Four Wheel Campers Review - Member Input

I hope to publish a comprehensive Four Wheel Camper review later this year. Please add your thoughts and opinions here. What do you feel the strengths of the camper are? Weaknesses? What problems have you had? Overall are you happy with your FWC? (please answer poll).

Basically a good camper and well built. Had an issue with the water pump freezing. Anybody ever had to try to replace it? Lots of luck! You practically have to disasemble the camper to get to the pump. Also, Four Wheel makes a big deal about the lightweight issue. This is really bogus. The dry weight they list must be for a shell. My dry weight on the new Hawk is several hundred pounds above what the company advertises (740 pounds). So dont get suckered into thinking you are buying a real lightweight camper. That is not true. My loaded weight is almost double what the 740 pounds and it is not heavily loaded at all. Probably loaded lighter than most TCs. I would recommend Four Wheel, but dont put too much emphasis on the light weight issue, or you will be disappointed.

Does this apply to ATC?

My ATC Bobcat weights around 900lbs with all the options, water and propane. I weighted it at ground scale.

I’m very happy with my 2008 FWC. I’d buy another one without question.

The only weakness I found when buying a new FWC is that Quality Control can be lacking (in my case anyway) when the final factory inspection is done. All warranty issues (some major) were cheerfully corrected under warranty, but it took two additional trips back to Woodland to get things straightened out.

My advice to anyone driving long distance to buy a new FWC and picking it up in Woodland is to allow an extra day to remain in the area and thoroughly check out all appliances, gadgets, fit & finish. Go to a local campsite overnight and try everything out to your satisfaction. If you find any glitches with the camper, it’ll only be a short drive back to the factory for resolution. It may save you the headaches and expense of a return trip to Woodland or dealing with out of town warranty repairs.

All in all, I'm still a happy FWC owner/camper.

Also, Four Wheel makes a big deal about the lightweight issue. This is really bogus. The dry weight they list must be for a shell. My dry weight on the new Hawk is several hundred pounds above what the company advertises (740 pounds). So dont get suckered into thinking you are buying a real lightweight camper. That is not true. My loaded weight is almost double what the 740 pounds and it is not heavily loaded at all. Probably loaded lighter than most TCs. I would recommend Four Wheel, but dont put too much emphasis on the light weight issue, or you will be disappointed.



The listed weight is before options. What options do you have on your camper? FWC offers a weight list of the differant options. The little things really add up fast.

I specked out all the options I want with the weight sheet for a Hawk. It comes out to just under 1200#. Yes I want most all the options!!!!

Still over 400# lighter than my current Northstar. Should make my half ton a Happy Camper!!!

The Lady and I are minimalists and enjoy the road less traveled. Exploration and getting to distant trailheads are the name of the game. Our FWC/ATC hybrid fits us well. It does its job and we are happy with its usefulness for us. There are things it excels at and others that are compromises. That's life. It is the adventure that counts. We pick and choose the tools that will help get us there. This was a good choice.

The Lady and I are minimalists and enjoy the road less traveled. Exploration and getting to distant trailheads are the name of the game. Our FWC/ATC hybrid fits us well. It does its job and we are happy with its usefulness for us. There are things it excels at and others that are compromises. That's life. It is the adventure that counts. We pick and choose the tools that will help get us there. This was a good choice.


I am in the same boat as ski3pin. I was a climber, now a backpacker who just likes to find very remote and seldom visited places mostly by foot. The FWC was bought because we both lost our jobs and we needed a place to live. It did it's job and now we use it for the trail heads. Because of my camper, I was able to keep my home and stay out of financial trouble. (put a renter in the house) It was the only thing that would really work on our Ford Ranger truck. I am happy with it, and will keep it if my work takes a dive again. It is a survival tool.
I did not not care for any of the equipment that the factory offers and felt that I could equipt my camper with much better and safer options. The build quality is fine, and I have no complaints other than they put way too many screws in the roof. -Joel

strengths of the camper are?

minimizes the impact on the vehicle's off-road capabilites. next best step up from tent camping.

Weaknesses?

a better boot solution would be good. boot friction wears on front of camper.
the curtains are ok....i give....but some form of cover that "sticks" to the glass would be better. with a choice between opaque/translucent

What problems have you had?

small crack in siding at upper door corner.

Overall are you happy with your FWC?

what would i do without it? its key to our outdoor experience.

a simple improvement: on all of the two piece curtains - rather than a little velcro tab, use a full strip of velcro the whole lenght of the curtain.

