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Truck Camper Forum _ Truck Camper Specs _ best truck camper

Posted by: mzclaus77 Sep 16 2010, 10:17 AM

i would love to have advice on who manufactures the best and most reliable truck camper unsure.gif

Posted by: redrocker Sep 16 2010, 04:34 PM

QUOTE(mzclaus77 @ Sep 16 2010, 03:17 PM)
i would love to have advice on who manufactures the best and most reliable truck camper   unsure.gif
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I myself like the Lance I'm on my second one
my last one was 22yrs old and everything worked
when I sold it My new one is a Lance 820 2003 that
I bought used and I'm very happy with this one also
but there are so many others that are nice also
I just like the Lance because there still in business
are they are in C.A. not far from me
Hope this helps smile.gif

Posted by: KY_Campers Sep 20 2010, 04:51 AM

I like Sunlite truck campers!

They don't weigh all that much, and mine has a bathroom! smile.gif ... I did have to put airbags on my truck, because I pull a boat.

My camper will fit a short bed, But the tailgate has to be let down.

Posted by: drjay Oct 9 2010, 09:15 PM

i have a 2008 okanagan there are still a few out there the company stopped assembly on the okanagans but the warranty is still good from the date of purchase. Excellent cold weather camper. I looked at arctic fox and host. I dont know what exactly your looking for but these three are all built well. my deciding factor was the price i got the okanagan for because it was a leftover. These three are also among the most expensive but I myself will spend extra on a little quality.

Posted by: John Sardaro Oct 15 2010, 07:35 PM

QUOTE(mzclaus77 @ Sep 16 2010, 03:17 PM)
i would love to have advice on who manufactures the best and most reliable truck camper   unsure.gif
*


We had a Lance that we just traded, because we wanted a slide. Actually, we really liked the lance. Traded it for an arctic fox. Wish I had not! The quality of the arctic fox is good, We find everything on the outside, user unfriendly. Can't reach the gas bottles to turn them on or off. Had to install a three step fold out stair, just to get in the door. Asked the dealer for help with the entry steps and they didn.t even humor me with a reply. So, as I see it, don't buy an arctic fox , because the dealer (mine at least) didn't want to know me after the sale.
I like the torque lift tie downs, never had a problem with them.
Before you buy, make sure you set it on your truck, before you say that you'll take it. Then walk around it and see if you can reach everything, that needs to be reached.(including the entry door!)
John

Posted by: insp1505 Oct 17 2010, 12:55 PM

QUOTE(John Sardaro @ Oct 15 2010, 06:35 PM)
Had to install a three step fold out stair, just to get in the door. Asked the dealer for help with the entry steps and they didn.t even humor me with a reply. So, as I see it, don't buy an arctic fox , because the dealer (mine at least) didn't want to know me after the sale.

John
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I am sorry you ran in to a poor dealer. All too often a terrible dealer can make the manufacturer look bad. Arctic Fox is a great camper and recommending that people not buy one because of your bad experience with the dealership is unfair to Arctic Fox. It would be better to recommend to people not to buy from that dealer instead. I bet they misrepresent all their product lines (not just AF) and mistreat many of their customers.

The easy solution would have been for your dealer to recommend (or throw in on the deal like mine did) an extra step that attaches to the bottom of the normal step. I carry mine just to the left of the normal step and when I need it I attach it. I have found I have only needed it when the ground slopes down at the rear of the camper making it a further reach to the door, that's when I attach it otherwise it just goes along for the ride. I will try to post some pics of it and how it is stored for those that haven't seen it.

Here are the pics of how I store my second step to the left side of the bumper.

user posted image

user posted image


I think Arctic Fox is the best camper, I have spent the last 5 months living and camping in mine, and heading into winter I am glad I will be inside an Arctic Fox.

Posted by: agwallace Nov 29 2010, 09:44 AM

We love Host! We looked at tons of different brands when we were looking for our truck camper and we just kept going back to them because of their quality. The only dealer near us was Lance, but everything about them seemed cheaply made. So even though it would have been the easy choice, we couldn't do it.
Host might be a little pricey, but the quality and features are great!

Posted by: rasha Feb 29 2016, 06:00 AM

The only dealer near us was Lance, but everything about them seemed cheaply made. So even though it would have been the easy choice, we couldn't do it.

