Slide in camper?

[CoastyAV8R]

My wife and I are looking at getting a slide in camper for the pickup and I am wondering what the opinions are as far as weight, length and brand names go.

A buddy of mine bought a new one and didn't find out that he couldn't get the spare tire out from underneath his Ford with the camper on till after he got a flat out in the middle of nowhere. I guess that same problem could happen with the Dodge after looking at the spare tire system, that is where the length come in to play.

As far as weight goes, I don't want to over stress my truck. I know it's a Cummins but I still am aware it's a 3/4 truck. I would like a good combo of toys in the camper but still keep it at a reasonable weight.

I also have an enclosed trailer that I will be towing the dirt bikes around in so I guess that is something else to consider. How are you guys plugging the camper into the truck's electrical system and still pull a trailer? Is there a specific type of tie down system for the camper I should look for? I haven't owned a slide in camper before so any other tips would be greatly appreciated.



Thanks, Pat



2001 ETH 4X4 QC LWB Tow Package and Camper package

 

[Crazy Horse]

I would suggest you go look at Lance Campers. They make many different sizes for long beds or short beds, with just about anything you would want on it. One thing I would look at real close is the "dry weight". My Lance isn't real big(9'10") but by the time it's loaded my payload has come out to 4,800 lbs. The dry weight on the camper says 2,771 lbs. I wen't through 2 trucks in a short period of time before I was happy hauling it in my 3500. It was flat out spooky driving a 97 F350 with that camper in the bed a couple of years ago. The amount of length you get in the camper usually dictates the amenities inside. so decide what you need and what your truck will carry. You should have gotten a camper weight rating sheet with you warranty book packet. That will tell you whay you can "safely" carry. Don't forget the story above of what mine came out to weigh once it was loaded.

 

[NETim]

Lance Lite

Coasty,



What'll get ya is the 2500's 8800 GVWR. Basically it translates to about a 2300lb payload, which isn't very much when you start looking at the weight of a good slide in.



I think the Lance Lite's are the way to go. Their 9 footer weighs in at about 2200 with no options.



The Cummins, while yielding torque and power, robs GVWR.



Good luck!

Tim

 

[Dane]

I went with Lance lite 815 and have been very happy so far. I do mostly off road camping in Baja, so I looked for the nicest camper that weighed the least and had a bathroom for my wife. The 815 is 1500lbs dry. With air bags, Roadmasters and Bilstein shocks the Dodge Cummins barely knows the camper is on it's back. I also got in on a Lance factory deal on the 815 lite for $6,999. 00 which was the lowest price I could find for hardside cabovers a little over a year ago.

 

[Crazy Horse]

Hey Pat - Here is Lance's Website, www.lancecampers.com . You can build one the way you want.

 

[CoastyAV8R]

Thanks for all the input. My wife and I went to an RV show this weekend and were totally blown away by all the campers. Now, we are looking at getting a trailer. Also, I realize that even though the truck is incredibly strong, I didn't realize that to haul a camper that we would like, it would put my truck over the GVWR. That is something I really want to avoid. The hunt continues...



Thanks,

Pat

 

[bbsher]

I have a good used one for sale in the classifieds. Have a 5th wh for our regular use but bought this slide-in a year ago to go to Alaska with and it did a fine job on my 3500 QC.

 

[RobG]

Whatever camper you decide to get, with regard to towing, please keep this in mind:



1. Do not listen to the dealer when it comes to towing.

2. When in doubt, refer to Rule #1.



I made this mistake and ended up with a camper that wasn't quite what I wanted. I wanted a Lance 1140. I ended up with a Lance 1030, 6" shorter (and a lot shorter on storage space).



I listened to them because all they told me about was the Reese Titan V hitch and extension setup -- the setup with the excessively lame 600 lb. tongue weight rating because it's too weak of a design. Heck, even with my 1030 and using a 24" extension, I STILL bent their hitch while towing a car on a flatbed trailer and NOT EXCEEDING THE RATING.



When I traded my '96 RAM for the '01, I went to Torklift, which I heard about on the irv2.com RV forum. I have a 48" extension with the Torklift setup, and even in 48" form, it's STILL rated for 1000 lbs of tongue weight and 10,000 lbs. trailer weight (with a weight distribution hitch).



So... as long as your truck will handle the weight of the camper (e. g. I suggest you consider a dually), get the biggest camper you WANT. The only catch is to keep your tongue and trailer weight within Torklift's specs and you'll be fine.



BTW, check out the new 2002 Lance 1161. The details of it are supposed to be on the Lance website as of Oct 12th. It's 11'11" long, has a driver's side slide-out, and a side entry. I've seen the floorplan and it's VERY slick.



Rob