Alaskan, Bigfoot or Northern Lite Camper?

[DDevers]

This board has been of great interest to me. I have enjoyed the knowledge that I have gleaned from you wise ones. Now, I need some help from you on making a decision on which camper to purchase.



I am interested in a good quality camper that will last a long time with the minimum of maintenance. I like the design of the Bigfoot and Northern Lite as I know they will not deteriorate from the NW moisture. The Alaskan also has a great reputation for longevity.



I am considering the Bigfoot 25C10. 6, Northern Lite of the same size and the 10' cabover Alaskan. Some questions that I have that you experienced ones could answer for me are:



Does the increase in fuel mileage with the Alaskan outweigh the inconvenience of not having a shower, grey water tank or regular potty?



What mileage can I expect with the larger campers and what should I expect with the Alaskan?



Most importantly, for those of you that may have experience with both styles, which one did your wive's prefer? (Don't want to upset Momma by not getting her something that will flip her switch. )



By the way, we will be using the camper for out of the way camping (not in places with hook-ups) and for hunting in cold weather. Of course, we might use it when we travel to visit relatives depending on the mileage difference with it on.



Thanks,

Del

 

[GFritsch]

Don't think milage will vary too much between campers. We really like our Bigfoot, but I would also look hard at the Alpenlite's .



Is your truck a dually or SRW? We got the bigfoot when we had a 2500 and weight was a serious consideration. To do it over with the 3500, I would probably go with the Alpenlite 11. 5 with the slide out. Very roomy inside, and like the Bigfoot a very nice dry shower.



Greg

 

[DDevers]

I hope this works as I changed my signature to include the type of truck we have. It's a 3500 SRW LB.



What kind of mileage do you get with your 10. 6? Our truck is still breaking in with just about 3300 miles on her but we are seeing our mileage now at 21 mpg. I don't hot rod her and don't use her much for arounds town driving; just on our longer trips.

 

[Dieselnerd]

We have a 2003 9. 5 Northern Lite. Ours is the Lite version with no basement. We ordered it out with all the options we wanted. Northern Lite weighs each camper as they go out the door, no guesses. Ours has the thermopane windows and A/C and it only weighs 2248# dry. I had been using it on my 1996 2500 with camper package and it carried like a dream. With the camper on the truck, water propane and supplies and us the combo weighed slightly over 9200 pounds. This was a little over my 8800# limit but not much. The quality of this camper is very good, they use all real wood and wood veneers, no printed wood look alike. Average mileage with the 1996 was slightly over 15 MPG. I have gone as high as 17 MPG and never under 14. I plan to use this camper on my 2005 SRW 3500. I doubt I will exceed the 9900# rating. The new truck may be slightly heavier but the GVW is 1100# more. I checked out the Alaskan campers. For what you pay you don't get much camping comfort. The Bigfoot and Northern Lite are very streamlined and my guess is they have less wind drag than the Alaskan. Plus nothing to rot and they are very resistant to water leaks.

 

[Grizzly]

I have heard good things about the Alaskan. Don't know anything about the Bigfoot or the Northern Lite. I have a 11'-3" Lance Legend with shower, toilet and sink. Nothing will please momma more than having the plumbing, trust me. With your SRW you may be limited to about a 9' 6" cabover with bath and gray water/black water tanks. I don't want to get into a camper brand debate, but I think Lance is about as good as they get. As for mileage I don't know yet on my 05. On my 95 I lost about 2 MPG. I ordered my Lance with double pane glass for Northern NM and Sourthern Colorado camping in spring and late fall. I also ordered the Fantastic fan and no A/C. We go camping where you need the furnace, not an A/C. Only problems we have had was replaced the generator under warranty and a refrigerator handle broke. If I can tell you more, let me know. Grizzly

 

[Mike Ellis]

We have the Bigfoot 2500 10. 6, it is a great camper and I have been very pleased with it. It and the Northern Lite are quite similar in construction quality, the designs are very similar. One thing I liked about the Canadian designs was the bright, clean, well-lit interiors - they tend to use light colored wood and upholstery, it makes for a very pleasant interior compared to some of the cramped dark designs of the past.