Posted by: 17 Oaks Mar 1 2016, 12:22 PM

Wife and I looked for years at TC's before we bought. Looked at everything on the market. Key to me was a 4 season unit. It was not the cold, but the heat since we lived in Phoenix at the time and now S Tx. When its 110+ outside you want to be cool inside. That narrowed our choices. I also did not want a wooden infrastructure, again narrowing our choices.

Its us and 5 dogs which meant a slide, again, narrowing out choices.

We also need large and have a F 350 Dually to support it, again, narrowing our choices.

Since wife and I are both engineers we look beyond and below the beauty and skin. It came down to 3: Arctic Fox, Host and Eagle Cap.

In the end it was a toss up of Arctic Fox/Host. Eagle Cap has had some ownership challenges and we held back for that reason, but the units are of excellent quality.

We chose the Arctic Fox due to its internal lay out and storage space.

That was 7 years ago and would have no hesitation on buying another Arctic Fox....We almost bought a Host 3 slide last year, but were unable to find the build out of the model we wanted and did not have the time to do an order. We own a business and the high season came upon us and we had to end our search for the Host for that reason.

For a large unit F350 long bed dually and slides. Arctic Fox and Host would be our choices.

Posted by: Jknight611 Mar 9 2016, 10:14 PM

Our Northstar Adventurer 8.5 biggrin.gif makes us Happy Campers! On our 2500 with bags and Big Wig sway bar the truck drives just fine. I like the 7 feet wide profile of the camper. Roomy inside, and less wind drag. A good compromise. Excellent workmanship!

Posted by: Freespool Jun 3 2016, 07:12 PM

Well it all depends on what you need. IMO Northern Lights and Northstar are best, however both are very old fashion, meaning they do not use slides. Basement options are very limited as are generators. Google both builders and see what you think.

Posted by: twilliams Jun 26 2016, 10:14 PM

QUOTE(redrocker @ Sep 16 2010, 05:34 PM)
I myself like the Lance I'm on my second one
my last one was 22yrs old and everything worked
when I sold it My new one is a Lance 820 2003 that
I bought used and I'm very happy with this one also
but there are so many others that are nice also
I just like the Lance because there still in business
are they are in C.A. not far from me
Hope this helps smile.gif
*


I had a starcraft popup tc. i thought it was built well. i moved up to a hardside northstar larado sc. very nice camper

Posted by: judithcarol Oct 3 2016, 11:21 AM

I also think that Arctic Fox and Host are the http://whatmycarworth.com/looking-for-class-b-motorhomes-or-van-camper-get-usefu-tips/.

Posted by: SidecarFlip Oct 16 2016, 11:11 AM

QUOTE(mzclaus77 @ Sep 16 2010, 10:17 AM)
i would love to have advice on who manufactures the best and most reliable truck camper  unsure.gif
*



In reality, there is no 'best' truck camper or manufacturer.

It all distills down to what your truck can haul (safely) and what your parameters are.

All manufacturers share the same sub component providers so no matter what you buy, the camper will have say a Dometic Fridge or a Suburban water heater.

Diifferent builders build different ways. Some use an aluminum frame, some wood. Some clad in aluminum sheet, some clad in fiberglass. Some offer hard sided campers, some offer soft sided campers, some offer both.

Some are stupid heavy (Lance) and some are way light (Alaskan). Some are loaded with options, some aren't.

It all boils down to what you can afford and what your intended uses are.

No such thing as an 'ideal all around camper'. My suggestion is sit down and compile you needs and wants and visit manufacturers websites and peruse the net.

Gave fun....

Posted by: Bill&Cin Apr 4 2017, 08:56 PM

laugh.gif I like the Pastime Campers I have had two and they have held up very well, I just bought another one the pastime 840LT. I will be picking the camper up next week.

Posted by: Sidehillsoup Sep 2 2017, 10:22 AM

Northern Lite gets my vote.
https://www.northern-lite.com/

Posted by: SidecarFlip Sep 3 2017, 11:47 AM

My final comment is.... any camper thats paid for....

Posted by: mbrink Jan 1 2018, 07:44 PM

I had a Lance 820 for 15 years. Bought new and never had any issues. Sold it to get one with more room - and generator and AC. Bought a 2 year old Artic Fox 811 which has been great.

I think the one piece "roof" of the Lance was better. I think Lance has an aluminum roof, vs AF vinyl? Neither has leaked. I like the new nose of the Lance cabover.

Like others have said, no camper is perfect for all occasions. The AF has all the bells and whistles, but is heavy and more complicated with the slide out. Also considerably heavier.

