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jefe_4x4's avatar
jefe_4x4
Explorer
Dec 08, 2016

Suspicions confirmed: the Lance 650 is a hit

Truck Camper Adventure on-line magazine has a weekly roundup of things off-road Truck Camper. I was wondering why there was so little feedback on the L-650. I just didn't look in the right place. My eye on the Lance 865 has just wandered away to the 650.
http://truckcamperadventure.com/2016/12/hellwig-lance-ultimate-adventure-rig/
jefe

18 Replies

  • All,

    It's sure nice and I'd love to have one but one battery, one propane tank, no realistic solar possibility and no chance for a generator make it a non-starter even for me. I'd keep hunting for an overland rig like an XPCamper V-2 on a Tundra or a Tacoma.

    The SEMA Show Helwig rig was pretty sweet though and they billed it as an overlander. Maybe not but it. Sure looked cool!

    Bill
  • Not sure how I missed this display at the SEMA show. It looks like it was in the Upper South Hall, which is where I spent 75% of my time
  • Hey, Mike....There's an error in the article... it says the truck gets 11-12 mpg "gas mileage"
  • Yes, decent sized tanks. But space for only one battery, although I guess you could use a Hidden Power bracket. The Lance brochure shows the 650 as 14 inches taller than the 865. ??? Probable adverse MPG effect and also it might become a collector of tree attacks on those backroads you love so much. Brochure also shows that the all-weather 4 Season package is not an option on this model, although it is for all of the others.

    Is there a perfect Lance? Perhaps, but you have to consider all of your criteria carefully.
  • I have been studying this unit .......seems to fit the bill for my first TC....We like the headroom in the sleeping area and the dinette length . Hope to order one soon.
  • I don't find that surprising at all.

    The market for smaller, more lightweight campers for couples doing a short (weekend, or 3-4 day) trip, possibly with boondocking, in a "half-ton" truck that they already have, is much bigger than the market for a huge double or triple slide camper that costs $50k.

    Not everybody owns a dually, but way more people own a half-ton of recent vintage that is considerably more capable than a half-ton from 10 years go.

    Also, Six-Pac does not seem to be making campers anymore. They were pretty much the standard for lightweight, hard-side, smaller campers that could do some off-roading.

    The 650 seems like it has decent size tanks, good enough for a reasonably long trip, and a few days of boondocking, if you do it right.
  • Interesting that it is the second biggest seller for Lance.

    Host had a similar model a few years ago and stopped making them. Maybe they should have made them a bit smaller.