Wolf Creek/ Artic Fox owners

Grit dog wrote:
Built a shelf under the rear wing (short bed truck) to hold a Honda 2k.

Girt dog, I would surely like to see pictures of this shelf upgrade. Any chance you could post a few pictures for us curious folks?

If you can't post on rv.net, send me a Pm and I will give you my personal e-mail address.

Thanks,

Lakeside

We have the Onan generator and are happy with the choice.
It's not as quiet as our Honda but a whole lot more convenient.
Being able to use the microwave and bringing the batteries
up to voltage are our biggest uses.
The small Coleman AC has worked fine at 90+ probably running at
50 percent after cooling the camper.
Camping in the 20's is a non issue, the furnace works great.
You won't regret the Fox Landing.

could be my WC walls are 1" and AF is 2". I was going on memory. I did read WC walls are thinner than AF.

I like that extension / platform. but I switched my receiver to 2.5" stuff with new Ram.

towpro wrote:
I have an 840. I think WC has 2" thick walls and AF has 3"?

AF walls aren't that thick. I think they are 2" if I recall correctly from when I replaced the windows in mine.

I used to have a hitch carrier on a hitch extension that I built plywood sides for. Carried a lot of stuff, generator, chairs, firewood, etc.
I stored a gas can in the left side storage compartment.

Recent trip with new older (03 vs the old 05 860) camper. No hitch carrier. Built a shelf under the rear wing (short bed truck) to hold a Honda 2k. Took out one of the propane tanks (summer camping) lots of storage for gas can, bbq propane bottles, white gas for lantern, smal camp stove, fishing net, etc. no need for 2 a 30lb bottles of propane in the Summer.

Good questions! Hope to hear about your camping adventures with the TC soon.

My WC840 is fine all the way into the low twenties (so far) using the furnace. We have a down comforter on the bed and a Costco memory foam mattress topper. Seems to keep us toasty. I keep a plug-in oil filled radiator going in there during the colder nights at home to keep the moisture level low.

Ours has the 11K Mach1 PS A/C, which I have been assured will run on the Honda 2000. Don't have the Honda yet so we'll see - others have had good luck in this regard, even at altitude. The 11K specs out at 9.9 amps max. The A/C will cool the camper down in ten minutes and maintain a 20-25 degree differential from outside. The WC's have one inch walls and the AF's have 2 inch walls (reference: the TC Mag article this year). I chose the WC for the weight savings and am glad for it! AF's now have the arched roof and WC's are still flat. Most other features are similar.

I have the long bed model so no genny compartment.

My Norcool fridge makes ice, so why would I carry an ice chest? It is plenty big enough for the two of us so no problems there.

I don't notice the overhead getting that much hotter than the rest of the camper unless someone is cooking on the stovetop. The bath gets way hotter due to the skylight. The fantastic fan can handle the heat extraction from the cabover easily.

Here are some other ideas I have since owning the camper for a couple of seasons:
1. Ditch the microwave to get more storage. It is only usable with shore power or genny.
2. We got the big drawer instead of the oven and LOVE IT! Who uses an oven when you could cook in a dutch oven anyway? That's just us.
3. Wish I had deleted the HDTV antenna. We don't watch TV from networks anyway, we stream from the phone hotspot.
4. We wouldn't trade the Fox Landing for all the tea in China. Get one of those small black folding step stools from camping world for the initial step.
5. Make sure the chairs you get will fold up enough to fit in between the bed and camper wall. I access them through the rear utility door. Maybe that's not available in the short bed version?
6. The bumper storage works great for fishing poles and hiking sticks.
7. Wax the camper immediately after purchase for easier cleaning later. Bugs are a pain on raw fiberglass.
8. The tank gauge indicator lights are highly dependent on the attitude of the camper.
9. Use gel gloss on the shower/bath for easier cleaning. Keeps deposits from forming due to hard water, etc.
10. Refill the propane tanks rather than exchanges. The tanks are in pretty tight, and some replacements can be bigger. Rotate them 90 degrees and tilt for removal. Right tank is first out/last in.
11. Remember the heat doesn't circulate in the basement unless the furnace runs the fans. I want to get them switched independently so I can run other heat on shore power and still have basement heat.

Sorry to get carried away with the post. I get obsessed with my camper easily!

johndeerefarmer wrote:
I am looking at a WC or maybe the lightest AF.
I have some general questions about them.

Can you make the WC's comfortable in temps as low as freezing and as high as mid 90's? [COLOR=]I can only comment on the cold temps. Yes, it is plenty warm with a good sized furnace for a small area. I have storm windows for winter use also, they were recommended from friends with Arctic Foxes with double pane windows that said they should have went with storm windows.

How big is the generator bay? Will two Honda 2000W's fit? or a Yamaha 2400W? Only one generator will fit sideways. I can store a stack of 2x6's for leveling my tires in front of it and still have room for the 120V/30A cable, Kryptonite lock cable, funnel, on the side.

Are any of you using the 2500W Onan? is it noisy? How long does propane last running it? Super noisy and burns through the propane, but convenient. Almost everyone recommended getting a portable gas unit.

Is the Coleman 9k unit large enough for 90-95 degree weather?

How hot does the bunk area above the cab get? Or is it ducted? There are no ducts in the cab-over area.

