Slide in Campers

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bobco said:
looks like vail pass with some white stuff, that's white knuckle time.....
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Close. Monarch heading over to Blue a few Memorial Days ago. No exhaust brake on that trip.
Meatwagon said:
Something to consider with the double pull with a fifth wheel is the frame under the trailer would need some serious strengthening to support a hitch receiver capacity that would handle the weight of a boat of any size. While some offer hitch receivers they are not designed for much tongue weight. Maximum length is another issue, you will probably need a over length permit to get into any 5th wheel that has more interior space than a slide in camper. Then the big issue of maneuvering that rig
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All valid points. I had the fifth wheel trailer reinforced all the way forward of the axles. My experience with maximum length is that LEO hasn’t been concerned, but I’m also not the guy driving 85 MPH towing down the interstate. The boat actually tracks pretty much exactly in the tracks of the first trailer so maneuvering isn’t an issue. I have 95 gallons of fuel so I never have to stop while hitched, and I usually drop the boat at the boat ramp parking lot before heading to camp.

I’ve been towing tandem since 1999 and at this point am sure I have over 100,000 miles doing so. It isn’t for everyone, but I’ve found it’s the best set up for us. At least for towing the fishing boat.
 
Rainbowbridge said:
It would be for me....that rig would end up looking like a Swiss Army Knife.........o_O

Kudos to you for accomplishing that feat!!! (y)
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As my favorite actor once said. “A mans gotta know his limitations”. (Bonus points for whoever can guess the actor and movie without using the internet to look it up).

In all honestly, it is certainly not for everyone. And it has its trade offs. But I don’t think we could ever go to something with the interior space of a slide in camper. And I don’t want to go with a motor home as I want the flexibility to easily move and launch and retrieve when we get to the lake.
 
K&M said:
We've talked about the "train" but I think we'll stick to admiring those who successfully do it. The gas stations are our biggest concern! Good on you for taking up the challenge! It would solve issues for sure.
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Fwiw, fuel has never been a problem. Plan your stops at truck stops when on the road and you will always easily maneuver. I added a 60 gallon auxiliary tank so we never have to worry about stopping for fuel if we don’t want to.
 
Dirty Harry. Clint Eastwood Sq
Ryan said:
As my favorite actor once said. “A mans gotta know his limitations”. (Bonus points for whoever can guess the actor and movie without using the internet to look it up).

In all honestly, it is certainly not for everyone. And it has its trade offs. But I don’t think we could ever go to something with the interior space of a slide in camper. And I don’t want to go with a motor home as I want the flexibility to easily move and launch and retrieve when we get to the lake.
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I used to pull tripples when I had the smaller bass tracker. Took them all over the state, from the gorge to southern Utah. I do have a CDL and I think if I got checked they would hassle me for knowing how much over length I would be now. Back then I had a bumper pull trailer that was 23 feet and a 16 ft alum boat and I was still about 6 feet over length, today I would be close to 17 feet too long, it has made me think twice about it. Back then I did it with a gas truck and now I have a diesel I'm sure it would pull better. I look at your set up and it tempts me a lot. Those were the days when we had camp and boat with us where ever we went, and only a few close calls! :)
 
Our Camper/boat hauler set up, the old and the new. We use a hitch extension, 18" on the old rig...we built a new 24" extension with chain truss for the new rig, but have not pulled the boat yet with the new rig. Planning to in 22.
In either case we can launch just fine with the camper on, we do have a camera on the back of the camper, but since it's so easy, we typically just off-load the camper and use the truck empty to launch and retrieve the boat as needed. Actually, leaving the extension in place when launching with the empty truck makes it even easier on the primitive launches, due to the extended tongue length effect.
We find, for us, the truck / camper combo to be ideal. almost 7,000 miles in the new rig this summer...and a drive to Alaska on the radar!
BarzArzIMG_4069.JPGIMG_4078.JPGTruck Camper cropped.jpg
 
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BarzArz said:
Our Camper/boat hauler set up, the old and the new. We use a hitch extension, 18" on the old rig...we built a new 24" extension with chain truss for the new rig, but have not pulled the boat yet with the new rig. Planning to in 22.
In either case we can launch just fine with the camper on, we do have a camera on the back of the camper, but since it's so easy, we typically just off-load the camper and use the truck empty to launch and retrieve the boat as needed. Actually, leaving the extension in place when launching with the empty truck makes it even easier on the primitive launches, due to the extended tongue length effect.
We find, for us, the truck / camper combo to be ideal. almost 7,000 miles in the new rig this summer...and a drive to Alaska on the radar!
BarzArzView attachment 16268View attachment 16269View attachment 16270
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That's a great looking rig, Appears to have alot of headroom over the cab.
 
