cancel
Showing results forย 
Search instead forย 
Did you mean:ย 

How primitive of terrain are you comfortable traversing?

presh223
Explorer
Explorer
Hi all,

What level of terrain are you comfortable taking your full-size truck campers on?
My previous camper setup was moderately aggressive-terrain friendly it was a 2002 Chevy Silverado 4x4 with a Northstar 650 pop up cabover truck camper. It weighed 1,250 approx. I recall traversing some narrow canyon roads in Eastern WA and when any tires would enter a huge dirt hole It would feel like the camper was shaking back and forth. A few times over a steep embankment, I would experience the biggest adrenaline rushes because I thought โ€œit was itโ€ like I was going to take the tumble. Camper was secure and didnโ€™t seem to move in the bed, just the rocking was scary. It would take me approx 45 mins to reach where I made camp because I was driving 2-3 mph average. In a vacant truck, it would take 5 mins.


New to me setup:
2013 Ford F350 Diesel
2002 Arctic Fox 990

So based on my previous setup and itโ€™s low center of gravity due to it being a pop-up, I wonder if it is even a viable idea to reach this same place (or places similar). As many of you know, this camper is almost comically large when mounted on a truck, and weighs 3xโ€™s my previous.

So what am I actually asking? How primitive of roads have you guys taken your campers on? Things to look out for, warning signs, things you absolutely wouldn't do, Pitches, banks, etc. I almost didnโ€™t buy this camper because I didnโ€™t think it would be suitable for deep woods, but I will be using it as an off-grid home for at least one year, so the slide appeal and features really attracted me.
In the canyon I like the most in Eastern WA, there are 2 โ€œsteeperโ€ areas, and I donโ€™t know how comfortable I would be with that camper.

I like to reach desolate areas of Eastern WA where the Subarus canโ€™t go. They all get stuck within .25 miles and like to go deep to set up camp and do minimalist survival stuff and use the camper as a โ€œbaseโ€. Also, love to bring my dirtbike out there. Itโ€™s the epitome of a perfect weekend.

Anyway, thanks for reading.

15 REPLIES 15

Lwiddis
Explorer II
Explorer II
Back in my TC days with my โ€˜78 Chevy 4x4 3/4 ton, Iโ€™d go anywhere I had clearance...as in tree limbs. Preformed better with the 2800 pounds of camper.
Winnebago 2101DS TT & 2022 Chevy Silverado 1500 LTZ Z71, WindyNation 300 watt solar-Lossigy 200 AH Lithium battery. Prefer boondocking, USFS, COE, BLM, NPS, TVA, state camps. Bicyclist. 14 yr. Army -11B40 then 11A - (MOS 1542 & 1560) IOBC & IOAC grad