Truck Camper News

Here's the skinny on wide dually truck camper loading

2009-11-22T19:30:00.000-08:00

As truck campers get heavier, the need for a dually pickup to haul the old RV becomes increasingly important. We hauled an 11 1/2' truck camper on a three-quarter ton standard 4-wheel pickup--for a while. But it was a seriously scary proposition, and there was plenty of white knuckling to be seen from the passenger side. We finally gave it up and made the switch to a one-ton dually pickup. We were certainly happy the camper was already equipped with swing out brackets.

If you're new to truck camping, you may have never heard of swing out brackets. This special camper jack hardware allows one to actually swing the camper jacks out away from the camper. Without them, you'll find the "standard" width camper is to narrow to be loaded up on a dually pickup, whose rear wheel fenders stick out from the side of the pickup. Still, even loading with swing out brackets can be trial some. Recently one RVer wrote regarding his new dually truck and camper, that even with swing out brackets, "I am barely getting an inch on each side. This is to close for comfort."

We've looked high and low and haven't found any brackets that "give" any more width than these brackets. With out Ford dually, we have about an inch and a half of space on each side if we precisely center our camper when loading. And yes, it feels way 'to close for comfort,' for us as well. So what's to do?

When truck camper owner says he lays blankets over the side of his fenders when loading and unloading, so that if the unthinkable happens, at least he can prevent a paint scratch. Another RVer suggests clamping plastic wire ties (as used in holding bundles of electrical wiring together) to the forward camper jacks, turned so that the wire ties are pointed toward each other. The ties are cut to a precise width, so that when the camper is backed under the camper at loading, if either of the wire ties begins to touch the truck fender it indicates a steering correction is needed to avoid disaster.

In any event, pulling in or out slowly and cautiously, making small steering corrections is the first order of business. We've heard of one camper fan can back in and load up his camper in less than eight minutes. Maybe so, but we're not working for even trying to meet his record. We'd rather take as long as it takes to safely--and with minimal stress--load up.

Truck Camper Full Circle

2007-05-07T08:29:00.000-07:00

We got into the "RV World" almost accidentally. Decades ago when we were younger (?) and had a place in the country, we needed a truck to lug goat food and firewood. Responding to a classified ad for an ancient Datsun pickup, I, the male side of the family, drove out to the seller's place. Alas, a little brown pickup was just pulling out of the yard. "He's just test driving it," said the owner. "Why don't you look at the camper that goes with it?" she offered. Camper? Nothing in the advertisement about a camper, but after five minutes of looking, I was hooked--but certain that "test drive" would turn into a sale. As it turned out, the six-foot-three-inches of test driver couldn't comfortably fit in the Datsun, and soon we were the ecstatic owners of a truck and Western Wilderness camper.

The old Wilderness wasn't long on features: Ice box, port-a-pot, and no "house battery." We soon learned you didn't run the furnace overnight if you wanted to start the truck next morning. But we went places hither and yon that we never would've dared in a tent. And when we sold the old Wilderness to "upgrade" there wasn't a dry eye between us. We "moved up" to an 11 1/2 footer, an orphan Conestoga full of fun, and hidden dry rot. We learned more about RV repair on that Conestoga but logged a lot of miles, writing for the RV industry and getting acquainted with places we surely put on our "go back to list."

The Conestoga took us to Quartzsite--again and again. But after a slow recovery from pneumonia, the wife said, "Please, I need something bigger." You can't get much bigger in a camper than those nearly 12 feet, so we bought a 28' fifth wheel and settled down to living in a larger space that needed much larger spaces to go.

Years passed. We now fulltime in that fifth wheel. We still write for the industry. And we miss going places we "usedta coulda" get into with a truck camper but the fiver prevents it. And then, a few months ago we found another camper. Our new "project piece" is another 11 footer, an Elkhorn by Fleetwood. Like that old Conestoga the Elkhorn has gotta a few tricks up its sleeves as we learned in our initial shakedown cruise. But maybe we can work them out--and even if we can't, we're sure will have a camper in our RV fleet no matter. There's just nothing like having your home on your back.

Newbie Corner: What's an RV Wet Bath?

2009-05-12T12:20:00.001-07:00

This isn't a question that comes up too often in the "other" RV sections, but for those looking at buying a truck camper, the question of, "What's a wet bath," comes up pretty often. "After all, I figure when I'm gonna take a shower I'll get wet, right?"

Our first "big" truck camper--our first tc with a bathroom, had a wet bath. A wet bath is a bathroom where the shower, the toilet, and (if there is one) the sink, all share the same space. In our old Okanogan (long time an orphan) camper the wet bath had a one piece "floor pan." The toilet perched up atop the black water holding tank, and the shower shared the same fiberglass floor, with the shower water running into its own built in gray water tank.

A wet bath is typically an innovation to save space. Mind you, 'sitting on the pot' with your feet propped up on the edge of the shower stall could lead to some interesting entanglements in the middle of the night. Our present Fleetwood camper is a "dry bath," rig, separate toilet, walk-in shower stall, and sink. I'm not so sure if the matter is all that much of an improvement--to really be comfortable with those long, pondering sessions on the throne, the best way is to pop the door open out into the dinette area, giving you a wee bit of leg room. Not real skookum when the company comes for a visit!

To digress just a moment: Our Okanogan with the wet bath was a battle-scarred veteran when we first got it. Little did we realize just how scarred it was, until the middle of one night on the desert when we were blasted from our sleep by a loud "CRACK!" Driven from bed by the fairer sex, your host opened the bathroom door to find the wet bath "pan" dropped below the normal floor level by a few inches.

Reporting my findings back to the wife, she queried, "What do we do now?" What to do? "Get up and figure out how to fix it in the morning," was my bold reply. And with that I rolled over, shut off the reading light, and went back to sleep. She, like all good tc women, lay awake all night stewing about it.

photo courtesy east end campers

Photos tell the story--truck camper damage repaired

2009-08-24T11:00:00.000-07:00

We've devoted the last couple of blog entries to our little "run in" with stupidity in Wells, Nevada, wherein our errant camper driver failed to retract a jack leg before dropping truck into gear with predictable results. Some asked to see photos of the repair work that we detailed in our last entry. With a nod to those of you who are ready to move on to something else (we'll devote the next entry to something else altogether) we herewith post these pictures.

