What to buy?

To the OP:

If you may think you want to keep the TC for other trips around North America after the planned Alaska trip or plan to go to Alaska etc again, Don't Rent! It's a money hole you pour your wallets contents in to! It's like renting a home or an apartment, it's not yours, and after just 10 years, all you have is a drawer full of worthless receipts and an emptied wallet and you'll not get a cent in return other than a possible remaining portion of a security deposit.

Owning a TC is extremely cheap! Texas, I understand, is like here as no yearly registration is required and no costs ever. Very low insurance costs too and much cheaper than insurance cost each time you rent one over abd over. Our policy on our 11'4" Lance is added to our vehicle policy for less than $70/yr. It has a $100 deductible standard and covers $2000 for any and all personal contents before the homeowners with their deductible would begin to kick in. Also gives a $2000 trip interruption coverage if you can't use your TC while traveling for about any true reason.

On top of that, you will own the TC and can use it any time you want to and as much as you want to at NO costs and still sell it and recoup most of your money when desired. You can go about anywhere and camp or even boondock in places you can get to with a MH or large pull behind and not assault your wallet so you can do it so much more often. You won't even be noticed when parked in a parking lot like a big RV is. You'll fit in with the other normal shopping parkers. It's yours to enjoy to the limits of your imagination! It also serves as a known tried and true owned backup small home if your fulltime RV needs to be taken in and fixed and you won't have use or there's weather etc damage.

We have always kept a min of one TC owned since 1965 and they are worth triple the money spent. Even with our always having another RV such as our MH's TT, 5th wheels, etc at the same time. One type of RV does NOT fit all needs or wants as you now know. We also took a 5th wheel to Alaska etc the first time and learned just like you have. All other long driving trips had the TC on the back of our truck. After all, most of your time is spent driving and exploring and the RV is your sleeping and cooking accomodations and contains your own totally usable bathroom just like your fulltime RV does, just on a smaller scale.

Our 3 Lance TC's purchased new since 1988 have been bullet proof and had never leaked or needed any repairs the than replacing burned out light bulbs etc and they collectively had traveled way over 200K. I can't begin to remotely say that for the 4 cheaper built TC's we owned before buying Lances. Not only cheap built but multiple leaks and rot and very poor insulation make them uncomfortable in cold temps and then to rub it in, virtually worthless when selling unlike our Lances have shown us.

Texas Two Steppers wrote:
Thanks again. I've spent hours looking and I think Lance and Artic Fox are more than we want to spend. Husband doesn't want to spend much more than $15,000 used. We spent a bundle on new truck and 5th wheel in Jan. '13.

Good luck. I am looking for something a little less expensive in South Texas. I figured there would be plenty down here.

Butch50 wrote:
As a suggestion you night want to check with Fraserway RV and Canadream. Fraser Way rents Adventures and ones with slides. Canadream rent Northern Lites so no slides there. This would allow you to rent a camper and use your truck to carry it and when you are done with it just drop it off and you are through with it. I seen a lot of these in Canada and Alaska this year on private trucks. You would just need to mount the tiedowns on your truck and ready to go.

I saw the same thing when I was traveling in Canada this past summer.

There were a lot of rental truck campers on the road.

I see from your signature that you have an Excel so I agree you have spent quite a lot on it. I have owned 2 different Excels and great units but they are expensive.

My wife and I went to Alaska this year in our Northern Lite and stayed in it every night for more than 2 months there. This is also with our 37# Mini Labradoodle who has to sleep on the bed with us. We had some nasty weather that we had to stay in the unit and then some really hot weather that we again stayed in the camper in the afternoon. We boondocked at lot and stayed in some campgrounds also. We never spent one night in a Walmart or any other parking lot. We stayed out in the timber and such places. We carry 42 gallons of water on board and never had a problem and we took showers everyday. We just conserved on the water when we could.

I am glad we took our little Honda 2000 along as some people said that we would not need air up there but when it ran over 95 to96* for many days in the Fairbanks area I was glad we had the air.

If you are only going to use the camper for the one trip I really wouldn't worry about which ones are the best. Almost any camper well work as long as it is in decent shape for your use of only the summer. I take it you well be selling it after the summer.

As a suggestion you night want to check with Fraserway RV and Canadream. Fraser Way rents Adventures and ones with slides. Canadream rent Northern Lites so no slides there. This would allow you to rent a camper and use your truck to carry it and when you are done with it just drop it off and you are through with it. I seen a lot of these in Canada and Alaska this year on private trucks. You would just need to mount the tiedowns on your truck and ready to go.

Sorry for the long post

You'll have to get something a little older then, if you want a slide and only spend $15K.

I would just eliminate the slide requirement.

You already have a nice, large, comfy 5th wheel for longer term use.

Make the truck camping experience a small, easy to use, back country RV and go with something smaller than a big slide model, and spend less money at the same time. :)

Thanks again. I've spent hours looking and I think Lance and Artic Fox are more than we want to spend. Husband doesn't want to spend much more than $15,000 used. We spent a bundle on new truck and 5th wheel in Jan. '13.

don't settle for anything less than Torklift frame mounted tiedowns.

Arctic Fox 811 or 990.

THey are mostly the same floor plan, but the 990 has a little bigger slide/dinette, slightly more counter space and a different layout of the bathroom.

Wofl Creek is also made by Northwood Manufacturing (who makes Arctic Fox)

I have an 811 and love it.

I really like the Wolf Creek campers. They seem to have a lot of value for the money and interesting floor plans too. I like the front bath model.

There may also be a used Alpenlite that would fit the bill.