Why is there not more?

[exhaustipated]

I am curious to know why there are not more TC'ers on this Forum. I recently got back home from a two month TC adventure covering seven states and five thousand miles starting out with the 2014 2nd Annual Texas Truck Camper Rally in Kerrville, TX. During those two months the wife and I saw a lot of truck campers especially in Arizona, Colorado and Utah but when I asked if they ever go on-line to RV.Net Open Roads Forum for Truck Campers they would look at me and say that they had never heard of it before. Is this a common reply for everybody else also? I don't quite understand why these fellow TC'ers have never heard of this great Forum that we all have here. This is a wonderful Forum with plenty of interesting topics and trip reports and is also a great way to post questions and get answers to those questions from the experts on here. I'm hoping to have generated a little interest in this Forum to those fellow TC'ers out there to want to become new members in the future.

[covered_wagon]

What I notice is that ten years ago you would see an average about 1 in ten viewers would post by adding some information to a thread. At least it was that way on rv.net TC forum back then.

Lately the approx. percentage of posters to viewers has drastically dropped.

I think it's mainly due to the information highway given that folks are becoming better informed. More information has become common knowledge.

[work2fish]

I would add that folks debating the issues openly on this forum really help bring all considerations to light so that I (a truck camper newbie) feel like I'm making an informed decision.

Finally, after all of this research, I have since learned that the answers to your debated questions are:

"Ford SRW Diesel 4X4 with a Northstar popup camper"

🙂 🙂

[homefor2]

I appreciate all opinions and have learned a tremendous amount from being involved in this forum. After learning and putting into practice what I have learned over the years, I am able to help others make decisions based on the knowledge I have absorbed on this forum. Lets keep sharing our experiences to make this great pastime better for everyone.

[twodownzero]

mkirsch wrote:
Frankly if a lot of them were on here you'd throw up your arms in disgust and rage quit the forum. We'd have nothing but arguments about 2WD vs 4WD, gas vs diesel, popup vs hardside, Chevy vs. Ford vs. Dodge, the Toyota Tundra, how awful *insert TC brand name here* is, any TCs in 1/2 tons, heavy TCs in SRW trucks, weight police...

I'm ready to rage quit the forum just thinking about it.

Pretty much what everyone else has said, is the reason more people aren't on here. It's not widely advertised. I only stumbled across this site in a google search. The forum thing is not for most people...

You're saying that people don't want to come on the forum because they don't want their ignorance and stupidity questioned by others?

Granted, there exists a range of acceptable answers to all of the arguments you've said exist, but surely you can't believe there is no merit to discussing 2wd vs. 4wd (depends on terrain), gas vs. diesel (depends on a ton of factors), popup vs. hardside (depends on a bunch of factors, including truck, payload, off road vs. not, garage kept or not, etc.), brands of truck (depends on which features you think are important, I6 vs. V8, gas vs. diesel, auto vs. manual tranny, capacity, subjective concerns, warranty, and a whole bunch of other factors), brands of campers (again, weight, warranty, features, applicability for the job), 1/2 tons (depends on a bunch of other facts), SRW trucks (even if some overloading is acceptable, surely you must think some limit exists). Really, seriously, let that sink in before you answer.

The whole point of having a forum is to have (at times, heated) discussions about difficult questions. If every question had only one answer, we wouldn't need a forum--a computer program could answer the questions.

[Bedlam]

I offer my experience when possible and learn from others when I am less informed. We camp at resorts, parking lots and dry remote locations since each offer something different and add variety to where we stay. Tonight we are in a casino parking lot so we can listen to some live music. The rest of the weekend we will be camped at a salt water bay so we can enjoy fresh seafood.

[Super_Dave]

This site is a one and done type spot for a lot of folks regardless of what type of rig they have. Once their immediate problem is solved, they're gone. It's only us that like to give our opinion, that stick around.

[bighatnohorse]

It's become a bit repetitious? A lot?