We really like out Kestral model. On a recent canyonland trip with some friends who bought a Hallmark pop-up, our lighter weight rig was able to fly over the rough roads. Of course they had a much more plush rig but FWC owners are probably not developed campgrd folks.
Bueno- 1. simplicity of the rig. 2. dinette set-up 3. frig 4. lg bed 5. velcro windows 6. low profile
complaints? It's really tough to pop-up for my wife. The leverage thing is tricky. 2. hot-water heater doesn't stay lit in any kind of wind 3. The ceiling material collects moisture and drips 4. galvinized water tank instead of the toxic plastic tank?

I bought mine used (03 Eagle), so its a process to make it 'mine', but i'd guess thats probably the case with new ones as well.

This is my first "RV" of any kind, so its been interesting figuring things out and finding what works or doesn't.

I like mods, but sometimes I worry i'm spending too much time mod-ing and not enough time 4-wheel-campin'.

Rob

We love our 2008 Hawk. Small but mighty. We went out with some friends who have a huge rig and it was such a pain in the ass to find a level spot for them I was about ready to drive home and bag the entire trip. In the end, while they have more room (and a crapper) they don't have any amentites I don't have that I'd want for a camping trip. DVD player? Gimme a break. Stay home if ya wanna watch a movie Smedley!

Small annoyances.... That switch by the back door that turns on the overhead floods. Dunno how many times stuff has shifted or I've bumped it loading gear and then saw the lights on on the next stop.

Ditto on the refrigerator fan button. If it were the big "Red" button we'd all be dead....

changes from stock build: Make the 6600 Fantastic Fan THE fan offered. It's not much more money but it works 10X better than the 3-speed. Folks with CONDENSATION need one of these. We never had tons of drips cus we live in beautiful Colorado w/low humidity...but any that we DID have are now gone (or barely noticable and easy to dry) because of the 6600

Kill the couch. Nobody likes it.

I hate the crappy wood and fake woodgrain but i understand it's use to make things lighter.

Between the camper and this forum it's been a great experience all around.

travel safe, kids.

mtn

Ditto the 6600 fan upgrade. I just installed the remote control kit in an existing 3-speed fan and the difference is amazing. With 14 speeds available we can run the fan continuously on a low setting without hearing it and provide constant venting. So far the remote control capacity isn't being used much but is a nice option to have. Sorry for being off subject here but wanted to share the fan information.

The advice from CJ in CA is the best piece of advice anybody has come up with. We were under a tight time constraint and didnt get to check out fully everything on the camper. As a result, I have spent untold hours either correcting problems myself or having a RV dealer here work on them. We are 1200 miles away from the factory, so going back there is out of the question.I still cant use the automatic lighter on the reefer, and have to manually light it. It never worked from the factory and has been worked on 4 times by different techs. Do not leave Woodland until you are sure everything works. As for the couch, I dumped that first thing, raised the storage level underneath and made a wider bed for DW to use with a better mattress (memory foam),all one piece. The bed is flush with the several inches of dead space that is behind the couch backrest. The couch is worthless and having a wider single bed works much better. By raising the walls of the storage area under the bed, I picked up much needed storage space also. Any extra weight I added was more than offset by getting rid of the boat anchor couch and associated metal frame, etc. Not sure who really needs a couch, unless you spend lots of hours just sitting in the camper. We sure dont do that.

..... Not sure who really needs a couch, unless you spend lots of hours just sitting in the camper. We sure dont do that.


we fold it down and we all sit on and watch movies on the laptop. its a lot of soft sitting space folded down.

Add me to the list of happy couch owners...

After 4 years of not having the couch and the associated storage space underneath, we love our newly acquired couch. Prior to having it, we were forced to pull in 2 camp chairs to sit inside when the weather turned on us... That said, we now have the older style slide-out couch as opposed to the new rollover design. Works great when I need to 'commando camp' for a few hours of sleep without popping the top, and when I want to pull over and make a quick lunch without popping the top. The storage space holds a lot of camp-clutter that we previously piled on the floor, ie camp chairs, shower kit, toilet, awning, air compressor, etc.



What do you feel the strengths of the camper are?
Weaknesses?
What problems have you had?



