Bigfoot found in Colorado:

[SRath]

All this Bigfoot needs is my Cummins Dodge under it:



2000 BIGFOOT SLIDE IN TRUCK CAMPER 10. 5' LOADED LOOK!! : eBay Motors (item 270561670259 end time Apr-17-10 18:36:00 PDT)



I know a few guys here have Bigfoot campers, such as Mike E. and David D.

I also like the Northern Lite campers very much, too. You'd never find me at home if I owned one.



I'd use it year-round like I did my old Viking, which is on it's way to the dump next week after the people I sold it to had a tree limb and heavy snow crash through the roof. I thought I could maybe fix it, and they gave it back to me, but it's just too far gone structurally. (Let me know if anyone needs a 3-way fridge, furnace, etc. as I will be removing them so the landfill will accept it. )



It's hard to believe this Bigfoot is 10 years old, which is just one reason I like them so much. The term "durability" doesn't do them justice. They not only hold up well, they stay looking good, too. And they also hold their value very well and seldom have I seen such a nice one for under $10k. I can't believe nobody has used the buy-it-now option yet.



This particular model has a separate shower and a generator; very nice features not commonly found on pickup campers; certainly not on those that weigh less than 2500 pounds! My old Viking SP100 pop-up pickup camper weighed nearly that much!



I would be interested in hearing from actual Bigfoot and Northern Lite owners about their ownership experiences; good and bad; as well as the combination of the Cummins dodge and those campers.



Alas, this one will remain someone else's, but someday...

 

[SRath]

Yup. It just sold for the asking price.

 

[Grizzly]

Yup. It just sold for the asking price.

That too bad. Bigfoot is a good camper. I believe they're right up there with Lance, Northern Lite and Arctic Fox.

 

[HBarlow]

I remember reading a discussion between Bigfoot owners on a website several years ago. The owners spoke very well of the quality and durability of the campers and also about how the factory provided exceptional service.

I think I read a tale about somebody tearing one up badly and the factory put a new top half on it for them.

 

[SRath]

Pickup campers have come a long way in recent years

The only problem with Bigfoot that I know of is the fact they went out of business a couple of years ago. That hasn't seemed to affect their resale value much. The Northern Lite and Bigfoot are/were both made in Canada. Bigfoot ventured into the slide-out arena in it's last couple of years, but those models had to be built more conventionally and gave up the 2-piece monocoque construction that made them famous. Maybe it also led to their demise? I don't know. Northern Lite continues to build without compromise to slide outs, and they are doing well.

Having owned a few pickup campers, all conventionally constructed and mostly fixer-uppers (meaning I got to see how they are made and what failed when I repaired them), they are the only two companies that have addressed the structural problems that plague all framed and sided campers eventually: water infiltration and loosening of staples, glue, etc. over time, causing structural weakening and aiding water infiltration and rot even more. If you go to remote locations without nice paved roads, as I like to do, the stress on framed and sided campers is much greater.

Being built with two fiberglass boathull-type monocoque shells overlapped and mated together eliminates the need for any framework, and allows for zero water infiltration provided all external accessories (roof a/c and vents and windows, etc) are kept sealed. There is virtually nothing structural that can rot or loosen and only one structural seam, and it is midway down along the sides and is overlapping and extremely well sealed. It is not only a much stronger design than even aluminum-framed campers; it is also much lighter. I don't care what you do with a framed and sided pickup camper; water will eventually find a way into the walls and ceiling. Once the rot begins, it is very difficult to fix.

I have been looking and watching Bigfoot and Northern Lite auctions and sales for a couple of years, and this one was a heckuva nice one, nicely loaded, for a very good price. Lousy timing for me, though. That buyer will be very happy, I'm sure. Too bad Bigfoot is history... But Northern Lite continues to be the industry's only pickup camper with a consistent year-after-year 5-Star rating for quality, durability, and owner satisfaction.

At this point, I certainly wouldn't turn my nose up at an affordable (what's that?) Lance or Arctic Fox or similar; not at all. They make very good pickup campers, too. But they aren't in Bigfoot or Northern Lite's league overall, imo.

 

[rrl989]

The clamshell BF's are great if you want a small TC, but not if you are looking for the space gained with a slide out wall. I believe BF is back in business now, I think someone put up a link recently on RV.net.

