Upsizing from a Truck Top Camper?

[Bill001]

Hi

Have may folks found that a truck top camper was just too small for full time RVing and switched to a 5th wheel?

If so, do you miss the greater access the truck top gave you or is the 5ver still adequate for your boon docking adventures?

Thanks,
Bill

[boondork]

I have traveled in a slide in camper, and now I live in a fifth wheel. I don't believe I could downsize enough to live in a slide in camper. But I have talked to people that do and they seem perfectly happy with that arrangement. The main reason they usually state for the benefits of a slide in is being able to boondock in out-of-the-way places.The odd thing is sometimes I'm camped near them in my fifth wheel.

[starcraft69]

We have both TC and 5er started with TC. We now starting to travel more for extended times or what some call touring. Boon docking is a very open term. We still boon dock or dry camp (NO Hook Ups) with the 5er. I am keeping the TC for quick two three day fishing trips and hunting trips. I think for a lot of us with TC it comes down to are we camping or touring? We are getting ready to take a 21 day trip to So Cal Disneyland, Lego land, Sea world, San Diego, Joshua Tree, Death Valley. This is a trip that the 5er much more comfortable, we have done most of this trip in truck camper many times and did fine. If we were sticking to weekend trips or one week or so a year we would just have the TC. Now we are taking trips for 1-2 months that's when I want the comfort of the 5er. I t6hink it just comes down to comfort level and how you travel. Yes you can travel and cross the country in a TC, but so far for us the 5er is much more comfortable and just as easy to travel with.

[Bill001]

Bill, there are a number of people here who have both a truck camper =and= a FW or TT. I personally know a couple people who have a TC for "camping" and a MH for "touring". We do some boondocking with our FW, and do use 4LO to get in over a rough area of the road we normally travel, though it's not truly necessary. I know that my current FW is up for sale because my wife started feeling claustrophobic in it, so we're looking at larger models.

Lyle
Thanks for the info Lyle. So it seems you were able to get to boon docking spots though maybe you drove slower. So in general, the FW did not stop you from boon docking, you just could go to all the place you might have liked?
Thanks,
B

[Bill001]

FlatBroke wrote:
Sold our Snowriver TC a few months after we bought our first Fifth wheel. That was the number one stupidest thing I ever did.

The Snow River TC is a 4 season TC?

[laknox]

Bill001 wrote:
Hi

Have may folks found that a truck top camper was just too small for full time RVing and switched to a 5th wheel?

If so, do you miss the greater access the truck top gave you or is the 5ver still adequate for your boon docking adventures?

Thanks,
Bill

Bill, there are a number of people here who have both a truck camper =and= a FW or TT. I personally know a couple people who have a TC for "camping" and a MH for "touring". We do some boondocking with our FW, and do use 4LO to get in over a rough area of the road we normally travel, though it's not truly necessary. I know that my current FW is up for sale because my wife started feeling claustrophobic in it, so we're looking at larger models.

Lyle

[cdbinns]

For us, the choice between a fifth wheel and a truck camper came down to the type of traveling we were planning to do. If you will be staying in one place for weeks or months at a time, then a fifth wheel is the way to go. If you plan to be moving frequently and want to get off the beaten track some of the time, then I would recommend a truck camper.

There are people who live full time in a truck camper. Bryan Appleby (bka0721) has written many times on the TC forum about fulltiming in his Lance TC. You might want to check out some of his posts.

We don't fulltime in our TC, but we recently spent 3 1/2 months traveling to Alaska and back. We had no issues with the tight quarters and appreciated the flexibility the truck camper provided as we were able to go places that a fifth wheel could not.

[agesilaus]

klr650goldwing wrote:
I'm not trying to take the topic away from the OP, however, neither I nor my wife wants to spend several months every winter living in a garage. We have a 2 inch receiver hitch on the front of our truck. I'm hoping we can haul some sort of smaller bike up there when we hit the road. More research needs to be completed.

Most front receivers are only rated at 500# vertical load so check that rating. Also that weight comes right off your payload capacity of the truck.

[Padlin]

Ours is kind of sized between a truck camper and a full sized FW at 21'. We (2) manage a couple months with no problems but I think full timing would be out of the question. I do know of single folks who full time in one but no couples.

We can manage some limited off road boondocking but you have to scope it out first. I do know of at least a couple folks who pull an Escape with 3/4 and 1T pickups, they can be lifted high enough for those bed heights so you'd have a few inches more body to ground clearance then I have. Of course the axle stays the same.

My main concern is turning around if I need to, hence I can't just blindly drive down any dirt road I see.

[klr650goldwing]

I'm not trying to take the topic away from the OP, however, neither I nor my wife wants to spend several months every winter living in a garage. We have a 2 inch receiver hitch on the front of our truck. I'm hoping we can haul some sort of smaller bike up there when we hit the road. More research needs to be completed.

[FlatBroke]

Sold our Snowriver TC a few months after we bought our first Fifth wheel. That was the number one stupidest thing I ever did.

[VTLee]

rickeoni wrote:
I have both, 30 foot fiver and an 8.5 foot TC. TC too small for vacations, and fiver too big for adventures.

X2

[CarlT100]

klr650goldwing wrote:
We went from a camper to a her because we are getting ready to retire and the thought of many months in the truck camper was not a pleasant one. We loved that pickup camper and travelled it it, but after we retire, we plan on being snow birds and spend several months in our 5er during the winter.

We love the 5er, but with the pickup camper we could pull a trailer behind with a motorcycle in it. Now we aren't sure how to haul a motorcycle, or even it we can and that is a disappointment.

Good luck.

Fiver toyhauler?

[klr650goldwing]

We went from a camper to a her because we are getting ready to retire and the thought of many months in the truck camper was not a pleasant one. We loved that pickup camper and travelled it it, but after we retire, we plan on being snow birds and spend several months in our 5er during the winter.

We love the 5er, but with the pickup camper we could pull a trailer behind with a motorcycle in it. Now we aren't sure how to haul a motorcycle, or even it we can and that is a disappointment.

Good luck.

[rickeoni]

I have both, 30 foot fiver and an 8.5 foot TC. TC too small for vacations, and fiver too big for adventures.