First time TC owners, questions before we buy!

[Earth_to_Sean]

Hi all!

So my girlfriend an I are creeping ever closer to purchasing our first truck camper. We have been in and out of Lances quite a bit and have a good feel for their product line, however we have never really gotten a good look at the competition. The Palominos at the dealership near us are out of the question, so we were planning on taking a trip up to Truck Camper Warehouse in NH about 5 hours from us to get a peek at the Arctic Fox model line, and hopefully some Northern Lite campers as well.

first off I'll tell you I have a 2008 Chevy 3500 CC DRW Duramax, and the campers we are most likely considering are

Lance 975, 995, 1062
Arctic Fox 811, 990

First question I have (long way around it) is if I am prioritizing building materials more than I need to? Lance campers, because they are located in California, are not allowed to use materials like luan that are treated with some pretty undesirable chemicals, like formaldehyde. Aside from the "health factor", however severe or benign it might be, my MAIN concern with those materials over Azdel, is in the case of a leak. I know from experience with our Winnebago class C that leaks can be hard to find and can cause lots and lots of damage by the time you do find them and fix them. Is this Simply not the case with Azdel? It looks like Lance is all Azdel and Northwood mfg continues to use luan. I'm looking for some real world opinions rather than a canned sales pitch.

Question # 2:
I was hoping we would be able to keep the camper on our property full time in the grass in our back yard. There is ample room on the side of our house to back the truck up and drop the camper, however it is just grass. Over an extended period of time am I going to have issues loading and unloading on a softer foundation? Obviously I plan on getting some good quality foundation foot plates. It would not be out of the question to create a gravel packed pad at some point.

And our third point is not so much a question, but an open invitation to share your opinion. We have noticed that between Lance and Arctic Fox's current models, Lance is considerably lacking in storage, especially in the cab over portion, whereas AF has abundant cabinets and drawers around the bed. Sometimes I think an open space is better to make the storage you really want or need, however in this case, that's a hard spot to fill and keep organized with store bought totes etc... For now we will only be taking weekend trips to the racetrack, states parks, campgrounds and some week long vacations. Our dream though is to live full time at some point, and that's where good useable storage becomes quite a bit more important. What are your thoughts on the storage aspect?

Looking forward to hearing some other members sage advice! Thanks in advance!

[free_radical]

Earth_to_Sean wrote:
Hi all!

So my girlfriend an I are creeping ever closer to purchasing our first truck camper. We have been in and out of Lances quite a bit and have a good feel for their product line, however we have never really gotten a good look at the competition. The Palominos at the dealership near us are out of the question, so we were planning on taking a trip up to Truck Camper Warehouse in NH about 5 hours from us to get a peek at the Arctic Fox model line, and hopefully some Northern Lite campers as well.

first off I'll tell you I have a 2008 Chevy 3500 CC DRW Duramax, and the campers we are most likely considering are

Lance 975, 995, 1062
Arctic Fox 811, 990

First question I have (long way around it) is if I am prioritizing building materials more than I need to? Lance campers, because they are located in California, are not allowed to use materials like luan that are treated with some pretty undesirable chemicals, like formaldehyde. Aside from the "health factor", however severe or benign it might be, my MAIN concern with those materials over Azdel, is in the case of a leak. I know from experience with our Winnebago class C that leaks can be hard to find and can cause lots and lots of damage by the time you do find them and fix them. Is this Simply not the case with Azdel? It looks like Lance is all Azdel and Northwood mfg continues to use luan. I'm looking for some real world opinions rather than a canned sales pitch.

Question # 2:
I was hoping we would be able to keep the camper on our property full time in the grass in our back yard. There is ample room on the side of our house to back the truck up and drop the camper, however it is just grass. Over an extended period of time am I going to have issues loading and unloading on a softer foundation? Obviously I plan on getting some good quality foundation foot plates. It would not be out of the question to create a gravel packed pad at some point.

And our third point is not so much a question, but an open invitation to share your opinion. We have noticed that between Lance and Arctic Fox's current models, Lance is considerably lacking in storage, especially in the cab over portion, whereas AF has abundant cabinets and drawers around the bed. Sometimes I think an open space is better to make the storage you really want or need, however in this case, that's a hard spot to fill and keep organized with store bought totes etc... For now we will only be taking weekend trips to the racetrack, states parks, campgrounds and some week long vacations. Our dream though is to live full time at some point, and that's where good useable storage becomes quite a bit more important. What are your thoughts on the storage aspect?

Looking forward to hearing some other members sage advice! Thanks in advance!

I like to travel light,,if I was fultiming I wouldnt carry too much stuf..just bare necesities..that way I dont need much storage..

Also I would only get a camper made using fiberglass construction to avoid roof problems,leaks..NL would most likely be my choice..

[Kayteg1]

"Base rock" is recycled concrete.
Much cheaper and much better than natural gravel.
Thanks to concrete powder, that stuff will compact to a mixture getting pretty close to cheap concrete and will not crack.
Still don't put less than 2" of the stuff to make it working.

[TxGearhead]

For your parking spot...ask around at local dirt yards. They may have what we call road base. It will set up real good and not sink. If you throw just gravel on the ground you will have to add more occasionally.
Just me, I would be looking at Northern Lite. No rubber roof maintenance.

[burningman]

You’re not going to be a few hundred over. You’re going to be over a thousand over!
But don’t worry about that, the truck will handle any of those campers just fine.
Heavy duty pickups have artificially low payload ratings for a few reasons having nothing to do with their actual ability.

