Going from pop-up to hard side, big mistake?
I've got a Palomino Bronco pop-up TC on a 3500 SRW Dodge Diesel short box. It's only about 1200lbs empty and the truck pulls as if it's not even there. I've got stock suspension and air bags. I'm getting kinda of tired of popping it up and down during short stops, so am thinking of trading it in for a hard side Northstar without basement. This one weighs about 1800lbs empty. So again I should have no problem with my truck. However, I've never had a hard shell TC and am not sure if I'll regret this decision or not. It's a $15,000 decision so I'm trying to get as much feedback as possible from others. For those who've had experience with both a pop-up and hard side TCs I'd love to hear what your thoughts are on this swap. 1. Did you notice a big difference in gas mileage, handling? 2. How about off road handling? I'm not talking serious off road, but the occasional dirt road off the beaten path to mountain lakes and sort. Does the hard side TC rock and roll a lot compared to the pop-up? 3. Is the comfort, convenience and warmth you get in a hard side worth the extra cost in fuel or handling? 4. Are all these points moot if I have a 1 ton diesel truck that can carry the extra load with ease? 5. If you were to do it again, which would you choose, hard side or pop-up, and why? Thanks for any insights. Cheers,8.4KViews1like29Comments
Catskill Mountains Boondocking
Hello all, I am hoping to escape for a couple days this next week and while I would prefer to make it up in the Green Mountains of VT I just don't think I'll be able to make it that far this year (but will certainly next year). That said I was looking at the map and reading about the Catskills and it sounds like their colors are in full affect right now. The only problem is it appears that all state parks are closed as of today in the Catskill Mountains. So...being a good truck camper and more then willing to boondock on our own I was wondering if anyone had boondocked in their camper anywhere within the Catskills? Is it legal to do so, and if so if they could recommend a place to look? Any thoughts or recommendations would be appreciated....we will probably do some day hikes and possibly the historic train ride while in the area, but mostly just looking for a pretty place and some quiet. Thanks in advance,3.7KViews1like9Comments
FOUR Campgrounds We Stayed At On The Way Home
Bluewater Lake State Park NM Maryhill State Park WA La Pine State Park OR Death Valley CA All these campgrounds were nice to stay at. I do complain about Maryhill for high price with everything being turned off and closed. Just a single Porta potty outside the main bathroom. With everything being closed, the park really should only be charging half price at most. Enjoy,Solved1.2KViews1like4CommentsTRAVEL LITE 800 SBX ON HALF TON
Is their anyone that has put a TRAVEL LITE 800 SBX ON HALF TON pick up? I have the chance to get a 2010 Travel Lite 800 sbx for a good price. I have a 2008 Ford F150 Super Cab two wheel drive with a 6.5' bed. Trying to find out if these are a good fit.5.9KViews1like14Comments
Adding XM antenna to avoid camper overhang
I thought that I would share an easy way to add an XM/Sirius radio antenna to a 2019 GMC 3500 that is not blocked by an overhanging cab over camper. For my application I need two parts. 1 XM Satellite Radio Antenna and 1 FAKRA adapter for SMB antennas The first step was to remove the bezel surrounding the radio screen and controls. The bezel is held in place by 8 clips and it is necessary to pry the bezel away from the dash. I used plastic pry bars and started in the four corners of the bezel as indicated by the arrows in this picture After you have pried away the bezel you will find that the radio screen is held in place by four 7mm screws. Remove the screws and then pull the screen away from the dash. There are two retaining clips that will offer a little resistance, but it will pull away. You can now see the multiple radio components in the dash. The satellite antenna cable is located in the upper right corner. It is a yellow, square connector. You can now route your magnetic mount antenna cable from the hood area and into the dash. Once you get the cable to the dash, you can attach the antenna cable to the FAKRA connector Once connected, insert the cable/FAKRA adapter into the location previously occupied by the OEM antenna connection. I taped up the old antenna lead to keep it from rattling. I elected to put the magnetic mount antenna on the hood of the truck, near the windshield. I tucked several feet of extra cable under the hood and behind the hood insulation. This way I can move the antenna forward on the hood if there is some blockage of signal from the cab over. I bought both parts via the Internet for a total cost of $35.62 The entire process took 30 minutes and I believe that anyone can do this.5.7KViews1like13Comments
truck camper or class c?
