Please help me decide on a truck camper

[missouri_dave]

I'm trying to decide between two truck campers from two different manufacturers. One is northern lite and the other is lance. I like the design and construction of the northern lite except it's use of wood in construction but the fewer seams on it is really a great design point I think. The lance has more seams but uses azdel rather than wood in construction and so won't rot or mold even if it does leak. The northern lite has a great floorplan with no slides. The lance model I like has a great floorplan but has a slide. Can anyone give me pros and cons of either one? Anyone gone from one to the other and if so, why?

[jimh406]

ajriding wrote:
Fiberglass just will not leak, and if it does the fiberglass and foam are waterproof and the foam fills in all the voids so there is nowhere for water to go anyway other than the floor or back outside.

Of course, this is not true. It’s easy to find examples of significant damage in fiberglass shell campers as well. You just have to do a search.

Besides, many “stick” campers includiing my Host has aluminum studs with walls filled with foam. Yes, they have their own set of problems. It’s a double slide with tremendous amount of room compared to a “fiberglas” shell TC.

Bottom line is nobody has built a perfect TC. There’s always going to be a tradeoff. Pick the tradeoffs you want to make, but all TC designs can leak. Maintenance is important for all types because they all have holes cut in the front/sides/back/top.

[ajriding]

mountainkowboy wrote:

ajriding wrote:

Your only potential leaks are at the vents and windows really, and it is unlikely the water is able to run inside the fiberglass construction, it will have to leak into the camper which will be obvious.

and EVERY hole that's ever been put in it....lol. If you do proper maint, it isn't a problem, if you don't they will ALL leak and rot.

Having owned both stick and fiberglass I can attest to the high quality of a fiberglass shell. No leaks!
Wood: leaks. Maintenance will prevent a lot of leaks on a stick camper, but some you will find after it leaks. Fiberglass just will not leak, and if it does the fiberglass and foam are waterproof and the foam fills in all the voids so there is nowhere for water to go anyway other than the floor or back outside. To the floor and you know pretty quick you have a leak, no rotten wood years later to testify to a leak like a stick camper.

Side note: don't put any more holes than necessary. The factory who built my fiberglass camper used a screw for every screw hole on the roof vent. There must be 32 screw holes so they used 32 screws. Only 6 or 8 were necessary. The Lap sealant will do wonders to aid the screws and hold it in place. Lap sealant alone will hold it but the screws make the frame lay flat to the roof.
When I changed vents I filled in many holes and used just a few screws 2nd time around.

[mountainkowboy]

ajriding wrote:
Northern Lite, hands down.

So what if there is wood? Where is the water going to get past the fiberglass shell? Wood is great as long as you keep it dry.

Your only potential leaks are at the vents and windows really, and it is unlikely the water is able to run inside the fiberglass construction, it will have to leak into the camper which will be obvious.

and EVERY hole that's ever been put in it....lol. If you do proper maint, it isn't a problem, if you don't they will ALL leak and rot.

[Eugarps]

ortfun,

I was just about to edit that. I requested a Cirrus brochure this evening and THERE ARE IN FACT TWO BATTERIES ON THE CIRRUS 820. I’m sorry for any confusion I’ve caused.

Bill

[otrfun]

Eugarps wrote:
otrfun,

My issue with Cirrus is similar. I’m waiting for them to give us a two propane tank, two battery rig. That, in my opinion was why the Lance 830 flopped. Maybe 2021 820 will have that but, for now, the only way you get that is to buy a 920. I really don’t want a long bed pickup.

JMO,

Bill

Eugarps, wasn't aware the 820 only held 1 battery. Maybe go lithium, or stuff a 2nd AGM somewhere inside the camper?

As for the propane, according to the Cirrus website the 820 will hold two 20 lb. propane tanks. Maybe another mid-year change/update? Did notice the 920 stores both tanks together on a slide. Maybe each tank on the 820 is stored in a different area?

[ajriding]

Northern Lite, hands down.

So what if there is wood? Where is the water going to get past the fiberglass shell? Wood is great as long as you keep it dry.

Your only potential leaks are at the vents and windows really, and it is unlikely the water is able to run inside the fiberglass construction, it will have to leak into the camper which will be obvious.

[Eugarps]

otrfun,

My issue with Cirrus is similar. I’m waiting for them to give us a two propane tank, two battery rig. That, in my opinion was why the Lance 830 flopped. Maybe 2021 820 will have that but, for now, the only way you get that is to buy a 920. I really don’t want a long bed pickup.

JMO,

Bill

[otrfun]

Eugarps wrote:
. . . The Cirrus campers seem to be one of the more forward thinking TC companies and they use a bunch of aluminum and Adzel in the construction of their campers. They are on my list. Truck Camper Magazine just ran an article on the “Smart” camper option they are developing. It’s pretty intriguing. The roof is aluminum, as I recall and they’ve mounted a 200w flexible solar panel on the curved nose of the roof. Aluminum is a big plus, if you’re planning on a lot of time in the southwestern US. Just a thought.