First, the nastiness that came from too much torque at the wrong time.

And the follow up photos demonstrate just what a couple of determined character can do with a new panel and a fiberglass repair kit can accomplish.

The results aren't "factory" to say the least. But when we look back on what condition the rig was in when we first bought it, our little "camper project" is slowly making advancement. Next summer we hope to open up the street side rear corner of the camper, dig out some dry rot, and put it back together. At that time, we'll work on the "accent package," and re-stripe the side of the rig.

The white paint field between the jack and the current striping shows the need for the re-stripe job. This is an area where we used did a bit of fiberglass repair, as opposed to yanking another whole panel and fussing to replace it. When the jack parted with the rig, the original panel tore in several places. Still, with a bit of Bondo and some concerted efforts with a sander, the whole effect isn't as bad as the gut originally indicated it might be.

And thanks to the reader who suggested tying something to the steering wheel to note an "abnormal condition." Our driving half now attaches a small, white "ball bungy" to the steering wheel when there's something that needs tending before leaving, be it the TV antenna up, a wheel chock, or (perish the thought) a jack leg down. It's already 'saved the bacon' once.

Repairing major body damage

2009-08-13T11:27:00.000-07:00

In our last post we spelled out the damage done in a dumb-RVer trick when a corner jack was left down on pavement and the driver pulled away. Since that post much of that damage has been healed. Several of you left condolences, and we appreciate that. Incidentally, to clarify for some: RV dump stations at Flying J truck stops are for the use of RVers and are generally located in an area inaccessible to 18-wheelers. Does this writer feel stupid about the whole event? Without a doubt, one of the major dipstick moves of the year for me.

Our contractor buddy, on hearing of the damages, told us without even seeing the damage that he figured we could put things to right in a day. Sounded pretty cockeyed optimistic to us, especially when the appointed day came and Contractor John wasn't even available until noon. But we started out, removing that "dislocated" corner jack. Prying back the fiberglass siding panels revealed not only damaged timbers, but some amount of dry rot. All that needed to go, so off came the most damaged panel.

As many truck camper folks have ruefully learned, the "wing" area behind the truck's rear wheel is a common site to find rotten wood. Ours was no different, so that damaged piece of wood was pulled out. John rummaged in his scrap pile and located a suitable board for replacement: Straight grain Douglas fir. Beautiful stuff, hugely expensive, and all to be hidden away behind a side panel! We're not talking about Doug fir plywood, but rather a panel of fir. John also tossed in some nice oak timbers for added strength and because they were available.

When the jack had been rudely pried away from the corner of the camper, it also yanked pretty hard on camper's rear bumper. Sliding underneath we found the bumper was largely held in place by lag bolts, running up through the bumper and into the TC's flooring. Quite a number of lag bolts were absent without leave, and we blew new holes through the bumper and installed fresh lags for security.

While several of the fiberglass panels had been damaged in the incident, the lowest side panel had taken the worst "hit" of them all. One of the local RV dealers had a panel squirreled away in their back room. John at Coumbs RV gasped when he saw the damages, and generously donated the panel to the cause. You meet the nicest folks in the trade. The panel was cut to replace the old one, and worked in fine. That still left damage to one other side panel, and a couple on the rear of the rig. We could have opted to try and replace those as well, but with the door, a couple of windows, a roof ladder, and other accessories all in the way, we had to come to a decision.

The camper was most recently in the hands of a family who, after putting the rig away for the winter, never gave another thought to the rig until the next summer rolled around. Sadly, the rubber roof had been damaged along the line, and the fierce rains of winter had taken a terrible toll. They "unloaded" the rig and their pickup on an RV dealer who figured the primary value was in the truck. As a result, he "fixed" some of the water damage, largely by covering it up, and sold the TC to us at a below-rock-bottom price. We knew coming into it we were buying a "project" camper, but wow, what a project it turned into.

With all that in mind, we determined that we'd try repairing the fiberglass panel damage. In another life, Contractor John had worked in a fiberglass boat factory, so his experience came to bear. After we replaced a damaged piece of aluminum angle that serves as a major corner support, we brought the fiberglass panel corners together and applied fiberglass mat and resin. This effectively filled in the missing pieces of panel, and joined the side panels and rear panels together as one. By this time, day was ending, and we were putting out lights to see by.

After then fiberglass cured, we sanded extensively, smoothing up the fiberglass. After that, the "bodyman's friend," Bondo, was brought to bear. More sanding followed, and more Bondo, until finally, John declared the body damage fixed. All that remained for that session was to mount up the jack brackets, hang the jack, and send me home--at 10:00 pm. John was pretty close to correct--a "day's worth" of labor and the worst of the issue was handled. We're still waiting out the rainy Northwest summer weather to apply a shot of paint and reinstall a couple of chunks of trim, but that should go pretty fast.

I didn't have the heart to ask what it would have cost to have a professional RV body shop to do the work involved. Maybe it's best I not know. My heart would only take so much.

A tank dumping disaster

2009-08-01T11:29:00.000-07:00

We sometimes wonder what new story we'll bring to Truck Camper News. It's a pretty specialized "news niche" and preparing something new can be a challenge. But we now have something that should give us plenty to talk about for a few weeks--interspersed with other applicable truck camper news and views. It all starts with a Flying J truck stop in Wells, Nevada.

Like most Flying J's, this one has an RV dump station. And like most Flying J's, the dump station is of an infernal design that makes one wonder about the competence of Flying J engineers. Picture, if you will, a sidewalk between a fuel island and the traffic lanes leading in and out of the truck center. In the middle of this sidewalk sticking up several inches, is the RV dump port. There is no "cutout" in the concrete, no appropriate dump station apron--you simply pull up next to the side walk, sling your sewer hose across the sidewalk, insert it into the dump port (after obtaining a key to unlock said port), and hope you can overcome gravity enough to get your tanks empty.

Mind you, the slope of the traffic lanes next to the "sidewalk" run at a fairly steep angle, away from the dump port. As a result, if you park your rig next to this sidewalk affair, you can anticipate that most of your gray and black water--through the miracle of gravity--do an excellent job of working against your best efforts of evacuating them from your holding tanks. To overcome the power of gravity, it's necessary to somehow prop up your RV in order to "level the playing field" and induce your tankage to make the trip down the sewer hose and into the drain.