 

[SRath]

I know BF was trying to keep the plant and equipment intact and find a buyer/investors. That would be terrific news if they were back in action.

It is very hard not to appreciate slideouts, they do offer much usable space. But they are a maintenance item, and they do adversely affect structural strength and integrity, as well add quite a bit of weight. No way around those things.

It's always a trade off with campers: Motorhome, 5th wheel, toyhauler, bumper pull, slide-in, pop-up, slide-out, etc. They all have advantages and disadvantages.

I really liked that BF in that auction because it had every feature I want all in one package: Big fridge/freezer, generator, roof a/c, dry bath, extreme strength, generous storage, basement model with enclosed & heated tanks, and very lightweight. Sure, more space is always nice, we have four adult-sized people in my family. But as practical matter, there wouldn't be four of us using it that often, and I have ideas on expanding our sleeping space when we do. Besides, they made tents for teenagers!

I also think I could make that fold-down bed over the table/bed much stronger so it would hold a person heavier than 100 lbs. Maybe someone here has done that before? It's a feature common to Lances and other pu campers, too.

It's all pie-in-the-sky right now, anyway, but I will continue in the meantime to dig for tidbits of info and compare everything offered and eventually end up with something probably very much like that one.

 

[mattg]

According to a news post on the Bigfoot website dated 1/25/2010, they are under new ownership and are planning to be back up and running in the very near future.

 

[Grizzly]

I really liked that BF in that auction because it had every feature I want all in one package: Big fridge/freezer, generator, roof a/c, dry bath, extreme strength, generous storage, basement model with enclosed & heated tanks, and very lightweight. Sure, more space is always nice, we have four adult-sized people in my family. But as practical matter, there wouldn't be four of us using it that often, and I have ideas on expanding our sleeping space when we do. Besides, they made tents for teenagers!



I also think I could make that fold-down bed over the table/bed much stronger so it would hold a person heavier than 100 lbs. Maybe someone here has done that before? It's a feature common to Lances and other pu campers, too.



It's all pie-in-the-sky right now, anyway, but I will continue in the meantime to dig for tidbits of info and compare everything offered and eventually end up with something probably very much like that one.

I had an 11'-3" Lance truck camper. We often took my adult son who weighs 190 lbs and his, now, 130 lb wife. The fold down dinette bed supported them with the greatest of ease. Never had to do any repairs to the dinette bed nor any other part of the camper in the 10 years we owned it and it was used more than most people use their RV's. Only problem was that my 6'-2" son had to hang his legs out of the less then 6' bed.



My Lance also had the big fridge with separate freezer, 3. 4KW generator, heated gray and black tanks and much more. It wasn't lightweight like your BF, in fact it was very heavy. I did have the right truck under it however.



Another camper you may consider is a Host. They're 4 star rated like Lance, BF and Arctic Fox. DonTX has one and is very happy with it. Send him a PM.



george

 

[Road Dog]

I think SRath is talking about the overhead bunk. In my trailer the supports were screwed into the paneling, not the frame. Good enough for children but that's it.

Bigfoot's been bankrupt and reborn before. It's an easy way to purge the debt. I was in the market for a camper but the fire sale discount was only 15% off list. The entire inventory was cleared out in a month.

 

[SRath]

Yeah, it's the overhead fold-down bunk I would want to strengthen. It functions and looks like a cupboard when closed, but folds down into a child's bed. I would suppose it is the same too-short-for-me length as every dinette bed I have ever tried. The boys are both still under 6 feet tall, but probably not for long.



It's just a mental excercise right now, but I always thought those fold-down bunks were a great idea that wasn't followed through on in a practical manner.

 

[Grizzly]

I never did use mine for a bunk bed because I was afraid a kid could fall off and get hurt, with it being so high. I used my overhead to store light weight paper goods and box cereals. It was a very handy storage.

 

[sarj]

I have a 22 foot bigfoot. I can't recommend 'em high enough. Enough room for two of us & the dogs, but small enough to get into some nice out-of-the-way campsites. It takes the cold real well. Looked for something used for years, but people don't sell 'em. I had to break down and buy a new one. It's worked out well. Good luck.