Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives Truck Camper

Does anyone use a Truck Camper ( Slide-in) for hunting trips? I'm contemplating the purchase of one and would like to hear comments and ideas.
Thanks.

Been using them for 25 years now, for deer, antelope, elk, moose, sheep, turkey, and duck and goose hunts. Both of mine have been Hallmark manufacture, with my current one the Ute LX model, mounted on my Dodge Ram 2500 diesel.

This rig is portable, well built, and with this setup, I can also tow trailers for my boat, UTV, etc.

Just make sure whatever you intend to use to carry it has the HP and springs to do the job well.

I can mirror the above post. I have used this current one for 7 years and have spent more then a 100 nights in it. I too pack it around on a 2500 diesel. The purpose of this is so that I can pull AVT trailer and most important my boat.

A consideration that became critical in my purchase. The truck with a diesel has some limitations. Gross Vehicle weight will be exceeded with all but the smallest campers. It's also has not been practical to remove while hunting to use the truck. It's not difficult to get the camper on and off, but it's nerve wracking on anything but a sound cement or asphalt surface for me. I have never taken mine off in the mountains or even a campground to use the truck. It's spooky with that thing standing up on those spindly legs. Speaking of the legs. There is only one option here. You must get the electronic lift legs regardless of the cost of the option. If you try to hand crank them you only ever have three legs on the ground at one time and it wobbles on those legs. With the electric legs you can move all of them at the same time.

When I upgraded to this, I bought the biggest heaviest jacks made each is 2500 lbs capacity. My camper total weight dry is 1600. It's spooky to have that 18,000 bucks of aluminum and thin plywood 4 foot off the ground on the spindly factory supplied hand crank jacks ( in the wind)

The diesel engine is so heavy that much of your carry capacity is sucked up by engine weight. Even my small unit is at the carry capacity limits. I added firestone Airbags and it's functional.

Ideally the bigger designs with pull outs are packed around on a one ton dually with a gas engine. The stability is by a margin better with a dually. Mine 8 foot camper rides on my short bed with a modified suspension to clear the 38 x 13.50 tires. Power is no problem even with the boat pulled up steep hills. The Cummins is plenty powerful.

As far as the other issues, water capacity is limited and insulation is not as good as a trailer. Also I would strongly suggest you do not buy with an on board generator. They are so loud you cannot use them comfortably. Rather get the Honda 2000iu and 30 foot heavy extension cord. You can relocate the gen and point the exhaust away from the camper. I have this same setup.

With this I can watch a movie in the camper and I cannot even hear the generator. That Honda is worth every penny. Another issue that needs to be addressed is condensation of multiple people when it's below freezing outside. It will get damp and wet with cooking, and breathing. Especially in the upper bunk when you are so close to the ceiling sleeping.

One solution is NEVER use the propane to heat with. It generates a lot of moisture. That heater will suck down the battery as well with the fan running all night. The better option is run a small electric heater off the honda. The Honda will run 8-10 hours on it's one gallon of fuel. Fill it up, set the thermostat on the heater to be warm but not hot. It will be running in the morning and have no additional moisture. Plus, as a side benefit your batteries are also full charged.

I have used the propane heater one time in my camper. I would prefer to just remove it and use that space for storage! I enjoy this camper a lot.

^this guy knows what he is talking about.

For years I used a Four Wheel Pop Top unit in my trucks. I pulled a small trailer behind the truck to haul big game. It was entirely satisfactory and was a great unit for upland bird hunting. It was seldom removed from the truck but easy to do on a concrete slab. I carried a small generator as someone noted above to keep the battery charged. The pop top feature was good as it kept the height down. Mine was on a long bed truck and quite roomy for two people and dogs. I would also agree to be sure you have enough truck to haul the camper and a trailer. Most any 3/4 ton with a 3:73 rear axle or better makes a good unit if it has the trailer towing package. A trans cooler is mandatory in my opinion with the auto trans if your truck didn't come with one.

I have no experienced with large campers that have a fixed roof so can't comment on them.

I've had two of the biggest campers Lance makes on my Dodge 2500. They weigh in at about 3,500 lbs. Never had a problem. Even got the 3 1/2' hitch extension to pull a trailer behind. The Lances had a solar battery charger on the roof, which goes a long way to keeping the battery juiced. The on board generators are indeed noisy. I agree that a 3,000-4,000 watt off-board generator is more useful.