So fellow truck campers, what's the simplest way to change the pitch of the rig? Sure, lower the passenger side camper corner jack, raising the camper appropriately. And that's just what I did, jacked the camper up until the angle allowed for getting most of the juices flowing. Mind you, without an apron or cutout, it's a bit of a trial to "milk" the sewer hose out before you uncouple the hose from the RV. Despite best efforts, there was a bit of spillage, which of course, ran down the pavement toward the traffic lane.

Since the rinse water tap is also in the middle of this "sidwalk" affair, and wasn't equipped with a rinse hose, I figured the best way to deal with this problem was that following the rinse out of my dump hose, I'd flush the mess with water through my relatively clean hose. I crawled up from the curb, carefully clutching my partially loaded sewer hose (there was no way to get all the contents out of it without standing up first), got it emptied, and cracked the handle on the rinse tap. No dice. The water was evidently turned off. No rinsing of hose, no cleanup of spill, no washing off my sewer gloves.

I walked across the island to the posted "drinking water" tap, and found it too, was anything but vital. It had been a long, hard day, I was thoroughly cross, and was thinking of all the dark and critical things that I could post in an appropriate blog. I carefully re-stowed the sewer hose and dumping gloves. I crawled back in the cab, muttering to myself, when the navigator appeared from across the parking lot, looking thoroughly tired out. In a complete gesture of the misplaced gentleman, I fired up the rig, dropped it into "Drive" and hit the accelerator, just in time to see a horrified facial expression and a frantic wave-off from the navigator. Simultaneously a harsh, grating noise and sheering sound reached my ears. It didn't take but a moment for my imagination to supply a visual image of what my camper corner jack was looking like about now.

My imagination was quite accurate. Standing off at about a 15 or 20 degree angle, the camper jack had manfully stood its ground, never flinching in its assignment in the face of war. With its "foot" dug into the pavement, still somewhat attached by its bracket, it defied the torn fiberglass siding, sheared plywood panel, and cracked timber framing of what remained of the outside corner of the camper. By the time the navigator reached the scene, I had about used up my store of expletives.

A building contractor friend and I trade labor. Perhaps it's a good thing that the ledger sheet indicates "he owes me big time." Together we will learn of the joys of repairing truck camper damage. I'll share our findings and photos here as we go along.

Meantime, the camper jack is still clinging to the camper, aided by a ratcheting tie down affixed to the roof ladder. The hideous, gaping hole in the corner of the camper reminds me of the awful wounds suffered in war. If I don't look, it doesn't hurt quite so bad.

Can your fifth-wheel enabled pickup carry a truck camper?

2009-09-17T13:25:00.000-07:00

It's a problem for those who own too many RVs. We fulltimed in a fifth wheel for several years, but yearned for the "old days" when we flitted around the countryside, going anywhere we wanted with a truck camper. So now we have a fifth wheel, a travel trailer, and a truck camper. What to do about hauling the truck camper when the pickup bed is tied up with fifth wheel hitch equipment?

The first line, of course, is to pull the fifth wheel hitch out of the truck bed. That's easy enough, but still you're burdened with the hitch rails in the bed of the truck. When we first brought home our new "project" truck camper, we simply loaded into the truck bed, right over the top of the fifth wheel rails. Not a great idea--the poor camper rocked back and forth, giving everybody in the truck a new spin on the term, "vertigo."

With a measuring tape, we soon discovered that the bed rails in the truck were three-quarters of an inch high in the bed. With a little bit of work with the skill saw, we soon chopped up a piece of three-quarter plywood, making the pieces fit around the hitch rails, thus "leveling out the playing field." We made sure we got quality, exterior plywood. Even so, the sun took its toll on the plywood: After a year of baking in the sun, the plywood was trying hard to deteriorate. So it's not a bad idea to take the extra time and effort and hit your new "decking" with a couple of coats of high quality paint--porch and deck paint might not be such a bad idea, to stand up to the wear and tear.

Since then, we've found a permanent place to moore the fifth wheel, and simply pulled the fifth wheel hitch rails out of the truck. Yep, it'll be a major hassle when the fiver has to be moved again, but we're going back in places we'd never be able to get the Old Girl into--and getting out again without scratching the paint!

Where do you put your trash?

2009-10-16T12:09:00.000-07:00

Yeah, we take ours to the dump, too. But in reality, here's a problem for us who boondock in a truck camper: After a few days of sitting tight in one spot, our garbage began to load up, in a fearsome sort of way.

Camped, as we were, in the national forest near the Grand Canyon, there were plenty of little critters around who would have loved to root around in our trash and fish out delicacies. Obviously we don't want to feed the wildlife (nor have to chase around a couple of acres of woodland, picking up what they scattered). Our only recourse that came to mind was to carefully stow the bagged trash in the cab of the pickup. That was fine for the time, but after a couple of days of ripening, it took a good half-hour to air out the cab before we could bring ourselves to climb in.

Some have suggested they tie their trash bags to their roof access ladder. Great, as long as Rocky the Flying Squirrel--or worse--Yogi or his kin don't show up--and provided you have a ladder rack. We're struggling with this one, and hope our readers have great suggestions.

photo mike willis on flickr.com

Japanese home-brew truck camper could give us ideas

2009-09-24T10:04:00.000-07:00

Some enterprising Japanese students built what they describe as a "camping car," that might give truck camper manufacturers--or home building enthusiasts--a few ideas. The genesis of the idea came to the three high school students as envisioned a trip to a Japanese island. With the glowing ideas of youth, things got a little bigger. As they put it, "The talk swells greatly. After all, we decided to go on a round-the-japan trip!!"

As the plan unfolded, more and more equipment for camping had to be included in the plans. From their web page, "However, the bed space has disappeared when various equipment is packed. Then, the idea adjusted to two stories appeared." Working on their project for a couple of years, the completed camper is a two-story model--using compressed air to deploy the upper story once the rig is on place.

