Edmunds.com | Inside Line | Auto Observer Your Account | Help | Directory
You are here:
![[F]](http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxicons/site.gif){kind=small}
Forums
Pickups Pickups - Archived Discussions Cabover Campers & Camper Trailers (pickups) 
1377 messages, Last post on Nov 20, 2003 at 1:43 PM
You are in the Pickups - Archived Discussions Forum. Your Host is kcram
This discussion is ARCHIVED. To reactivate the discussion, post a request in the Lost? Ask the Pickups Host for directions! discussion.
In addition to this subject, some of you may also be interested in
Pickup Bed Caps and Pickup Truck Accessories.
Post your messages about Cabover Campers & Camper Trailers below. Happy Motoring!
|
|
|---|---|
|
Mike, Having owned a 19' Airstream I'll warn you about the only problem I had with it. THE BED! It's only 48"X74" and surrounded on 2 1/2 sides. I had no problems sleeping in it alone but found out (the hard way) that it was nowhere near big enough for 2 "normal" (she's 5'8", I'm 5'10") adults. Except for the dinette (I much prefer a couch along the front of a travel trailer) the rest of the trailer works very well. I towed mine with a 1500 chevy Silverado (2WD, 5.3 engine, 3.73s, 4-speed auto) and averaged 14 MPG on the last long trip I took it on. Steve |
|
|
Thanks for the warning. We currently have a 50"X74" bed in our popup camper and we don't have any problems with that. My wife is 5'2" and I'm 5'10", so that helps a little. We've looked at both the dinette and the couch, and for some reason neither of us like the couch. And besides, we've never been referred to as 'normal'. The Casita actually has a slightly larger bed, but the 'mattress' is the 4" cushions from the dinette seats. My dad is finally convinced to go and look at an Airstream. He's 80, and doesn't know when he will find the time to check one out. But, I told him to go ahead and spend the money - he doesn't need to leave it to us kids. Shoot, I'd rather he enjoyed it than to think he went without something just so we could have a little more money when he's gone. Mike L |
|
|
I was fine with tent camping - I had all the good stuff to make it fairly comfortable (as comfortable as tent camping can be). But my wife announced that she wasn't going to do any more tent camping, no way, fuggetaboudit! If I wanted her to go I was going to have to get something more comfortable. I was more than happy to oblige; after all, you can't have enough toys, and this was going to give me a golden opportunity to buy some and say I was doing it for her. How good is that? I bought the camper based on some assumptions that proved to be incorrect. For instance: While I use the camper, I don't use it as often as I anticipated (surprise!). I haven't done any spontaneous camping - you know...go fishing or whatever, and decide to spend the night. I thought I would do more of that. I carry the camper on my truck all the time (...for that spontaneous camping), and it's proving to be a major pain to take it off when I want to use the truck to carry stuff. I didn't think it would be that much of a hassle, but it is. And carrying the camper on the truck screws up my already meager gas mileage. So, what I would do if I had it to do over? I would probably buy a small travel trailer - it would be more comfortable than the camper and it wouldn't be in the way when I wanted to use the truck as a truck. Jim "When visiting France I spoke to them in French, but I never did succeed in making those fools understand their own language." - Mark Twain |
|
|
Has anyone converted their generator to propane? It seems like a great idea. I dont like the idea of getting up in the middle of a hot, rainy/humid night to fuel up a small portable generator to keep the A/C running.
Since you already have propane and if you have a trailer or a camper you would also need a few cans of gas. Why not eliminate the need to also carry gas.
Site: http://www.propane-generators.com/
Opinions requested. Robert |
|
|
I didn't know they were still in business. They have been around for ever filling a nice spot in the lower end camper market. Simple, lighter (I assume), and less expensive. Do they have a web site? I'll add it to my list. Have you looked at Northstar? They look pretty nice. |
|
| www.six-pac.com | |
|
I have, but not in person. I cant find a local Northstar dealer and they are kinda pricey from what I have seen. Robert |
|
|
I can't believe I didn't have them on my list. For anyone interested, here is the current list.
HARDSIDE:
POPUP: |
|
|
That is the name of an exhibition at the Shelburne Museum just south of Burlington Vermont. It runs through October27 and celebrates America's involvement with recreational vehicles - campers, trailers, motor homes, etc. We drove over and spent two days in the Sun Lite popup while visiting the exhibit and the rest of the museum. The 1970 "10 foot" Sycamore slide in that John Steinbeck traveled the country in while writing "Travel's with Charlie" was there. Bought and sold at least a couple of times since, and showing the wear, it was mounted on a 1965 Chev. "Custom Camper" that looked awfully small under it. While I was inside it several other people came in through the door and I thought that the axle might come up through the floor to greet me. From the information provided by the exhibit, I learned that during those years there were over 100 manufacturers of slide-ins (four times the number on Vince's email address list above). During 1965, Chevrolet turned out 44,300 pickups with a Custom Camper nameplate on them, specially equipped for hauling campers. The exhibit described the plus and minus aspects of campers that we all know about and concluded that the RV market today is less enthusiastic about slide-ins than about other RVs. The Custom Camper by the way had 8.75R16.5 load range D tires on it. You who have read Steinbeck's book will remember that he was plagued with repeated tire failure until he finally put on some high quality tires. The roof of the camper had leaked and the sagging interior was being held up by a pine 1x4 finishing nailed to what must have been a wooden cross member in the roof system. The furnace was a huge old monster, and the lighting looked ancient. The layout was about what we have today, however. There are only so many ways to put together a sink, stove, frig, bath, table and bed. Nice decal of a trout and deer on the rear alongside the door, too. There were some other great RV's. The 1928 Zagelmeyer pop-up tent camper had wooden spoke wheels and the beds folded out to the side instead of front and back. It contained a portable kerosine heater of the burning wick type, and there were lots of similar bits of camping gear spread around the mockup campsite. The cotton canvas looked like it wouldn't last more than a few minutes in the downpour that we had on Saturday night. There was a video showing Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone, and Thomas Edison , entertaining President Warren Harding at their campsite. The food was cooked in a traveling kitchen hauled by a Ford truck that looked like a pack mule, two huge cabinets sticking out one on each side. Henry keeps hopping up to put a stick on the fire, but it looks like the chefs in tall white hats did all the cooking for those on the tour. Their campsite was at some waterfalls in western Maryland. I had no idea that the first motor home was developed around 1916 - a huge thing with solid rubber tires, 60hp engine and 9 forward speeds. It hauled a folding bridge to close gaps of 20 feet in the road, and mounted a winch for the tough spots. The builder planned a cross country trip but after arriving in Chicago after a harrowing (I think, two month) journey from New York, wisely put it on the train for California instead of trying the western roads. A 1957 Airstream, beautifully maintained, was next to a prototype 16 foot Airstream Bambi with an art deco interior. Lots of photos of Wally Byam, etc. Pyschedelic schoolbus camper, VW camper, etc, etc. Plus a lot of information about an industry that shipped $10.4 billion in RVs during 1999. Down a bit since, but still strong. Worth a visit for the R.V. stuff alone. The rest of the museum is a bonus. |
|
You are here:
Forums
Pickups Pickups - Archived Discussions Cabover Campers & Camper Trailers (pickups)
New? Join Now!
Forum Tools
Search Forums
Browse by Vehicle
Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
Today's Chats
