Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives Tips for buying a truck camper?

Guys,
I am in the market for a truck camper (cab over, slide in, whatever you want to call it) and have no idea what I am doing. We did decide we wanted one on the truck vs anything towed because we feel it will give us better mobility plus it will usually only be two of us.

What do I need to look for in a used camper? For example I was looking at a Lance 835 lite for $9500 but its hard for me to know if that is a good price or not. Does the method of storage matter? I am guessing UV degradation can affect integrity but I am not sure what else to look for. All tips are greatly appreciated.

I'd consider a trailer unless you plan to pull a boat. If you do get a PU camper, make plans to TIE IT DOWN when it is stored off the truck. They don't fare well when the wind "maytags" them.

A lengthwise bed is FAR easier to get out of than a crosswise one, especially for the one in front at 2AM.

As far as price, Craigslist and maybe Ebay will give some idea of value.

It's been a while since I've had one.


If glass, I'd inspect for soundness and if there were any repairs needed.
If Al clad, again, soundness looking for loose panels, original screws, look inside for evidence of leaks.

Check all caulking to see if any has been replaced or needs to be.

Look at frame underneath for evidence of leaks/water damage.

Have had one in the family for as long as I can remember, some lessons learned over the years. New ones are usually silly expensive, most folks I have known over the years bought theirs used, us included.

Used: really need to go over the camper with a fine tooth comb, a microscope, and a critical eye. Ok, some over-statement, but the real issue is inheriting a headache/money pit from somebody else. To me, knowledge of the previous owner's travel style is critical. How did they travel, how much, how long did they own it?

Exterior: any break in the skin can leak and hide years of rot and wood damage. We have a recent model NorthWoods (SP?) Lite with a fiberglass skin. The rear panel needed replaced with a complete rear skin, about $800 to pick up at the factory. When the original was removed, we found multiple stringers and structeral wood supports that needed replaced, much more than expected. What should have been a simple replacement turned into a couple days of rebuild. The issue was the extent that the water damage had spread behind the panel, that could not be seen until removal. Any areas that have fresh chaulk are suspect, and any repairs in the skin bear a closer inspection.

Vents: look closely at the plex air vents on top, they are expensive to replace, and a very good point for leaks. If they show any of the crazing cracks, they will need replaced soon.

Sides: look for flexing in the corners or the sides of the camper. Most come with a set of corner jacks, or stands, and you'll see any movement when the camper is raised or lowered if there are hidden problems. Generally, shouldn't see any flex at the anchor points.

Bottom: often overlooked and a good indication of care and GASF in caring for the camper. Look for broken corners, torn seam covers, and for wear in the bottom consistant with the useage history. The bottom panels are generally plywood, and excessive wear is generally pretty easy to spot. The corners usually take a beating if the camper is removed regularly from the carrier.

Propane capacity: If you are running a gas cook stove, heater furnace (and a gas A/C unit on newer models), and a gas refrigerator, a dual tank system is recommeneded. One 5-gal tank will do it for a few days, but most of us want a back-up tank, and will carry a spare if the camper doesn't hold a second tank. Which means you have to figure out where carry the second tank...

Storage: my rule of thumb, YMMV, if it (fishing poles, extra coats, extra pots/pans, hunting gear) doesn't have a storage space in the camper, it will in the way anytime you want use the living space, and will become a constant PITA at some point. Look at your load plan, length of trips, weather, and how much storage you have vs how much you want to take. Some traveling experience will trim the load, but if you have to store items in the camper living area, and remove them to use it, you are going to end up wishing you had bought a bigger camper really quick.

Bathroom: How much use is it going to get? Black and Grey water tanks take up space from other needs, but very useful for mixed gender camping. Shower - useful, but required? We have one, it helps on longer trips. Having lived through a Port-o-Let phase, I prefer a bathroom in the camper, shower is optional. Keep in mind the size of the users, I'm 6'2", sitting down for buisiness is laughable at best. You are also becoming tied to the RV-style dumping of the tanks, and this does drive trip planning a bit. Typically hunting camp, we are coming out once week to dump the tank, sooner if camp cooking is sub-par...

Kitchen area: No real comments here, it either meets your cooking needs, or it doesn't. IME, the size of the oven is the biggest debate with the other half on what is "enough". The sink is small, the fixures are plastic, and you need to look for signs of water leakage underneath the counter and the sink area. Over time, our sink spout has developed a quirk of popping off under pressure at random times.

Power: how much needed, how many batteries on board, and how does the battery bank charge? Ours has two big RV/Marine batteries, they require a charge about once a day of 30 minutes of idle on the truck system, or a small generator to run everything at once. The build-in microwave will not work in ours on batteries, has to be on a generator to operate. When buying, how old are the batteries, how many Montana winters have they seen?

The model you are looking at is similiar to what my folks have, but theirs is extended by 2 more feet and the dining area "bumps" out. It has a two tank propane system. Running the furnance, refrig, stove - the tanks last about a week.

Thank you very much for the responses. Big help on what to eyeball for both of us. I feel sorry for the guy that buys it new, I was shocked to see they can reach $30k.