The clam-shell designs are good at preventing body seam leaks, but the Bigfoot and Northern Lite are just as susceptible to the most common leaks as any other camper, namely leaks around penetrations like A/C, vents, and windows. The initial construction quality and sealing are extremely good, but you still need to check on the caulking regularly just like with ANY camper. If you keep your eye on the caulking and maintain your camper well, it will last a lifetime.



Mileage wise, I get between 13 and 15 mpg with the Bigfoot aboard and loaded for bear. With a basement-design camper, you have a very large sail facing into the wind as you drive and accordingly mpg is very dependent on speed. 15 is easy to achieve at 65, if you drive 70 or faster the mileage drops like an anvil - this is true for any of the larger campers BTW.



The biggest advantage the Alaskan offers is that it's a bit "shorter" when installed on the truck compared to some of the bigger campers. This gives more clearance when trying to go offroad, park under trees, etc plus some savings from gas mileage. It is also supposed to be very rugged for off road use. I seriously considered the Alaskan, but finally went with the Bigfoot after realizing that virtually 100% of my camping would be off of reasonably good roads (state parks, national forest etc) and that I wouldn't be real comfortable 4-wheeling with 4,000 lbs of payload in the back of the truck.



The wife far prefers the plush campers like the Bigfoot, NL, Arctic Fox - she really liked the Arctic Fox but I didn't like the slide - just one more thing to worry about leaking IMHO. The wife strongly disagreed :-laf If I could have bought one without slide, I might have taken the Fox since there is a dealer in Houston. I think it would be a rare woman who would prefer a more spartan rig like Alaskan, 4-wheel, or Northstar pop-up to a well-equipped plush hardside camper.



Here's a couple of pictures that show how the 2500 series shells are made - it is a fiberglass/luaun/foam sandwich. The clamshell is like a big insulated ice chest. In areas where there is a structural load, the fiberglass and gel coat are quite thick. You can see from the bathroom window cutout that their worksmanship is pretty good, and from the closeup of the foam sandwich you can see that even after 8 years exposure to the elements the wall structure is like new. Popping out the windows and resealing them is very easy by the way... .

 

[Dieselnerd]

I wanted to add that prior to getting the Northern Lite we had a 9. 5 Lance. It was also a fine camper but much heavier. My SRW 2500 truck weighed close to 10,000 pounds with the camper on. I didn't exceed tire or axle ratings but you could tell you had something pretty big in back. It was a 1994 model and was still holding up nice in 2003 when I got the Northern Lite. Rather then trade it in I put it on my hunting land in Northern Minnesota, added some extra insulation and skirting and it makes a nice hunting cabin. With a SRW truck you have to stay with the lighter campers. Just because it says 3500 on the side doesn't give it the capacity of a dual wheel truck.

 

[Jumbo Jet]

14. 5 mpg over a 3,000 mile trip through OK, NM, and AZ. Lot's of hills on that trip with the Lance camper.



I'm heading out again the middle of June for about 4,000 miles. Hoping for another 14. 5 mpg or better.

 

[GFritsch]

I hope this works as I changed my signature to include the type of truck we have. It's a 3500 SRW LB.



What kind of mileage do you get with your 10. 6? Our truck is still breaking in with just about 3300 miles on her but we are seeing our mileage now at 21 mpg. I don't hot rod her and don't use her much for arounds town driving; just on our longer trips.

We get around 13-14 with the camper, but I am not shy to get between destinations. With the SRW I would look at the weights and center of gravity of the camper. Mike is right regarding the basement models sitting high and posing a greater wind block. I personally would look for a lower center of gravity with your truck . Bigfoot 1500 series, or Northern Lite, or ... gulp a Lance lite. Either way find a rig that you and you honey find right. spend enough time looking and sitting in them. If your wife does most of the cooking, or you do think about the layout of the kitchen and counter space. Lay in the bed, and see that it is comfortable to get in a nd out for each of you. We decided on the Bigfoot after spending a day at an RV show and "using" a bunch of campers at the fairgrounds.