The eventual product has turned out to be an inspirational recreational vehicle. Complete with LP stove, shower, a traditional Japanese-style "sleeping room," and of course, an LP-fired rice cooker. Here's a new thought, too. The rig is fully self-contained, including a removable, wheeled black water tank. No more fussing with transferring icky stuff to "blue boys" to haul away your sewage, just disconnect the tank and wheel it off. While the body of this big camper is a free-standing construct and was lifted onto the truck chassis, no ordinary pickup truck would accommodate the big camper.

The entire project is a fascinating look into building a reality from a dream. Check out more pictures and the whole story on the ingenious engineers' website.

Thinking about buying your first camper? Check out the leg room!

2009-09-05T12:42:00.000-07:00

Now on our fourth truck camper, we've "been around the block," a couple of times. The first time we were green RVers, had a new family, and just wanted something to get out in. It was an old rig, not equipped with any "conveniences," like a real refrigerator, and certainly no plumbing, other than a hand pump kitchen sink faucet. We had a long time pass between it and our next rig, which "came with the truck," a teeny rig, but wow! It actually had a small furnace and electric lights. We were "hooked" on the RVing lifestyle.

It didn't take long to figure out we needed a "bigger" camper (and of course, a bigger truck), and we picked up an 11 1/2 foot rig of ancient vintage, but this one--meeting the wife's requirements--had a bathroom. And here's the point of this blog: Truck campers are by nature, compact, and sometimes the space given to other areas of the rig is stolen from the bathroom.

Truck camper 3, our first with a bathroom, stuffed a toilet and shower stall all on one fiberglass foundation. No sink, but if there had been, life would have been very compact, for as it was, if you needed to un-bend your knees while seated on the throne, you wiggled your toes in the shower stall. Our current camper incarnation donates a bit more floor space to the bathroom: A free-standing shower stall, toilet, and a sink. Still, it's a shoe-horn affair: To be really comfortable, you need to pop open the bathroom door and shove your feet out into the middle of the dinette area. It makes for close companionship with your family--in our case, if somebody really needs the leg room, the other party sits on the far end of the dinette, hiding behind the open bathroom door.

Here's our advice: Unless you're shopping for a camper to take with you in your act as a contortionist with the circus, really check out the bathroom in any potential camper purchase. Don't be embarrassed, sit on the pot and see how your legs and feet feel about the available space. If you're an inveterate reader in the biffy, maybe you'd best take your latest paperback with you on the test, allowing a few minutes for rigor mortis to set in. Yes, you can probably expect to get a few odd looks from the RV salesman, but he's not the guy whose comfort is in question.

While you're at it, you're miles ahead to step into the shower stall and check it out for elbow room. Will you need to give a bit of an extra shove on the shower curtain (or door) in order to soap up? Where will you hang your wash cloth and towel so that both are in easy reach? Go thrown all the motions to make sure you can live with the 'little room of rest' in your future truck camper.

photo courtesy marada on flickr.com

Colorado Police Say No Concrete Leads on Suspect in Poop Dump

2009-07-16T13:34:00.000-07:00

Wheat Ridge, Colorado police say they're still looking for someone they say dumped blackwater down a storm drain at a local high school, contaminating a retention pond to the tune of a quarter million dollars. Local news outlets had carried a photo of a suspect in the case, a man who drove a truck camper, alleged to have done the dirty deed. Many of you commented on this story last week, and we checked back with the police to see if--well--anything new has surfaced.

First, if you did any checking on your own you may have noticed that at least one media outlet reported the size of the illegal dump at somewhere between 50 and 100 gallons of black water. The Wheat Ridge PD's public information officer, Lisa Stigall, said that was a quote taken out context. Originally the "100 gallon" statement came from a school official, who in context, was saying it didn't matter how large the spill was, 50 gallons, 100 gallons, it still required the expensive cleanup. Stigall says there was no way to determine just how many gallons were illegally dumped down the storm drain.

What makes the clean up so expensive is that in order to be considered safe, not only must the pond be pumped out, but 6" of soil below the area of contamination has to be removed, then the pond reconstructed. Crews were hampered by rains that fell during their work--each time that rain water had to be pumped out, and until the "clean" soil was reached, the rain water too, had to be treated as contaminated. At one point 100,000 gallons of pond water had been pumped out in the work.

We wondered if it was possible that a rogue sewage pumping firm had been responsible for the sewage dump--how did the police happen to "hit" upon a guy with a truck camper? Police were able to determine when the pond had last been inspected and found "clean," then compared that to the dates when complaints about a "manure" smell was reported. Using the date range, they asked the school's security camera support vendor to review their security tapes. Over the time period only one "suspicious vehicle" as Stigall calls it, was spotted.

The truck camper appeared on the tapes twice: Once he showed up, drove around the lot, then left. Some time later the same rig returned, this time hanging out for several minutes on the scene--apparently it was at that time that the shot of the driver which appeared in our last posting was taken. What hampers the police investigation is that the security tapes are proprietary and can't be run on the police department's equipment, and the police must rely on the security firm for prints for their investigation.

What about view's of the truck's license tag? Evidently the school recently planted new trees in the area, and every single angle showing the license plate on the vehicle is blocked. The police did receive one lead phone call, giving a California tag number--it proved to belong to an entirely different type of vehicle. One local resident has been utilizing Google Earth to scope out the area looking for a truck or camper matching the description of the suspect rig, but to this point, nothing in the form of any solid leads has turned up.

From where we stand, it would appear that if the truck camper shown in the security video is indeed the real dumper, then the sewer dump port on the camper must either be at the rear of the rig, or on the curb side. That would certainly narrow the field of possible camper makes significantly, a fact we pointed out to the police. Sadly, they have no photos that show a dump hose in use--unless it too, was obscured in the security pictures.

photo courtesy KUSA TV

Colorado Police Looking for Dumb Truck Camper Driver

2009-07-08T10:15:00.000-07:00

While it's not like having your face on a poster in the Post Office, there's somebody out there with a truck camper on a 4-door white pickup that may want to lie really low for a while. Not only is he a dandy candidate for the "Stupid RVer Award," if what he's said to have done is true, he's apt to be looking at some pretty steep fines.

Back on June 25th, surveillance cameras at a Wheat Ridge, Colorado high school recorded pictures of a suspicious looking situation. A truck camper rolls to a stop in a parking lot, near a storm drain. The driver hangs around the lot for a while, then finally pulls away. Later, a large quantity of raw sewage is found in the retention pond that holds storm water caught by that earlier mentioned storm drain.

