I'm kinda wondering about the actual weight of an older camper. It seems that the newer ones tend to be heavy pigs, but what about the one's from the 70's & 80's? I went to this site http://www.glen-l.com/glen-l-rv-plans/ and looking at claimed weight, for various campers, really got me thinking. A 9' cabover camper, with a larger front overhang than mine and seemingly built with heavier materials than my 9.5' vanguard, is rated at 1350 lbs. Now, WTH is going on? I see on the net people claiming 1900+ lbs for something like I have. I dunno.. what do you guys think? ..Willy.
Realistic camper weight for older campers? Also, DIY link..
- Thread starter Willy
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i can only go by my own, a 69 shasta 14'. Internet search and registration says 1650 lbs, but it made both my 98 jeep grand cherokee and my 01 chevy blazer squat- alot. ( without a weight distributing hitch) And we dont even pull it with loaded tanks, if we can help it. Id guess more like 2500 from the way it pulls, but the only way to be sure is to put it across the scales. Truck stops, bulk material yards, and scrap yards all have drive on scales that are usually accurate to within 10 lbs or so. Not sure if thats what your after here, but ive driven on and off them 1000's of times in my lifetime.
I have an 8.5ft truck camper with a full size bed over the cab. A 1973 I think. It is a base model, no toilet, no hot water, no waste tanks sink drains out the side. It is made primarily from 1x2 stud walls, and half inch plywood floor. Empty it weighs in at 1950lbs, I haven't weighed it full with water and supplies. What I am trying to say is mine is probably as light as a fixed wall truck camper with normal construction is going to weigh. And my understanding is fiberglass like a Lance is a little stronger/rigid, but not lighter.<br /><br />All I can figure is they just lie and lie alot when they list camper weights.<br />New campers are supposed to be much worse. I am not even sure you can buy a camper with full plumbing for under 3000lbs empty.<br /><br />From what I have gathered the only campers that can be found with low weights are popups and even most of those aren't that light.<br /><br />Edit* I just checked out the link you gave. There 8' camper is constructed almost identical to mine. Claimed weight from them is 1,100 lbs vs mine at 1950lbs
yes Willy , mine is a travel trailer. Sorry for any confusion, i did not realize you were specifically refering to slide ins. I found a 8.5 slide in @ a rv dealer with full hookups for my 04 f150. Claimed weight of 890 dry. I couldnt swing the $10 K so i didnt persue it any farther.There is a company making slide ins that i found on the internet that makes a specific camper for short bed, 1/2 ton trucks, but i dont remember the mfg name. I do recall it was all aluminum, including the frame. If i find it again, ill post it.
See, that's the hell of it; you can have 2 campers, let's say 8', and one will weigh half as much as the other. A lot of them don't have the weight posted and are so old that the info isn't readily available. Mine is a 9 1/2' Vanguard with the fibreglass roof, model # P9RF. Now, that means absolutely dipsquat, since nowhere on the net has it listed. I look at that DIY site and the campers there have even heavier construction, yet the claimed weights are so low. Go figure. ..Willy.
Telcobilly
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If it's possible, go to a truck stop scale empty and loaded with the TC for an accurate idea. I'm tempted to take my rig to see where I'm at.
Right now the camer is off my truck. Got warped front rotors and am seriously debating whether to sh!tcan the rig and get a heavier duty one. Truck has been rode hard and, since the hub/rotor assembly on these things is 1 piece, it would cost a pretty penny to replace. Machining here would cost as much as getting another one, so natch that. Right now, I'd get as much for the truck, as-is, as I would were I to fix the rotors.. bit of a beater. That's why I'm trying to figure stuff out here. <br /> Not being particularly attached to the camper, I can also buy something completely different and sell the camper in the spring, so there's always that option. Decisions, decisions.. Willy.
VanLifeCrisis
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Or you can make your own. I think a strong man can bicep curl telcobilly's fiberglass camper shell <img rel="lightbox" src="/images/boards/smilies/tongue.gif" class="bbc_img" />
mad*sparrow
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My shell weighs 400 pounds. If that! 
My poor little pickup is lazy and doesn't want more weight.
just sayin.....
My poor little pickup is lazy and doesn't want more weight.
just sayin.....
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I'm a big fan of slide-in campers, but their weight is a killer. If I were buying one, I would buy one of these:<br /><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">http://www.capricamper.com/models.html</span></strong><br />Small, light and simple, just the thing to get into the back-country. <br />Bob
See, that's the thing, I loo at the way the camper is constructed and.. where's the weight coming from? Mine has NO particle board and is mostly constructed with 1x2"s, aluminum siding, 1/8" wood laminate, and a thin fiberglass roof. The thickest wood is on the floor and that's 1/2"-5/8". It's actually a doubled floor w. insulation. ..Willy.
this is the company i found and had in mind
http://www.livinlite.com/truck-campers.php
sure do wish i had the cash, sweet looking rigs
http://www.livinlite.com/truck-campers.php
sure do wish i had the cash, sweet looking rigs
Okay, I checked the site out and the camper that's closest in size to mine (the 8.5 at 9'2".. go figure) weighs 1800 lbs dry.. ouch. To be fair, it has a washroom, bigger bed, and is 1' taller and wider. Maybe mine is pretty close to that.. hope, hope. ..Willy.
