Nice to virtually meet you!

[LisaF]

A very warm hello to all!

I have been living full time in my 2019 Northwood Nash since early March 2020. It's true that there is a re-evaluation process that occurs once an individual takes the leap to sell the sticks and bricks an embrace a nomadic lifestyle.

I have never looked back. I knew I wouldn't. But there are a few things that have put me in a holding pattern before I hit the road. This has been necessary, yet quite frustrating.

1. COVID-19. I had just moved into my trailer and was plotting my great escape when the lock-down occurred. I found a spot in a 55+ mobile home community and was going month to month until...

2. I found out I have  a fractured back. Three vertebrae are fractured. So I signed a 6 month lease to stay in the area, keep working my full-time job (medical coverage), and addressing all health needs before I hit the road.

3. I'm in Mesa, AZ...in summer. That's were my job is 
and my doctor, so I'm grounded here until November. I'm trying to make the best if it. My AC unit is working 
overtime. I'm sure all this is building character....right?

4. I've had lots of time to live in this trailer and determine whether I made the right choice in a rig. I think that there is a compromise whatever rig it is. Lately I've been thinking that I would like to do a truck bed buildout with a roof tent. Although I'm grateful to have a spot, I hate spending 551 a month to be here. And I'm limited on going anywhere because it is now unaffordable. I have pets, so a truck bed buildout is not sustainable. Having both a builtout truck and a 25 foot trailer seems like way too much.

5. SOLUTION: (chime in please). Perhaps a truck camper. I have an F350 diesel, so it would accomodate a truck camper, but I'm not sure I want to carry around all that weight.

Anyway, that's my travel style. I always love seeking the advice of those who have travelled before me. I welcome thoughts, suggestions, but most of all, I welcome the opportunity to make long-lasting friends.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Welcome!

The Rona V changed or modified the plans of millions of us, so you are not alone.

Your present rig combination sounds just about perfect for full timing when you are finally able to break away, and in 6 months after your lease is up, you will be able make a short drive over to BLM land around Quartzsite and stay there pretty cheaply. 

If you do that with a truck camper and some pets, you might wish you had that 25 footer as your full time abode.

Maybe if you think of that $551/mo as a payment towards keeping and improving your health in that time frame, it will be easier to accept.

If you are willing to spend some money on a high performance RV roof coating, that might help with the heat-gain inside your trailer. Or you might be able to fit a small 5000BTU window unit in your bedroom window to save a little money on the electric bill.

If you sell or trade that trailer you will probably lose more money on that sale and the subsequent purchase of another rig, and probably more than the $3300 you will pay in lot rent over the next 6 months.

Or so it seems to me. 

Good luck!

 

[rvwandering]

Welcome to the CRVL forums Lisa! I agree with tx2sturgis - you may miss all of the room that you have now in your trailer if you go with something smaller. Give it some more time. See how it works when you actually get on the road. Roof tents are usually a weekend or vacation setup. They're difficult to get into, require packing up every time you want to move, and can't be used in places like Walmart, casino, or truck stop lots which are convenient for overnight stops when you're long-distance traveling.

To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips, Tricks and Rules" post lists some helpful information to get you started.

Most of our rules boil down to two simple over-riding principles: 1) What you post should provide good information (like your introductory post), and 2) Any response to someone else's post should make them feel glad they are part of this forum community.

We look forward to hearing more from you.

 

[Malamute]

Welcome!

Is there any shade method being used? Have you considered getting a few large white sheets or tarps and spacing them above your rig to help provide shade and reduce the AC load. I put a sheet of plywood in the rack on my old Nissan pickup shell, it helped reduce the temp inside, I also put a few rings on it so i could pull a sheet over the cab part in hot weather to help keep it cooler, secured by bungy cords, it worked. So long as it makes shade and allows air to circulate, it should help to some degree. I keep a couple white sheets in my 4runner for possible breakdowns and need to shade.

Many of the older Land Rovers had what they called tropical roofs. It was basically another roof skin, open on all sides and spaced away from the main roof by about an inch. Id bet many never knew about them or noticed the gap or realized what it was. Ive considered it on my next 4runner, get a roof skin from a rusted out or wrecked rig.

https://www.google.com/search?q=tro....1.69i57j0.16095j1j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

 

[MG1912]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on starting the nomadic journey! I commend you, as it sounds tough to deal with a fractured back while also working to sustain your access to medical treatment. I wish you all the best and hope everything works out the way you want it to.

I have an F350 with a truck camper (slide in). It is a fantastic combination, but making it work depends on the F350 (there are many body/bed combos and a wide range of capabilities based on the model year and the specs, such as the payload capacity, SRW vs DRW, etc.). Matching the truck to an appropriate camper is a very important step in nomadic success in a truck camper.

