Northstar 12STC - who has one?

JimK,
Thanks for the heads up on the electrical. As an RV owner I have learned to check all the penetrations for issues. Sounds like the electrical for the jacks is a bit of a kludge. Wires should have drip loops if at all possible but mounting boxes upside down sounds like a real mistake.

I had read somewhere else about the counters. I have to believe that is fixed now but will certainly give it a careful look.

I agree with you about Bill. We have made two trips to TCW and were very up front that we are not yet ready to buy and he has still taken time to walk us through the campers and share his thoughts and advice. He even offered to let us drive their STC that is on the SRW GMC in the showroom to see how it handles.

Given the weight issues, even though the STC is lighter than most rigs that size, we will probably stick with the Igloo. It is nicely designed and a great fit for our truck.

But the chewing over the options process goes on...

Thanks again.

Shawn

sbryan@vtbryans.com wrote:
.....

How do you like your Igloo? Any discoveries you'd like to share?

My wife and I along with 2 cats lived in it full time for 2 years. We still use it for a few months of the year. For 2 people I would not want anything bigger. Except for maybe a couple of small kids it would be too small for a family.

I highly recommend dealing with Truck Camper Warehouse. Bill is a straight shooter and a true TC enthusiast. I think our Northstar is at the higher end of quality. Even so we have had some issues.

One issue I am sure was fixed years ago. The kitchen counter tops were not made correctly. The substrate is cheap pressboard....the same material you will find in most household kitchens. The edges of the laminate was beveled but that exposed the substrate which immediately started to swell and deteriorate when the first drops of water hit the countertop edges. I had to seal all of that with epoxy.

Second I had serious water damage due to water seeping in through an electrical connection box for the electric jack motors. The boxes have been installed upside down to keep the wires short and looking neat. Unfortunately water ran down the wires and eventually a small crack appeared and the water ran into the connection box and destroyed the lower rear corner of the camper. I might have noticed this earlier but the issue occurred over winter storage. In spite of the quality construction there are still plenty of areas that are not well sealed and could eventually cause serious damage. Another example is the holes for the electrical wiring for the running lights. None of the holes were sealed and any water getting behind or into the plastic fixtures could do serious damage. Due to the above mentioned issues and a host of other smaller ones, I would give the quality of design and construction a grade of no more than "B+".

Let me know if you have any specific questions or concerns.

Another fella on this forum has the 12' Northstar and was doing a solar project with lithium storage batteries and I was surprised at how much his camper weighed. The Igloo is a nice size camper for a SRW truck. Be safe.

FYI you can see truck camper magazines weight estimates here:

North Star weight estimates

This doesn't include options like solar panels etc

Hi JimK and thanks for your reply. Our "fallback" is the Igloo if we decide that the only recourse to the STC is a new truck. Not going there. Only have 24,000 on the F350 and it has been bullet proof so I'm not going to take the depreciation hit to buy a new $70,000 truck.

The Igloo is a no brainer on our truck and I frankly like the fact that there isn't as much overhang on the back.

How do you like your Igloo? Any discoveries you'd like to share?

I have the Igloo on a Dodge Ram 2500 Diesel. I added HD Rancho shocks and airbags. The ride was harsh and the airbags seemed to intensify the sway. I then added supersprings and was able to set the shocks on a lower setting. I now have a pretty decent ride and the equivalent of a 3500 Dodge.

My Igloo is much lighter than the 12 footer. I am well beyond the cargo rating and at the limits of what works for a SRW. In my opinion there is absolutely no doubt you should have a DRW truck.

You will find that it is easy to add lots more weight than you anticipate. I have two solar panels, big AGM batteries, and a generator. Even being careful consider all of the extras: clothing, food, cooking gear, hobby equipment, tools, gas for the generator, plus a load of water, 2 propane tanks, and whatever your fellow travelers decide to bring and collect along the way.

As the OP we are getting a bit off track here. I'm happy to engage in a Bilstein discussion but perhaps in another thread on shocks. I'm still hoping there are some other STC owners out there who might post about their experiences.

And as a side note - if I can't be reasonably sure of safely handling the STC I can easily drop down to an Igloo, save myself $6,000 and loose 500 pounds in the process. I had a great conversation with TheDavidZoo about their rig and truck at TCW in NH. I would not be comfortable at 5,500 pounds with my truck but I expect I would be considerably below that weight for just the 2 of us.

Bill Penny has an STC on a SRW Chevy and he has offered to let me take it out on the road to see how it handles. Granted, it isn't loaded up for weeks in the woods but he uses that setup when he travels with his wife (at least that is what we were told).

So are there other STC owners willing to share?

Vinsil wrote:
Jim here is another place stating the same.

Here

I have 4600s and know they work for me, too. Sounds like we need something on the Bilstein site. (Fyi, I just emailed service@bilsteinus.com. I'm interested to see what they say.)

From another site ... http://www.4wheelparts.com/parts/bilstein/shocks.aspx

Bilstein 4600 Series-HD Light Truck & SUV Shocks

Features Include:
Improved ride and handling
Added traction and enhanced stability
Increased performance, even when hauling or towing heavy loads.
Road-tested and fine-tuned by Bilstein for each vehicle specific application

Bilstein 5100 Series Shock Absorbers

Features Include:
Self-adjusting deflecting disc valving
High-flow piston reduces harshness
Independent rebound and compression tuning
Larger working piston area for exact damping
Superior control for large diameter tires
Designed for specific manufacturer lift kits using the stock OEM mounting configuration

Jim here is another place stating the same.

Here


I e been running these 5100's for a few years now. They dampen fine IMHO. I also hit wash boarded roads loaded with my TC on a regular (monthly) basis. Shocks have not overheated, melted or even faded a ton. I read the thread and saw the pictures. If only one shock did that, something was a foul with that particular shock or he would have seen the other fail or near failure. I guess that one shock lost its nitrogen charge, the oil was not able to move enough to cool and it overheated. I'm not a shock expert but have spent some time with my rzr's runnng fast offroad and tuning them as well.

Pcoplin in here has a ton of experience racing and rebuilds shocks as a side job on here, I'd love to hear his opinion.

I bought mine due to a leveling kit I've never put on. Meh they work and I would not describe my truck as a death ride as the one quote did....that had more to due wth the soft sprung suspension (same as my truck) which I addressed with stableloads and bags and a soon to install rear swaybar...as well as strong and stiff tires. Same shocks...way different truck and ride now.

Here's another thread that discusses 5100s failing in TC application. https://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/27072136/

Of course, they could have changed in the past 3 years.