Truck Camping on the ragged edge

[Less_Stuff]

My new truck and camper.


My old truck and camper in Georgia.


Old truck and camper got about 14 mpg on the highway.

My new truck and camper gets better than 20 mpg.
Present tank full reads 23.2 mpg.


Wow that really opens things up for me!
It still has a 382 mile range, all that and the tank only holds 26 gallons.

Main things I disliked about the old truck and camper.

Whenever we had to camp around most dog owners.
Long cold evenings cooped up in the camper.


Things I may dislike about the new camper.

It sure is small.

Down sizing can open doors. Less money spent on a RV can mean more money for travel.

We have found long cold evenings can be fun in a hotel with a pool and hot tub.

My new rig is small but a night or two in it then a night in a motel can be nice.
We started truck camping that way then went to the Lance. Now smaller again.

Oh yes we tried this Jeep Patriot and tent on top trailer.
Alas it was a lot of work for this old goat.



So now it's just 17.6 feet of total length.



My wife has a dear lady friend who drove the Pan American Highway. She has a husband whose thinking about it.

[Bedlam]

It is due to nuances in the language and how it is interpreted. Yes, you camp with a truck but by local law it is not a truck camper.

My opinion is that any camping is better than no camping and we do the full range of camping between BLM and parking lot boon docks to parks and resorts with amenitities and hookups (right now we are in an open field north of Billings, MT with wind howling over closed vents). I'm glad you continue to enjoy camping although it has changed over time - One day all of us will have to stop which will be a sad day.

[Less_Stuff]

Well for one languiduck I do!

I've been thinking.
If i can be a Happy Camper, then when driving my new RAM I'm a Happy Truck Camper even when the RV part is easily dismounted.
I know my topper is an RV because it has the carpet lining and SnugTop recommends it when you use the topper to sleep in.

Gosh this is fun!

I think I would call myself a "Unhappy Truck Camper" when my old Chevy started blowing blue smoke indicating the injectors needed replacing. But to be correct at that time I still had the Washington licensed Lance.

Stop me someone I could go on all day!

[Less_Stuff]

Ok Bedlam I've seen the light my truck has a topper and not a camper.

Washington requires a license fee for a camper, But doesn't for a topper.
I paid for and had a license plate on my Lance camper.
I do not need to pay the fee or display a plate I don't even need on my SnugTop topper.

Bless the pointy headed politicians and bureaucrats.
My mistake.
Wish all my mistakes saved me money!


camper |?kamp?r|
noun
1 a person who spends a vacation in a tent or camp.
2 a large motor vehicle with facilities for sleeping and cooking while camping.
PHRASES
happy camper a comfortable, contented person : when I'm onstage, I'm really a happy camper.


Check out Wikipedia you may find this:
Technically speaking, any RV that can be easily dismounted from its carrying vehicle qualifies as a truck camper. In Australia it is very common to see them mounted on flatbed trucks, or even on what, in North America, would be considered a car.

[profdant139]

Well, Bedlam, let me tell you a true story. We got a high rise topper for our pickup when it was new. In California, apparently there is one state registration fee for a commercial pickup and another for a camper. We brought our truck into the Dept of Motor Vehicles. The guy doing the inspection said that because there was no camping equipment in the back of the truck, it was not a camper. He told us to go home, get a sleeping bag and a tent, and come back. We asked his supervisor -- she agreed with him.

We went home, got the stuff, came back, and saved a lot of money. Bottom line -- in Calif, the topper is what makes it a camper, but only if there is camping gear inside!

It sounds silly, but that is exactly what happened.

[Bedlam]

There is a distinction between a topper and camper. I have done both and know the difference also what WA defines as a camper is not your topper. I also car camped many years but never called these vehicles campers.

There is no animosity toward your selection of camping style, but call it what is.

http://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=46.04.085

[Kayteg1]

I do care what other think, but net is strange animal and what you see is not necessary what other think.
Too often it take one bully troll to stir the pot, someone not knowing better will agree and the guys who are sober that day are simply not interested in getting between hammer and hard spot.
Bottom line, consider what other say, but don't take it too seriously when you are confident you do the right thing.

[joeshmoe]

languiduck wrote:
I won't care what people on an internet forum think.

I'm 43 and couldn't care less now. People LET their hackles get raised too easily over non essential issues. Life is too short to worry about what others might think.