Strengths -

• durable on rough trails
• airtight on dusty trails
• doesn't leak in the rain
• lightweight compared to other slide-in campers
• simple systems prevent complicated breakdowns
• allows for a variety of truck brand & size choices for a base vehicle, from a 2wd Ford Ranger to a 1 ton Dodge dually
• easy enough to store at home when off the truck
• maintains excellent resale value
• cheap to insure
• limited storage forces you to be more particular about what gear is really necessary to bring
• generic cosmetics allows for plenty of owner-customization possibilities
• easy to set-up & breakdown in a hurry
• endures high winds when open, better than expected
• newly relocated water tank & propane tank offers better COG

Weaknesses -

• storage space robbed by some options (hot water heater, dinette, etc.)
• rear doors - some issues with the glass window holders breaking, some with the locks not working properly, overall chintzy & flimsy - easily tweaked when on rough trails
• fit & finish on newer models - I wasn't overly impressed with an '08 Hawk I recently purchased & sold. lots of staples & glue... Boo!
• unnecessary (?) additional sheet of plywood on the floorpack, adding considerable weight
• not the most family friendly camping option. we make it work for 4 of us, but it is work...
• aluminum siding cracks eventually - but easily replaced, so kind of a wash
• the new front cab-access windows. the tip in or solid framed windows are too small.
• the exterior roll-up windows they made for a few years. wth?
• the rear wall not being strong enough to support much exterior weight (gas cans, etc.) without additional internal frame supports.
• rusty jack brackets & jacks
• 2" thick bed cushions are too thin and offer poor support
• outdated exterior appearance. few people can visually tell the difference between a 1983 FWC and a 2010 FWC...

Problems -

• broken brackets inside the rear door, allowing the glass window to 'drop'
• one small crack in the aluminum siding
• a few screws in the galley faceplate vibrate loose & fall out on corrugated trails
• one wall/roof supporting snap-strap broke. riveted, not screwed in, so a camp repair was a PITA
• latch on the icebox was inefficient. objects fell out while running down the trail.
• ...that's about it and I'm not exactly "easy" on our camper

As ours approaches 20 years old, with two factory refurbs in 1999 and 2010, I am overall very happy with the product. With the newer models, I feel they are trying to squeeze in too much stuff & creature comforts, sacrificing valuable storage space and adding MPG robbing weight, while putting themselves out of the budget of most buyers. By elaborating on a simple concept - an affordable, lightweight, simple truck camper - they are in effect moving away from what made them so desirable in the first place... The two best improvements they've made in recent years (in my opinion) would be the roof-lift assist option and the extended cab-over option, allowing for thicker bed cushions and preventing the bed from intruding so far into the 'living area'. Oh, and I really, really like the new satellite radio option!
.

As far as fit and finish, sure theres a few things. All minor. I really don't expect perfection on these. Kind of like complaining about the wood. If it was perfect and and had nice hardwood and all it'd be a much more expensive camper. I hate seeing the price go up. It was a stretch for me as it was.

I have a 1983 keystone I bought used in 1990. It has all the original equipment and it all still works, 3 way fridge, stove, furnace and water pump. I changed out the lift panels last year and hope to replace the canvas next year. This thing has been every where the truck will go. I have tore out the old eye bolt hold downs twice but the camper has never had a problem. That in it self should be a testament to their strengths.It does everything it was designed to do but not those that it wasn't. It is a shelter for those who want to get back in and away from others. Ad looks out of place at the KOA. I love it!

2006 Eagle Shell purchased July 2010.

Overall the concept and execution of the camper is great. If you stick to the confines of what the camper is intended to provide it is a complete success.

I have some minor criticisms:

Siding looks dated and I hear it is $$$ - is there an alternative?
Jacks and brackets - rust ugh!
Using riveted plywood and flimsy extruded aluminum (old curtain rods?) does not a good lift hinge make
I don't like the head liner but I can't think of anything better to use
"Wood" paneling - please dispense with the photo finish and use Baltic birch - the cost wouldn't be much more
I took my dead bolt and door latch apart the other day because the door needed to be slammed to close - not one bit of lubricant - dry as a popcorn fart - quality control
White linoleum and camping - not really compatible

Positive:

How many camper manufacturers provide support that FWC (and ATC) give?
How many camper manufacturers sell a shell model to let the customer decide what they need?
It makes me happy - that's the best compliment I can give

Thanks,

Tom

Overall, I have enjoyed my new to me '05 Grandby for the past 2 years. It fits our minimal/ lite traveling style. I have dropped by the Woodland factory on my way to and from trips, the staff have always been nice and helpful. One time I did a repair in the parking lot and they provided me with hardware and sealant. I give them a 12 for customer service in that regard.

To each there own, but i would like to see:

1) stainless hardware for the exterior. (Painted screws rust)

2) Reinforced eye bolt hold down area. (Three of the four had plywood separating when purchased)

3) Higher level of Quality Control. (The solar panel system was never tied into the main electrical system.)