[AnEv942]

I have a couple of the older RV.NET stickers, never put them on though. I assume most identify RV.NET with their rv type (ie when I think of RV.NET I think of the TC forum). The term RV may mislead some, many definitions of RVing as there are of what 'camping' is. That said IF more had decals with site link might spread the word. Someone with a similar type rig (rv) saw the decal might consider the forum relating to them-

All that said, any given interest, activity, hobby, occupation etc there is a multitude of forums directly relating to it. All membership combined for a particular forum is a very small percentage of folks actually in that pursuit-some of the diesel truck forums are quite large-but all of combined reflect a very small percentage of diesel trucks on the road.

When Im looking for info -my 1st search is for forums on that subject.
Generally where most info can be found. Why others dont, or not interested in joining a forum?

links if interested in printing out your own decal
The RV.NET logo changed a while back, logo was replaced with the good sam face. I dont know why, detracts from the self identity of the forum IMO. Not a good sam member- though I could share/encourage folk to check out the forum I cant put Sams face on my camper.

Link to logos: original logo
Link to the current logo
Also on your "myforums" page on the left is a link to YOUR RV.NET membership card you can print. You could print those and hand out.

[homefor2]

Here's a thought if you really like this site and would like to see it grow. How about printing a sheet with a bunch of website addresses on it for rv.net. When you meet a fellow camper rip one off and hand it to them with the suggestion they may want to check out a great website.

[Gunship_Guy]

...Deleted duplicate post...

[Gunship_Guy]

I don't own a truck camper but certainly have an appreciation of them.

I read the posts here and elsewhere to learn about the latest innovations and see how folks are using theirs.

[rfryer]

rickeoni wrote:

RV=recreational vehicle. That's you.

I beg to differ...RVing and camping are 2 completely different animals.
RVers need hookups, swimming pools, tennis courts...
Campers head off into the bush to get away from the crowds. My best friend has a trailer and I have a camper, we have only gone out once together and that was the only time I have "hooked up" my camper. It was not my cup of tea. So when you state that TC's are in the minority it all depends how far off the beaten track that you go!

I both agree and disagree with you.:) On the one hand, a TC is an RV. On the other hand I agree there is a distinct difference between the people who frequent parks and want all the amenities of a hotel room and those who go back in the boonies with minimal amenities.

[profdant139]

I talked to a couple of TC'er recently about this exact phenomenon -- one person said that she had no idea that there was a TC forum, and she was very interested in checking it out. Another person said that he was active on "Wander the West," an exclusively TC forum, and did not have time for RV.net.

And don't get me started about my fellow TT folks -- when this subject comes up, very, very few of them have ever visited RV.net or Woodall's or Trailer Life, and they are just stumbling around in the dark, trying to reinvent the wheel, when they could be here receiving wisdom from the experts. That is certainly why I am here -- I have learned more useful stuff from the forum members than I learned in college, for sure. (Plus being scorched by the occasional flame, but that is the price I pay for sitting at the feet of the masters.) 😉

[Mello_Mike]

RV's come in many types and sizes. Motorhomes, 5th Wheels, travel trailers, toy haulers, pop-ups, and truck campers. Yes, TC'ers are RVs too. We're just a different breed.

[rickeoni]

Tiger4x4RV wrote:

rickeoni wrote:
I beg to differ...RVing and camping are 2 completely different animals.
RVers need hookups, swimming pools, tennis courts...So when you state that TC's are in the minority it all depends how far off the beaten track that you go!

What are hookups? or tennis courts?

Also, you'd be amazed at some of the huge RV's I see way off the beaten path. Some forum folks like the way-out backwoods or deserts, some like the resort places. There's room for all of us here and that is what this forum thing is all about.

Never said that Rving is bad it is just different. If the world was full of all the same people it would be pretty boring, don't you think?

Just because my philosophy of like is different than yours please do not take offense, aren't forums supposed to about sharing different view points?