I dropped my Lance campers on every hunt. That frees up the truck for trolling for elk, deer, or antelope. The Lances are an easy one man job to drop from and reload on the truck. Plus they have a microwave, AC, and nice bathroom for the ladies. That can be a very big deal.

We've gone back to fifth wheels for the much greater floor space and comfort. That does significantly limit how far we go into the mountain two tracks. Our Arctic Fox is the cat's azz for late season hunts. Extremely well equipped and insulated.

Wow, this has been very helpful. Thanks to all of you and JJHACK, you should consider writing a book. Very, very helpful and it's much appreciated.

Taz, how long is the 5th wheel and do you feel limited in any way, other than skinny mountain road travel?

i have an 8' 3" lance slide in camper sitting on my heavy duty
3/4 ton chevy short bed pickip. the bed is 6'6" and i leave
the gate down which brings the camper even with it. i called
the lance factory before buying it and was told it was made for short bed trucks. my truck has a vortec gas engine and it does a fine job pulling it. 2 years ago i took a 6 week trip
west towing my 06 jeep wrangler. i covered much of montana
wyoming and colorado without an incident with a truck having
over 100.000 miles on it when i left home. gas milage averaged
8 mpg on that trip towing the jeep. towing my 18' boat at home
in fl. is like nothing is back there. puting it on and off
the truck is easier with 2 people. i dont have power jacks
but do have a power drill i use when electric is available.
my unit is very comfortable for one person. 2 people means
one sits down while the other moves around. privacy could also
be a factor for women. frankly larger units are pretty much the same. i can visit friends without feeling im infringing
if you know what i mean. best thing i ever bought for me at this point in my life. im alone and now 78.

My fox is the 26-5 model, meaning it's 26.5' long in the interior. Exterior length is at least 29'. It's a heavy rig, but the only true 4 season 5th wheel made.

I loved my Lance campers. Very easy to get into the tightest mountain areas. Had to do some occasional gardening to get through tight spots with trees and brush. Very well set up units and its truly a one man loading and unloading job with the wired or wireless remote control. The wireless makes it just that much easier. You can do it all from the front seat of the truck. Arctic Fox also makes truck campers.

The biggest consideration with top line truck campers, such as Lance and Arctic Fox, is their very high price per linear or square foot versus that of a 5th wheel or bumper pull trailer. They are very proud of those campers. The Hallmark, made right up the road from me in Brighton, CO are substantially lower cost, but a little more space and comfort limited by their pop up design. They are definitely lighter, lower in profile, and therefore much easier to get into the deep and dark.

Its all what you want and what you are willing to compromise. If there is a lady involved, it will make your travel life much easier to ensure good bathroom facilities. In addition, as mentioned somewhere above, the take a number to move around the camper gets to be a real irritant on long stays. Most campers have such limited floor space that its mandatory that one person moves around at a time. Unless you like pushing each other around. That is the greatest benefit of a 5th wheel or bumper pull trailer. I had 8 folks around a 6' folding table in my 5th wheel for several evenings dinners during a recent antelope season. Slide outs are wonderful things! Try that in a camper, especially a pop up.

truck camper forum

Check this out for a good place to research a little more in depth. Lot of good info. I have a Lance 815 and like it quite a bit though as my two boys are growing we are outgrowing the camper and may be upgrading to a trailer soon.

Thanks for that link and good information.

Here's a pic of my Hallmark camper, Ute LX model.

Don't know what kind of truck you have. My friend has big a cabover camper with jacks. On a 3/4T diesel with a horse trailer behind, it was real nervous in the wind. He got a dually that works much better. You'll be using this for hunting and likely in the mountains or at altitude. For that, turbo diesel power is the only way to go.

I will be buying a truck and it will be daily driver. Part of my research is to make sure that a truck camper is what I really will get the best use from. I like the idea of not having to pull an additional trailer but unless I buy a pop-up, such as a Fourwheel Camper or the like, I may have to go with a 3/4 ton pickup. I will call different manufacturers to see if there are any hard side campers that can be fitted to 1/2 ton pickups without causing an unacceptable lack of performance.