My reservations with the Cirrus have to do with the big window on the nose of the cab-over. That looks like a leak waiting to happen. Beyond that, Cirrus gives you a really efficiency heating system and use of space.

My $0.02 and worth every penny,

Bill

IMO, Cirrus is absolutely pushing the envelope with their camper design. I was absolutely taken back when I first walked through a couple of 820/920 Cirrus campers less than a year go. It's obvious they have some very talented engineers and CNC operators on their payroll. My only concern is the sheer number of updates/changes they've made to their campers in such a short amount of time. IMO, this inevitably leaves the final R&D step (testing long-term reliability/functionality) up to the final consumer. Me, I'm just not comfortable playing that role. If Cirrus is able to settle on a proven, reliable camper design, fine-tune that design with no major changes for a number of years, then I could see us actually owning one.

[Eugarps]

djg,

I agree. It’s a shame Livin’ Lite was so short lived (no pun intended). I thought and still do that their all-aluminum and Azdel was the way to go. I’m sure, given your location, you tracked down one with super insulation and thermal windows. They are hard to find.

The Cirrus campers seem to be one of the more forward thinking TC companies and they use a bunch of aluminum and Adzel in the construction of their campers. They are on my list. Truck Camper Magazine just ran an article on the “Smart” camper option they are developing. It’s pretty intriguing. The roof is aluminum, as I recall and they’ve mounted a 200w flexible solar panel on the curved nose of the roof. Aluminum is a big plus, if you’re planning on a lot of time in the southwestern US. Just a thought.

My reservations with the Cirrus have to do with the big window on the nose of the cab-over. That looks like a leak waiting to happen. Beyond that, Cirrus gives you a really efficiency heating system and use of space.


Mea culpa: ON EDIT: THE CIRRUS 820 DOES HAVE TWO BATTERIES! I apologize for any confusion I might have caused.

My $0.02 and worth every penny,

Bill

[djg]

I'm not against any of those 2 campers, i have owned a northern lite 4.5 years ago, had some small leaks and a little delamination but it was a 1995 but if your worried about leaks and wood rot check out a camplite, no wood all aluminum, (really tuff camper, too bad they got bought out then discontinued) so far the only leak since new was through the side storage door, check out calking all around every year so far so good this is the first year of out door storage so we will see, next year i'll have a garage to put it in, also very lite at 2300 lbs posted on the camper and weighed at cat scales.

Dave

[mountainkowboy]

Spend a few hours in each without anyone bothering you as if you were camping. That alone will tell you which is better for your situation. That being said ANY RV leaks at the seems if it's not tended to...no matter what ANYONE says...and...if you are diligent with PM you can enjoy years if not decades with a leak-free RV. We rebuilt our S&S 12 years ago and replaced a bunch of wood that had rotted from previous owners failures to maintain it. We check our "seals" twice a year and maintain them....what a surprise...no leaks in 12 years.

[jaycocreek]

The point is most people do not know your supposed to calk the seem that connects the two clam shells together,top and bottom 360 degree's around the TC...That is double the calk of just calking the roof of a lance,more than double..If you calked completely around the Lance including the sides and bed area,it would be closer in calk use,but you don't have to do that to a new Lance,just the older ones that have pulled apart over the years

Everything else is the exact same window to window/vent to vent/ladder rack etc..Nothing is different with the additions,they need to be calked..

So yes,the Northern Lite is a great TC but it is misleading to some that it takes less calk and is less likely to leak,that is false..There are plenty of post out there on there Northern Lites leaking as well as Lances but to give the opinion the Northern Lite is less prone to leaks,is wrong..It leaks just like every other camper out there depending how used..

I had that very thought that Northern Lite was less prone to leaks with easier maintenance until doing the research..They all leak and all need atleast yearly maintenance..

[Old_Days]

Northern Lite and Bigfoot campers have about half the seams as other campers. What I like about Lance campers they really try to keep the weight down. Which does help a lot. If I was looking for a short box camper with a slide the 855s would be my choice.

[otrfun]

jaycocreek wrote:
What's the matter with you..I never said the Northern Lite was a flawed design and I have never said the Northern Lite is a bad choice or poor quality,I just pointed out that the Northern Lite has just about as many seems to calk as a lance camper with both having the same roof additions..Windows/doors/hatches and roof accessories, there all the same and have to be caulked whether on a Northern Lite or a Lance..More windows=more calk...

I probably have calked more campers than most having done it for over 53 years and do know what has to be calked, on a Northern Lite or a Lance..There is little difference...

I assure you there's nothing wrong at my end, Jaycocreek. As for you, I believe you let your emotions get the better of your reading comprehension when you read my reply. I simply gave you several options you could use to prove your point. You had a choice to use whatever option you preferred. Simply trying to move the discussion in a more objective direction. Nothing more, nothing less.

Let's just agree to disagree. Have a good one!