After years of dreaming, I'm planning on buying my first RV this year! I've looked at truck campers and class C's, and I'm torn between the two styles. As I've been evaluating them, I can see definite pros and cons to both, so this post is looking for some feedback from real world experiences from other owners. about me: I'm an IT consultant, with the ability to work pretty much anywhere as long as I have a reliable internet connection (Verizon grandfathered unlimited data plan). It will be me traveling solo, with the dog. I finally talked my boss into letting me work remotely part-time. Boss made a contingency that I have to have a fixed location (slight bummer, but still moving in the right direction). So I'm planning on spending next winter down south in the general Phoenix area, and back home in Pennsylvania for the summer. The goal will be to establish a general home base at one or maybe two campgrounds somewhere around Phoenix, with the ability to take weekend trips wherever I can. When vacationing, I love visiting state and national parks out west. I keep eyeballing truck campers as the perfect setup for visiting the parks. They're much more compact to drive around, and you have the ability to offload the camper to use the truck for touring the parks. My biggest concern is overall living space, since I'm still working 40+ hours a week, and also want some space for lounging and kicking up the feet at the end of the day when not visiting a park somewhere. As I've been looking at tuck campers, that leads me to the Lance 1172 that has a dinette/table/desk space for working, and a couch for relaxing. Looking at the overall length of truck plus camper, I then start thinking I may as well get a 25-26 foot class C that has probably more living and working space with the same overall length. However then I need to tow a toad to get around. Both because when I'm set up working for the week, I won't want to move the camper to get some figurative milk, and I've visited enough national parks to know that I definitely don't want to drive around a class C for touring the parks on a weekend getaway. Either way, I need to buy a truck camper and a 1 ton truck, or buy a class C and a new tow vehicle, because my car is not flat towable and I don't really want to deal with towing it on a trailer. I'm torn on both types of setups. I see pros and cons of both, neither of which is winning. Looking in the lightly used market, the initial purchase cost of both options seems roughly comparable to each other. I'm leaning slightly more towards the truck camper route right now. Does anyone have any advice? Have you switched from a truck camper to a class C or a class C to a truck camper and prefer one or the other? I would appreciate any thoughts or feedback before I start spending lots of money! :) thanks!14KViews1like33Commentsatwood jack repair
Is there a repair thread for Atwood camper jacks? I have one that's problematic, and needs to come apart for lube or repair. For the price of replacements, I think it's worth a shot at repair. If there is a thread I would like to read up on it a little. Thanks!18KViews1like15CommentsPiano in Dinette Table
Okay, okay, it's not a piano... it's a MIDI keyboard :) As part of their homeschooling program my kids need to be studying music, and the instruments they are both learning to play are the recorder (simple to transport) and the piano (um, not so easy). Prior to our departure I did some research and found a 49 key MIDI keyboard that is compact enough to travel with us. It has great feeling, velocity sensitive keys, it's USB powered, and can play on/through my iPad and from there into the TC's stereo speakers (or headphones). The big challenge was finding a place in the TC to store it... Then I realized that the keyboard was about the same length as the dinette table and I decided to make a new tabletop with the keyboard built into it :C These photos show the rest of the story... This is the bare tabletop & doors before the storage boxes were attached and the Formica was applied. I used 3/4" 13-ply birch for the top and 3/8" 7-ply for the boxes. This is the completed dinette table top installed in the TC. I was able to find Formica HPL that's a pretty good match with the existing wallpaper & upholstery. Here you can see the keyboard & iPad in action. There's plenty of room for sheet music too. The left side of the table top has storage for school supplies, and provides a great place for book-reading. There are internal adjustable dividers which drop into slots in the compartment. This is the bottom of the tabletop showing the configuration of the boxes. It is designed to integrate with the existing Dream Dinette. I used invisible hinges so that there are no protrusions above the top surface. For times when the kids are working on projects (or meals) that might get messy I made a pair of LDPE cover sheets that are fitted to the tabletop. When not in use, these sheets are stored behind the dinette's back cushions. Cheers, -Mark13KViews1like26Comments