Where do you store fuel for the generator? I use the spare gas for the SxS ATV on my trailer. There is room for a small can next to a portable generator, but I prefer exterior storage. You can also store small cans in the front wheel wells which are accessible from inside the WC camper.

Where do you store your tools? In the truck, in the front wheel wells, in the generator compartment, under the dining seat, in the cab-over step. Lots of options.

Where do you store your lawn chairs, ice chests and other gear? My Strongback chairs fit under the dining table when traveling. I've also stored large reclining chairs on the cab-over bed. Everything else goes on my ATV trailer.

Sorry for all of the questions.

Better to ask before you spend your hard earned money on something that may or may not work for you.

Thinner walls on the WC. Thus, less R-value and weight.
Camping in sub-30 degree weather isn't a problem. Sub-teens with shore power, easy peasy. Below zero, without shore power, is not something I aim to do, again. As for the cab-over bed, heat rises.
Our AC unit is more than up to the task of cooling. We've camped in The Keys, in August. The inside of the WC, was positively delightful. We've also camped in Virginia, in August. Not really much different than Islamorada with VA's humidity and lack of ocean breeze. The Honda 2000 burned about a gallon every 3-3.5 hours, but no issues with the AC. We do need to turn the AC off while using the microwave, though. Not a problem.
Our WC 850 is a long-bed version, with no genny compartment. We don't spend our days in the camper, but I'll fire up the EU2000 to have a cool haven while changing adventure attire or to simply cool off. It cools down, quickly. A gallon in the genny, 6 gallons in reserve, with judicious use, nets a comfortable 3 days. I stash the genny plus a 1.25 glln gas can in the camper while motoring, and put a 5 gallon can on a hitch extender that has a welded-on step. The step is about the size of the 5 glln can's base, so it's easy to bungee/tie it down. If I used a receiver hitch tray/basket, I'd only load more stuff I don't need and add weight. The Harbor Freight extender/step works great. We use it for spacing the hitch-mount bike rack away from the rear door, too, when we're in mountain bike mode. It creates the space needed to open the camper's door, while providing a step area to spring off to enter the camper.
I don't use the hitch extender while pulling a 6x12 enclosed trailer. Two motorcycles plus support equipment, trailer is probably 3,000 pounds/350 tongue weight. The gas motor in my '13 F250, with camper package and 4.30 gears (plus rubber-baby-buggy-bumpers), does nicely. Factory suspension and jounce bumpers allowed a little more top-sway than the addition of Timbrens' baby bumpers and Torklift's upper overload-engaging blocks permit. Lowest I've calculated, with trailer, is 8 mpg. No trailer, back roads, doin' an easy 50 mph, I can see 10-10.5 mpg. Throwing the canoe on top seems to have little influence on mpg.
Basic tool bag under the truck's back seat. Multi-tester in the camper with a roll of duct tape, spare fuses, a length of stranded wire and extra batteries for the TV remote. Last week-end, I found some loop Velcro I must have thrown in the cubby at some point, too. Like an ol' grey-beard biker once told me, "If you know how to work on your putt at home, you don't need no stinkin' tool bag." Still, I carry some items that make me feel better. Folding lawn chairs tuck into the space in the cab-over between the mattress and window, with room to spare. While I'm not a weight-weenie, I keep an eye on the GVWR, tire pressure and lug nuts, loading heavier items low in the rig.
It's a work in progress. I make it up as I go along. I hope you have fun, finding your way.
One thing, though, no matter which camper you choose, make like Clouseau and inspect it top to bottom. You'll be excited, but get past that, forget about possibly being insulting to the dealer, and really look at it. Take the drawers out. Not open, out. Have a flash light in your pocket. Taking pictures, isn't beyond considerate.

I have an 840. I think WC has 2" thick walls and AF has 3"?

in 90deg and higher, 100% humidy, out in an open field at the beach, full bore sun on rig 14 hours all day, 9100btu works fine. never have had to turn it up to High. It does blow air into the bunk area but I have mine wired to cycle the compressor AND fan off by thermostat. last trip I had a little clamp on AC fan from walmart and we ran it blowing air into bunk area (from front grill, not vented), just to circulate a little air when AC was off, plus it leaves a little white noise.

The bathroom gets warm with that large skylight in it, but its neat being able to stand up and look around the campground through the skylight (if your tall enough).

have not tried it in real cold yet but would expect it to be OK around/below freezing. the basement is heated by a fan forcing air through it as heater runs and all your water and vales are in heated space.

I also run AC on my honda 2000 when stopping at night along highway. I also have a 3 gallon extended run tank.

you can carry chairs on the rear ladder. it holds my little giant 4 step ladder with no problems.

I mostly run long trips with my 7x 14 trailer (with bmw motorcycle inside), but I also have alarge curt front rack that can carry 500 lbs.

johndeerefarmer wrote:
Thanks for the responses. I think the AF's have R10 in the walls vs R5 for the WC so that might make a difference. Also the newer AF have the arched ceiling with quite a bit more of insulation in the ceiling. I am not against an AF just that they are going to be at least 1000-1500 lbs heavier which might be pushing it for a F350 SRW fully loaded King Ranch.

I just traded my F350 for a Ram because of payload. My Ford had a payload of 3267. Same Ram is 4018. Chevy is about halfway in between.