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Have you weighed the loaded truck with camper? What is your rated payload on the placard? I'm curious because I tested a Ram 1500 crew cab Ecodiesel with 4-corner air suspension and the system worked up to around 1500 lbs payload at which point the off-road modes would not work. At a somewhat...

In the past I ran two sets of tires, summer and winter, which was a pain because of switching and storage but there were few good options. In the last decade tire technology has advanced and there are more all-season, snowflake-rated tires in truck sizes. I have used both the Nokian Rotiiva AT...

Flickr is so much larger than Smugmug that I don't understand how this could possibly work out well for either company. It must have been a good price.

I second the rear camera suggestion. Either wired or wireless would work. Given how low and wide your rig is I can see how normal tie down systems might not work. You are probably best off with the bed mount you have. I might still call Torklift to see what they have for that truck; the...

Three disadvantages of a flatbed camper I observed from borrowing one is that: 1. It messes up the fuel (and DEF for diesel) filler tubes which makes refueling a pain because the filler is lower and more horizontal. 2. Of less importance but still with noting is that the flatbed is a couple...

That might work on some campers, they are all different. I can't picture it on mine. Any design will either provide partial coverage or be complex, and even then it would not protect the center tab that sticks out. Nothing simple and effective comes to mind, so I'll probably just have to be...

The gap is definitely prone to catch things. I also have a tab in the center that sticks out and gets bent--don't see that on yours. In fact the entire latch has a large profile. However, I'm not keen on any solution that involves drilling into the composite siding of the Hallmark.

I can't tell if those would work although it looks like the holes are different than the existing hardware. I don't fancy drilling into the camper and patching the existing holes. Probably the easiest approach would be a simple cover that is held on with a pin through the latch tab. The tab...

Enjoyed your stories. By coincidence we were in Death Valley for a few days this month although in a different part of this huge area. We entered via Titus Canyon and returned home up 395. Wish we would have had more time, of course.

IMHO the jacks and camper mounting systems are a real weak point in truck camper design. The jacks hang out where they are vulnerable which in turn can seriously damage the camper brackets and frame. Yes, the jacks can be removed with a lot of bolt turning but are not really designed for that...

I'd love to drool on... I mean look at your demo unit. Interested to see what changes you have made. Sorry I missed the travel shop opening--we were on a trip to Death Valley--but I will drop by eventually.

There are a few nice images but I'm underwhelmed by most of the winners. Several of the photographers here have done much better. And some of those campers are fugly. I won't bother getting the calendar.

They don't use straps. The tie-downs are Torklift or Happijac. I prefer the frame mounted Torklift. The turnbuckles are whichever Torklift model you prefer although Hallmark's owner told me that he prefers simple chains. So, it's more or less up to you.

Still a problem. I've had to remove branches and bend the center tab back a few times. If I were handy at fabricating parts then I could come up with a better latch design. I'd probably use a strap attached to the top that connects to a latch below. That would get rid of the tab and lower the...

HD trucks are made to carry a load as are diesels. They love to work so if you carry the camper most of the time then the diesel is a good choice. The massive on-demand torque and better fuel mileage are big pluses. Conversely, if you normally unload the camper between trips and put on...

I finally got someone on the phone at Hallmark. I was lucky to get through because they just returned from a 10-day summer vacation and are swamped with calls. Well, everyone is entitled to a vacation but they might have had a phone recording explaining that, or a banner on their webpage instead...

Maybe but they were closed yesterday when I was working on it.

Thanks but I was checking if another Hallmark owner had the same problem and came to a solution. It's just a current Hallmark's dinette table as shown below. The table and pole should lift out of the subfloor.

I am trying to remove the dinette table in our 2014 Hallmark. I believe it should just lift up (the dinette can be made into a bed) but won't budge. The pole seems fixed in place and will not move up, down or rotate. I tried tapping on the pole with a soft hammer but that didn't loosen it. Any tips?

The campers you mention are all pretty good, as are Four Wheel Camper, All Terrain Camper, Alaskan and probably some others. Much depends on preference and budget. If you are buying used then that narrows it down to availability. We researched several brands in 2013 (phone, in person and talking...

I'm not really following your logic. Pop-ups may weigh less than large expedition campers but the truck bed and frame are also light duty. I don't think rigid mounting of my 1600-lb pop-up would be good for the camper or my truck, and indeed Hallmark recommends that the rear tie downs should...

My understanding is that rigid mounts put too much stress on the camper and the truck. That's why expedition rigs have a flexible mounting system that absorbs the stress of the camper moving and the truck frame flexing. Those of us with slide-in campers have to be even more careful because a...

I've had the inReach for 3 years and only occasionally paired it with my Android phone because the Earthmate app sucks the battery and it's too fussy trying to use two devices at once. I use it mostly for communications, for potential emergencies, and as a backup to my handheld GPS receiver...

I followed the Ram EcoDiesel closely after it was announced in 2012. There was much speculation at the time about whether the VM Motori V6 engine could be modified for U.S. emissions. Certification took longer than expected and there were adjustments. It's very challenging for diesels to meet...

Vehicle size is another one of those tradeoffs. The Going to the Sun Road restrictions above eliminate many truck campers although no one was checking when we were there last year. Bertha, our Ram 2500 Crew Cab with 8-ft box, is 21.5 ft long and 8.5 ft wide including the mirrors (7'8" mirrors...