For example, if you have an older F350 with very low payload capacities and you buy a heavy truck camper that overloads the truck, it could make for a very bad ride... but it could also be dangerous if you blow a tire out or break a wheel at highway speeds. It's important to have good, high-quality tie-downs and appropriate suspension/wheel/tire upgrades where applicable, too. You may also want a sway bar. I'm not trying to scare you, but it is something future truck camper enthusiasts should understand clearly -- that there are very important considerations of weight that need to be taken into account, and there may be costly suspension modifications you need to make to ensure a safe and comfortable ride.

There is also the vast range of quality, reliability, power, and capabilities of different generations of F350 diesels. Do you have a 7.3 (excellent engine, excellent standard transmission, bad automatic transmission, decent payloads)? A 6.0 (excellent engine IF preemptively fixed, excellent automatic transmission, excellent payloads)? A 6.4 (horrible truck, and I'm sorry if you have one, but it's true)? A 6.7 (excellent, but high-tech and will eventually be very expensive to maintain/repair in the long run)?

One thing to keep in mind when considering the weight issue with a truck camper is the dry weight vs. the wet weight and the final weight. The dry weight is the camper without propane, water, fuel, etc. The wet weight is with those things. And then you need to know your final weight, which includes your gear (usually around 800-1000 pounds for most truck camper owners). I mention this because people sometimes see the dry weight of the camper (say, 3000 pounds), see that their truck's payload capacity is 3000 pounds, and happily buy and put the camper on their truck. When they hit the road, however, with full water and propane tanks and all their gear, they are actually 2,000 pounds over their payload capacity and thus in a potentially unsafe situation.

Bottom line is: you mentioned that you weren't sure you wanted to carry around all that weight. My response is that it probably doesn't matter what the weight is if your truck is set up to handle it. The importance of matching your truck to the right camper (and taking into account the wet weight and the weight of all your gear/food/etc.) cannot be overstated... for your comfort and safety.

Also, regarding pets, I find the space in my truck camper to be very spacious and adequate for me (I am single and have no pets). I don't know if it would feel roomy enough with pets in tow, too, but that is a personal thing.

I am writing from experience. I have a 2007 F350 SRW 6.0 diesel truck with the extended cab (called "SuperCab" by Ford) and long bed (8'). In it sits a 2013 Northstar 9.5 Igloo U. I have been full-timing in this rig for nearly a year. I'm right at payload capacity for the truck. I have all-terrain tires and a stock sway bar. I upgraded the shocks to Rancho's and added Upper StableLoads. I also "bulletproofed" the truck engine with all the recommended 6.0 upgrades. Those were all the modifications necessary for my truck/camper combo to make the ride good and make me comfortable in all driving conditions. They were not cheap. If you have a DRW truck, you might not need to make any modifications to the suspension, at all.

Despite this slight learning curve and some decisions you may have to make (and extra costs you may have to shoulder), there are some distinct advantages to a truck with a slide-in camper. For one, F350's are very capable vehicles (if they are in good shape!). They have great power and great clearance. If yours is 4x4, you retain that 4x4 capability. If you do not overload your truck, you'll have a great combo that can get you through sandy areas, mud traps, and off road terrain that might get a 2WD van stuck. You can also separate the truck from the camper when necessary. And with a slide-in camper, you also retain 2 axles (no towing something behind you) and can park in virtually any parking spot where a one-ton truck could park. I zip around practically anywhere a sedan can go and park in virtually the same spots. That isn't possible with a Class A RV or a trailer or 5th wheel in tow.

One other advantage of a slide-in camper is that the cab-over area is usually mostly dedicated to the bed, which means most slide-in campers have a queen-size mattress area (60"x80"), though you usually cannot have a full-thickness residential bed mattress due to space. I have a 4" foam mattress from Cirrus, combined with a Froli spring system, which works very well. I always sleep well in my camper!

One major disadvantage to a truck camper (besides the learning curve and potential costs of necessary upgrades to the truck) is the height. At nearly 12' tall, I cannot go through drive-throughs at fast food restaurants. I cannot get into areas that a van could get into if there are low branches or low bridges, i.e., I have to be careful of my height.

You wrote, "I've had lots of time to live in this trailer and determine whether I made the right choice in a rig. I think that there is a compromise whatever rig it is." Then you discussed expenses. I'm not if sure I know how a truck camper would reduce the cost you are paying for your current spot or make traveling more affordable than your current trailer. Can you clarify? Besides the cost issue (which I did not understand), it isn't clear to me what it is about the trailer that you don't like or what it is that is appealing to you, in your specific situation, about a truck camper (besides all the benefits discussed above).

 

[GypsyJan]

With your back issues, a roof tent is not the best choice. How will the pets get up there?

A disadvantage of a truck camper is that you can't just jump from the bed into the driver's seat for a quick get-away if needed.