Police say they've had a 'Eureka Moment' and think they now have the pictures of dastardly dumper of doo-doo, or perhaps its the black-heart of black water. In any event, the camper and the driver have now appeared on the Denver television, and presumably are plastered in the printed press as well. While to some the situation might be an overblown issue, school officials aren't laughing. As the owners of the retention pond, they've been forced to hire an environmental cleanup company to purge the pond of the unwelcome unsanitary sludge, they say to the tune of nearly a quarter million dollars.

A couple of things come to our minds: First, if this fellow is really responsible, a hearty "Shame on you!" He's the kind of character that besmirches the reputation of the rest of us who do our utmost to properly dispose of our wastes, both solid and liquid. But at the same time, if the camper is parked in the "dumping position," then in our book, its a "wee bit" unusual. True enough, not all campers have street-side dump ports, but it seems the majority do. If this one does, do you see any hose, or any evidence of sewage being drained out of the rig? Or is it possible the guy needed a break, stopped for a few minutes, and some other yo-yo was the one who did the dirty?

And a final question: What amazing tools and techniques will the Wheat Ridge CSI folks use to pin the rap on --or exonerate-- Mr. Camperman, should he ever be tracked down? RV sleuths, we're listening!

If you have information about the crime, please call the Wheat Ridge Police Department at (303) 237-2220.

photo courtesy the denver channel and Wheat Ridge, Colorado police

Do-it-Yourself Laser Loading System

2009-06-18T13:23:00.000-07:00

When we swapped out trucks earlier this year, using a dually model pickup for carrying out camper, along came a whole new set of woes: We already had swing-out brackets for the corner jacks, but it just seemed like our tolerances for keeping the truck and camper straight while loading got a whole lot tighter. The chief-camper-loader has a "lazy eye" so his depth perception is already hindered a bit, so adding the fresh opportunity for scraping truck or camper made sweaty palms and the invention of new swear words the order of the day.

Finally, "the light came on." In this case, the laser light. At issue is making sure that truck and camper line up nicely parallel, and stay that way. Why couldn't a beam of light--which travels in a straight line, be used to guide the process? We figured a laser pointer might be just the ticket. Since our truck camper extends beyond the truck bed, there's a wrap-around "wing" that is wider than the truck bed sides. So looking back from the outside rear view mirror, the driver can see "inside" the wrap around wing. Here is where our laser beam could "target."

We picked up a laser pointer from a Staples Office Supply (their item number 595662) for less than $20. This is a "Class 2" laser pointer, meaning it's not as bright as can be had, but it's less expensive and safer for unprotected eyes. The next trick was figuring out how to mount the pointer on the truck and a target on the camper. A natural location, it seemed, was on the bed rail of the pickup. On our rig, there wasn't enough space between the bed rail top and the bottom edge of the camper--when loaded, any mounting equipment would be thoroughly smashed. There is, however, a stainless steel bed rail cap which curves around the top and protects the outboard edge of the bed rail.

The Staples laser pointer we used has a "momentary contact" switch, meaning, the laser is only powered on when pressure is directly applied to the switch. So whatever mounting system we'd use would have to also switch on and "hold" the laser on. A trip to the hardware store revealed the answer in the form of an electrical conduit standoff bracket. We took the pointer to the store and sized one up so that when the pointer was slipped into the bracket and pressure applied, the bracket would not only hold the pointer steadily, but also keep the switch in the "on" position.
Since you'll want to store the laser pointer away when not in use, we replaced the standard nut on the conduit bracket with a wing nut, and used a nylon spacer to take up the extra space on the bolt. You see, the laser pointer is a fair bit smaller in diameter than the conduit the bracket would normally be used for, so the extra thread space had to be taken up, lest the wing nut hang up on the bracket itself, before the pointer was squeezed just tight enough to "light up."

When time came to actually build the setup, we started with the camper successfully mounted up on the truck. We bored a hole though the stainless bed rail cap, making way for a machine screw, lock washer, washer, and nut setup to securely mount the new bracket to the cap. And yes, if you're not already aware of it, drilling through stainless steel is a job to undertake when you're had plenty of rest. You won't make it using a non-corded drill, it takes time, patience, and maybe some oil to cool your bit down. We mounted the bracket close to the cab-end of the truck bed, but we suppose you could probably mount it anywhere along the bed rail.

Next, we needed to establish a suitable "target" zone for the laser beam. The "inside end" of our truck camper came in factory black paint. So we used a can of white spray paint to brighten up the inside area wing area, so that when the laser pointer is on, the beam shoots down along the side of the bed rail, and illuminates on this new white area. When the paint was dry we mounted the laser pointer in the bracket, and raised the camper off the bed of the truck about an inch at a time. At every stop, we used a big black indelible marker and "spot" where the laser beam was then pointing. Raise another inch, mark. Raise an inch, mark, etcetera. Then using a straight edge, we drew a black line between the marked points--thus making the "target line."

When it's time to "load up," we mount the laser, turning it on. Next, we "rough" line up the truck and camper, getting a run on it with the drive wheels of the truck as straight as possible. When fairly close to the camper, the laser point should be hitting close or on the target line. By s-l-o-w-l-y backing and making steering wheel adjustments as small as possible, we've found that getting back under the camper is a whole lot less painful. But don't expect miracles! If your truck and camper aren't close to parallel when you start out, you can still show the laser point on the line, but the truck can be skewed at an angle--therefore, keep a close eye on your wheel wells--you could think you're lined up, but scrape the outside of the wheel well on a jack leg, with significantly distasteful results.

What about your setup? If you don't have a stainless bed rail cap, you may be able to mount the bracket directly to the side of bed rail. If you have a smaller rig that doesn't have that boxed-in rear end like ours, our original thought had been to mount the laser point on the dashboard, aiming back through the truck rear window. It will take a bit of imaginative engineering, but you may find an inexpensive laser pointer can help you past the "separation anxiety" of taking your camper off your truck--and putting it back on.

photos: R&T DeMaris

Looking to Buy a Used Camper? Watch Out for Rot

2009-06-05T05:57:00.000-07:00

A discouraging thread in an RV forum seems to show that plenty of truck camper owners have found rot or dry rot in their camper. The small number who claim they don't have rot issues say they bought their TCs new, and took scrupulous care to see to it that water was kept out of their rigs. However, a huge majority of those writing on the thread said they've dealt with rot issues, to the point one visitor noted, 'There are two types of camper: One has rot. The other has rot, but it just hasn't been discovered.'

