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[SidecarFlip]

Thought I'd register. been reading along for a while now (lurking).

Been truck camping for at least 12 years now. I own a Lance and just bought a Forest River Palomino SS15000 Backpack.

My Lance is too heavy and too high to access the off road spots I like to frequent. I'm a boondocker and I don't like campgrounds as a rule so, I bought a Backpack pop up slide in. Lots lighter, lower Cg and it lends itself much better to my off road camping.

I carry it in an 1997 Ford F350 SRW 4x4 Crew Cab with a 7.3 diesel. The only suspension mods are a set of Firestone air bags. The Truck is 6 over stock with lockers front and rear and 33 x 10.50 x 16 All Terrain tires E rated. Goes anywhere I need to go.

I went with a SS1500 because my wife likes the convenience of a full inside shower and toilet. Myself, a roll of TP and the woods is fine....

I installed a Carefree Bag Awning and an extra Fantastic Fan, Xantrex Pro Sine 3000 watt Inverter and a Champion 2000 watt gas genny that sits very nicely on the camper floor when travelling. I also modified the side lower wall of the camper with a wheelhouse access door do I can keep my recovery tools (chainsaw, Lewis Winch, shovel, snatch straps and chainsaw gas can) between the camper and the truck body, outside.

Needed the Xantrex because I sleep with a CPAP machine. Amazingly, the Group 24 deep cycle battery runs the CPAP (via the Xabtrex) all night no issue.

Because the truck sits so high, the camper is almost 2 feet off the ground, my inventive wife bought a telescoping ladder that not only allows us easy entrance and exit from the camper, it also allows me to latch and unlatch the top when the camper is on the truck (pretty hard to reach the latches when the are 7 feet off the ground...

I've used the SS1500 4 times this year, all off road trips with no issue. Everything works as it should, the Dometic 3 way fridge stays plenty cold, the Suburban 6 gallon water heater makes plenty of hot water, the Reico-Titan roof lift system works flawlessly and the manual jacks go up and down effortlessly with the help of the drill adapter and my DeWalt 24 volt cordless drill.

The cabover bunk is comfortable and with the windows all open it's like sleeping outside, minus the bugs. It holds 22 gallons of fresh water and carries 2 20 pound propane bottles (I think one is actually sufficient) but a spare is nice.

Nice thing and the main reason I bought it (besides the much lower height which allows access to remote campsites) is the weight difference between the Lance and the SS 1500. My Lance weighs 2500 pounds. The Backpack weighs 1800 and the Cg is much lower (a big thing when off roading).

So I have 2. The hotel like Lance and the camper like Backpack. I think you know which I prefer.

Anyway, I have a ton of experience with Truck Campers and will be nosing around the threads, interjecting my words of wisdom and hopefully assisting others.

[twilliams]

Thought I'd register. been reading along for a while now (lurking).

Been truck camping for at least 12 years now.  I own a Lance and just bought a Forest River Palomino SS15000 Backpack.

My Lance is too heavy and too high to access the off road spots I like to frequent.  I'm a boondocker and I don't like campgrounds as a rule so, I bought a Backpack pop up slide in.  Lots lighter, lower Cg and it lends itself much better to my off road camping.

I carry it in an 1997 Ford F350 SRW 4x4 Crew Cab with a 7.3 diesel.  The only suspension mods are a set of Firestone air bags.  The Truck is 6 over stock with lockers front and rear and 33 x 10.50 x 16 All Terrain tires E rated.  Goes anywhere I need to go.

I went with a SS1500 because my wife likes the convenience of a full inside shower and toilet.  Myself, a roll of TP and the woods is fine....

I installed a Carefree Bag Awning and an extra Fantastic Fan, Xantrex Pro Sine 3000 watt Inverter and a Champion 2000 watt gas genny that sits very nicely on the camper floor when travelling.  I also modified the side lower wall of the camper with a wheelhouse access door do I can keep my recovery tools (chainsaw, Lewis Winch, shovel, snatch straps and chainsaw gas can) between the camper and the truck body, outside.

Needed the Xantrex because I sleep with a CPAP machine.  Amazingly, the Group 24 deep cycle battery runs the CPAP (via the Xabtrex) all night no issue.

Because the truck sits so high, the camper is almost 2 feet off the ground, my inventive wife bought a telescoping ladder that not only allows us easy entrance and exit from the camper, it also allows me to latch and unlatch the top when the camper is on the truck (pretty hard to reach the latches when the are 7 feet off the ground...

I've used the SS1500 4 times this year, all off road trips with no issue.  Everything works as it should, the Dometic 3 way fridge stays plenty cold, the Suburban 6 gallon water heater makes plenty of hot water, the Reico-Titan roof lift system works flawlessly and the manual jacks go up and down effortlessly with the help of the drill adapter and my DeWalt 24 volt cordless drill.

The cabover bunk is comfortable and with the windows all open it's like sleeping outside, minus the bugs.  It holds 22 gallons of fresh water and carries 2 20 pound propane bottles (I think one is actually sufficient) but a spare is nice.

Nice thing and the main reason I bought it (besides the much lower height which allows access to remote campsites) is the weight difference between the Lance and the SS 1500.  My Lance weighs 2500 pounds.  The Backpack weighs 1800 and the Cg is much lower (a big thing when off roading).

So I have 2.  The hotel like Lance and the camper like Backpack.  I think you know which I prefer.

Anyway, I have a ton of experience with Truck Campers and will be nosing around the threads, interjecting my words of wisdom and hopefully assisting others.

hi. I have a 1997 dodge ram 1500 2 dr 6 ft bed with a 5.9 v8. some say a 1/2 ton can carry more weight. its rated 1720 lbs payload. rear axel weight of 3900 lbs. just wondering about the rear axel weight. does anybody have any info on that ?