AH64guy has a lot of detailed experience I'll just add. Buy the biggest possible and make double damn sure you have enough truck. You need to check actual numbers, not assume.

Because of a cab-over's extreme height, and extra weight, you might want to reconsider a small travel trailer, rather than overloading your truck.

One of these things can save you a lot of tank dumping while hunting. Forget the bag. Just dig a small hole and set it over it.

Don't forget to factor in the cost of tie-downs for your truck. I like the frame-mounted Torklift variations, but they can cost upwards of $500 for the set.

Look at the length of your sleeping areas, bunks and think throughwho's goes to be using them. The dining table makes down into a bedding area, but it's usually tight for adults. You also have to clear everything off of the table and put it somewhere...back to the storage discussion.

A night cramped up in a short bunk isn't much fun, especially over several nights in a row.

The bed over the cab usually isn't a problem, the newer models seem to have solved that area, it's the rest of the sleeping arrangements to consider.

Rockchucks seat is in our camper, good idea for a backup if the bathroom system goes down...which has happened.

I'm of the opinion that truck campers are a great idea. I started hunting and traveling in one way back in the 60's when they were new in the world of trailer camping.
First of all, make sure what you are looking at is matched to your truck. That Lance Lite you are considering should work on a 1/2 ton truck. But, even with a 3/4 ton truck, I'd strongly recommend installing air bags to level the load.
Lance makes campers that really do allow one to camp year round with some exceptions. When I used to hunt elk in Montana, if it reached -10 F, I'd loose my hot water. But usually I'd get it back. At -20 F, I'd loose my cold water as well. But that too would come back if the weather warmed a bit. Never had a pipe blow out from freezing, BTW. That's because they insulate their campers well, and because they duct warm air from the heating system to the holding tanks.
I've stored mine for years where the wind blows at 50 mph. or more w/o ever having it tip ovver. Lower it to within 6-8 inches of the ground in the back and angle it upward a bit.
They can really make long hunting trips easy to do. I've lived in mine during Montana's elk seasons, and extended elk seasons, for as long as 8 weeks. In the low desert, I just did a four week hunt. Sure is nice to have a hot shower and clean sheets to sleep in, to say nothing of plenty of quality food to eat.
BTW, a camper qualifies as a second home under IRS rules last I heard. That means the interest you pay on one is a tax deduction. E

You can put the seat ring on a 5 gal bucket with the bottom cut out.

If you must tow another vehicle, then you're stuck with no option but a camper.

1969, I had just returned from Vietnam the year before, and bought a brand new 3/4-ton GMC Longhorn pickup, powered by a big block 396 cu, 4-bbl V-8 and automatic trans with cooler. These had an 8-1/2' bed and were built especially heavy duty for the 9' (and larger) campers then becoming commonly available. I installed a 9' cab-over camper of modest weight. Towing a relatively light 17', 100 hp, outboard ski boat, it was just about right. Even without towing, there was still noticeable sway, and you really knew you were hauling a heavy load. That is to say it drove like a tank. Yet no lighter duty truck could have been adequate. The extra weight and windage of a heavy camper severely cuts down your fuel economy.

Since then I have done quite a bit of towing with an 18' Airstream trailer, behind a 1/2-ton pickup (with shell), from Baja to BC, and felt that setup was perfectly adequate for a couple. The trailer benefited from better insulation and heating system, and much more storage than found on most slide-in campers. Also the layout is usually far better. The ease of unhooking it made it convenient to run around with only the shell, saving fuel.

Pros and cons of a pop up vs hard side.

I have had both. When you need to move it everything has to be taken down and at least put on the floor with a pop up( crank up). Then you have to fuss around to get the soft sides inside the hard shell when cranking down With hard sided, you put the pots and pans away, stick a few things in the sink and take off.

Going down the road, the pop ups are a lot easier on the gas mileage and have less wind resistance to those cross winds than a full height hard side.

Either way though a majority of campers see very little use and ones can be found in almost new condition for considerably less than new

Having had both and always used units... We got really tired of having to stow everything if we wanted to go exploring. If you are looking used, make sure you check out plumbing as in water heater and lines. Some folks don't think they need to winterize, get an unplanned, cold extended freeze and you need a new water heater. Been there done that. Bottom line is plus/minus to a camper or trailer. Just weigh all the pros/cons before you buy or your life will become unhappy fast.

I don't find a really big drop in fuel mileage. With the camper and towing my Jeep, my mileage runs about 13+. the empty truck gets about 18 mpg. This is with a Dodge diesel, and a stick.
I've driven mine in some really nasty crosswinds. The kind that blows the snow sideways. This where the air bags are really worth having. That and I bought a 9 ft. 10 inch Lance which has it's center of gravity forward of the rear axle. Not much of a problem with those choices. E

Sent you a PM.

A 28% drop in mileage isn't a really big drop? Your math is different than mine.

I'm not being a jerk, but I would like to know how to get better than 13mpg after adding a minimum(dry weight) of 6500 lbs to a pickup. 18 is about what I've seen as an average from a standard shift Dodge/Cummins long box extended cab(highway mileage). 13 towing at 65mph, I've found, is doing pretty good...