Super Basic Questions
Hi guys, I looked through the TCU topic list but didn't see anything on these really basic points... 1. What size bed do I need for a Lance 811 8'6" camper? I am thinking 3500 SRW but long bed or ...
Forum Discussion
I have a 3500 short box 4x4 duramax with a Northern Lite 8-11 on the back. I put 42,000 kms on the truck and camper the first year ( Sept 2017 - Sept 2018 ) we owned both. I have also owned many different types of rigs over the years.
We spent over two months at BLM land in Southern Arizona during the winter of 2018, no issue at all in a short box type camper.
We also spend 90% of our time outside the camper so inside comfort is great, however not something that we based our buying this camper on. Don’t get me wrong, the camper came with TV / DVD / stereo, a stove and oven for cooking a huge fridge and a dry bath, built in solar, so all that stuff is nice and is found in most rigs you can buy now. ( different manufacturers have different options)
I have no issues with handeling or ride in all those Kms, I did add Timbren rubber overload springs.
We dont have a slide, never wanted one as more weight and more things to break.
The basement on the Northern Light where the Gray and Black tanks are located in the floor and you can’t accees them unless you remove the floor inside the camper.
The basement in our Northern Light has a 12” x 36” x 6” high storage area, as well as a 14” x 84” x 5” high plastic slide tray right beside the other storage area. It also has a storage space for a 2000 watt Honda or Yamaha generator ( we have a Yami)
As for resale value... I worked with contractors all my life in the profession I was in, and they use both short bed and long bed trucks equally, unless they are fleet trucks then they aren’t buying from a single seller anyways.
The one thing I would make sure when I bought my truck was a crew cab truck. As we use that extra space in the back seat as storage ( lawnchairs, water jugs, tables, Tools..etc..)
As there is only my DW and myself that travel in our rig, and Gertty the cat rides in the camper... ( grin) that backseats is a perfect storage area.
So a long box truck and camper would be nice to have but not necessary.
My twobits
Soup
We spent over two months at BLM land in Southern Arizona during the winter of 2018, no issue at all in a short box type camper.
We also spend 90% of our time outside the camper so inside comfort is great, however not something that we based our buying this camper on. Don’t get me wrong, the camper came with TV / DVD / stereo, a stove and oven for cooking a huge fridge and a dry bath, built in solar, so all that stuff is nice and is found in most rigs you can buy now. ( different manufacturers have different options)
I have no issues with handeling or ride in all those Kms, I did add Timbren rubber overload springs.
We dont have a slide, never wanted one as more weight and more things to break.
The basement on the Northern Light where the Gray and Black tanks are located in the floor and you can’t accees them unless you remove the floor inside the camper.
The basement in our Northern Light has a 12” x 36” x 6” high storage area, as well as a 14” x 84” x 5” high plastic slide tray right beside the other storage area. It also has a storage space for a 2000 watt Honda or Yamaha generator ( we have a Yami)
As for resale value... I worked with contractors all my life in the profession I was in, and they use both short bed and long bed trucks equally, unless they are fleet trucks then they aren’t buying from a single seller anyways.
The one thing I would make sure when I bought my truck was a crew cab truck. As we use that extra space in the back seat as storage ( lawnchairs, water jugs, tables, Tools..etc..)
As there is only my DW and myself that travel in our rig, and Gertty the cat rides in the camper... ( grin) that backseats is a perfect storage area.
So a long box truck and camper would be nice to have but not necessary.
My twobits
Soup
