RV Trade community dis of Truck Campers

[Frank_Mehaffey]

Truck Camper Magazine has been covering the apparent snubbing of truck campers on any national tv and online ads, and excluding the selection or recommendation of purchasing a truck camper on online rv help websites.

Anyone who is a truck camper owner should be concerned that the RV establishment is trying to squash the truck camper industry, while collecting $ from the RIVA certification. The 2 articles in TCM should be read by anyone who owns a TC. The apparent snobbery of many "luxury" resorts toward any truck camper has its roots in the organizations who are attempting to compel potential TC owners to spend as much $ as they can on what the trade organizations deem acceptable. The RV camping show on the Pure Country network has never shown any truck campers, and has people who agonize over if their camper has outside speakers or giant TV's. The following paragraph was my response to someone commenting on the RV Daily dealer site about TC's being "lower level" in their build quality except for a few brands.

Lower level junk used to be called entry level……I have seen fair and poor build quality covered up with corner and seam mounding on just about every brand, regardless of cost. My family has had truck campers for over 20 years, and for a lot of people, the convenience of driving your dingy, and being able to tow your toys a lot cheaper out weighs the advantages of rope lights and outdoor speakers. The rv associations ignoring truck campers is unfortunate at best and snobbery at the worst. Shame on the trade organizations who minimize and under represent the truck camper industry.

[Frank_Mehaffey]

I totally agree with the spirit of what you, Mike/Kellie, have written. I apologize to whoever I have "pushed their button". I am proud of being a longtime member of the TC niche. But, I would wonder how many jobs have been lost when the economy went south, and now that things are looking up, the industry is not as supportive to the TC niche, recovery wise, without being nudged. Please consider my mike permanently dropped.

[SidecarFlip]

Well, RV Business did a comment today concerning the TCM article and in typical RV Business fashion, it was completely sanitary in presentation. IOW, not worth reading.

[mike_kellie]

Frank wrote:
My family has had truck campers for over 20 years, and for a lot of people, the convenience of driving your dingy, and being able to tow your toys a lot cheaper out weighs the advantages of rope lights and outdoor speakers. The rv associations ignoring truck campers is unfortunate at best and snobbery at the worst. Shame on the trade organizations who minimize and under represent the truck camper industry.

Frank, for me, this statement is like you picked up the dropped mic from TCM and found the switch was on. I don't think owners of truck campers are buying to fit into RV resorts and in fact would probably shun these situations.
I'm among the population that have had bigger trailers and 5th wheels, mostly to help foster family vacations with kids during their later teen years. They have all grown up camping and relish the times spent "away from it all". My twin daughter still sleeps in a hammock!
We are a niche group and I have to believe (as far as minimum representation) there is more strength in being discovered than marketed to. By that, when it comes time to spend money we look at more than rope lights.
Welcome to the forum and I hope some opinions can change. There is a ton of informative people here with seasoned advice. Give it a chance-

[Frank_Mehaffey]

Wow.......No, I joined because I agreed with the TCM articles intent, which was to help make TC's owners and dealers aware of a national organization taking $ for certification and then not supporting the industry. I live in VT, have a 2013 LivinLite 10' with a 2012 F250. I did not do the profile because I did not know that I needed it to be listened to without being insulted.
As for being an embarrassment to the community, who made you the moderator? I only expressed agreement with the article. I have had 4 truck campers, 2 of which I made when we could not afford a new one or even a used one. I have never been, and never will be embarrassed by having a TC. I just wrote an article for TCA about our camper for the last 35 years, and am a member of GoodSam.
I am sorry that you "think" that I am stirring the pot, and I am sorrier that you probably feel pretty good about putting me in my place.

[SidecarFlip]

I do one non related forum with a big readership. That is enough for me. I don't want to devote anymore 'donated' time than I have to.

I was slightly taken back by the OP's first post but I went with the flow.

[Bedlam]

I moderate a couple of forums outside of RV'ing. We have kept the civility between members in check and do use profanity filters - It has always been our feeling that people should know how communicate among themselves without being foul or rude. Instead of using asterisks to filter, we find a similar term for replacement. If you call someone a "male chicken", rooster will be substituted - It does make for interesting reading when someone adds a space inside petcock which results in pet rooster...