Hope you find the perfect rig.



Greg

 

[DDevers]

Thank you for your helpful information. I had confidence that I would receive some wisdom here. Momma and I might go out and look some on saturday, if it is raining as ssheduled by the weatherman.

 

[DDevers]

Momma and went looking at campers this past Saturday and we both liked the Bigfoot the best. I have been trying to figure out which model would work for us and our truck, the 1500 or 2500 series in a 9 1/2 foot model. I am concerned the 1500 does not have sufficient insulation to handle the cold of a Wyoming hunting trip but the additional weight and highth of the 2500 causes me to scratch the ole beaner, also.



I had researched the RVnet, as well as e-mailed some people for additional help. Yesterday, while I was out tilling my garden, a neighbor went by with his 03 3500 SRW and on it he had a 2500 9 1/2 foot camper just like what we've been contemplating. It is quite ironic that the answer to many of my questions was only two blocks from where I live all along. My wife and I walked down to his place and had a good chat with him and his wife about their camper and how their truck handles it. (He even gave me some good tips on where to go to catch some fish. )



We also had our eyes opened to the weight of our truck I went to a quarry to get seem crushed rock. The scale said we weighed 8180. That's with Momma and I, about 30 gallons of fuel, a canopy on the back (dealer says weighs 200 pounds), five empty plastic buckets and a shovel. There is no way that I could have a decent camper on our truck and not be over the GVWR with it wet and loaded for a trip. Now, THAT is an eye opener! A one ton truck that can't even carry a ton, legally.

 

[K5IP]

I went through the same weight calculations for my 95 2500 4whd. It turns out I needed to give up on the slide in camper idea and get a small 5th wheel. (Nash 21-5r).

Glad I did.

Rog

 

[Mike Ellis]

It is indeed interesting how low the GVWR is on some of these hugely powerful and stoutly designed trucks. Compare an old Chevy 67-72 type 1-ton truck and its GVWR to the models we drive today - the new trucks have stronger frames, better wheels, better tires, far better brakes, stouter trannies, far more powerful engines... . but still don't have much higher GVWR.



My truck is a '97 2wd dually with club cab, with the Bigfoot 2500 loaded and ready to go my weight scaled out at 10,580 pounds with my son and I in the cab. Front axle = 3740, rear axle = 6840. This put me at 80 pounds over GVWR, so I can be legal by travelling with 10 gallons less in one of the tanks. If I travel with the wife and other 2 kids on board too, I will end up being about 500 lbs over.



Now my truck has been weighed empty at the scales at 6800 lbs on one occasion, 7100 on another. From these numbers we see the Bigfoot and passengers add close to 4,000 lbs. I looked at a lot of hardside campers, the 2500 I ended up with is one of the lighter ones of the bunch. Several, like the large Arctic Fox, Alpenlite, and Bigfoot 3000 for example, could easily have pushed my weight several hundred to a thousand pounds higher.



If you do end up in an overloaded situation, even marginally so, it is best to play it safe and drive a bit slower than you normally do unloaded.

 

[smartineau]

Take a look at the 8. 5 foot SnowRiver campers, I was down to the 9. 5 SnowRiver and the Northern Lite 10-2000, and after talking to several SR owners decided to go that route then a week or two before I placed the order the boss lady decided we should move down to Lewis county so there went the camper for now. This house building stuff is expensive.



The Alasakan campers are nice, but after looking at them I was quickly told "not a chance, real toilet or no camper. "



steve

 

[Mike Ellis]

A lot of the weight penalty comes from the tanks, but there is no reason you HAVE to drive with them full, many of us drive with the black/gray tanks near empty and the freshwater tank only 1/4 full or so - no need to pay $$$ in diesel lugging around extra weight until you really need it. Accordingly I usually dump the black/gray when leaving the campground, and fill the freshwater tank when near the destination.



