new to the forum

[mark10]

a truck camper is in my future. just started researching. thinking a pop-up truck camper. so far the combination would probably be a northstar 850 or 950 with a ford f250.

definitely want toilet and shower.

one question I have 'is this combo good for extended trips'.

can my wife and I be happy with for a trip of up to 4 weeks.

my reasons for the truck camper is that I don't want to pull anything, so I was thinking this is the best of both. plus since I can drop the camper if at a site for an extended time and just use the truck, I don't have to pack up.

plus I can use the truck, as a truck, while at home.

I am planning on renting one probably next year for one of our vacations

looking for comments or other suggestions.

[Steve_in_29]

Unless your State/locality has some restrictions I would suggest getting an F350 SRW over the F250. The cost is minimal at less then $1K price difference between the two.

That would preclude the need for any suspension add-ons as the 850 and I would presume the 950 are not as light as people think simply because they are pop-ups.

Whether or not the unit will work for you depends on what kind of camping you are planning. Paved roads going from camp-ground-to-campground? Extended boondocking down dirt roads? Sleeping in Walmart parking lots?

[LabMan1945]

I may be a bit prejudice but the Northstar 850SC should suit your purpose well. I have had two of them since 2007 and have taken several trips of up to 4 months. There is plenty of room for me and two 50# black labs.
My first 850SC was on a Dodge Ram 2500 and my latest is on a Dodge Ram 3500. Both outfits have been great to travel with.
Good luck with your search.
Grant

[willi4nd]

Welcome!

[Bedlam]

Be forewarned: We are not minimalist campers, so this may be a different perspective than some of the other posts you will read.

We started with a F250 short bed truck and wanted as much room as possible, so we selected a camper with a slide. With some modifications, our truck handled this camper well and even had a large trailer in tow at the same time. Although we like the TC flexibility, we will be going to a larger model in 2017. Our camping continues year round, so we need room to stretch out inside when the weather is poor and a place to hang wet clothing that does not hamper access to the bathroom. We are not retired and cannot follow the good weather nor always pick and choose which days we are out.

Only you will be able decide if there is enough living space and storage for your lifestyle in the camper you choose, but the good news is that are plenty of choices available.

[Fitzbev]

I see your in Illinois, perhaps a vacation in Canada? You can rent a TC in Toronto with the truck and the exchange rate is very favorable!

www.fraserway.com

Just a thought 😉

[wvabeer]

I think your on the right track. Rent or borrow one to see what you want and if you like the truck camper for camping. I have used mine for the longest so far is ten days and felt it was plenty of room for my wife and I. You just can't bring everything from home with you. We found out we didn't need all the stuff we used to bring in our others (motorhome,toyhauler and travel trailers). Less to clean up too. 🙂
This is the place to learn all about them.

[COboondocker]

4 weeks at a campground? 4 weeks boondocking? if you don't have a place to fill up 30 gallons of water and 1 battery aren't going to last you all that long.

[WNYBob]

We just traded our TC for a 20' TT. The TC was fine and we camped about 10 times in the last 2 years. Staying in it up to 4 days, but our issue was the time it took to drop the camper. We did not have electric jacks, so it took about an hour to position, crank up the camper, pull the truck out, and then lower the camper. Yes I used a battery driver on my manual jacks, but you have to do one jack at a time, being careful not to tip the nose down. Not necessary with a TT.

So I recommend electric jacks.

Also do a lot of research.

If you have not camped much you may want to rent a camper of any kind to see what kind of camping you like. (It may be difficult to find a TC to rent.)

[monkey44]

Genie and I spent almost six months in ours at one time. We did a cross-country tour - Florida, to Cape Cod, to Washington, down the coast thru California and back to Florida via the southern states.

We sleep and eat, and read a bit in the TC - the rest of the time is in the largest back-yard in the entire country ... hmmm, well - it is the entire country.

Only you can tell if this kind of extended camping is for you, but it's not as overwhelming as some think. Bad weather kinda bums, but believe me, it's better than a tent. 🙂 🙂 Been there too, and wet tent is not much fun.

[Oasisbob]

Welcome to theforum. For extended outings I might drop the camper. No big advantage either way in my opinion. Can you be happy on a four week trip? That question is best left to you two. For my family the HTT is a place to stay at night or maybe during rain showers and not much else. All depends. Good you are doing research. Great adventures await. Happy trails