Do you unload you camper from truck when camping?

[a_flyfisher]

I am planning on buying my first truck camper, but having never had one I'm not sure how easy they are to take on and off a truck.

However, I have a Ford F350 dually that I 'd like to take camping for 2-3 days at a time, and also tow my drift boat behind it (the boat and trailer are under 20' long and probably weigh in the neighborhood of 500# combined).

Some of the places I'd like to launch my boat are somewhat tight to get into, and would be easier to access if the camper was not on the truck.

So my question is, is it relatively easy, and practical, to take the camper off the truck for relatively short stays? (I understand it can also depend in part on where I will be camping.)

In addition, are their stabilizers to help stabilize a camper when it is off your truck?

Thanks, John

[Grit_dog]

user113 wrote:
So...because there's more to it than just boat launching, if I may ask, for those of you who do not unload, how do you get the thing level? How do you cook your pancakes like that?

Huh?
You don't level up your camper on the truck?
It involves fine placement of shims and spacers in the truck bed under the camper.......

[Fastbrit]

If we stay more than 3 days at a campground we unload:C


This morning... first white carpet in Chatham PQ

[brholt]

Leveling blocks and/or jacks depending on the terrain.

[deltabravo]

user113 wrote:
So...because there's more to it than just boat launching, if I may ask, for those of you who do not unload, how do you get the thing level? How do you cook your pancakes like that?

Leveling blocks under the front tires (because the back end still sits high, even with the camper on it.)

[user113]

So...because there's more to it than just boat launching, if I may ask, for those of you who do not unload, how do you get the thing level? How do you cook your pancakes like that?

[stevenal]

Haven't unloaded yet. Nice to have all our stuff during the day trips, and a charged battery when back at camp. Steep boat ramps are easily handled with 4 wheel low, and a bungee comes in handy to keep the back door open for visibility when backing down a ramp.

[pa_traveler]

Used to be big on unloading,now like to have the bathroom and frig along for the ride.

[tmartin000]

I have had two Stable Lift Systems. One on an Arctic Fox 990 the other a Lance 835. I LOVED that system in both campers.....

I will probably add it to my 1191, I just need it not to rust! (I live on the Oregon Coast)

[JohnAM]

One of the reasons I have a truck camper is so I can tow boats. I take mine off most of the time depending on the situation and certaily would for what you are describing. I struggled at first when I got my Dodge until I figured out that the bed rails are not parallel. Now I just look for equal spacing at the back on each side by using the mirrors. Takes a little practice but piece of cake, rarely need to recenter, only takes a few minutes to load/unload with electric jacks and never use a spotter.

[hedgehopper]

jimh425 wrote:
You could also put a front hitch on the truck. It might help for some places.

On a recent trip we saw a fellow with a front hitch on his truck. He unlaunched his boat in minutes. That would be my preference if I had a boat.

We do not remove our camper from the truck because there is only a fraction of an inch clearance between the camper and the jig that locates the camper in the truck bed. Putting the camper back on the truck takes so long that we don't even want to attempt it.

[mkirsch]

I don't but I also don't have one of those fancy campers with the electric jacks, or one that can be used off the truck. On mine the floor has to be supported if the camper is occupied. My rule, because I see how it's constructed. I just don't trust those fence post cross supports screwed into 1x2's to hold.

[burningman]

It's almost not even fair for a guy with a Stable-Lift to chime in... 🙂
There are numerous pros/cons threads about regular jacks and Stable Lifts but in this particular situation, the Stable Lift just plain wins!
No tie downs, no wobbling around, no difficulty or inconvenience whatsoever.
Press the buttons and drive out. To reload, back under and press the buttons to retract the lift and automatically clamp the camper down.
Look into it, it'll completely change how you use your camper!

[Clarryhill]

We do on occasion, but actually quite infrequently, primarily because of the fits my Happy Jack 4600's give me every time I use them.

[run100]

When traveling and camping, the camper is usually left on the truck so we can use its amenities when out and about. The only time we take it off, is if we are heading to the 4x4 roads.