Van versus Truck with a Camper?

[One Awesome Inch]

I've read where people have expressed concern that what if they sink all this money and effort into building out a (cargo) van and then the dang thing has blown motor/transmission/something major leading to it not worth being fixed. The beauty of the truck with a camper on the back is that when the truck bites the dust you can just take off the camper and put it onto a different truck.

Yet truck campers dont seem all that popular here?

Definitely not as stealth and storage probably would not be as good, but always knowing you'll have somewhere permanent for many years is quite attractive, no?

 

[Blue]

ech, not to me... stealth means a lot to me as they are passing more and more no overnight camping ordinances round the country. I think as the economic decline continues on (were just at the tip of the iceburg right now IMHO), more people will be shifing into becoming van, truck, car and RV dwellers. If you plan on boondocking most of the time, I dont think it really matters, but if you plan to move in a lot a cities I wouldent trade the stealth. btw. most of the stuff I am putting in my van is modular, I can take everything out by removing a few sheet metal screws per system. I figure I could pull everything out of my current 1,500.00 van and put it into a different used 1,500.00 van in a day if I wanted.

BTW I am trying to stick to pre-98 vans right now as newer vans have more expensive, detailed computers, tracking, harder to fix without going to dealerships that document every repair, location, etc. I think there are a bunch of really great really paranoid sounding reasons older vehicles without all the electronic doodads will be much more benificial in the coming years.

 

[Unchained]

I considered a truck camper, but opted for a small TT with a van TV instead. More room than a camper in the TT, and I can drop the it in storage when/if I want stealth or I'm going places TTs can't go. I can also drop it in an inexpensive park as a 'home base' if I'm on an extended stay in a particular location, and take off for camping/ boondocking in the van. The difference between this arrangement and a camper is that my van will be a living space in its own right, allowing me to drop the trailer and still have many comforts of home. Most of my TV build will be able to move to a new van, but having a place of my own to stay if/when my van is in the shop for an extended period of time is important to me.

That said, everything is a trade off. For me, it's worth dragging the TT when changing locations. For others, not so much. If I had to choose a secondary set up, it would likely be a pickup/camper combo.

 

[Lucky mike]

I guess it would depend on your comfort level and your travel usage......I started out in a van....then switched to a truck/camper....it was good for boondocking but not so good for cities....

I moved on to a van and Travel trailer it worked out better for long term stays...I swapped out the van a couple times

I now have an RV and tow a little Truck with a cap......Definitely no stealth in this rig parking in cities or just driving is a nightmare...but for long term and being disabled it is just what is needed

 

[MrNoodly]

Yet truck campers dont seem all that popular here?

Um, because this is the VAN sub-forum?

But, yeah, if stealth weren't a need then a camper would work very well.

However, with the conversion I did on my van, the only thing that can't be easily removed and installed in another van is the insulation. I mean, it's not like the bed and cabinets are welded in or anything. Undo some bolts, disconnect some wires, and out it all comes.

 

[caseyc]

Depends where you're camping/staying. A truck/camper combo wouldn't be so good in a city/urban environment, in my opinion. I would be very hesitant to drop off my camper at any city location. But in the boonies, that's a different story of course. I imagine the biggest disadvantage is not being able to simply hop in the front seat to drive away if the situation warrants. I've had a few occasions parking at night nearby strip malls. A few times I noticed a mall cop pulling up next to me to check out my rig. After the security guard drove off, I would then hop in the driver seat and go away somewhere different. You can't do that with a truck/camper setup.

 

[MrNoodly]

...and then the dang thing has blown motor/transmission/something major leading to it not worth being fixed.

You could buy a replacement truck that costs less than repairing the old one, but at that price it would be approaching the age where it's more likely to break on you. So you could keep moving the camper from one low cost truck to another and another as they crap out, or you could bite the bullet and repair the original one, leaving you with a like-new drivetrain. Or you could replace the broken truck with a newer one that costs more than repairing the broken one, just to get something that will last longer.

 

[Willy]

Well, I've lived in soo many different rigs over the years, but have stuck with the 4x4 truck/slide in camper setup for the last 7 (or somewhere around there). Up here, in BC, the truck/camper setup IS rather stealthy insofar as so many people have them. The 4x4 also allows me to go many places I could only dream about were I to have anything that's 2WD.
There are 2 other reasons to go that route. One is that the winters here truly suck and 2WD would mean city living or parking lots/campgrounds. The 2nd is that, if I were to blast down to Arizona next winter, I could stick the camper into storage and throw a canopy on the back of the truck. This would boost my MPG by around 7-9 and, with my solar panels swapped on, I'd be set.
That's the thing I like about going with the truck.. the flexibility of options. Hell, I could even have a canopy on the back and tow a trailer, but can't stand the damned things. ..Willy.

 

[Patrick46]

I think your idea sounds fine UG, along with your reasoning...but I'll add this...

as a person who builds hot-rods and customs, the money of a vehicle is in the BODY, as that's the hardest part to repair/replace.(why do you think body shops charge so much??) Once a vehicle's body develops rust, it's pretty much the death of it UNLESS you strip the vehicle down to it's barest body components and dip them in acid and completely reseal them...but this is a very expensive and tedious undertaking, and why it only happens to 'specialty' high end cars. This is why the body of an old '32 Ford coupe will often sell for 10K WITHOUT any running gear or framework whatsoever.