You have to lighten up and realize these forums will only negatively affect your life if you let them. My moderation and filters try to inject some humor along the way. I'm sure there are forums that are more savage and less modest, but those are not places where I want those associations reflecting on me.

[SidecarFlip]

Pretty much typical (I'd say) of all forums except those that requite a fee to joint, I'm on a couple of those and the tone is entirely different. Amazing what 'pay to play' does....

One nice offshoot of a pay to play forum is no advertisements at all. Membership pays for the forum and it's costs and the ones I'm a member of have no PG filters so you can call it what you want without getting '*****' out, something I find irritating at times.

We are supposedly adults (well supposedly), so, language should be self moderated. I've never seen a 13 year old motoring an RV around...

On the plus side, moderation here is pretty low key, ....participated in some forums where the moderation was overbearing. I don't go there any more. Never liked 'big brother' censoring my posts. I'm an adult (least I think I am) and I can post accordingly. If I feel a thread is getting wonlky, I unsubscribe. No point in getting confrontational or agitated. It's nothing to get worked up about.

One thing I find on most every forum and that is, posters never read the (AUP) or rules of engagement, they just sign up and post. Always good to read the 'rules of the road' in as much as every forum is different.

[jimh406]

Don't confuse not being nice with calling people out who post their personal agendas or calling out those who are experts on everything in their mind.

This effect has been going on for the over 10 years I've visited and actually quite expected for this type of forum.

[SidecarFlip]

No doubt. Might be the heat of summer...lol

Could also be the apparent lack of using the 'search' function on the site and posting about issues that have been covered a thousand times over...

My hat is always off to posters like Mr. Biscuit who repeat and repeat the same answers to posts time and time again...

If you really want to get a load of the other side of RV'ing from the manufacturers side, subscribe to RV Industry News. It comes weekly to your inbox and always talks about the upside of a very profitable industry, the dinners, the back patting and everything positive (and nothing negative)...

Interesting reading if you like that stuff...

It does list all the recalls every week too.

[996Pilot]

jefe 4x4 wrote:

I have noticed a somewhat darker tone coming out of our members the last little while. No more Mr. nice guys aqui.
jefe

+1 :h

[jefe_4x4]

Frank,
Welcome to the truck camper forum. You have now crossed over the 'trial by fire' line on here. I know Frank from another forum and he does own and use a truck camper but is just a bit more into social justice than other old timers on here.
Personally, "I've got mine" and don't subscribe to the RIVA sublimation conspiracy theory. As others have said, "I just don't care" what they do or think because it really doesn't effect me. With the XTC, i'm in the nitch of a nitch of a nitch market of which there are only a handful of proponents. No representation here, except maybe obliquely through Trip Reports.
I have noticed a somewhat darker tone coming out of our members the last little while. No more Mr. nice guys aqui.
jefe

[SidecarFlip]

billyray50 wrote:

stufarmer wrote:
Its not hard to understand why some might..snob..a few truck campers as a whole. I own a $70,000+truck and a $55,000+camper and have been refused at "3" campgrounds here in Central Florida.
Why .. If you haven't noticed, there is a large percentage of Truck Camper owners that look more like the Beverly Hillbillies going down the road .. than say .. any other RV.

Like this?? LOL

That is a camper. Could double as an outhouse in a pinch...lol

[SidecarFlip]

54suds wrote:
why pick on Angela ? Harley's the real head honcho at TCM :B

Angela handles the correspondence... Besides, I never get rude with a gal, always polite.

[SideHillSoup]

stufarmer wrote:
Its not hard to understand why some might..snob..a few truck campers as a whole. I own a $70,000+truck and a $55,000+camper and have been refused at "3" campgrounds here in Central Florida.
Why .. If you haven't noticed, there is a large percentage of Truck Camper owners that look more like the Beverly Hillbillies going down the road .. than say .. any other RV.

"HA" .... I got you beat....
$78,000 for truck, $55,000 for Camper...$10,000 for enclosed Trailer, $25,000 for CanAm Side X Side.... and since it was all in Canadian funds.... add 30% exchange
( BIG GRIN)

Soup.