Northstar Campers

[Shadow_Hunter]

I am looking at three models of Northstar hard side campers for my next purchase. Everyone I have spoken with so far has positive things to say about the company. I was wondering if anyone here had personal experiences and / or opinions of these campers. Any opinions on the floorplans of the models? Two models are only seven feet wide, the third model I'm looking at is 7 1/2 feet wide.

1.) Laredo SC

2.) 8.5 Adventurer

3.) 8.5 Arrow

Also, the Laredo SC and 8.5 Adventurer are shorter in interior height at only 6'4" while the 8.5 Arrow (the wider of the campers) is 6'8" tall interior height. Anyone experience problems with the shorter interior height?

I guess it would be handy to know what the intended usage is for my new camper. Mostly family camping trips with my wife and 10 year old son. Our son is getting to the age where he will want to sleep outside in his own tent (although the above models have six foot long dinettes for him to sleep on). We rarely make reservations and most of our camping is done either "boondock" style or in Forest Service campgrounds in the West and Pacific Northwest. We also visit lots of National and State parks. This is one key reason we have a fondness for the Northstar brand.....cassette toilets. This is a real plus for us since we rarely stay in places that have a dump station. It will be carried by a Dodge 3/4 ton pickup, 4wd with a short bed.

We are leaning towards the Laredo SC or 8.5 Adventurer but any and all thoughts and comments would be appreciated. We have stood inside a Laredo SC, but not either of the other two.

[Americamper]

My Laredo has been great. There is something to be said for being lighter in order to be stealthier. I have seen people on here that carry a Arrow on a 3/4 ton truck with no airbags and no problems.My Laredo handles really good on my F-250 with only heavy duty shocks.

[Mello_Mike]

The Northstar campers are very nice campers and are on my short-list for my next TC purchase. The Arrow 8.5 is a very nice unit and I love the imported windows. Expensive, yes, but worth it.

[GeoBoy]

If you have the truck to carry it,the Arrow 8.5 is very nice. The extra 6" in width make a big difference in the living space. You can get an east/west bed in the Arrow to save on weight. The bathroom is larger on the Arrow too.

[CptnBG]

I have nothing but good things to say about my Laredo. I do wish I had insulated windows as I do more winter camping than I originally thought I would. As far as the height, I'm 6' tall and have no issues with the interior height. However, I don't have AC and don't know how far down the interior shroud hangs. Not a huge issue but I can't sit upright in the bed.

Good luck on your search and have fun with it.

[Shadow_Hunter]

Thanks guys for the replies.

Realter - your comment re: bathroom and entry door size made me chuckle. I now remember looking at the specs and seeing the Laredo SC and Arrow 8.5 both had 26" wide doors; the Adventurer did not. Now that you jarred my memory, I would think the wider entry door would be more handy / useful for both loading items and myself.

Whizbang - thanks for your reply. You are absolutely right about the extra 700 lbs base weight being too heavy for our application. But, I think you may have looked at the weight specs for the Arrow 8.5 "U" model? That one is most definitely 700 lbs more. I am interested in the plain-jane Arrow 8.5 model (without the "U"). The specs for this one is right in line with the others at 1940 lbs. As a side note, IMO, Northstar did their website right when they included both the weight and prices for each individual option over and above the standard base weight. I think the only other camper company that has done that is the ALP manufacturers.

Anyone else have any suggestions? It is quite an investment for us so I want to make sure we get everything right this time. Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

[whizbang]

I'd go for the Adventurer.

It's the lightest weight and has a east-west bed. Actual camper weights will be considerably more than the published specs. The 7-1/2 foot weigh Arrow is 700 pounds heavier than the Adventurer. Too heavy in my opinion.

Can you get a away with it? Sure. But if you are boondocking Forest Service roads (or worse) you will not be happy with a heavy camper. Pick the lightest one that will work for you.

Drop me a PM if you want/need more specifics.

[realter]

The adventurer has a slightly larger bathroom, but the door is 22" vs 26". Nice to be able to poop in comfort, but to also go thru the door in comfort--without turning sideways. So the question is which activity do you do more?? I think the extra 6" width overall would be nice--especially in your case with 3 people. Also, sitting up in bed those extra inches will really make a difference. If I was to do it again, it would be an Arrow on a one ton truck. Good luck.