It took me about 30 years...
I would say that I first started to notice truck campers in the 1970's. I liked the idea of the vehicle being available for dual use (camper and utility vehicle when the camper was 'parked' the other 330 days of the year). I figured truck campers might be a good way to travel once they had indoor shower facilities.
Fast forward, ...we figured the time had finally come but when I noticed how much time RV owners seemed to waste servicing their plumbing, I decided using the campground facilities was good enough for me. We had been doing it that way for 40 some odd years, after all, while tenting. After looking around, my wife started to hone-in on the FOUR-WHEEL products. After asking for some advice on the RV.net, 'Steve-in-29-Palms'; 'Silversand', and 'Balbir' got me pointed toward the OUTFITTER products. At the time, that was the only company who would guarantee that their roofs and lift system would handle the weight of an air conditioner - - something I really wanted.
OUTFITTER customized a short-Caribou to my specifications. I did a little tweaking on it after we had some practical experience with it. The rest is history.
I figure it must be "perfect" because I have a hard time conceiving of ever letting go of it - - even if we bought an eight footer with indoor plumbing. I guess you too will eventually find out if you found the "perfect camper".