[Less_Stuff]

languiduck wrote:
..... Most folks are in a more plush conveyance by that time.

Talk about a "plush conveyance" you should test drive a new Ram 1500.
Best and quietest ride we've ever had.
Though we did have a Buick Park Avenue some years ago that may have been as good can't remember. I'm old.

[languiduck]

I hope that when I'm 72 I won't care what people on an internet forum think. And more importantly, if they don't like it I hope I have better things to do rather than try and convince them. I hope all your vacations and experiences are wonderful and your camper shell treats you right. Actually I must say that I am impressed that at 72 you are comfortable enough and mobile enough to spend a significant amount of time in that set up. Most folks are in a more plush conveyance by that time.

[campn4walleye]

You have a truck and use it as a camper...hence Truck Camper, just different. You probably have knowledge about something we might need to know through your previous experience.

You're still a member of the forum. Doesn't matter what others think. They're not using your set up, you are.

Keep us posted with your adventures.

[Less_Stuff]

Yes i'm 72 and so most certainly a senior.

When I retired at 62 wanting to itch my travel bug the truck camper was perfect. Used it for over 10 years. Some use before retirement.
My troublesome Chevy lost my trust and was replaced, camper sold as well. Darn travel bug still itched.
Jeep Patriot wasn't a pick up. And tent camping is a lot of work for this old fart.
So we returned to our starting point a truck with a "Cap, Topper, Shell, Canopy, whatever".
This thread has shown many are offended at me calling it a truck camper that puzzles me.

Some time ago I decided life for me was about experiences not things.

Having Stood on Cape Flattery, in Washington state, The Border Field State park in California, Key West in Florida, and Eastport Maine are so much more important to me than having a "real" truck camper.

The travel bug will itch until I'm gone I fear, we are planning another European trip next year.

[CptnBG]

More or Less Stuff, Good for you for finding what works for YOU. If you have been married for 50 years, I'm guessing you are of "senior" status. Good for you to keep traveling in whatever style suits you.

I'm thinking of leaving my TC home for an upcoming western states trip. Staying part time with family and friends, mixing up motels and tent camping. I also have a cap on my "grocery getter" and may even sleep in it.

Maybe we should have a sub-forum, Truck Cap Campers, lol.

[palmwhit]

You know, at first I said, "WTH, it's a pickup with a topper", not a TC. But after taking off the blinders I think I get it now.
You see I read and heard about this white woman in Spokane who says she's black! Says she identifies with being black so therefore she's decided she is! Then I hear about this famous dude in California who has decided that "he" identifies with being a woman, and now refers to himself as a she! (odd cause all the plumbing is unchanged, so that just makes "him" a common transvestite for now). Anyway stick with me on this. So I'm trying to process all this and then "click", I realize it is a truck camper because of the "identify with" craze that's so in vogue (aka: cool to Californians) at the moment.
Seriously, I wish you the greatest of times and travels. But when you start calling your rig a boat, don't get bristled when the sarcasm escalates.
Good luck and be safe.

[Mote]

Looks like a great setup. You can customize the inside as you see fit and your needs arise.
Enjoy

[Less_Stuff]

DWeikert wrote:

Agreed, but TC owners are also those that prefer someplace to go when spending time outdoors just isn't an option. I camped for a while under the cap on my pickup but one vacation to Yellowstone at a time when the biting black flies were out in force convinced me I needed more than just a cap. I recall pulling over at one spot and in seconds hundreds of flies were on the outside of the truck. The only shelter I had was to sit in the driver's seat or lay down in the bed, and motels in West Yellowstone had no vacancies. Any exposed skin without insect repellent would be found in seconds once leaving the vehicle. Next trip I had the camper and enjoyed the trip immeasurably more.

To the OP, I wish you nothing but the best and sincerely hope your setup meets all your needs. But been there, done that, and I don't expect any extra credit when it's all said and done for not being comfortable, assuming that comfort doesn't limit where I can go with the truck. Hasn't yet...

Thanks for the best wishes.
We have had two other trucks with toppers liked them and they are one reason for our new rig.

We lived in Wyoming for almost four years. On a trip to Yellowstone a ranger told us to stop breaking the law--- We were feeding the wildlife(Mosquito's) and killing the wildlife when we swatted them. Then he winked.