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Posted by: RV_Tech Mar 1 2017, 06:35 PM

My wife and I have now searched the Internet for the last two months using SearchTempest and everything in between trying to find a truck camper from one of the manufacturers usually associated with quality and weight we would be comfortable hauling on our F350 SRW 8-foot bed. If you are west of the Mississippi, the world looks much brighter, but where we are in Northeast Tennessee, even the few truck camper dealers in our area (defining area as 400 miles away) don't have much.

We don't want big and heavy of which there are many on RV Trader and everywhere else. Either we are searching for something everyone else wants or else we are searching for something no one else wants so there are none used to find.

The very few used we have found have an asking price so close to new it makes more sense to buy new than used. It actually looks like we are going to just start driving west until we find what we want. Crazy situation!

Steve

Posted by: hooter56 Mar 1 2017, 07:52 PM

Same situation here. I'm a little embarrassed to admit it, but I found THE TC I was looking for and drove 4200 miles (round trip) to bring it home. Yes, even after the expense to make the trip, it was still worth it. Results may vary.

Posted by: SidecarFlip Mar 1 2017, 09:37 PM

TCM (Truck Camper Magazine online, Caigslist, Backpage, Local classified ads.

I'm on my 2nd camper and I bought them both new. Never had an issue finding what I wanted but I did have to drive a bit to get both.

CW usually has a variety of truck campers btw.

Posted by: Freespool Mar 2 2017, 02:11 AM

Drop the quality and weight requirement and you will have more to choose from. After two years I have not found the quality I require. Northstar or Northern Lights will be your top brands. Living without a slide, basement and outside storage is a big comprise when the asking price is over 30K in most cases. I keep coming back to Northstar because of the perception of quality, but even there 12 footer with it's funky dinette, narrow width and cramped bath room feels too small. The Host Everest works for me but the price is crazy, the weight is high and the quality is border line.

Posted by: RV_Tech Mar 2 2017, 08:03 AM

I am looking for the same ones. For us the ability to travel light is paramount. I finally found an Igloo which got sold because I was not fast enough and are looking at a Northstar 8.5 Adventure tomorrow. Yes the size is tight, but we will have our fifth wheel when we intend to stay put for longer periods. We learned of the advantage of small when we had our 23-foot class Cs. If we absolutely can't find what we want anywhere we remotely close, we really will just drive until we find it. Since we are retired, we have time which is a huge advantage in a situation like this.

Posted by: SidecarFlip Mar 2 2017, 08:41 AM

Both of you are living in a fantasy world but there is a mega barge Host Mammoth on sale on TCM's used camper listings for I think, 53 grand and it's used.

The original owner probably figured out what a barge it was and bailed.

How much living space do you expect to get in a truck camper anyway? If you want the Tashma Hall, go rent a hotel room. Not gonna happen in any TC ever.

Neither of you will ever be happy. You have your assumed level of quality and room way too high.

Posted by: JADE RACING Mar 2 2017, 08:45 AM

Give Bill @ truck camper wharehouse a try as he has a wide selection of new and used t/c in stock and has knowledge. He is in the lower south west corner of N/Hampshire just off of I-93

Posted by: RV_Tech Mar 2 2017, 11:25 AM

You are making assumptions about my assumptions. Psychic I guess. I love it.

Steve

Posted by: RV_Tech Mar 2 2017, 11:36 AM

Been checking there almost daily, though it is one heck of a drive. Also Five Star in Colorado and several further West.

Thanks,

Steve

Posted by: december45 Mar 2 2017, 09:29 PM

hang in there, the right one will come along, I settled for the one I got and sometimes think I should have just worked little harder and found the right one.
My Son in law scours craigs list found the one he wanted and for the right price.

Posted by: SidecarFlip Mar 3 2017, 10:30 AM

One thing to always keep in mind about a used camper, especially an older used unit is, they will probably be some rot or delamination to deal with. Fact of life because 99% of owners don't maintain the seals properly, and/or store the unit outside in the weather all the time.

You really want to look for a unit that is kept inside, thats the best deal and look it over carefully for rot / delamination and structural issues. Old campers wil always have some issues. It comes down to what you are capable of dealing with and or fixing.

Posted by: Dorado Mar 3 2017, 12:45 PM

I found mine on Ebay. The seller was fairly close so after talking with him I drove up and saw it in person before buying it. It was better than what the pictures showed and he even honored the price at that time. I got it for $3000 when the bidding ended at nearly $7000 when he canceled the auction. He even tossed in a new mattress. It's still in plastic! He's a great guy too. He was selling it to make room for a classic car.

Posted by: SidecarFlip Mar 3 2017, 01:41 PM

I kept both of mine inside. The Lance is the big barn and the Palomino is in the garage and the garage is heated so no winterizing needed.

A poster on this site bought my lance, which they will pick up in May I gave him a great deal because it's not needed anymore. Might as well let someone else use it.

Nothing beats a new matteress. RV matresses tend to be low quality anyway. I put a foam topper on the mattress in my new camper.

Posted by: RV_Tech Mar 4 2017, 09:34 AM

That sounds like a great deal. Congratulations!

Steve

Posted by: RV_Tech Mar 4 2017, 09:41 AM

Well, now no one can accuse me of not have a camper. Drove 350 miles yesterday and bought the used Northstar 8.5 Adventurer I was looking at online. Torklifts are ordered and on the way to pick up next week. Small hard shell, but I think doable and should keep me within my F350 weight ratings.

Worked for two years in the past for a small truck camper dealer so I got to work on a lot of stuff that was not so great quality. This one looks to be a little better. I guess I will find out.

Still keeping our fifth wheel when we intend to stay put in one place for longer periods of time. If it turns out we feel the truck camper does as well or better, we would probably sell the fifth wheel and move to a larger truck camper. Fun to find out anyway.

Steve

Posted by: SidecarFlip Mar 4 2017, 10:30 AM

My personal preference is HappyJac on the front and Torqlift on the back. I think if you check with Northstar they recommend the same setup.

Nice camper btw. I looked at it. Northstar builds a pretty high quality unit.