Thanks for the comments guys.
A few final comments about the comparison between truck camper and class C of the same size based upon my observations.
Class C benefits
- As an RV it is ready to go - you aren't going to have to worry about matching truck to camper, getting the right bed length, getting the tie-downs right, suspension modifications, higher rated tyres, etc. The RV manufacturer should have everything sorted when you buy it.
- You can walk through from the cab to the camper - useful in bad weather, or maybe if you are worried about security situations - i.e. you can drive away without getting out of the vehicle.
- There is more internal floor space because the floor is flat all the way to the edge - this also makes the dinette able to accommodate more people in comfort and potentially provides more storage compared to a TC on a regular truck bed.
- You can carry passengers because the dinette seats have seatbelts and occupants can talk to the driver and passenger.
- The camper floor is likely too be lower making entering easier from outside.
TC benefits
- You can use the vehicle for something else when not carrying the camper, and if camping in the same place for multiple nights you can drop the camper off and use the truck without it as if you had a touring trailer.
- Your truck is available with 4 wheel drive, which your class C is very unlikely to have unless you buy a Tiger.
- You can upgrade your truck and camper separately; move between SRW and DRW, diesel and gasoline, RWD and 4x4, cab configurations etc. - with a camper you have to change the whole thing. Similarly if the camper part rots (i.e. is damaged in a non-insurance-claimable way) you aren't forced to discard the vehicle at the same time.
- Engine is fully accessible under the hood rather than requiring access into the cab to remove an internal engine cover and work in there. Similarly the load bed can potentially be removed for better access to certain components - not something you will be practically able to do on a class C.
- You don't have to be really careful about making sure everything in your cupboards is secured because you can't hear it rattling behind you, though in the rental class C we didn't get too much noise from the back.
- The climb from the floor to the overcab bunk is lower and generally has a permanently fixed step that is easy to locate when getting out of bed - so less chance of a bad fall out of bed.
- The overcab bed may have a taller ceiling for the same overall height because the cab of a truck may be lower than the cab of a van which a class C is based upon (the van being a partial cab-over-engine design rather than a conventional cab behind engine design).
- The foot space in the cab of the truck is less restricted than the van, where a large engine-cover protrudes into the foot-wells.
- Ground clearance will likely be better and there is likely to be less to hit on the scenery at the bottom of the camper, providing more options for boondocking.
And again, thanks to those who commented:
Sleepy - Some more options for your next trip? I imagine parking your rig at the bottom of Derek's drive was way more difficult than parking our little 19ft class C, and that was quite a tight squeeze cross-ways.
67avion - Only a short trip to your side of the Atlantic unfortunately, but nice to see different aspects of the country. Usually I wouldn't prioritize the North East because it is very like my home territory, but it is lovely all the same and of course the chance to see Derek and Nikki tipped the scales in the North East's favour.
DiploStrat - I've done enough trip reports around the UK and Europe to temp people to come over here to spend their money, so probably only fair I should balance the books by spending some cash at LL Bean :)
NoVa RT - Glad you found it useful. I guess it is a bit more difficult doing trip reports about a North American trip because it is likely to all be much more familiar to the readers of the report.
Oldtymflyr - Yep, we definitely had fun.
RickW - Thanks. I tried to bias the detail more to the things people wouldn't be familiar with - such as the vehicle, where-as for European / African reports I can talk more about the location because few readers will be familiar with it.
Whazoo - Many thanks. Was great to spend time with them, but it was also great to spend time with you two years ago.
joerg68 - I did look at truck campers, but with limited time I didn't really want to start in Toronto. The 19ft class C was also good value for money, and since we were weren't going out into the wilds we didn't really need the extra ground clearance / dirt road ability of a TC. I wasn't that impressed with the rental company either, but the guy who dealt with us when we returned the camper was very friendly and efficient.
silversand - yeh, it's just strange that - I kept thinking of you a lot during the trip - it was almost as if you were only a few feet away from me :W. Ah, the mystery of the things on the water continues.
mooring product - Lake Stukely is indeed lovely. Especially if you get out away from the crowds on a canoe.
crosscheck - yes, Nikki was in a panic when I started heading up the drive; the natural fear being the vehicle would stall out and we would have a nasty problem. But it has a pretty low first gear and with tow/haul mode engaged I could tell I could easily keep sufficient RPM to keep the 5.4 in its torque band to get up there and keep enough momentum to overcome any slippery bits. Though my viewpoint may have been biased - where I live that is not a steep drive. Though we were very lucky with the weather, we were too early for the fall colors. I knew that would be the case, but then it meant everywhere was quieter (once the holiday weekend had passed). Next? Well the weekend after we were in our TC running a 4x4 event, and this coming weekend we are at the UK's equivalent of Overland Expo, and the weekend after for 9 days we are travelling to northern England for some hiking and climbing. Ass for big trips - we are talking about somewhere (distant) - you guys will get to find out in the end :W
Clarryhill - It certainly is a beautiful part of the country with many reminders of home.
dakonthemountain - Yes, sorry about the inappropriate vehicle - all I can do is make up for it with some TC-related comparisons.
bigfootgrey - We didn't get to see much of Middlebury itself - but the time spent with Jay was worth its weight in gold.
Steve.