After a bit of head scratching, of the four truck campers we've owned over the decades, we've had varying amounts of rot in three. Perhaps we just didn't discover it in the one. In one, a musty-mildew smell in the cab over finally drove us to pulling up the bed planking. Sure enough, underneath we found the need to replace the entire support structure--not a lot of fun, and certainly a financial disaster if we had to hire the job out.

How can you do to protect yourself when you're shopping the used camper market? The old rules that apply to all RVs apply. First, open all ceiling level cabinets--look for water stains. If you see them, you can pretty well guarantee rot-osis.

Run your eyeball down the siding, warps and buckles should be points of suspicion. One area where many camper owners say they find rot problems is in the "wing" area--the outer wall at the rear of the rig where both sides of the wall are exposed to the elements. Our photo shows an area rot in a wing near a corner jack. Someone tried to "putty over" the problem, but it's sure no cure. Other areas of complaint include around rear door sills. Poking a bit with the tip of a knife will often reveal issues. If the tip goes in without pushing hard, there are problems lurking.

It's a tough job to cure dry rot. If the area is small, sometimes an injection of dry-rot cure potions sold on the boat repair market will help. But if you hit the level of taking off siding or roofing, be prepared for a lot of work, or a huge expense. Shop carefully!

photo: R&T DeMaris

Is Your Truck Camper Really Insured?

2009-05-28T19:24:00.001-07:00

Insuring any kind of an RV can be a challenge. If not done right, you can find out at claims time that what you thought was covered--wasn't covered in the mind of the insurance company. And truck campers, of all the RVs are quite possibly the most misunderstood by insurance company agents.

Consider the different types of insurance. Perhaps the most important to your financial future is liability insurance. Most insurance companies do agree on this point: If you're in an accident and your truck camper is mounted on your truck and the accident is your fault, you should be covered. And that coverage should come from your truck's liability coverage--not something that you had to purchase separately for your t.c. From there it gets a wee bit stickier.

What if you're motoring down the road with your t.c. on the back of your pickup, and hey, Woopsie! You slide off the road and into a tree. Will your insurance company fix the damage to your t.c.? Not very likely--unless you're carrying collision coverage--specifically on the camper. What about the tree that falls on your t.c., while it's mounted on the truck? Same story.

When the camper is "off the truck," you can probably see that if the camper isn't separately insured, all bets are off. Of course, you still shouldn't need "liability" coverage--unless someone falls out the door of your t.c. and decides they want to sue. In that case, your homeowner's insurance might stand up and fight for you. While homeowner's insurance might or might not cover your loss should someone steal your camper, they very well might cover loss of contents should some grievous campground thief break in and steal your goodies.

But how do you know? You need to ask your insurer, or potential insurer, questions--lots of questions. Spell out various scenarios, and find out what's covered, and what's not. And be prepared to ask for a more experienced agent or manager to help out--a lot of newer agents probably don't have a clue what a truck camper is, and may envision a motorhome and give you incorrect answers.

When you get done asking questions, and you feel you want to insure with a particular company, have them put it all down in writing. And sign it. That way, should the undesirable happen and the company begin to waffle, you'll have your coverage nailed down in print.

photo: Is your RV in good hands?

Reflections of Fulltiming in a Truck Camper

2009-04-24T10:32:00.000-07:00

Some time back an RVer asked: Can you fulltime in a truck camper? We had to chuckle a bit, as we did for a while, and the answer is one of those long-winded, convoluted, winds up being, "Maybe" sort of answers.

Can ONE person fulltime in a truck camper? Taking a look around the country, and the answer is pretty well, "Pretty much." Can TWO people fulltime in a truck camper? If'n your mother taught you never to answer a question with a question, tune out now. The question we return is: How well do you get along? REALLY get along? We fulltimed in an 11 1/2' "no slide outs" truck camper for nearly a year. We lived through hot weather, cold weather, broken water pipes, and finally, when the better half of the family got pneumonia and laid sick in the cabover for some very long weeks, we knew it was possible--but do you really have to?

A truck camper, as most of you already know from experience, is a mighty small space. In addition to "living in it," we also had to "work in it." At the time we were freelance writing, and had a regular contract to transcribe government board meetings from tape to paper. One end of the galley table was basically set aside for the "office" which was shared with an old alley-cat who was no longer spry enough for alley living. It was a very tough grind, but we are a very close couple, and for the most part can stand to be under each other's feet.

If you must have "your space" than look out! Try spending a few weeks together in the truck camper; see how life goes, and how soon it is before you want to decide whether living in the small confines of a truck camper might lead to living in the small confines of a prison cell after you've committed mayhem on your significant other.

After the pneumonia episode, we finally determined that while we could physically live in the confines of a truck camper, for ourselves it was just a better consideration to move up to something a bit larger. For a long time after that, we moved into a 29 foot fifth wheel, which we still have. After several years though, we found ourselves with another 11 1/2 foot truck camper that we use for road trips and research. We love the TC, and we know if we had to, we could go back to fulltiming in it. If we had to.

photo: Our original fulltiming TC back in the 90s. Photo: T. DeMaris

Bridge Gap Between Cab and Camper With an RV Boot

2009-04-16T16:50:00.000-07:00

A lot of pickups have the old slide-openable window in the rear of the cab, and plenty of truck campers have an openable window just behind the cab. What advantage can you take of this close relationship, and what are the pitfalls?

While not advocating the idea, some folks do actually "ride" passengers in the camper. Having a way to communicate between camper and cab, and possibly pass snacks forward, could be a plus.

We've heard of other TC owners whose dog's enjoy the truck cab so much, they'd rather sit there in camp as to be with the folks back in the camper. Until some other notion strikes them, they start barking, and TC owners become "doormen" to their "dobermen." Ahem. Simply sliding the window open to allow pooch access back and forth could certainly reduce steps.

Others say they like the idea of pre-heating or pre-cooling the camper while rolling down the highway through the use of the truck's HVAC system.

