IPB
Truck Camper Parts

Welcome Guest ( Log In | Register )

 
Reply to this topicStart new topicStart Poll

Outline · [ Standard ] · Linear+

> Hello from Alaska, New Member Introduction

AKSuperDually
post Jan 15 2014, 09:56 AM
Post #1





Group: Members
Posts: 6
Joined: 15-January 14
Member No.: 7,281
Favorite Truck Camper(s): Arctic Fox
Type and Brand of Truck(s) Owned: '00 F350 DRW 4x4 7.3L
Type of Tiedowns used: Fastguns
Truck and Camper Setup: F350, mildly built 7.3L, airbags, exhaust brake, rancho 7000's, with an Arctic Fox 1150, with superhitch +hitch extension (superbar), fastgun tiedowns. Brought up the alcan with 10Klbs in tow.



Hello from the Kenai River, in Alaska. I'm new to the forum, and new to truck campers. A number of years ago I began considering a truck camper while stationed in Alaska. Family illness took us outside, and we ended up buying a 31' bumper pull which became our first RV/Camper. We jumped headfirst into camping by taking a trip from Oregon to South Carolina and back in December of 2009, 40 days on the road. It was eye opening, and the learning curve was steep. Part of that curve involved a broken rear axle housing on my 1 ton Ford in Arkansas on Christmas eve. No fun, and costly.

This past spring (2013) we began making plans to return to Alaska, and my desire for a truck camper was rekindled. From previous research, we knew we wanted an Arctic Fox in Alaska. They seem to hold up the best in the extreme cold, and the fit & finish far exceeded anything we saw from Lance. A trip to both dealerships confirmed that to be still true, and we began the search.

I've owned a 2000 Ford F350 DRW 4x4 7.3L since 2003, while the engine is mildly built (intake, exhaust and a few computer chips) and I installed an exhaust brake. I knew I would need to beef up the suspension though. I ordered new rancho shocks (M7000), and installed a set of airbags (Air Lift, Loadlifter5000 with Dual on board controller and compressor). I also bought a set of Cooper ST MAXX tires, & upgraded my brake components (new heavy duty discs and pads). Having dropped $3,500 in truck prep....We felt ready for any camper.

We lucked out, and found a very lightly used 2003 model Arctic Fox 1150, with the options we wanted already installed. Bunk & genset. The generator had 100 hours on it, and all maintenance well documented. Ended up paying cash and getting it installed with fastguns, torklift tie downs, SuperHitch Magnum receiver, and the SuperTruss receiver extension. Right around $13K. We felt good about it, I took it on a shake-out run from Portland, OR to Lakeview, OR. Definitely changed the way the truck drove, but I found I was still getting 19mpg without wind and at 50mph. Hard to be upset about that. I made two mods right away. First, on the way home I got an 8' gas line made with a quick disconnect for my camp chef stove to attach to the line at the rear bumper, and second....I trashed the mattress and installed my 12" memory foam mattress. Heaven.

Here's the pic on the way back from Lakeview:
user posted image
user posted image

We moved out of our house and into my hangar/shop for 45 days, living in the camper. The AC was a godsend, and my two children (10 & 2) began wearing in the camper. Ugh. Pristine 10 year old camper started show wear on the carpet and upholstery real quick with those two. Still, I really fell in love with the camper. The second week of September, 2013, I loaded up my 8' utility trailer (with my Leer 122 Browning edition camper shell installed on 30" walls on the trailer), and headed North up the Alcan to our new home on the Kenai River, in Alaska.

Here's a pic of the trailer: user posted image
My daughter painting the inside: user posted image

I wish I could say it was an easy trip...but it wasn't. That trailer had two break downs that forced me to hire a welder to install metal. Once...the tongue broke clean off just outside Destruction Bay, Yukon. Miraculously...no one, and nothing was hurt. But that story is for another thread.... Gas mileage for the 2650 mile trip = 17mpg. Pretty good for the weight and hills. The week after we got here I did a 1K mile round trip to Fairbanks for my brother's wedding reception. It was fun going up through Denali, but I was pretty "camped out" by then. Since taking her home in August 2013 I've put 4,500 miles on her and slept in the camper for 55 nights. Pretty happy with Arctic Fox!

So here we are in Alaska, with the camper we've always wanted....waiting for spring! Winterizing was easy, though I really wish I had the money to buy a good cover or build a roof to park her under. Hopefully next year. I crawl up and push the snow off once a week, and we're keeping heat on at about 30F inside. I'm hoping the constant temperature will help minimize expansion and contraction. Over the winter I'm sewing a net to snap onto the bunk so my 2 year old son can sleep in the bunk safely. He was falling out of the dinette bunk almost every night...despite piling pillows and zipping him in a sleeping bag. My 10 year old is getting a bit heavier than I'd like for the bunk also. I'll have to take pics of the net after I get it fabbed and sewn up.