Meatwagon said:
That's a great looking rig, Appears to have alot of headroom over the cab.
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You are correct, I still have scars from our prior Lance 815 camper, pictured in prior post. It was a great camper, but I'm 6'2" and could not sit straight while on the bed without contacting the ceiling and roof vent... so made for a few headaches...lol
The newer camper has plenty of room to sit up straight, even with the upgrade of the new thicker memory foam queen mattress. My wife likes the camper bed better than the home bed. The downside, along with the newer taller trucks, is we are 11" 7" in exterior height. Has not been a problem anywhere, but keeps you on your toes. They let us through the tunnels at Scottsbluff this summer (marked 12' Maximum height), but said, stay to the middle...lol
 
Ryan said:
Fwiw, fuel has never been a problem. Plan your stops at truck stops when on the road and you will always easily maneuver. I added a 60 gallon auxiliary tank so we never have to worry about stopping for fuel if we don’t want to.
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Now that is smart. Who knows, maybe time to reconsider!
BarzArz said:
Our Camper/boat hauler set up, the old and the new. We use a hitch extension, 18" on the old rig...we built a new 24" extension with chain truss for the new rig, but have not pulled the boat yet with the new rig. Planning to in 22.
In either case we can launch just fine with the camper on, we do have a camera on the back of the camper, but since it's so easy, we typically just off-load the camper and use the truck empty to launch and retrieve the boat as needed. Actually, leaving the extension in place when launching with the empty truck makes it even easier on the primitive launches, due to the extended tongue length effect.
We find, for us, the truck / camper combo to be ideal. almost 7,000 miles in the new rig this summer...and a drive to Alaska on the radar!
BarzArzView attachment 16268View attachment 16269View attachment 16270
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Great looking rig and we are glad you are enjoying it so much! Does it have a slide/do you wish it did if it doesn't??
 
K&M said:
Now that is smart. Who knows, maybe time to reconsider!

Great looking rig and we are glad you are enjoying it so much! Does it have a slide/do you wish it did if it doesn't??
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I can't argue with Meatwagon's response, he is right. A truck camper is a small space and has been said before in this thread, is not for everyone. But, for our use and goals, we wanted to stay compact so slides were not desired. Having a slide adds a lot of weight, typically restricts access to bathroom, kitchen, frig and bed when not extended and adds complexity along with less sound proofing and insulation, in my opinion. We wanted a single rear wheel, shortbed tow vehicle due to the way we like to travel. We can park in a normal parking spot, u-turn on a two-lane road, and travel off road... somewhat. We like just pulling off, jumping in back, fix a lunch, and even take a nap for a few minutes without opening slides and not looking like we are camping. Our rig, even with the boat attached is within our GVWR, which is not always the case with truck campers. And our camper tanks carry 42 gallons fresh with 32 gallons each of both gray and black, so along with 6 cu.ft refrigerator/freezer, and air conditioning, so are not light. It works well for us, for now...we will see if that climbing up into the cabover get's more challenging as we age? lol
 
I know everyone has their likes and dislikes, but I like having a slide on such a small rv. The button for the slide is very accessible when you open the door. It only takes a second to open the slide enough to use the bathroom.
I do occasionally forget to slide it back in, and take off driving, until I look in the side mirror. lol20150103_132852.jpg
 
Wyrman said:
I know everyone has their likes and dislikes, but I like having a slide on such a small rv. The button for the slide is very accessible when you open the door. It only takes a second to open the slide enough to use the bathroom.
I do occasionally forget to slide it back in, and take off driving, until I look in the side mirror. lolView attachment 16290
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Does it seal out the cold pretty well? I think that would be my biggest concern with a slide out.
 
It does keep the cold out really well.
I don't know the exact name for it, but it basically has the arctic package, double pane windows, and heated belly.
We have camped twice now on the Washington coast in late October, and it has stayed nice and toasty in the cold rainy weather.
With that being said, we will not be going back to the coast until we get a trailer with more room..
We bought the camper so we could camp and boat with one vehicle,, but we need more room when it's rainy out.
Plus, we have two labs, and the camper gets crowded when it's wet weather.
The Washington coast can get very wet, and for a while.
Here's a pic this past October when it was so rainy we had to bring the pups in.
20211017_145212.jpg
 
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