The snag on all of these options: The "excess" space between the front of the camper and the rear of the pickup cab. Driving at highway speeds and trying to shout over the wind noise could lead to a loss of voice. Directing a jet of warmed cab air to the camper with that "open hole" at say, 40 degrees ambient temperature is a sure looser. And leaving the window open to allow the passage of the pooch during mosquito season suddenly loses its romance.

How do you plug the gap? Adventurous truck camper owners have tried it all. Depending on the size of your pass-through windows, and the gap distance between cab and camper, some have tried using something as simple as a motorcycle intertube. We did hear that one TC owner tried this, and when the combination of unexpected friction on the tube and hot weather expansion of the intertube caused a rather loud explosion, well safe to say the owner nearly had to do a quick bit of laundry.

Others suggest the use of foam rubber, connected to the camper front with double stick velcro for easy removal. Or you could break down and go the commercial route: Called "truck boots" these little inflatable characters fill the gap like squishing a grossly oversized clear donut between the truck and camper. Sold online by pickupspecialties.com, they're made of PVC. Don't know how thick the PVC is, nor how long they last, but it's a thought. We've also seen them for sale on eBay under the key word "truck boot."

photo: pickupspecialties.com

LP Issues for Truck Camper Folks

2009-04-10T07:55:00.000-07:00

Away back when, RVers were faced with a new and somewhat costly development: Convert your old LP gas container fittings from the old style POL to the new OPD (overfill protection device) style. For those of us in the TC game back then, it didn't have as much impact on us as for towable RVers. That was because at the time, technology couldn't come up with an OPD valve design that would work with the most common sort of LP container for truck campers--a horizontal tank.

We don't have statistics readily at hand, but as my mother-in-law used to say, "Two donuts to a dollar," the majority of truck campers are still equipped with the POL style gas valves. That's a particular concern at filling time. We had a nasty experience on a road trip a few months back: The LP leak alarm in our camper started sounding off. We did say "in our camper," mind you. Our LP containers are outside of course, so our initial focus on leak points were any connections inside the rig. After a long session of "leak sniffing," we finally determined the problem lay, not with any connections inside, but rather, in the tank compartment. Sure enough, the fellow at the LP filling station had not tightened the POL fitting enough. Just a tiny little leak, migrating along the side of the truck, down in the wheel wells, and seeping inside the rig through the wheel well access door was enough to set the whole process in motion.

POL fittings can be particularly difficult to secure. But a leak here can cause problems--first if the gas goes somewhere that could cause a flash off (explosion), and secondarily, who wants to pay for LP and just spill it out in the open air? Hence, we really can't emphasize enough the importance of leak checking your POL fittings every time you "fuel up." Soap bubble or "sniffer" device, just test them. Another route that we've taken that seems to help is the addition of an O-ring that precisely fits the seat of the POL valve. If the fit isn't "perzactly" tight, the O-ring offers an additional layer of leak protection. Carry spares and inspect the ring at every filling, if you cinch too tight, the ring will wear.

photo: R&T DeMaris

Camper Jacks: Hydraulic versus Electric

2009-03-30T15:34:00.000-07:00

It's a topic that comes up among truck camper folks: What's better--hydraulic jacks or electrics? Sometimes you wonder if this is one of those perennial "Ford versus Dodge" discussions. In our humble viewpoint, and after having used both over the years, there are some differences to be considered.

Ease of Use: If you are "single handed" loader, we think the electric jacks are a top choice. It's oh-so-much easier moving between two jacks to load up, as opposed to running around in circles. How so? The typical electric jack system has switches to operate the jacks--a pair of switches on two jacks to operate all four jacks. It's a simple matter to walk from the front jack to the rear jack on the same side of the rig and actuate the switches. On our old hydraulic system, it was a run back and forth matter. The electrics are a whole lot less strenuous: Simply push the button one way or the other to raise or lower the rig, rather than pumping your heart out.

Reliability: We've had more than one hydraulic jack "blow" and leave us with hydraulic fluid everywhere, and in a difficult position. Yes, electric jacks can "go haywire" too. However, if you have a backup crank to operate the electrics, if your camper battery gives up the ghost, at least you can still load up. Mind you, you will spend plenty of time running around the camper--but it's doable.

Expense: Hydraulics are less expensive, particularly if you're dealing with a camper that's not "prewired" for the use of electric jacks. If one does fail irreparably, it's a less expensive fix. Some electric jack manufacturers won't sell you parts, but because of the "complexity" of the jack require it be sent back in for repair.

All in all, it's a "you pays your money and you takes your choice," situation. For us, though, the electrics are a better proposition. When loading up at home base we make sure we're hooked up to shore power to take less of a draw on the camper battery. When unloading or loading on site, where possible we hook the charge cable up from the truck and run the truck engine for this same reason.

Wow! What a Difference a New Truck Makes

2009-03-12T07:26:00.000-07:00

Our venerable '86 Ford F-250 finally reached the point of being put out to pasture. When the air conditioner no longer conditioned, we figured we could get it fixed before summer. Then there was the front end--it certainly needed an alignment, but it would also need some parts. Well, maybe we can get help and replace the parts ourselves. But then came that howling noise from the transmission. When we started adding up all the "need to fixes," it just became evident that we were pouring money down a deep hole.

A look at the Internet "for sale ads" lead us to a F-350 dually with, heaven help us, a Banks system, souped up exhaust, tranny enhancements and the works, for a price we could actually sort-of afford. So we took the jump and bought the rig.

As we write this, we're on the "maiden voyage" of the new truck under the load of our 11 foot Caribou camper. The word, "Wow!" seems to describe the change we feel. With a few pounds of pressure in the lift bags, we no longer have to extend the corner jacks to level the rig enough to run the refrigerator. When we make a corner, no longer does the "navigator" draw a deep breath as the new truck no longer "rolls" into the turn. Climbing up an extended grade is a breeze. And really "Wow!" is stopping at the fuel station. Fuel economy is up a good 20%.

Anybody need an F-250?

Fender Well Space--What Do You Use For?

2009-03-05T13:15:00.000-08:00

Nearly all truck camper folks have a little bit of--well, is it properly called "basement storage" when it's on the same level as your floor? That little space in front and behind the wheel wells, just outside your camper bed box. Our truck camper manufacturer thoughtfully provided little access doors so reach this otherwise "dead" space. We have three spaces available. How do we use them?