Would be nice to have the Lance for deer camp/off road traveling, and AF for all road camping.

We have been happy with both.

Posted by: Colorado_Kid Jan 27 2018, 08:41 PM

Hallmark has a very good reputation of a well built truck camper.

Posted by: Xcbiker Jan 31 2018, 02:11 PM

Ditto to sidecar's first response. If you don't need a slide and can afford it -- consider the Northern Lite. I did a lot of research and chose theirs. There are many good quality campers out there.

Posted by: wintertree Feb 7 2018, 08:13 PM

Because of where we lived and jobs available....I temporarily left my trade (cabinet maker) and was hired to run the service department at an RV dealership...I was in charge of the techs working on the shop floor and did not do the bookings....Anyway years past....I got my rv tech ticket and continued to run things till the owner decided to retire and his son took over...I never got along with his son who was very young and a paper pusher....Those years as an RV tech really marked me and finding a Truck camper to purchase for us to use was a tough decision...I worked on them all...have replaced appliances far to often (junk...another discussion)...been covered in crap....repaired damaged frames....water damage....hail damage....dealt with clients that were pissed(with good reason usually) and led rv techs(most cared about what they were doing)....So for me to actually purchase an RV was a tough activity....Here is what I found...All the big names have very similar quality...each individual maker is better at some things than others...The design department is often staffed with people that may have never had an RV (or so it seemed)....the shop floor work is only as good as the man / women in charge....quality control can be all over the map depending on the time of the year....Appliances for RV's are mostly crap....thankfully they are...it keeps service department busy...LOL....Here in Canada.....Canadian built RV's tend to be less prone to cold weather damage (bad flooring....use of plywood instead of chip board....etc)...All RV's need to have an owner that is hands "ON" in regards to sealants....roof condition....gelcoat care (clam shell types)....window caulking....slide maintenance....etc....etc OR find a dealership that you trust and get things looked after.
So....Need some room....get a unit with a slide....live in an area or store your camper where there is a lot of rain / snow.....a two pce clam shell type(northern lite....bigfoot) may be the ticket....going off road a little or a lot....go "pop-up" (or if you have a light duty truck)
Bottom line.....as for quality the big names are all very similar

Posted by: SidecarFlip Feb 11 2018, 05:03 PM

QUOTE(wintertree @ Feb 7 2018, 08:13 PM)
Because of where we lived and jobs available....I temporarily left my trade (cabinet maker) and was hired to run the service department at an RV dealership...I was in charge of the techs working on the shop floor and did not do the bookings....Anyway years past....I got my rv tech ticket and continued to run things till the owner decided to retire and his son took over...I never got along with his son who was very young and a paper pusher....Those years as an RV tech really marked me and finding a Truck camper to purchase for us to use was a tough decision...I worked on them all...have replaced appliances far to often (junk...another discussion)...been covered in crap....repaired damaged frames....water damage....hail damage....dealt with clients that were pissed(with good reason usually) and led rv techs(most cared about what they were doing)....So for me to actually purchase an RV was a tough activity....Here is what I found...All the big names have very similar quality...each individual maker is better at some things than others...The design department is often staffed with people that may have never had an RV (or so it seemed)....the shop floor work is only as good as the man / women in charge....quality control can be all over the map depending on the time of the year....Appliances for RV's are mostly crap....thankfully they are...it keeps service department busy...LOL....Here in Canada.....Canadian built RV's tend to be less prone to cold weather damage  (bad flooring....use of plywood instead of chip board....etc)...All RV's need to have an owner that is hands "ON" in regards to sealants....roof condition....gelcoat care (clam shell types)....window caulking....slide maintenance....etc....etc OR find a dealership that you trust and get things looked after.
So....Need some room....get a unit with a slide....live in an area or store your camper where there is a lot of rain / snow.....a two pce clam shell type(northern lite....bigfoot) may be the ticket....going off road a little or a lot....go "pop-up" (or if you have a light duty truck)
Bottom line.....as for quality the big names are all very similar
*



You said a mouthfull there.... biggrin.gif

Basically, no matter how it's dressed, under the clothes they are all about the same.. Buying a new unit is a crapshoot depending on when it was built. if the factory was slow, chances are it's built better but if the factory is behind, the units are slapped together and considering how 'behind' the builders are. I'd be hesitant to buy a new anything today.

I lucked out on mine because I bought my unit before the current 'boom'. Still the same crappy appliances but it is assembled right, I've had no issues yet... knock on luan...

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