Question for Four Wheel Camper owners and others w/no jacks

[realter]

In mostt pictures of Four Wheel Campers , there are no tie downs or external jacks. How do you like the internal tie downs, and do you ever remove your camper from the truck bed. If so, how?

[Rather_B_Fishin]

realter wrote:
In mostt pictures of Four Wheel Campers , there are no tie downs or external jacks. How do you like the internal tie downs, and do you ever remove your camper from the truck bed. If so, how?

I use torklifts with fast gun "derringers" on my FWC and simply bolt and unbolt the jacks. I can have the camper on or off in about an hour. I also cheaped out and bought used happy jacks and simply made an adapter plate to fit the camper brackets. Works for me and I also need the truck as a truck so the camper is off when not in use.

[realter]

Not to beat a dead horse here, but if you look at my profile you'll see I have a NS Laredo. I said I'd LIKE to be able to go 80, actually I lumber down I80 at between 60 and 65. Takes all day to drive across NE, slowly and surely enjoying the fields of corn and beans and corn and beans. What's really scary is looking in my rear view mirror through the camper and out the little back window and all I can see is the front grill of some semi bearing down on me.

[SidecarFlip]

realter wrote:

SidecarFlip wrote:

realter wrote:
I think the advantages of a pop up, being able to store it at home in an 8' foot high garage door, then zip across the plains at 80mph would outweigh the few times I'd be camping in bear country and need a hardside camper. My apologies to the OP for getting off track here.

You must be one of those people who suck the paint off my doors when you pass me and I'm doing a safe 65 mph. 80 is way too fast for any RV, trailer or TC.

It's a vacation not the Indy 500.......:R

I read you have your own private spot in Upper Michigan. Some of us live 500 miles from those pretty places like the mountains, and just want to hurry up and get there.

I do but it's not the only destination I go to.

But then, after driving over the road for 32 years as a commercial driver and seeing countless wrecks, of which a lot of them are attributable to excessive speed and the inability to stop or correct in time because of speed, I prefer to drive safely and at a speed that allows me to act evasively if necessary and 80 isn't that speed.

I think you'll find that driving slower is one, more relaxing and two, it will put you in a safe spot because the 'speedballs' who are usually tailgaters anyway have passed you.

You have a loaded vehicle, you need to allow for that load. Believe me (and the NHTSA), at 80, it's not happening, though it could 'happen' to you in a bad way at that velocity.

You may get there quicker than me, but I'll get there just the same. I'll consume less fuel, less wear and tear on my vehicle and less stress.

Have fun, I do.

[realter]

SidecarFlip wrote:

realter wrote:
I think the advantages of a pop up, being able to store it at home in an 8' foot high garage door, then zip across the plains at 80mph would outweigh the few times I'd be camping in bear country and need a hardside camper. My apologies to the OP for getting off track here.

You must be one of those people who suck the paint off my doors when you pass me and I'm doing a safe 65 mph. 80 is way too fast for any RV, trailer or TC.

It's a vacation not the Indy 500.......:R

I read you have your own private spot in Upper Michigan. Some of us live 500 miles from those pretty places like the mountains, and just want to hurry up and get there.

[SidecarFlip]

realter wrote:
I think the advantages of a pop up, being able to store it at home in an 8' foot high garage door, then zip across the plains at 80mph would outweigh the few times I'd be camping in bear country and need a hardside camper. My apologies to the OP for getting off track here.

You must be one of those people who suck the paint off my doors when you pass me and I'm doing a safe 65 mph. 80 is way too fast for any RV, trailer or TC.

It's a vacation not the Indy 500.......:R

[realter]

I think the advantages of a pop up, being able to store it at home in an 8' foot high garage door, then zip across the plains at 80mph would outweigh the few times I'd be camping in bear country and need a hardside camper. My apologies to the OP for getting off track here.

[realter]

Bitster98. From the Black Hills and Front Range west. I thought you could only NOT use a pop up at Glacier Park. Everywhere else OK. No worry about bears here in Wahoo.

[SidecarFlip]

Like I said previously, best deterrent goes bang. I don't want to be that 'close up and personal with a bear to use bear spray. I've hunted them before and I always use a magnum rifle.

Bear meat is pretty good too. A bit greasy but good flavor and the hide makes a good rug.

[SidecarFlip]

Way back when, when I was an Eagle Scout, I used to spend a lot of time camping in the Kinzua National Forest in Pennsylvania and I well remember being in the town of Kane and listening to the general store owner there telling the story of how he put his garbage in his International Scout to take it to the dump and got sidetracked and forgot about it. Early the next morning he was awakened to a horrible metallic sound and looked out at a bear shredding the side of the Scout to get to the garbage bags. He said the bear ripped the entire side off the Scout.

Don't think a Filon sided camper would slow down a determined bear at all.

[jaycocreek]

None of the campers are bear proof if it wants in bad enough.Years ago during hunting season a bear got into a locked pickup hardsided camper through the roof vent.The guy had cooked a bunch of bacon before he left to hunt and the bear had his way..Hair samples left in the shredded roof aluminum showed it was a grizz.

[SidecarFlip]

Only difference between a hard side and a pop up is the top 2 feet.

We have bears up here too, just smaller...

[rottidawg]

Found it:

"The forest service is allowing hard-sided vehicles made of metal or strong composite plastic to be used at the three campgrounds. Truck-box campers that have a 4-foot high hard side, in addition to a raised upper section, are permissible, but tents and pop-up campers are excluded, as is camping without a shelter."

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/43511151/ns/travel-active_travel/#.WfXv3DPMyRt

[rottidawg]

SidecarFlip wrote:

bitster98 wrote:
Are you thinking about getting one of these ? Where are you going to be camping ? If it is anywhere that has a bear population you do not want a pop up. Get a hard side tc.

I already have one (Pop Up).Don't quite understand the bear comment. A bear will wail through a Filon side as easily as an upper tent side.

X2
The hard side walls on my pop up are right at 8' tall. If griz is trying to do a chin up he'll get a face full of bear spray or buckshot.



I camped at the above campground near Cooke City, MT right after two tent campers were killed by grizzlies. The warning about hard sides only applied to pop up trailers with the fabric within four feet (can't recall the exact dimension) off the ground. My camper was considered a hard side per the NFS at that time. I'll see if I can find the details.

[rottidawg]

realter wrote:

Do you have a standard 7' high garage door??

I have a 8' garage door and the campers solar panel just clears the header by a couple inches.