In the galley area, just under the stove a handy bit of space is used by the cook for excess food storage. She carefully puts things that aren't weather or bug sensitive there--canned goods, or dried stuff in air-tight containers. Across the way and under the refrigerator is a handy space that the driver keeps a couple of extra quarts of oil, brake fluid, etcetera.

To some the oddest use is that found in the driver side rear "compartment." Here is inserted a small plastic dishpan, just wide enough to squeeze between the truck bed side and the side of the camper. In the dishpan, cat litter. Nope, we don't keep it there for traction on icy roads (we avoid icy roads by staying where it's warm) but rather, for its original purpose. Yep, our traveling cat uses the pan as her litter box. She access the litter box through a "pet door" we built into the factory access door. Keeps that cat litter (and smell) outside the rig, but keeps the cat safe.

When we're settled for a while and want the truck free of camper, a special "kitty condo" mounts up to the side of the camper and she has access to fresh air and cat box.

So how about you? Have any unusual uses for your basement storage? Drop a line to editor at icanrv dot com.

Readers' Rigs: Matt's Chevy Kodiak & Caribou Camper

2009-02-22T07:30:00.000-08:00

Matt Palmer's got a BIG truck to haul his 11 1/2' Caribou camper: A 2005 Chevy Kodiak that really has plenty of torque. Pardon us if we feel a special affinity here: Our current t/c is a 11 1/2 foot Caribou--but we don't have the slide-out option like Matt does. We recently "graduated" to what we thought was plenty of truck--a 1 ton dually--but Matt no doubt can run circles around our rig going up an 8% grade.

Matt's original C4500 medium duty truck was sent out for a Monroe conversion--adding a pickup bed. But the new truck cab is 8" higher than a standard pickup--so how do you get a truck camper "over the top" of the cab? Matt explains: " I did this by putting 8"x 8" blocks in the bed. This also meant I had to put 8" x 8" block's under the camper jacks so I could clear the bed when loading." Yeah, and add a couple of extra steps to get passengers into the camper!

Further modifications included a hitch system to allow him to haul around a bit of extra weight behind the already ponderous Caribou camper. Matt's rig is his cat's meow: "The truck ride greats with the camper on it and is not top heavy as it may look. I get about 10-11 mpg with the camper on. It takes about 25 minutes to load or unload."

Well, yes, it really is a Caribou, but sounds more like the hairy kind of Bigfoot. Says Palmer, "I love when we are in a campground and our rig raises us above everyone else for the best view! The only drawback is the height. At 13'3" you are watching every overpass and gas station clearance as soon as you pull off the interstate! In the future I may go with an Alaskan pop-up camper to keep my height down a bit, but overall I'd say this is a fantastic rig to go anywhere in. It's also definitely a real attention getter."

Got a rig you'd like to show off? Drop us an e-mail at tcphotos at icanrv dot com--and be sure to change the email address here to one that's readable, we've disguised it to shake off the automatic spammers.

Is an Azalai a Camper--or a Motorhome?

2009-02-18T19:33:00.000-08:00

Across the pond in the UK, the standard of 4-wheel drive vehicles is the venerable Land Rover. Goes where they go as they may, the Land Rover isn't the most comfortable vehicle for sleeping in.

Enter Azalai. A fiberglass "living pod" with king-size bed is "grafted" onto a customer's Land Rover--increasing the overall width by a mere 7" and its length by a bit less than 10", the new rig can go just about anywhere--and put you up comfortably. Typically equipped with accessories for livability you might find in an American truck camper, from stove and fridge to toilet and shower, the Azalai is built for mobile livability.

But they aren't real common. The 60th Azalai is now being constructed in the UK. Perhaps it's not surprising--the cost of having a Azalai for your Land Rover (or a couple of other convertable vehicles) starts at a bit over $41,000 (US), it could take a bit of robbing the family cookie jar to make the deposit.

Is it a camper in the true sense of the word? Nah--once the Azalai is grafted onto your Rover, it isn't going back to its original form very fast.

Coping With a Jack Catastrophe

2009-01-15T09:50:00.000-08:00

Sometimes in our truck camper journeys, something goes wrong. For this TC owner, with the truck camper half-on, half-off the rig, the unthinkable happened: The camper jack brackets on the front of his rig bent. As a result, the camper started a side-wise slide, which fortunately stopped when the edge of the camper met up against the side of the truck's bed rail. It could have been worse--if the bed rail hadn't been there to stop the slide, a real tragedy would have been had.

What caused the issue? We don't have the specifics on hand, but one possibility is that in raising the camper on the jacks, the owner may not have kept everything on the level. When raising a TC, it's critical that the lift is applied evenly--not allowing any corner or end to get much higher than any other corner or end. With corner jacks like these, it means running back and forth, raising the jack just a bit, then going to the next jack, raising it, and so forth. Don't keep the pressure evenly distributed, and a weak link--in this case the jack brackets crumpled.

But what do you do with a problem like this? Here you are, with the rig in the air, and a real problem at hand. Happily this TC owner was home, where he could easily secure items to get himself out of the fix. Some carefully applied blocking and a couple of bottle jacks were able to take the weight off the damaged jack brackets. There's no doubt in our minds that this would have been a real adrenaline rush situation, and one we hope to never see for ourselves. It's also a good reminder to regularly inspect your jacks and jack brackets for damage or any signs of strain, and make repairs quickly.
photos: Bob n Renee on flickr.com

Did Bigfoot Auction Gavel Rap End of Era?

2009-01-30T09:17:00.000-08:00

It was sad to report the demise of Bigfoot Campers of British Columbia. Tuesday, January 27 marked the day of the auction to liquidate the remaining assets of the company.

Interestingly, at least one truck camper aficionado attended the auction; his comments were revealing. One particular auction lot was for trademarks, rights, the company website, documentation, and molds and jigs all sold--for the grand sum of $165,000. Bigfoot was Bigfoot by virtue of its two-piece molded fiberglass construction. Does the sale of this lot including those molds and the rights to the old company's trademarks signal the possibility of a future resurrection of this remarkable truck camper?

Only time will tell.