Long Term Stay Camper on or Off

[Judithgap]

If you were staying at a site such as a National Park camp site for an extended period of time, do you guys leave your camper on your truck or unload so you can travel and see the sites without your camper?
Another example. Say you planned to work for a season in a Park?

[Judithgap]

I appreciate all the feedback. Once I retire, I plan to work a season at Yellowstone and possibly other Parks. I know having a fifth wheel would probably be better for a long term stay but I really like the versatility of the truck camper for short term stays and boondocking. I also like the idea of having a small jeep type vehicle pulled along for short day trips.

[Bedlam]

[Roadlover]

Even if we are at a location for a week or so, we have a tendency to leave the site almost every day to visit the area and we find it's always nice to have the camper with us. For that reason, we have yet to remove the camper while on the road.

[bka0721]

bwc wrote:
It stays on all the time. Hasn't been off the truck since 2011.

Same here. The only difference, it has been on my truck since 2008

But, I have "get around vehicles" ~ mountain bikes, kayaks, skis and motorcycles with me. Oh yeah, boots, too. So leaving the truck and camper back at camp, is not as much as a problem it might be for others.

b

[jimh406]

I don't take mine off, but if you are talking weeks in one place, I'd probably take it off. NOTE: you do need to determine if your camper was designed to work off or not. Some here have had holding tanks break loose. In that case, using some type of support like the multipart plywood ones that people make might be helpful to provide the support.

[campn4walleye]

The TC always comes off. It makes for easier movement of the boat.

[starcraft69]

Off almost every time unless we are moving from day to day, If I wanted to leave it on all the time I would have got a class C

[joe_b_]

With us, it depends on not only how long we plan to stay at one site but the nature of the trip and if we are towing our Jeep or not. With the Jeep in tow, the TC tends to stay on the truck, regardless of the length of the stay. Without the Jeep, anything approaching a week, we will remove the TC and just drive the truck. However, that is not always the case, as our one ton crew cab long wheel base truck is not very "urban" friendly for using as a daily driver. Since we use our TC as our distance traveling rig, such as our trips to Alaska, we don't stay in one place long enough to justify taking the TC off the truck. I have also been known to rent a car locally if we need one.

On a trip to Maggie Valley NC, a couple of years back, we had to take the TC off the previous truck, as it had to go to a Dodge dealer in Waynesville, NC for a bad water pump. They had to keep the truck for a couple of days to get the parts from Atlanta, so we rented a car and used the TC at the campground for sleeping, etc.

[pa_traveler]

If a couple day trip I leave it on, if 5 days or a week at a campground it comes off and leave sewer hose, waterhose,electric hooked up,slide out extended ect. Don't have to undo all these things to go to town.

[bwc]

It stays on all the time. Hasn't been off the truck since 2011.

[crosscheck]

It is sure nice to be able to take your home with you on the back of your truck when out visiting museums, county fairs, gem shows, Disneyland.




I t is double nice at times when in 15 minutes, you can drop the TC and have your truck to get down and dirty when camping in not such a neat and tidy environment.

Man ,I love electric jacks.






Loading up your truck box with the next week of firewood.





Typical logging show where all of the little Charlotte deer thrive. My TC would be match sticks if I hauled it up and down these roads.





Just a little mixing of Coho and deer blood in the back.




They are small, but tasty.




Dirty truck, clean camper. Queen Charlotte Islands, BC. Hunting, fishing and camping at it's finest.

Dave

[sue_t]

If we're "destination" camping, the fifth wheel gets hooked up.

If we're roaming, exploring goat trails and not sure where we'll be when, it's the truck camper.

Usually our feet are too itchy to stay in one place too long.

[Gripnriprod]

EfonFred wrote:
2 or 3 nights in one spot, it usually comes off.

X2

[SpknTC]

MKish wrote:
We've never unloaded--we like having our stuff with us to sightsee!

I agree! If I planned to take it off then I might as well have a trailer. No thank you! 🙂