Hmmm. Not my experience(s) at all JJ. I've had my camper since 1997. I use it on all of my hunting trips. I'm posting from it now in my hunting camp. I've spent as long as 8 weeks living in it in cold down to -20.
First of all, a diesel engine doesn't weigh much more than a gas engine. Just a few hundred pounds. And, more important, it's on the other end of the vehicle.
My camper weighs 2700 lbs. dry. Add a full load of fuel, water (300 lbs. plus) and all of my gear and were well over the gross vehicle weight of th truck.
When I ask the sales people about this, they said the axle on my 89 Dodge was plenty strong enough. The tires would carry 3000 lbs. each. Only the springs needed helps. Air bags do that quite well. I've carried for hundreds of miles every year since. Sometimes in really nasty, high winds. Handles fine. My current truck, an 06 Dodge diesel does even better. My GVR is 8550 lbs. Singel rear wheels.
Insulation is a problem with yours ? Not in mine. The guy next to me paid $52,000 for his 5th wheel. His water system froze overnight in 20 degree weather. It's takes -10 to freeze my hot water. And -20 to loose my cold water. Lance makes them with all sorts of insulation and ducts some of the heat from the forced air system to make this work.
The battery dies in cold weather over night ? Not in mine, even in single diget weather. Group 27 battery and fours hours of generator time keeps it up.
Built in generator too noisy ? That's funny. I can hardly hear mine. When it's running, a red light inside the camper is on to warn me it's still on so I won't go to bed with it running. It burns less than a quarter gallon of propane per hour at full load, that's running the AC at full power, etc.
Moisture buildup, especially in the overhead sleeping area ? Not me. The forced air heating system ducts warm air into that area. The fan equipped overhead vents in both the bathroom and in the main living area handle that just fine. Just use the vents when any indication arises. Even when raining.
You can't take the camper off by yourself and use the truck for hunting ? Did that for a number of years. You do need a fairly level spot and jack pads that can be stacked to do a proper job. Just do a little at a time and it works fine. Make sure it stays nose high when doing it. You lower the camper to within 8 inches of the ground when off of the truck. Camped in high winds, etc, just like that. Mine is wired for the electric jacks. Haven't bothered to have them installed.
I'm convinced I couldn't stand doing my one man hunts for extended periods of time if I didn't have this camper. Hot shower every night, high quality fresh food, forced air heating, etc. Yes ! E

Well, if you're gonna use any kind of camper that you can live in, don't even think about 1/2T. Really, a 3/4T has more capacity plus bigger brakes gears etc and it just better to have anyway. Once again, don't mess with gasoline. Diesel is the way to go with any kind of load and you'll really notice it in a headwind or going up a grade. Diesels have gobs more torque where you need it, plus they're turbo'd and altitude doesn't affect them near as much. But altitude just sucks the life out of a normally aspirated (gasoline) engine. My diesel is a daily driver, there's no problem with that. It's the way to go with a pickup truck. Put it this way...... I know lots of people who drive diesel pickups every day and they all love those things. None of them, not even one, would rather have a gas truck.

like most things we buy there is seldom a perfect answer for
all people and all situations. i had tow benind units by way of 30 plus ft holiday ramblers for more than 30 years. for
family use i would reccomend the larger units over the pickup
campers. at this point i have no family to satisfy so the camper fits the bill nicely.
as for the diesel yes they have more power and torque. but theirs a price to pay for everything.
i have towed large heavy trailers over the rocky mountains on long trips west a number of times.
all the way to jasper nat park. the gas engines were never a problem even once. fact is some guys
simply want a diesel. they own them with no valid reason for them other than liking them. will it pull
a heavy trailer better yes it will. is it a must have to pull one no it isnt and dont be told it is.

Outfitter manufacturing apex 9.5 for the wife and me.

My priority for the equipment is the ability to insure for loss. Where I'm at much of the time the possibility of loss from a whole plethora of natural causes exists.

Your insurance will never know the "match" between truck and camper until you have a problem. At which point they will deny all coverage for this claim when you have knowingly exceeded the Gross vehicle weight.

Sure it's done all the time. However I am an ultra conservative guy. And I had the advice on this from the dealer I purchased at based on his experience of folks being denied coverage for both the camper damage and the truck.

As far as the Generators go? our tolerance to noise must be different. The onboard gen sets I have heard are a problem for me? My little honda 2000 20 -30 feet from the camper is nearly silent.

I have an '08 Ram with the 6.7 diesel and a 6 spd manual, quad cab, long bed and air bags. The payload rating is 1860. I haven't had a camper on it but I've hauled close to a ton of hay many times easily.
My hunting partner has the exact same truck in an '07 with the auto tranny. He hauls a Lance camper and pulls 2 horses behind it. He just cruises. This truck will easily handle a large camper if you don't get carried away with the size.