or twice a year.
I have had some problems with standard camper appliances and parts. The city water connection started to leak and had to be replaced. The Atwood water heater was temperamental until I put a office binder clamp onto the electrical connection. The vent over the stove was replaced and then immediately broke again. The hinge pins are 1/8" plastic and I finally rebuilt the flapper with a homemade steel hinge pin. One of the Happijac motors shorted out and had to be replaced. I had to replace the water pump due to an annoying slow leak. I have had to replace the propane tank pigtails twice. These get very stiff and brittle after a few years of use. The solar controller malfunctioned and had to be replaced. I have buffed out scratches in the sides windows twice. The plastic scratches easily due to small branches. Two struts that hold open the small Euro windows have broken. Actually what broke is the little plastic housing for the ball bearing mechanism that holds the windows open. I use binder clips to hold the windows open since the repair parts are over $100/window and likely to break again. The plastic parts that hold the silverware door glides broke and were replaced.
Most of the repairs mentioned above were low cost and easily done. I do not think the failures reflect badly on Northstar. It seems that there are lots of RV parts which are poorly made and fail frequently even with careful use.
There are a few items where I would have liked to see something different and better from Northstar. First some of the wiring is undersized. If you have your camper prewired for solar, arrange for appropriate gauged wiring. This should have been at least 6 gauge, not 10 gauge. I have an all electric compressor refrigerator. Again that should have been wired with 6 gauge, not 10 gauge. Next, I would have liked better veneer on the paneling. The coating is extremely thin and holds up poorly. A single piece of Scotch tape will damage the surface. Finally the worst design and materials were the kitchen countertops. The substrate is press board which is not water resistant. That junk is fairly common even for some low cost home kitchen counter tops. Unfortunately Northstar used a router to bevel the edges. This gave a nice appearance but exposed the substrate. As soon as any water hit the exposed areas the substrate started to swell and buckle. I was dumbfounded to see such a gross error in construction. I had to use a couple of coats of epoxy resin on the seams to prevent further deterioration. The repair epoxy and the swollen areas have never looked good. I was told the original owners never used the kitchen so this booby trap waited until we used it the first time.
Except for the kitchen counter tops, I am pretty happy with the design and quality of construction for my Northstar. I have also stated two universal issues. First, the quality of RV parts is mediocre at best and that leaves few choices for even the best campers. Next water leaks can be a serious issue for any RV and especially for truck campers. Check every possible area frequently. I doubt that aluminum frame construction will provide much help in this regard. A leak can cause very serious and expensive damage and can destroy a camper even if the frame is not damaged.
I did some recaulking and in addition have had two leaks. The first leak was in the caulk around one of the front windows. Once found that was easily fixed with no damage. I recently had to replace two wooden sides for my generator compartment. The leak occurred because of electrical connection box for the Happijac motor was installed upside down. Water ran down the wiring and eventually into the box and into the camper. This was partly my fault for not noticing the small opening. No matter which camper you buy, it is important to check every square inch of the exterior at least once or twice a year.
I have had some problems with standard camper appliances and parts. The city water connection started to leak and had to be replaced. The Atwood water heater was temperamental until I put a office binder clamp onto the electrical connection. The vent over the stove was replaced and then immediately broke again. The hinge pins are 1/8" plastic and I finally rebuilt the flapper with a homemade steel hinge pin. One of the Happijac motors shorted out and had to be replaced. I had to replace the water pump due to an annoying slow leak. I have had to replace the propane tank pigtails twice. These get very stiff and brittle after a few years of use. The solar controller malfunctioned and had to be replaced. I have buffed out scratches in the sides windows twice. The plastic scratches easily due to small branches. Two struts that hold open the small Euro windows have broken. Actually what broke is the little plastic housing for the ball bearing mechanism that holds the windows open. I use binder clips to hold the windows open since the repair parts are over $100/window and likely to break again. The plastic parts that hold the silverware door glides broke and were replaced.
Most of the repairs mentioned above were low cost and easily done. I do not think the failures reflect badly on Northstar. It seems that there are lots of RV parts which are poorly made and fail frequently even with careful use.
There are a few items where I would have liked to see something different and better from Northstar. First some of the wiring is undersized. If you have your camper prewired for solar, arrange for appropriate gauged wiring. This should have been at least 6 gauge, not 10 gauge. I have an all electric compressor refrigerator. Again that should have been wired with 6 gauge, not 10 gauge. Next, I would have liked better veneer on the paneling. The coating is extremely thin and holds up poorly. A single piece of Scotch tape will damage the surface. Finally the worst design and materials were the kitchen countertops. The substrate is press board which is not water resistant. That junk is fairly common even for some low cost home kitchen counter tops. Unfortunately Northstar used a router to bevel the edges. This gave a nice appearance but exposed the substrate. As soon as any water hit the exposed areas the substrate started to swell and buckle. I was dumbfounded to see such a gross error in construction. I had to use a couple of coats of epoxy resin on the seams to prevent further deterioration. The repair epoxy and the swollen areas have never looked good. I was told the original owners never used the kitchen so this booby trap waited until we used it the first time.
Except for the kitchen counter tops, I am pretty happy with the design and quality of construction for my Northstar. I have also stated two universal issues. First, the quality of RV parts is mediocre at best and that leaves few choices for even the best campers. Next water leaks can be a serious issue for any RV and especially for truck campers. Check every possible area frequently. I doubt that aluminum frame construction will provide much help in this regard. A leak can cause very serious and expensive damage and can destroy a camper even if the frame is not damaged.
