I don't get it. With all the hunters, fisherman and unlimited destinations, why aren't TC's very popular in Western Pa.? Heck you can't even find a dealer with a decent inventory within 5 hours. I am going to buy one soon but it has been the hardest $25,000 cash I've ever tried to spend. Done a ton of research and have zoned in on the Cirrus 820. They're made 2 hours from me but the closest dealer is 5 hours away and are idiots. Who pulls into a TC dealer with a nice shiny F-250 with no tailgate, $25,000 in cash, and leaves empty handed? ME!New member here and the info on this site is unmatched that I can find. Keep up the good work TC'rs.Rant over.

I don't think truck campers are popular any place until you get into Colorado, at least that is our experience. Until popularity rises, I don't think dealers are going to make the investment and in our experience, even shopping the dealers that do exist is dreadful. Phone calls don't get answered, no response to emails. That's not all dealers of course, but the bottom of the barrel in business sense seems to fall to truck campers. Then there is the lag between order and delivery. Many TC manufacturers are so small that six month waits are commonplace. I think a good many folks would come into the marketplace if availability was greater, which is what you are saying. Sort of a chicken and egg issue there. People aren't going to buy what they seldom see and until they buy, dealers are not going to carry more models. In the end, buying new, we drove 300 miles after negotiating online and the only other dealer we considered was over 600 miles away! That came about following a frustrating series of phone calls that were not returned and emails that weren't answered.That about sums it up. Manufacturers with very limited output and "dealers" that should be dressed in clown suits. If you want a truck camper, you are really going to have to work at it unless you are in the West. :(

I will be driving 7 hours to pick up a new camper! I lived in NJ in the early 80s and they were popular there as beach buggies. I had a Sunlite pop up on a Toyota with the cooler/rod holder on the front. It was a great set up and we did Island Beach, NJ, Assateague/Chincoteague, NE ski resorts and State Parks.Moved back to Pgh. and it sold in 3 days at asking price. Went into the boat black hole for the last 20 years and am tired of the work it takes. The TC makes sense with a little 14' Starcraft to fill the need to fish.

We just back from six weeks in Yellowstone and Moab, Utah. Those places were overrun with truck campers. It was amazing.

Dealers carry what experience has told them they can sell. But if its any help again about 7 hours from you there is a TC dealer near Raleigh NC that you may want to scope out. D&HGood luck in your hunt

All of the above is true!!You will have to travel in the East to acquire a TC.Truck Camper Warehouse (truckcamperwarehouse.com) is in southwestern NH and has a large inventory (MANY indoors) - very few TTs - and they are VERY busy. They KNOW TCs.2016 GMC 3500HD Dually Diesel2017 Host Mammoth

Why aren't Truck Campers popular in W. Pa.? | Good Sam Community

time2retire
Explorer
Oct 18, 2019
Kayteg1 wrote:
time2retire wrote:
..

Who pulls into a TC dealer with a nice shiny F-250 with no tailgate, $25,000 in cash, and leaves empty handed? ME!

New member here and the info on this site is unmatched that I can find. Keep up the good work TC'rs.

Rant over.

Don't know how to interpret that.
Those days new campers sell in $50-75,000 range.
Talking about TC popularity- not too many of them in Nevada and California, but in Washington you will see them every minute.

The light weight campers for short beds (6') can be got for less than 30,000.

There are definitely huge differences in technology and build.

I visited one dealer who had the Cirrus line and had 2 720's. I didn't want the 720 but I drove there (we were half way there from looking at a used one "yuk") just to see the build and technology Cirrus is using. They were right next to 2 new Travelites. The difference was astounding. Those new campers were falling apart in the lot.

Cirrus I think missed the mark on the 720 but they were still heads above the other as far as quality.

Anybody have any feedback on an 820?
GAR2
Explorer
Oct 18, 2019
Nothing much in Central / Southern Illinois- more than likely I’ll be driving up to Northern Iowa to buy one.
jaycocreek
Explorer II
Oct 18, 2019
bigfootgrey wrote:

Found this camper on rv trader in Souderton, Pa
Dealer name and number on truck door.

Is that delamination on a Bigfoot?

Didn't think they could delaminate..
Lwiddis
Explorer II
Oct 18, 2019
“I don't think truck campers are popular any place until you get into Colorado,..”

Not popular in California IMO.
bigfootgrey
Explorer
Oct 18, 2019
Looks like a bulge above the propane compartment. Could be de- bonding of the fiberglass to the insulation. Stress point for the cab over. Good eye! I didn’t notice it when I posted.
travelnutz
Explorer II
Oct 19, 2019
time2retire,

Truck campers are very popular in Michigan and there's a lot of dealers with adequate inventory at their dealerships. See lots of TC's on the road, CG's and at homes.

Both Lance TC's and Northwoods TC's (Arctic Fox etc) are made way over on the West Coast but only Lance is popular and sells well in the Midwest or east of the Mississippi.
Z-Peller
Explorer
Oct 19, 2019

Looks like a bulge above the propane compartment. Could be de- bonding of the fiberglass to the insulation. Stress point for the cab over. Good eye! I didn’t notice it when I posted.

That is a reflection or photo aberition....enlarge and look closely, the apparent distortion runs right down thru the aluminum propane door....I have owned three dfferent Bigfoots' since 2002 and never a problem with molded fiberglass shell.
DWeikert
Explorer II
Oct 19, 2019
If you think they're rare in western PA, come to eastern PA. I ended up driving to the Northstar factory in Iowa to pick mine up. Of course, I continued on from there to Yellowstone so it was on my way. :)

Along these lines, when I was shopping for my truck I told one salesman I was planning to use it for a TC. He said "People don't use those anymore. Everybody uses a travel trailer of 5th wheel." I didn't bother going back to him.
ajriding
Explorer II
Oct 19, 2019
Bigfoot campers are fiberglass, but it is not a lamination. Think of a surf board construction. Delam from the foam core would not result in wrinkles, nothing would be the result visually.
bigfootgrey
Explorer
Oct 19, 2019

Here’s another view. I definitely can see it in the aluminum door and above it. It does line up like a reflection. Also another area above right side of kitchen window?