Engines and the rest of the running gear can be bought and switched out in just acouple of days. Sure, replacing a bad engine is expensive...but who wants to build a nice conversion out of a van that's a piece of junk anyway?? If that's all a person can afford at the time, then I'd bet they wouldn't do a very elaborate conversion to it anyways.

I live in pick-up truck heaven, (I'd bet 60% folks here own at least 1 PU)...and you'd be 'stealthier' in a pick-up truck around here than in a van.

 

[AimlessWanderLust]

Yet truck campers dont seem all that popular here?

Definitely not as stealth and storage probably would not be as good, but always knowing you'll have somewhere permanent for many years is quite attractive, no?

I think there's more of us in truck campers than any of us realize, and we are one of them.

Personally, we've found that a truck camper (especially the really big ones) have far more storage capacity than a regular van does.

We're lucky enough to not have to worry about stealth where we're at. There are quite a few of us vandwellers here with no laws against it (yet). Walmarts, etc, don't seem to mind squatters so long as they keep the place clean.

Our next move will probably be into a van, but for the moment, we have no pressing reason to switch, so we'll keep saving the pennies.

As far as getting into the back country easier with a 4x4/camper, we've found that any (comfortable) camper is usually far too large to permit it. So you're stuck on paved roads anyway...

 

[Willy]

Yup, I've got a rear slider window on the truck and a sliding window on the camper. Can bail into the cab, if necessary, and don't have to worry about insulating the driver area like in a van. ..Willy.

 

[caseyc]

This may seem like a silly question, but I'm curious. Is the sliding window large enough for you to easily pass through? Do you go head first?

 

[Willy]

Yup, head first. I mainly keep it open so my dog can go through whenever she wants. Great for the summertime, beats a car alarm, when she can pop into the back if it gets too hot. In winter, there's the option for her to camp out in the front without cooling down the camper. Right now, I have it closed due to all the crap stuffed in the rear of the cab.. and I don't have a 'gasket' in place between the cab & camper yet.
I was gonna edit my previous post, but my 5 mins was up, so I'll just slide a comment in now. This is about having a slide-in camper and rough country. I have a 9.5' 60's Vanguard camper on a '92 F-250 extended cab 4x4 and, as long as I take it slow, can traverse some pretty hairy terrain. I'm talking full on 4x4 country.. just need the right truck, patience, and to watch out for low branches. ..Willy.

 

[akrvbob]

I was in a 4x4 truck and camper for 3 years and then switched to a van and cargo trailer for the last 3. Never stuck once n the 4x4 truck but I've been stuck 6 times in the van!! NOT happy about that!!

I'm giving serious thought to going back to the truck and camper.
Bob

 

[MrNoodly]

but I've been stuck 6 times in the van!! NOT happy about that!!

I was with you one of those times. I don't think having a 4x4 would have helped.

 

[GotSmart]

I guess I have an advantage over most folks. I am not scared to swap out a motor or transmission in any vehicle. (Parts is parts) When I bought my van, it was a basket case with a 30,000 mile motor and transmission partially installed. By using a floor jack and a come-a-long I was able to position things where they needed to be. I guess Bob will think of me as a big chicken. I do not plan on going anywhere that I could get stuck.

I prefer my van because all I have to do is lift the arm on the chair, swing around, and I am home. But~~ People are all different, and what is right for me more than likely is not right for everyone.

 

[akblack10]

I have owned a van, a 1995 GMC G20 van conversion from a company in Riverside, Ca (no longer in business). I loved the van, the best part was that I could just park and walk-thru from the cab to the sofa bed and sleep. No need to climb outside and into the back like with a truck camper. When the transmission on the van died in 2006, and I was only getting 10MPG, I sold the van for 6K. In 2008, I bought my F350 and Bigfoot Camper and love it. The truck is a 4x4 and the Bigfoot is well built for cold so for me, the combo is nice to have! I recently bought a Tacoma and put a cap on it so I could go further off-road. So for me, all vehicles have pros and cons. I don't like pulling a trailer, so I wanted something self-contained. I didn't want a big RV because it would be limited in where it could travel off the beaten path, and I didn't have 500K for a GXV.

You need to determine what is important to you and go that route.
Off-road more important? Stealth more important? Gas mileage more important?
As far as stealth and a Truck Camper… I have never worried about stealth?
I can always find a place to park where I don't violate the no over-night parking ordinances. I think stealth is over-rated.

-AK

 

[AimlessWanderLust]

It seems I'm the only one that has a problem taking a large camper off road?? I mean, how is it you guys get down narrow heavily treed roads with something so wide and tall? That is 90% of the "off roads" we've driven, and have never been able to get down them with our hard side camper. It's a whole different story when we had our pop up camper, but the truck we have is still very wide and long (quad cab, long bed).

 

[Willy]

My camper is a bit narrower than many others. Also, a pole pruner takes care of the branches. ..Willy.

 

[AimlessWanderLust]

Doesn't seem like cutting trees to get down a road is very good Leave No Trace practice.... Besides, I'm not going to stop and cut a tree every 20 feet for 5 miles.