Truck camper length

[argve]

wow guys... this is an oldie....

 

[jdemaris]

I've been lookin for truck camper ideas too. I really want a pop up truck camper. Alot lighter so I can go on trails up in the mountains. What brands do you guys recommend?? I've been researching all of the brands out there but want some personal eperience feed back.

I've got three pop-up truck campers. Two are 8 foot and one is 9.5 foot. I also have a 10 foot hard-top truck camper.

I like the 8 foot Jayco Sportster the best of them all -but that's because it suits our particular needs. 1300 lbs. empty and we can close the tailgate behind it. Sleeps me, my wife, little kid, and dog - all just fine.

We never camp in one spot very long and we do a lot of off-road, deep-woods camping. So, the pop-up is a must to keep from hitting tree limbs. It's also works nicely to keep wind resistance down. I guess all pop-ups have similar features, but I like the Jayco mechanism for cranking it up and down. Very easy and fast and the canvas usually tucks in all by itself. With the type of stop and go camping we do, it gets cranked up and down a lot.

I've had the heavier hard-top 10 foot on both my 3/4 trucks with no issues at all. 3200 lbs. empty. No sagging or handling problems. Both my 3/4 diesel trucks are HD 3/4 tons and have around 4500 lb. payload ratings. 92 Dodge-Cummins 4WD extended cab with an 8 foot box, and a 94 Ford F250 4WD extended cab with an 8 foot box (IH 7.3 turbo diesel IDI engine).

For us, we don't want a bathroom and loaded waste-tank in our campers. The ones we have with bathrooms get used as closet spaces instead. We carry fresh water, dual deep cycle 6 volt batteries, and an all AC fridge. The all AC fridge works much nicer then any two-way or three-way RV fridge I've ever had. It's cheap to replace if ever needed, and it runs off a dedicated 1500 watt inverter. It will easily run for three days off the two batteries without even starting the engine to recharge.

I'm sure other people have other needs. For us, low overhead clearance, ease of cranking up and down, good heat with electric ignition, good fridge that does not need to be switched from various power sources, and ample room to use the camper "on the road" when the top is not up.

We also have an 86 Chevy K5 turbo-diesel Blazer with a Hallmark pop-up camper body. This is the nicest to use of them all, mainly because it's ready to use all the time. No camper to take on or off. And, it's all open inside, from the driver's compartment to the rest of the camper area. Weighs 7500 lbs. before we load it with gear, has 4WD and gets 16.5 MPG going down the highway at 75 MPH. More cramped inside then the truck campers, but still fine for what we do.

 

[BleednBlue68]

I've got three pop-up truck campers. Two are 8 foot and one is 9.5 foot. I also have a 10 foot hard-top truck camper.

I like the 8 foot Jayco Sportster the best of them all -but that's because it suits our particular needs. 1300 lbs. empty and we can close the tailgate behind it. Sleeps me, my wife, little kid, and dog - all just fine.

We never camp in one spot very long and we do a lot of off-road, deep-woods camping. So, the pop-up is a must to keep from hitting tree limbs. It's also works nicely to keep wind resistance down. I guess all pop-ups have similar features, but I like the Jayco mechanism for cranking it up and down. Very easy and fast and the canvas usually tucks in all by itself. With the type of stop and go camping we do, it gets cranked up and down a lot.

I've had the heavier hard-top 10 foot on both my 3/4 trucks with no issues at all. 3200 lbs. empty. No sagging or handling problems. Both my 3/4 diesel trucks are HD 3/4 tons and have around 4500 lb. payload ratings. 92 Dodge-Cummins 4WD extended cab with an 8 foot box, and a 94 Ford F250 4WD extended cab with an 8 foot box (IH 7.3 turbo diesel IDI engine).

For us, we don't want a bathroom and loaded waste-tank in our campers. The ones we have with bathrooms get used as closet spaces instead. We carry fresh water, dual deep cycle 6 volt batteries, and an all AC fridge. The all AC fridge works much nicer then any two-way or three-way RV fridge I've ever had. It's cheap to replace if ever needed, and it runs off a dedicated 1500 watt inverter. It will easily run for three days off the two batteries without even starting the engine to recharge.

I'm sure other people have other needs. For us, low overhead clearance, ease of cranking up and down, good heat with electric ignition, good fridge that does not need to be switched from various power sources, and ample room to use the camper "on the road" when the top is not up.

We also have an 86 Chevy K5 turbo-diesel Blazer with a Hallmark pop-up camper body. This is the nicest to use of them all, mainly because it's ready to use all the time. No camper to take on or off. And, it's all open inside, from the driver's compartment to the rest of the camper area. Weighs 7500 lbs. before we load it with gear, has 4WD and gets 16.5 MPG going down the highway at 75 MPH. More cramped inside then the truck campers, but still fine for what we do.

What yr are your pop up campers? Are they all wood framed? I've heard different sides of havin a wood frame vs a aluminum frame. A pop up will pretty much be a must for me. Lighter and def want to do some 4x4 campin in the mountains. What brand do you recommend new or used?

 

[BleednBlue68]

Also if I do get a truck camper with some overhang out the back, how do the hitch extensions work?