Slide in Camper for 8’ Bed

[renjaminfrankln]

Been researching slide in campers for my truck. 89’ Regular Cab long bed 4x4.

I don’t know a thing about them. I’m changing jobs and for about 4-6 days per month, i’ll have to sit on-call around 150 miles from home for a 2 hr callout at odd hours of the day. The 2hr callout opens up some cool campgrounds and parks within range of the job.

7-12k budget... want to use for about 2 years and resell, what should I be looking for?

 

[gandalf]

It's very hard to tell you what kind of camper to buy without knowing what kind is sold in your area.

First, decide what features you want, how much room you want and what comfort level you want. Do you want a 3 season model or a 4 season? Basically, decide what you want in the camper, then start researching brands. Read the camper forums, find out what other people are satisfied with, and what they're unhappy with. When you're looking at used campers inspect closely for roof leaks and water damage.

The one thing I will tell you specifically to buy is a good tie-down system. I went through 3 tie-down systems before I ended up with TorgueLift. That is without doubt the best system you can buy. It will tie your camper to the frame of your truck. Others will tie your camper to the bed, and lately the truck beds are just one step up from tin foil.

 

[renjaminfrankln]

Any recommendations on camper forums for the east coast?

 

[gandalf]

I haven't visited any camping forums in a long time. I sold my truck camper.

Try this one: https://www.rv.net/forum/

They have a sub forum for truck campers.

 

[catbird7]

Select quality name brand, my suggestions Lance, Alaskan, Airstream or Avion. Airstream and Avion are difficult to find however resell is excellent. Campers that spent their life stored under a roof or cover is a huge plus. If you're going to use in RV campground with utilities, might consider avoiding unnecessary cost & weight associated with models that have built-in generator & electric jacks. Tie down system as others have mentioned is huge. AC unit and Refrigerator are the two big cost items if they require replacement. Make sure the frig works on gas. Figure on adding airbags to your rear suspension and make certain your cooling system is up to *****

 

[Thewespaul]

Avion slide ins are great, I’ve owned three Avion trailers that have all needed work and made money on each one after getting them up to task, enjoying them for a few years then flipping them. The Avions are arguably the best built, but being a small company (founded by a group who left airstream) they can be hard to find parts for compared to the airstreams and other more common campers. I like to buy them with a dead refrigerator and ac if I can, they are very simple to replace and upgrade, and bring the bargaining price down significantly.

 

[nj_m715]

I liked my pop up much better than my hard side. didn't even know it was in the truck while driving
I also like the style that hang over the bed giving more room inside.
truck campers are small so another 18-20" makes a difference

 

[catbird7]

There's a 1969 Avion C10 for sale in my area right now, ironically it's sitting on 1968 international pickup! $3500 for just the camper and it looks a little rough. Biggest turn off someone painted the entire interior "white" and there's no AC...

 

[nelstomlinson]

I have a 9' Starcraft pop-top slide in. The '89 crewcab can't even tell it's in the back. I'm not really fond of the Starcraft: the roof failed, and I had to replace the back end of it.

The pop-top mechanism is a potential failure point, and a fixed roof might be a better idea. It adds 8 or 10 square feet of parachute to slow you down, though.

Avoid any roof that doesn't have a one-piece membrane. RV roofs leak, and the ones with seams leak early and often. Look for something that has an aluminum frame - wood frames rot when the roof leaks, and when it doesn't. All RVs are made to be cheap, and light. Quality and longevity are not priorities on any of them that I have seen. Those Airstreams and Avions might be exceptions, but I haven't seen those.

 

[catbird7]

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[nelstomlinson]

That camper looks nice, catbird. I bet you could fit an IDI into that old truck, too!

 

[Thewespaul]

If I had an unlimited amount of time and a good budget, I would love to do something like that for a sema project. Full resto on the truck with the idi conversion and modern suspension/trans, full rebuild of the camper. Maybe one day

 

[u2slow]

I know older campers better. Also more my price point.

- tend to be lighter for their size than newer campers
- fiberglas shell constructed types don't rot like wood w/tin siding models
- usually need to get into 8.5-9' minimum to get a washroom and holding tanks.
- these longer campers also tend to be wider
- too long and you have to get creative with your trailer hitch.
- horizontal propane tanks are $$$ to replace.
- appliance complement varies. Also their sizes, and how they're powered (i.e. fridge; 2way or 3way)

 

[Cubey]

If I had an unlimited amount of time and a good budget, I would love to do something like that for a sema project. Full resto on the truck with the idi conversion and modern suspension/trans, full rebuild of the camper. Maybe one day

An RV is a slightly easier route if you can find one with an IDI already in it. It might get slightly better mpg vs a pickup+slidein, since there's no truck bed weight. RV insurance is much cheaper too, especially if you want something dedicated to camper use.

Unless you are wanting better ground clearance, then a truck is better. My 2WD F250HD (350 rear end) looks 4WD almost ground clearance wise. Of course, 4WD conversion is possible on a van chassis.

The E350 RV's ground clearance is much less, but I an still get under it without lifting it. I am slim however, so bear that in mind. I did the RV rear shocks in a Walmart parking lot several months ago.

If my truck had turbo, I'd have definitely gone with a slide in. I suppose for the money I paid for this stupid RV plus repairs and tires, I could have bought a good used turbo kit for it and a nice big slide in. With the truck's 3.55 it might get slightly better MPG vs the RV's 4.10. The truck's disadvantage is being SRW, so too big of a slide in would kind of suck, unless I put in air bags or something.

But, I do love being able to park and be inside already without having to go outside to go inside. With my dog, that's a big pain in the neck. I did so for a long time but I constantly dreaded it. If it's raining, she will outright refuse to get out. That's why a motorhome appealed so much to be. AFter dealing with a truck camper for a year and a half and a trailer for about 6 months, I decided a motorhome was better for me.

For weekend and casual use though, I'd probably opt for a slide in, if I was removing it from the truck for daily truck use.

 

[Cubey]

I know older campers better. Also more my price point.

- tend to be lighter for their size than newer campers
- fiberglas shell constructed types don't rot like wood w/tin siding models
- usually need to get into 8.5-9' minimum to get a washroom and holding tanks.
- these longer campers also tend to be wider
- too long and you have to get creative with your trailer hitch.
- horizontal propane tanks are $$$ to replace.
- appliance complement varies. Also their sizes, and how they're powered (i.e. fridge; 2way or 3way)

Mine is 27' long, wood frame with fiberglass siding. It has a bit of metal structure also in places, but not a lot I don't think.

It is wider than some other Class C's of about the same length and age.

The original horizontal LP tank on my RV is still air tight and doesn't have to be recertified like the portable "grill" tanks do. It's an ASME tank, not DOT. Which is funny that it's ASME since that's supposed to be stationary, not moved when full of propane, but by their very nature on RVs, they have to be: https://www.propanetankstore.com/dot-asme-tank-differences/

This is close to mine in size, except mine is 14 gallons/60lb: https://www.amazon.com/Flame-King-YSN122-Horizontal-Propane/dp/B01M1BUQ3U