[Earth_to_Sean]

run100 wrote:

Again, we gave the 811 serious consideration and I'm sure we would be happy owners had we made that choice. I believe AF builds an excellent product and so does Lance, so either way, you'll have a nice rig that should serve you well.

Happy Shopping!

Thanks for the insight! I’ve been hearing about the weight of arctic foxes, and that’s definitely a big consideration of ours. My “recommended” camper payload is 3000 lbs so I know we’re almost definitely going to be a few hundred over that with the campers we’re considering. The good news is that I am already equipped with air bags and load range E tires.

[Earth_to_Sean]

jimh425 wrote:
I'd also take a look at the used market and let that factor into your purchase. Like most RVs a few year old TC loses a lot of value. You may be able to buy a better TC for a lot less.

We are shopping almost exclusively for used models, unless of course we could get a bitchin’ deal on a new one. Seems like the biggest chunk of depreciation is in the first year of owning a new model.

[jimh406]

I'd also take a look at the used market and let that factor into your purchase. Like most RVs a few year old TC loses a lot of value. You may be able to buy a better TC for a lot less.

[run100]

We have owned two Lance Campers and have been very satisfied with both. We would probably still own the first one, but added two children and needed the space provided by the slide. The only gripe I have with the 855S, is the crazy placement of the batteries. The compartment is under the step leading up to the cabover and can house two batteries - which ours does. Getting into the battery box can be a test of patience and agility, whether for maintenance or replacement. I easily solved the maintenace issue by adding the EZ-Fill watering system. Fortunately, our batteries lasted over 4-years and were replaced last month.

When purchasing the 855S, we gave serious consideration to the AF811. However, there were a few things that steered us away. First, AF makes no apologies about the weight of their campers and even takes an odd approach of masking the fact of their base weight by having "mandatory options." Deceptive tactics IMHO.

Second, the pass-thru window is very small and we get a lot of use from our window. The AF window is useless. We use our pass-thru on every single trip.

Third, they didn't offer a child restraint system for the bunk bed. Safety hazard! Lance offers child restraint. Oh, I also believe Lance has a larger dinette, which makes a difference in the foot area and when someone sleeps on the dinette bed or bunk.

Fourth, AF suggests using a support system under the camper when using off the truck. Doesn't seem convenient to carry such a system while on the road. Lance is designed to be used on or off the truck - which we do.

Again, we gave the 811 serious consideration and I'm sure we would be happy owners had we made that choice. I believe AF builds an excellent product and so does Lance, so either way, you'll have a nice rig that should serve you well.

Happy Shopping!

[Fuzzy_Bear]

Not much additional advice about which brand or model. I started with a 2001 AF 990. It had wood framing and the front window. It sat outside all the time and eventually had moisture issues. Took it to the factory and had the outside walls replaced. Now we have a 2007 Lance 1191. My main reason for this one was I needed a side entry camper. We have two big dogs, the smaller a 100 lbs St Bernard, the larger a 248 lbs English Mastiff. Trying to coax, push, shove or lift him up the rear entry was a lot of work. The side entry works better for all of us.

My main point though is your plan to store the camper at home. We did that at our old house. We had plenty of room and a good spot in our gravel/mud driveway. Mud because Western Washington is wet most of the year. My biggest complaint about that though was not having a long level spot. Level is important for both loading and unloading. There was more room between the basement and the wheel wells on the Arctic Fox than our Lance. The Lance is very tight and if I was not pretty level and straight it took a bit more effort. Important too when you pull out from underneath, all of that 8ft bed has to get clear before you can turn. Nudging that 5000 lbs of camper high up on the jacks can get scary. We now store it at a lot on pavement. A bit easier with it on firm level ground.

Doug

[Earth_to_Sean]

See I knew I’d get some good advice here! Thanks everyone for your input!

[Troutguy]

Old Days wrote:
Thanks, Troutguy all of the AF 811 campers I see in Colorado are the short box model.

There are probably more short-box 811s around than the long-box versions. Deltabravo, who is a member of this forum, has the 811 long-box version on a GM 3500 Dually w/ 8’ box.
Northwood also shows the LB 811 in their current TC brochure.
TG

[Old_Days]

Thanks, Troutguy all of the AF 811 campers I see in Colorado are the short box model.

[kohldad]

TCW will be worth the drive. Even if your aren't interested in used, make sure to look at his used units too. One may jump out at you or give your other ideas to consider. When I was there a couple of years ago, I had the opportunity to look at some used units he was in the midst of resealing. Not only was he recaulking them, but a number of places they had pulled off the trim to also reseal. That is going beyond what he needed to do.

In regards to the loading/unloading on the softer ground, that shouldn't be a problem. However, if you do see the ground as being too soft, just throw some gravel in the ruts you create. It will eventually give a good base yet still allow the grass to grow through it for a nice looking area.

Storage is over rated to some degree as I think folks try to pack to much for the "what if" instead of learning to make do. However, you will need a certain amount to handle the winter and summer variety of clothing. Only you know how much you will need to carry so only you know how important the storage space is. But remember, more storage means more weight and it adds up faster than you think.

Lance, Artic Fox, Northern Lite are all up in the quality so picking any of those you won't go wrong. Even Bigfoot is a good choice if you can live with the missing 6" of bed length.

[Troutguy]

Old Days wrote:
The AF 811 is a short bed camper,we like the Lance 975 because of the dry bath,hope to buy one this summer. I think going to a dealer and looking at all of them is a good thing, also look at the weight of each camper.

The AF 811 is also available in a long-box version, which is accomplished by putting smaller rear boxes on the camper. This also eliminates the generator option because the compartment that’s used for the Onan genny is smaller and it won’t fit.