Hi my name is Linda and I'm wondering if anyone owns a northern lite camper and what year. Would like to know if you have had any problems with it. I really like the camper it's pricey but we'll built.

I have a 2016 8'11" QCSE that I bought last April. I think Northern Lite makes one of the best truck campers currently available to consumers.

Hi Linda,
My wife and I have 2011 Northern Lite 8'1" Special Edition we purchased used 1.5 years ago. We've been very happy with the camper and because it's small enough to fit in our drive way we use it a lot, in fact we've spent nearly 70 nights in it since purchasing....and we both have full time jobs. Every time we use the camper we remind ourselves of how much we enjoy it.

The Northern Lite is better insulated than most other brands and that's important...yes you'll have a heater and you may have an AC but you want to reduce your reliance on those, especially if you camp without hookups (we almost always boon dock with no hook ups). The capacities for water, grey, Black and propane are great for boon docking. The cabinetry is frankly better than anything else I've seen in a camper, trailer or motorhome. The layout is great, and our favorite feature is probably the traditional style dinette with two small bench seats and a table in the middle. Also the north south queen bed with storage on both sides is great. I also like the fiberglass exterior as it's easy to clean and looks better, IMO than other campers.

We removed the AC on ours and replaced it with another vent and very glad we did. You can only run the AC if you are plugged in or carry a generator (note; we camp mostly in the West/North West. If we were in the South it might be a different story on the AC).

Regarding your question about problems: First, a Northern Lite will have all of the most common potential leak issues of any other motorhome, trailer or camper IE around the vents and roof penetrations. If you don't maintain them then they will leak. The fact that the NL's are made out of fiberglass with only one seam does not make them immune to leaks. Their marketing materials are bit misleading in that way.

Second, while the name implies they are light weight, you really need to research the capacity of your truck and the actual weight of the camper. Our 8'11" when full of water, batteries and propane weighs nearly #3000. You can very easily go well past the capacity of a 3/4 ton truck with a Northern Lite, especially if your truck is a diesel, 4x4 or Crew cab (each of which reduce the payload). Our 2013 Ford Diesel handles the 8'11" beautifully, but it took some modifications to the truck. Better shocks, air bags and stable loads. If I did it over, I'd have started with an F-350.

Third, we found this out after the fact: If you purchase a used Northern Lite (2014 or older) and you have a late model Ford (2012 or newer) the 8'11" or the 9'5" you will need a 2 inch platform in the bed in order to have clearance from the roof of the truck to the over cab section of the camper. If your Ford has marker lights on the roof (ours did not) you'll need even more platform lift. This adds to your overall height and center of gravity and can affect handling. Northern Lite does not mention this anywhere on their web site. Since 2015 the Northern Lite models were modified and they now fit on the new Fords with out any platform.

So all very true. My dog and I have had a brand new 2013 9.6 since obviously then with no issues. I did a lot of research before settling on one of those considering the hefty price yet, out most quality. Thanks for writing about the leaks as I was under the impression that this camper would never leak as ours never have. Will climb up the roof some day to check it out or stop to have the caulking double checked. Having had spine surgery 11 months ago and a new hip 4 weeks ago that might be a better solution! I definitely wanted a 4 season camper and this one is. I also did not want to use a dually and this one fits perfectly on our 2000 Ford f350 7.2 Turbo diesel 4 door Long bed. It has the camper package, new shocks [the truck only has 140K on it] and the rear airbags are a MUST. Seriously! It has totally changed the handling to a dream ride . I did change the mattress to a Sealy Genius which is two inches taller but still allows to open the cabinets. Dream sleep as we are full timers. I have also changed the foam of the dinette to the best foam available. I never understood why such a quality camper has to cut corners with a mattress and foam... But, Oh! well. Since I ran my Honda Genset about once a week to edit photos and videos on a laptop the one drawback is the fact that it is stored at shoulder height. With my surgeries I am barely able to now take it out. And yes, this camper rests on a 2" foam on the bed of the truck. A line out of course would be nice but I wanted stealth and no drafts. I also can only sit in one place at the time.... I see now that many camper manufacturers are copying the many components Northern Lite uses which I think is a compliment to them. Would I buy another one? Absolutely. I hope not though as at 68 this is I hope our last home... 4 doors in the truck BTW is very helpful for storage...
I added 2 x 120W 12V soft 4lb solar panels which I stake in the ground since I like to park in the shade with only 1 140amp/h battery and a 300W pure sinewave inverter, all being plenty for our needs. Except for the laptop once a week... There is only room for two batteries which originally where not sealed ones and a real pain while checking their fluid level. Decided to go with just a bigger one...
Hope this helps...
Stay well.
Ara and Spirit