In the next year or so, my wife & I are planning to order a new truck camper. Since I live in Illinois, I will probably be ordering it, then making the trek west to pick it up "probably to the dealer that I can get the best deal from". It has been tough to decide, but I think the Eagle Cap 995 has won over an Arctic Fox "I do have a 2013 crew cab dually". The questions that seem to give me grief are,1- Do I go microwave delete to gain the extra cabinet space?2- Do I go generator delete for the same reason? One can always get a small Honda generator that will do the same. Looks like for some of my longer excursions I may have to pull a very small enclosed trailer behind to have room for other things like a fold up dining fly, lawn chairs, fishing poles & coolers to name a few & finding a home for a portable generator in there wont be a problem. What do you folk's think? I'd like to hear what you have to say.Thanks, Bruce

I would contact Mello Mike, send him a PM he's one of the moderators. I would also read here hereGood Luck before you get "analysis paralysis"I have been looking to buy a new Pick Up Truck and I have a severe case of analysis paralysis!

I never thought I would ever have a microwave in a camper (nor an air conditioner for that matter.) My current camper came with those niceties and then I bought a generator to power them. I like having the MW. My annual hunting trip is now the main reason for using the TC and I will camp for up to 10 days. Planning and precooking food at home and then heating them up in the field make for hassle free good eating ... and quick! This allows me to get into the rack early all fat and happy while my comrades are still pumping up the Coleman.I think you will be happy with a MW. I would not fret losing this little bit of storage especially if you are pulling a trailer for stuff.

There was a 3-4 page response about the built-in generator option just a couple weeks ago. It's about $4,000.00 on the typical build sheets. The factors of weight, reliability, noise and shared fuel with the camper itself were all considered. As with any option, it's the value you see in it. For what it's worth, I see more oven deletes than micro in new camper layouts. The cooktop and dual-purpose microwave seem to be the favored choice in new campers. This is the fun part until you get the camper. Then you get to experience a better fun! Good luck-Mike

Glad that you are planning ahead, there is plenty of time to get input from all kind of sources. Please remember on all of them that it is (this is what I like) not what you will need or want because only the two of you can make this decision. So here goes -- put a flat bed on the truck (because I did) build down under the overhang so there is more outside storage, on our trip to AK., things carried outside the camper were -- 10'X10' popup canopy - 2000w onan iu gen set, chairs, tool box for (me), outside grill W/ collapsible table and 5# propane bottle for grill, rug for the deck I built for rear of camper, extra drinking water and other drinking products, this all under the overhang, in the cab area put up a pole in rear seat area to carry extra clothes and rain gear. Feel free to PM me for other things we took with us that upon leaving was 200# under the GVWR of the truck as we went to the Highway Dept. scales on the day and hr we headed North. JMHO

Hey Bruce, we just bought a 2016 AF990 and had the micro deleted and a cabinet with an adjustable shelf put in its place. I didn't want their generator, so I had the dealer install a Coleman Mach 8 9.2K AC so I can use my Honda 2000i, and store it in the former generator compartment. The extra cabinet and shelf is really nice. I used Niemeyer Trailer Sales in Albertville, MN and they did a nice job, as always.

What would You Order? | Good Sam Community

Scott16
Explorer
Nov 16, 2015
Keep the Microwave and delete the Gen set. Add the Polar Cub 8.5K btu air conditioner. Pick up a Honda 2k for boondocking.
That is what I am planning.
Scott
deltabravo
Nomad
Nov 16, 2015
insp1505 wrote:
I'm always amazed at how much I can store in my microwave while traveling. Bags of chips, loaf's of bread, smores ingredients etc. I'd keep the microwave then you have one if you need one, plus resale value should be considered. Many people like the conveniences of home while camping.

My microwave is my chip and bread storage locker too!

I'd keep the microwave.
billtex
Explorer II
Nov 16, 2015
All of our TC's have had micros...just because they were already there. We have yet to use them...except for storage, as we rarely camp with electricity.

