Forum Discussion

lakelivr's avatar
lakelivr
Explorer
Oct 11, 2016

1st post and soon to be TC owner

Howdy, first post here. In the next several months I plan to jump in the TC thing with both feet by purchasing a new truck and camper.
I'll certainly go DRW with the truck so I figure I'll probably look hard at the new F450.
Where I'm torn is choosing between AF990,EC960 class or making the leap to EC1165 or Host Mammoth. I know it's ultimately my choice but since I live more than 10 hrs from any TC dealer I thought I'd like to hear some opinions from others who have been there. I'll clearly need to take a trip from Mississippi to a dealer somewhere to get a hands on look before making any final decisions.

First off, I'm about 6'5" 260 so I'm thinking a slide is in order just to have some maneuvering room between me and the wife.
It looks like moving to the 11' class means losing a couple inches of inside headroom. Is this a noticeable difference?

I know this topic has been beat to death but I'd like to hear more pros and cons of the tradeoff between size and simplicity. I do want to have the ability to tow a Jeep or boat so there's that too.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to this. I never thought I'd get to this point but my old tent camping days are dwindling away.

Thanks,
Randy
Truck Campers
  • adamis's avatar
    adamis
    Nomad II
    Oct 12, 2016
    I nearly obsessed over the Host Mammoth for months until my checkbook forced reality back on me. I looked at Artic Foxes for a while and really liked the quality they seemed to have and nearly purchased one. I ended up settling on a simple Bigfoot 10.6E with no slides. The simplicity of having less to worry about for maintenance and water penetration suited my needs well. My plans were to be driving thousands of miles a year and I decided that having a lighter camper with less mechanical components was better.

    If you think you will only travel a couple of hundred miles per year than it can be tempting to go as big as you are comfortable hauling on your truck. However, if you plan on full timing or driving thousands of miles per year, be certain that your camper is well below the comfortable carrying capacity of your truck, your knuckles will thank you for it...

    As far as roof height in the Bigfoot, it's great for me but I'm only 5'6". I think 6' or less would be okay but anyone taller would want to really do a walk test first.
  • Reality_Check's avatar
    Reality_Check
    Nomad II
    Oct 12, 2016
    jimh425 wrote:
    trail-explorer wrote:
    There aren't any AF dealers in Seattle. THey are way north, in Everett, and way south, in Tacoma.


    Ha, the major airport is Seattle. For the record, you seem to think "way" is less than 45 minutes drive. Most of us think that's close.


    lmao.. beat me to it. Been to LA recently? Everything here is close.
  • jimh406's avatar
    jimh406
    Explorer III
    Oct 12, 2016
    trail-explorer wrote:
    There aren't any AF dealers in Seattle. THey are way north, in Everett, and way south, in Tacoma.


    Ha, the major airport is Seattle. For the record, you seem to think "way" is less than 45 minutes drive. Most of us think that's close.
  • mike_kellie's avatar
    mike_kellie
    Explorer II
    Oct 12, 2016
    I'm 6'3" and have not hit the ac unit inside our Mammoth. We took it out this weekend and I had it weighed fully loaded. A whopping 6,400 lbs with wife, dog and sundries for a long weekend. We drove about 3 hours north to a campground in Benbow along the Eel River in N CA. Truck did fine however the weight is obvious. Bought a Ram 5500 today! Now towing is at least an option. No way with a 3500
  • 1handyhubby's avatar
    1handyhubby
    Explorer
    Oct 12, 2016
    I'm 6'1" and have a Host Mammoth. I've smacked my noggin once or twice on the AC. I was showing a friend our camper this weekend who is 6'4""and he walked around with no problem (didn't go near the AC) I can measure the height tomorrow if you'd like. We haul it with a F350 dually. Breaking is a little dicey. I'd opt for the F450 or F550.
  • GeoBoy's avatar
    GeoBoy
    Explorer
    Oct 12, 2016
    Take a trip to Truck Camper Warehouse or Niemeyers Trailer Sales, they usually have both model Arctic Fox's in stock. The new arched roof AF's have the tallest ceiling in the industry. I know on paper the F350 has a greater payload but the F450 has more potential to carry bigger loads and turns shorter.
  • trail-explorer's avatar
    trail-explorer
    Explorer
    Oct 11, 2016
    There aren't any AF dealers in Seattle. THey are way north, in Everett, and way south, in Tacoma.
  • jimh406's avatar
    jimh406
    Explorer III
    Oct 11, 2016
    I guess I have to disagree with brholt, again. :)

    The F350 actually loaded isn't rated to haul much more than a F450, and the gasoline F350 isn't either. We've had a lot of threads on these topics lately. Before anyone says anything we are talking about 500 lbs potentially on a 14000-15000 load. Either way, the rear axles will likely not be overloaded. The ratings seem to be more marketing differences than anything else. There are real advantages of an F450 including bigger axles and brakes in most years, and a tighter turn radius stock.

    The spring pack is different on a F350 vs F450. Both are going to be pushed past the payload capacity with the largest campers. That being said, the campers are expected to be hauled on a F350 DRW, so you'll probably be fine.

    As far as length goes, two feet is a lot in a parking lot. Sure, you'll be shorter than a Class A, but still pretty long. Overall length for for a Crew Cab with 11 1/2 camper can go over 26 ft.

    It's hard to get a feel for the campers without being in them. Consider a flight to the Seattle or Portland areas and rent a car to take a look.
  • brholt's avatar
    brholt
    Explorer II
    Oct 11, 2016
    The F350 is actually rated to carry more than the F450 even though some of the 450's components are heavier (there are a number of threads about this). The F450 is more of a towing machine than a hauling truck. The F350 in gas is rated to carry significantly more than either of the diesels and has more than enough power unless you are also going to tow heavy. (Big boat or small boat?)

    I think it's fair to say if you plan on getting any of the heavier triple slides you should really consider jumping over the 450/4500 class and go right to the 550/5500 class. A number of people have done so here and been very happy.

    With your height interior height is going to be an issue. I would really try and check them out. It's a long way for you but you will be spending a lot of money. You can carefully look at the specifications but they will not indicate low points. Hitting your head all of the time in the AC isn't going to be fun. The new, 2017, Arctic Foxes have gone to a "barrel" ceiling which may help you.

    Slides do make a big difference in living space. If you are going to spend much time in them I would highly recommend one with a slide for the two of you.

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