Any other Alaska members? We're looking forward to getting out doing some boondocking this summer. We boondocked through most of canada and Alaska, the arctic fox is made for it!
User is offlineProfile CardPM
Go to the top of the page
+Quote Post
07idclassic
post Mar 21 2014, 01:02 PM
Post #2





Group: Members
Posts: 2
Joined: 21-March 14
Member No.: 7,483
Favorite Truck Camper(s): Arctic fox
Type and Brand of Truck(s) Owned: Chevy
Type of Tiedowns used: Torklift
Truck and Camper Setup: 07 chevy classic 2500, air bags, load rites, torklift tie downs, 06 arctic fox 860.



We just moved up to Alaska a couple weeks ago. She moved up in Oct for a job and I was going to wait until I found a job but no one really wants to hire a non local so I moved up and am working on the fixer upper house she bought. We ended up picking up an 06 860 arctic fox truck camper for a pretty good deal a couple months ago and I only got to do a quick shake down road trip. We also drove the rig up the Alcan with no problems luckily. That stretch around Destruction Bay is rough though! Think we were top speed of 25 mph for about 1.5-2 hours! I'm sure we'll be down your way once summer breaks to fish the Kenai. Have you had any problems with your furnace? Once we got up here and I set the camper up I plugged in and turned the propane on and the fan kicked on but not the heat. Now I can't even get the fan to kick on let alone fire the pilot. Hoping it's just something I'm doing wrong and don't have to take it in. Nice rig buy the way!
User is offlineProfile CardPM
Go to the top of the page
+Quote Post
AKSuperDually
post Mar 21 2014, 05:11 PM
Post #3





Group: Members
Posts: 6
Joined: 15-January 14
Member No.: 7,281
Favorite Truck Camper(s): Arctic Fox
Type and Brand of Truck(s) Owned: '00 F350 DRW 4x4 7.3L
Type of Tiedowns used: Fastguns
Truck and Camper Setup: F350, mildly built 7.3L, airbags, exhaust brake, rancho 7000's, with an Arctic Fox 1150, with superhitch +hitch extension (superbar), fastgun tiedowns. Brought up the alcan with 10Klbs in tow.



Welcome to Alaska. What industry are you in?

Hopefully the furnace is something easy, mine works great, haven't had to mess with it.

Yes....destruction bay is brutal. I actually broke the tongue on that trailer clean off just outside destruction bay.

We're headed south again in about a month, towing a bigger trailer, this time a 20' enclosed, behind the camper. We'll definitely be taking things slow.
User is offlineProfile CardPM
Go to the top of the page
+Quote Post
07idclassic
post Mar 21 2014, 10:06 PM
Post #4





Group: Members
Posts: 2
Joined: 21-March 14
Member No.: 7,483
Favorite Truck Camper(s): Arctic fox
Type and Brand of Truck(s) Owned: Chevy
Type of Tiedowns used: Torklift
Truck and Camper Setup: 07 chevy classic 2500, air bags, load rites, torklift tie downs, 06 arctic fox 860.



Thanks for the welcome! I worked on tearing down nuclear test reactors as radiological control. Not much of that up here in AK! Hoping to get on in a safety or radiography position on the slope. Guess that's where most of the money is anyways and gives me weeks off to fish!
User is offlineProfile CardPM
Go to the top of the page
+Quote Post
AKSuperDually
post Mar 22 2014, 03:05 PM
Post #5





Group: Members
Posts: 6
Joined: 15-January 14
Member No.: 7,281
Favorite Truck Camper(s): Arctic Fox
Type and Brand of Truck(s) Owned: '00 F350 DRW 4x4 7.3L
Type of Tiedowns used: Fastguns
Truck and Camper Setup: F350, mildly built 7.3L, airbags, exhaust brake, rancho 7000's, with an Arctic Fox 1150, with superhitch +hitch extension (superbar), fastgun tiedowns. Brought up the alcan with 10Klbs in tow.



I knew someone who did quality control back when they built those reactors.....he moved up here and went to work for the civil engineers mapping the Prince William Sound.

Slope work is all about who you know....got to network. Unfortunately, everyone I knew has left the slope and moved on to other jobs. UAA has several certificate and AAS programs which help for slopework....could be a direction to start with. Good luck! Don't forget, there's going to be a new pipeline and LNG plant in Nikiski...so there will be lots of hiring on the Kenai soon.
User is offlineProfile CardPM
Go to the top of the page
+Quote Post

Reply to this topicTopic OptionsStart new topic
2 User(s) are reading this topic (2 Guests and 0 Anonymous Users)
0 Members:
 

Lo-Fi Version Time is now: 28th March 2024 - 04:20 PM