Thank you, thank you, thank you! Very informative everybody. After much research, and consulting the wife, we have decided to go with a PU WITH a toilet & shower. The wife even said she is OK with me spending MORE $$ to get exactly what we want :) Needs to be less than, or right around, 2K dry weight...and I know I may have a road trip from CA to find one.
Now...Is there any consensus as to which 'larger' PU is the highest-quality/best made/longest lasting? I am looking to buy used and pay less than 15K cash (I still have some mods to do on the truck). Here is what I have so far based on my research of stats and opinion:
- Palomino: Great on price, low on quality. Campers start breaking down quickly, but generally accepted as OK for an 'intro' PU/TC camper. Older Palomino's (up to 2011) better built than current PU's ($9K-$17K New, $4K-$6K Used)
- Jayco: (do they even make these any more?) Cheaper than Northstar, but higher quality than Palomino...harder to find with toilet & shower ($3.5K-$7K Used)
- Northstart: Decent quality, decent price, not quit as nice or well thought out as Outfitters, but much better than Palomino ($21K-$25K New, $8K-$13K Used)
- Alaskan: The classic 'Cadillac' PU camper, great campers, long lasting, high quality/value, hold there value, and hell on the wallet, even when used. Camper heaver than other PU's, due to it not being a 'soft-side'. Also less options than some (no indoor shower, etc.) ($27K-$30K New, $19K-$25K Used)
- Four Wheel: Surprisingly lightweight and compact/low-profile, these PU's are designed for taking off-road while still having most PU options available. Unfortunately, these PU as so compact that storage / cooking / living space is even more limited that other PU's. High-quality construction means these PU's hold there value ($18K-$28K New, hard to find used)
- Outfitter: High quality, and higher price than most. Quality campers that can withstand some real camping ($28K-$38K New, $9K-$14K Used)
- Hallmark: High quality, high priced lightweight campers. Well thought out. ($33K-$40K New, $14K-$17K Used)
Thanks!
