The End All/Be All of Non-Slide Rigs - Or No?
Hi folks. New to the truck camper world. Will be retiring late next year and have a very specific question regarding truck campers. Here's the setup to the question: I need the most rugged, inde...
Forum Discussion
I like your planning and pairing ideas. Good choices on truck, equipment, and TC.
Low profile? My Tiger is low-profile in dimensions (barely over 9 feet tall, just under 20 feet long, 87 inches wide), but not in the attention-getting class. I've been driving small 4x4 Class C's since 1991, camping mostly at USFS, BLM, or boonies. I am not a full-timer, but I am out camping often. Lots of curious looky-loos have stopped by to see the vehicles. Am I sorry for my vehicle choices because of this? NO! Surely you can be briefly nice to these folks and then disengage.
Generator choice: I don't have one. Don't have solar either. The batteries charge from the heavy-duty truck alternator when I drive. Fine for me, because I rarely stay in one place more than 3 days. This approach might not work for you. If you get portable generators, where will you safely haul the gas cans? The factor of having generator and fuel feed built in would be easier on your back and on storage issues. Or maybe get lots of solar an skip the generator?
Saving propane by not cooking? Huh? Maybe the real issue is that you don't like to cook? :-) I cook a bit every day (no oven) and buy propane maybe once every year or two. Your plan (buy cooked food in town, eat off this stash all week) requires very good and dependable refrigeration of suitable volume. A 3-way frig on propane is fine if you can level your rig and if the weather is not too warm. I recently bought a small portable 12V frig-freezer for the hottest weather. You might consider getting such a frig (see marine catalogs or Expedition Portal for info; a real frig, NOT a cooler).
Will you need a furnace? Propane. Will you need air conditioning? Generator.
Anyway, I think you are on a good track with your plan and you have plenty of time to work on any issues that crop up.
Low profile? My Tiger is low-profile in dimensions (barely over 9 feet tall, just under 20 feet long, 87 inches wide), but not in the attention-getting class. I've been driving small 4x4 Class C's since 1991, camping mostly at USFS, BLM, or boonies. I am not a full-timer, but I am out camping often. Lots of curious looky-loos have stopped by to see the vehicles. Am I sorry for my vehicle choices because of this? NO! Surely you can be briefly nice to these folks and then disengage.
Generator choice: I don't have one. Don't have solar either. The batteries charge from the heavy-duty truck alternator when I drive. Fine for me, because I rarely stay in one place more than 3 days. This approach might not work for you. If you get portable generators, where will you safely haul the gas cans? The factor of having generator and fuel feed built in would be easier on your back and on storage issues. Or maybe get lots of solar an skip the generator?
Saving propane by not cooking? Huh? Maybe the real issue is that you don't like to cook? :-) I cook a bit every day (no oven) and buy propane maybe once every year or two. Your plan (buy cooked food in town, eat off this stash all week) requires very good and dependable refrigeration of suitable volume. A 3-way frig on propane is fine if you can level your rig and if the weather is not too warm. I recently bought a small portable 12V frig-freezer for the hottest weather. You might consider getting such a frig (see marine catalogs or Expedition Portal for info; a real frig, NOT a cooler).
Will you need a furnace? Propane. Will you need air conditioning? Generator.
Anyway, I think you are on a good track with your plan and you have plenty of time to work on any issues that crop up.