If you have separate fresh/gray/black tanks on the order of 50/35/17 gallons, that's more than a 100 gallons of water/waste you could be lugging around - like having 2 full 55 gallon drums. If they are full when you are driving, that's about 900 pounds that really eats into GVWR. On the other hand, if you manage their capacity well, you can carry a bigger camper and be at/near GVWR when on the highways.



Another possibility is to offload some of the weight into a trailer. If you visit the Open Roads website and check out the Truck Campers forum, you will see from the signature photos that quite a few people tow a small utility trailer behind their camper. Although a large camper can use up all the GVWR of a truck PDQ, they typically still have thousands of pounds of towing capability left before they get anywhere near the GCWR. If you have a large camper and like to carry everything you own on a trip, it adds up to a LOT of weight fast and can put you in an overload situation. With a little trailer to haul junk like that though, you can put the heavy stuff in it when you need to and avoid overloading the truck.



As you can see, if you want to stay within GVWR using a camper on a SRW truck can require some compromises. With a dually, you can get enough GVWR to haul most campers with no worries... .

 

[sctnabt]

Just to throw a little more confusion yer way, check out:



Capri Campers



Don't have one, but found them after I purchased another brand, and have since noticed several mostly around rodeo season. Look very nice, and are made to be light as to not exceed gvwr/bed weight when towing a horse trailer. (Picture a four-wheeler trailer or whatever you might tow... . )



Made to be plugged in, but I called and the guy told me they install propane heat if requested.



I have a Fourwheel Camper (pop-up) which works great, (also light weight) but it is NOT great when the temp drops. Mostly a summer-fair-weather camper.



Fourwheel Campers



Alaskans look well built, also weigh in on the heavy side. 1750 lbs for a 8' cabover (I believe). Several around here (Lewiston, Idaho). Not real easy to find used.







cj

 

[jmtandem]

alaskan campers

I just sold an Alaskan 8 foot center dinette cabover camper that was 30 years old and used regularly. Everything worked. I often wondered how many other campers out there that are 30 years old are still in regular use. Alaskans are great as long as you understand that they compromise storage space inside since the top compresses, the hydraulic seals (four) need to be replaced every 10 years or so and cost fifty cents each, and they don't have showers or toilets. They are heavy compared to most pop- up truck campers and really need a 3/4 ton truck. They don't depreciate much, I sold it for $500 less than what I bought it for. I did need to replace the rerigerator once, the water tank once, paint it once, and when I put it on the '01 Dodge it needed to be slightly modified at the rear section to handle the narrower tailgate area.

 

[DDevers]

JMTandem, what kind of mileage did you get with your Alaskan camper and how did it compare with ythe Elkhorn you now have?

 

[jmtandem]

DDevers,



I had the Alaskan that weighed 1600 pounds empty on a 91. 5 CTD 4x4 regular cab and a '01 quad cab 2500 4x4. Both were manual transmissions, both trucks were operated in the mountains a lot and both got about 18 with the camper on, the 91. 5 could get as high as 25 without the camper and the '01 about 20-21. I am sure I was about 2200 pounds with the camper loaded for camping, sometimes even had a utility trailer behind. I did not have the Alaskan on the '05 and I did not have the Elkhorn on the '01, so I can't compare. The Elkhorn has fiberglass sides, aluminum construction, and weighs about 2900 empty. It also is the basement model so it sits higher and has extra cab height above the bed so you can sit up in bed without hitting your head both create more wind resistance when driving. The 610 handles it just fine but I have not had enough time on the truck to get mileage numbers with the camper. Without the camper the dually gets about 18 and it only has 4000 miles on it (not broken in yet) and is an auto. Not too bad for a one ton auto that has that kind of power.