camper shell, slide in camper, or camper van

which would you have

  • camper van

    Votes: 6 33.3%

  • slide in truck camper

    Votes: 11 61.1%

  • camper shell

    Votes: 1 5.6%
  • Total voters
    18
Loganwayne

Loganwayne

#BTL
Joined
Feb 15, 2013
Location
Clyde, North Carolina
Im planning several trips next year, probably starting January time frame. Most of these trips will be hunting and fishing related. I already have a tundra that a camper shell, or slide in camper could fit in. most of these trips will be with 2 people plus 2 dogs. i thought about a pull along camper but would like to take my boat possibly to some of these trips. most of the places we would end up going would be off on forest service type roads. so 4wd would be a plus. im thinking the slide in camper would be the cheapest possibly best option, only down fall would be i want a pop up slide in so it could be hard to stay warm in winter. also leaning away from camper shell just for the fact that if my wife wanted to go camping i can already hear the complaints about how small it is and all that.
 
Sounds like you need a nice tent and a heater.
 
skyhighZJ said:
Get a solid flattop camper shell. Mount one of those roof top tent things to it. You and the wife sleep up stairs. Dogs stay in the pickup bed out of the weather. Plenty of room and you can pull whatever you want to bring along.
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dogs are smallish and camp with us in the tent now. and most of the time its going to be me and a buddy bird hunting.
 
Loganwayne said:
finding one of them is hard to do. i have found a couple ford sportsmobile for sale but they are also pricey.
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Are you telling me that you can't find an Econoline for sale? Buy a van, write Chris a check, pick up your new camper when he's done.

ExPo is chock full of options if you want to buy something already built. Some cost more than a house, too.
 
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Camper shell, RTT, Decked system in the bed for organization and a flat surface to put a sleeping pad. Contractor windows on the shell make a big difference in accessibility without having to unpack the whole shell to get to stuff. Put a hitch on the front for a rack to hold a small generator and extra cooler.

That’s a quick rundown of how I would do it unless I could find a slide in popup with adequate storage for gear under a bed or something.
 
shawn said:
Are you telling me that you can't find an Econoline for sale? Buy a van, write Chris a check, pick up your new camper when he's done.

ExPo is chock full of options if you want to buy something already built. Some cost more than a house, too.
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here's your problem
 
Loganwayne said:
and most of the time its going to be me and a buddy bird hunting.
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Then I vote you tell him you'll be sleeping in the bed of the truck together, make it his problem to come up with something nicer :D
 
RatLabGuy said:
Then I vote you tell him you'll be sleeping in the bed of the truck together, make it his problem to come up with something nicer :D
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we,ve done it before. hell we have slept in a 2 man bivy style tent that was not big enough for 1 guy. im also trying to come up with something to keep the wife a little happier when we go camping.
 
My vote is truck camper, most room, also most expensive and most to maintain. I will say I have a biggerish truck camper and two grown @ss men sleeping in it would be tight, but if you two are already snuggle buddies then it may work.
 
BigClay said:
My vote is truck camper, most room, also most expensive and most to maintain. I will say I have a biggerish truck camper and two grown @ss men sleeping in it would be tight, but if you two are already snuggle buddies then it may work.
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they are the middle price one really. i already have the truck so no cost there. camper vans are the most expensive. even buying a van and building it out on my own would be more than a truck camper, depending on the brand i go with. im really looking at the smaller truck campers, no toilets or shower.
 
Loganwayne said:
they are the middle price one really. i already have the truck so no cost there. camper vans are the most expensive. even buying a van and building it out on my own would be more than a truck camper, depending on the brand i go with. im really looking at the smaller truck campers, no toilets or shower.
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what about a good ol' empty shell free candy box van. Toss in a mattress and a heater and some beaded curtains.

I guess what you're saying is the price of a van itself is more than a camper, which I'd believe. Plus then it needs tags, insurance, etc.
 
RatLabGuy said:
what about a good ol' empty shell free candy box van. Toss in a mattress and a heater and some beaded curtains.

I guess what you're saying is the price of a van itself is more than a camper, which I'd believe. Plus then it needs tags, insurance, etc.
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ya any "decent" Van is more than a camper then id still want some of the stuff the slide in would have. biggest issues ive found with Vans are none are 4wd, and most have smallish motors that im not sure would pull my boat around in the mountains well. if i could find one that was 4wd and a good motor/transmission setup i could sell my truck to offset cost.
 
Sounds to me like a slide-in camper is the way to go.
Especially since you can take it off for the 95% of the year you don't need it.
 
Loganwayne said:
ya any "decent" Van is more than a camper then id still want some of the stuff the slide in would have. biggest issues ive found with Vans are none are 4wd, and most have smallish motors that im not sure would pull my boat around in the mountains well. if i could find one that was 4wd and a good motor/transmission setup i could sell my truck to offset cost.
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70's era Pathfinder vans are 4x4 and had 460's or 454's depending on your preferred brand. 90's Quigley's you could find 7.3's for a little more modern grunt.
 
My wife and I had the same issue, we ended up deciding on a slid-in campers for the bed of the truck. But the only problem is finding them new or used its pretty hard. Most quality new ones are 12-16 months out. Mainline overland in Charlotte is a 4 wheel camper dealer, they had a few of the hawks 6.5" bed models instock or coming in. We ultimately found a scout slide in camper that we are picking up in a few months. They are the same weight as a pop up but hard sided, and are more utilitarian than the typical hard sided slide ins.
 
snipes243 said:
My wife and I had the same issue, we ended up deciding on a slid-in campers for the bed of the truck. But the only problem is finding them new or used its pretty hard. Most quality new ones are 12-16 months out. Mainline overland in Charlotte is a 4 wheel camper dealer, they had a few of the hawks 6.5" bed models instock or coming in. We ultimately found a scout slide in camper that we are picking up in a few months. They are the same weight as a pop up but hard sided, and are more utilitarian than the typical hard sided slide ins.
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4wheel campers are top of the line and price reflects that. ive found other popup brands locally but they seem like they are designed more for the campers staying in camp grounds. ive seen the scouts but concerned some of the places ill go ill knock the corners in with trees.
 
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