Slide in pickup campers

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

Thinking about getting a slide in pickup camper and have a few questions.

1) I see they make models that pop up and some that don't. Which is best and why?

2) Is the overhead area the only bed?

3) How big of a truck do I need for one of these?

4) Seems like they could get pretty warm inside, can you get them with a/c?

[FISHINGFARMER]

I've owned the pop-up style and enjoy it alot, very nice on days that you are bucking the wind or have a cross-wind when traveling, along with being able to maneuver into remote areas.

The table in most, fold down for a bed area also.

Most on the market today require atleast a 1/2 ton full bed truck, some can be smaller than that, but my 2 cents don't go that route. To be in the best of worlds a 3/4 ton truck will be the best way to go as not to overload your truck, cargo weight and trailering weight.

I can't say on getting one with a roof mount air or such, but have seen some with the back window removed and an a/c unit installed.

Most of the time a small fan and all windows un-zipped will cool things down.

Alot of different pop-up styles to choose from, enjoy your search for the right one.

Farmer

[IFallsRon]

I saw a model at a show this spring that had a slideout with set of bunks. It was really nice and pretty high ticket, too.

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

Yeah, that's the problem. You go see this nice stuff at the show and want it, but the budget won't allow it.

I thinking used, at least on the first one.

[ChuckN]

I've owned 2 kinds of PU campers. I first had a small PU pop-up camper that had the basics....a sink/hand pump with 6 gallons of water, double bed overhead, single bed below, propane heater, small fridge and 2 stove burner. Great little camper that quickly got too small for bringing my wife on cold rainy trips and being stuck in a confined space. It turned into a great hunting rig though! lol Lightweight and simple for the 1/2 ton truck. I added overload springs for extra support when towing my boat if needed, and it helped a lot.

I wanted something larger, so we now went to a 3/4 diesel and I bought a used 8' full enclosed Elkhorn. I made my first voyage a couple weeks ago to the far stretches of North Dakota on a hunting trip. This thing is really nice for cold weather, comfort and space. Full queen size bed, water pump, hot water, toilet, more cooking space and larger fridge. Room for 4 guys to sit around, socialize and eat meals was no problem.

The pros to a pop-up:

Lightweight

Less wind drag

Lots of windows to open

Cons to pop up-

-Moisture on the canvas walls that pop up/down.

-Hassle to move the truck while camping, need to reorganize everything to drop the top.

-Hassle to collapse the roof down properly and secure.

-Possibility the roof mounts can fail-I've personally seen guys have the front mounts break and lose the entire roof!

Pros to full size-

More room.

More comfort in cold weather.

Quiet, more comfort from outside noises, etc.

Can pack up and drive away at any time.

Much more options available like AC, toilet, etc.

Cons-

Heavier, and a mighty wind drag.

Need a large truck to handle the load. I'd recommend a diesel truck 3/4 ton or more, IMO.

In my situation I went from a simple camper to more sophisticated. The toilet/bathroom is nice in certain circumstances I found, however not nice to clean out after use. There is more maintanance for the water holding tank, water heater tank, water lines, etc for winter storage and cleaning after every use.

For traveling anywhere you like with the boat or whatever toy in tow, I absolutely love it and we hope to do more of it as a family in the future.

[norma]

I have several friends with slide in campers of the pop up variety, thet are set up mighty sparse. The basic neccesites, not much more and only enough capacity for a weekend (fresh water, black water and battery).

Last winter the dear wife and myself decided that tenting it just would not work any longer, setting up in the rain in the dark, leaking air mattreses, leaking tents, too darn cold, too darn sore from sleeping o the ground, these all took their toll on us and we decided a camper was the way to go.

We started by looking at the pop ups like our freinds had, but they only use them a few weekends a year. A lot more use was planned for us. So we started our search over, we wanted a truck camper for two reasons, towing the boat was easier than towing doubles, and we both enjoy deer hunting, strangely enough, she doesn't like spending a week in deer camp with 11 other guys . We found an Arctic Fox 990 that fit the bill prefectly, fully equiped it has a generator, two group 29 deep cycles, 14 gallons propane 52 gal black water(toilet) 38 gal gray (sink and shower) 42 gal fresh water 6 gal hot water heater, shower, toilet,, AC regular queen sized bed, 6 cu ft frige (3 way), full wall slide out, stove with a 16" oven, and a microwave. Full sized price tag as well. We dry camped in the nothwoods for 12 days last November deer hunting and never ran out of water or LP. Never felt cramped either, wich is saying someting when trying to dry blaze in the evening. I ended up trading in my 3/4 ton for a 1 ton to handle the weight.

We went out in it quite a few times last year spent a week on Kab. lots of trips to Millacs Vermillion and Leech, and four or five grouse hunting trips. Both of us agree, the best money we spent for outdoors was the camper. Oh yea, since it is so nice in cooler weather our camping season runs fron april to november.

If I am laying in bed, I can sit up and not hit my head, 46" clearance, the pop up I stayed in was like crawling down the barrel of a muzzle loader. If it is raining or snowing, we are comfortable, Likewise with the wind, pop ups lack there. We think of it as our cabin at the lake/woods/wherever we want to go.It also has five times the storage of a pop up.

So my advice is this, take your spouse with you and show here both sides of the coin. If you and your spouse like roughing it, get the pop up, cause you will be. But, if you want this to be your mobile cabin, that is relaxing to be in regardless the weather, look at the more expensive models. One other thing to concider, a pop up runs a few grand, in two or three years you will want to upgrade if you spend a lot of time in it. If you buy one used you can sell it for close to what you paid for it, then upgrade.

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

I know it's a trade off. I'd like a 1/2 ton truck for better mileage around town, but will probably need a 3/4 ton to do the trick with the camper.

As much as I love to camp & fish, in reality I don't get the chance to get out of town much. Most of my fishing is around town. Tying up a bunch of money into a rig that won't get used much is something I just can't justify.

That is one reason I was hoping to be able to use a 1/2 ton truck and go with the pop-up style camper.

Will that work?? What about bed length? I also hate to drive something around town that is super long, yet like the idea of 4 doors

[norma]

There are quite a few campers made for short bed trucks,doing it on a half ton truck limits the choices. And to tell you the truth, even tho the manufacturer says ok, I wouldn't do it. First time that you have to realy lay on the brakes or do an evasive manuver you will find that the 3/4 ton just paid for itself. I have a Dodge Dakota, highway it gets 16 mpg, hook up my Alumacraft and mileage is at 11 mpg. I also owned a Dodge 3/4 ton, highway mileage was 14.5, with the boat 13.5. Add in a better frame, tires, brakes, and drivetrain, the larger truck is definately best for rec use. For daily driving, the smaller truck works better.

How much time will you be using it for work vrs play. If your trips are less than 100 miles the 1/2 ton will work for you. Go on a 3 or 4 hr road trip with camper and boat, the life of tires and tranny will be shortened.

[sparcebag]

I have a Palomino Popup and a Ford 150, which if you dont know a 1/2 ton,Its considered a heavy 1/2 ton.The camper weighs 1300 lbs on state scales and its no problem hauling in wind,or any weather.I did get tires in a heavier weight class to be safer.The Motor is a 300 cu. in. 6 cyl.and I do tow a 16 ft crestliner with no problems.

had it since 1996 its been to Texas 3x, California 2x,Washington4x,and back & forth to Northern Mn.every year.