I would skip the built in genny and go with the H2K. Then you only carry it when you need it. We have a great big genny box that fits the grill, leveling blocks etc. When ski camping, and we need the H2K, that's where it goes and the grill stays home then.
The other issue for us with built in genny is we need a genny when we also need a lot of propane-winter! The H2K runs on gas and the propane is saved for heat. We can go 3-4 days (10-12 hrs run time) worth of genny time with just the 1 gal of gas in the H2K.

Good luck. Love our EC!

Bill
Reddog1
Explorer II
Nov 16, 2015
Steve_in_29 wrote:
Skip the built in gen and just buy a Honda 2K for less then $1k. If possible get the Polar Cub 8.5K btu air conditioner. It will cycle less then a 13.5K and draw less power. Even out here in the desert the Polar Cub cools my soft-walled Outfitter just fine.

Personally I would skip the usually POS factory microwave and just buy one somewhere else for a better price.
X2

I would not even consider an A/C at time of purchase, if it was any bigger than 10,000 BTU or could not be ran on a Honda 2000. I would order without the A/C, and have the appropriate A/C installed.

$650 - Coleman-Mach 8 Cub Air Conditioner 9200 BTU

$500 Dometic DUOTHERM BRISK AIR CONDITIONER 11000 BTU

About $100 to $200 labor for the install.
jmcgsd
Explorer
Nov 16, 2015
I have both a built in generator and also a Honda 2000. The Honda is primarily for my TT, but recently I've been thinking that I may use it for the TC also. The built in is sure convenient, and in my case relatively quiet but it uses a fair amount of propane and if I'm winter camping I would probably use the Honda for longer runs so that I save the propane for the furnace.

Getting back to the convenience thing, it sure is nice just pressing a button inside the TC when you need the power!

As far as the oven is concerned, we seldom use ours in either rig, but it makes a fine cabinet and is available if we do want it. We keep our larger fry pans in it. I would never delet the microwave though. We use the heck out of it.
1mtnman
Explorer II
Nov 16, 2015
I would keep the microwave and use a Honda 2000i instead of the on board generator. I have a crock pot and electric skillet sand find the times I need an oven to be very rare.
jimh406
Explorer III
Nov 15, 2015
I like my convection/microwave and also like the builtin generator. Have you thought about a oven delete and convection/microwave add?

I like being able to start my generator easily, but I also don't run it for long periods of time. I don't go camping in the hottest weather, and if I'm just going to sit in a the camper because it is too hot outside, I might as well stay home. In that respect, running an AC for extended periods of time isn't needed by me.

Most of us have reasons why our setup is best for us, the hard part is figuring out what is "best" for how you plan to use the TC.
Bedlam
Moderator
Nov 15, 2015
If it was a TT or FW, I might agree about having a stand alone microwave or toaster oven. The TC has limited space, so I am glad I do not use the little bit of counter space available for an additional appliance. I did look into residential versions of the microwave/convection and did not find any that were small enough and better quality than the OEM model. Any money I would have saved would have been eaten up in installation time trying to make it fit.
Steve_in_29
Explorer
Nov 15, 2015
Skip the built in gen and just buy a Honda 2K for less then $1k. If possible get the Polar Cub 8.5K btu air conditioner. It will cycle less then a 13.5K and draw less power. Even out here in the desert the Polar Cub cools my soft-walled Outfitter just fine.

Personally I would skip the usually POS factory microwave and just buy one somewhere else for a better price.
gpascazio
Explorer
Nov 15, 2015
For us the microwave is easy. Get it. The generator is a different story. You will have to go over how you plan on camping. For us, it's nice to be able to pull off the road at lunch time and nuke lunch with the generator. However, when you get to camp and need a battery charge the onboard generator is too noisy. You also need the generator to run the air conditioning unless you have shore power. Our solution was to get 300 W of solar it greatly reduced the amount of our generator use. We only run the generator if we don't have shore power, to run the micro and the air conditioning.

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