HandTurkee
Advanced Member
- Joined
- Mar 20, 2019
- Messages
- 30
I thought I'd write a bit about my experience with the Palomino Backpack SS550 as I've found very little about it in the forums.
First off, I'll pay my respects to FWC as I do understand they are a superior product regarding longevity, quality and their ability to handle tougher offroad applications. I'll also tip my hat to them as I grew up 20minutes away from their HQ in Northern California.
That said, for the price, I've had a superb experience with my Palomino so far. I purchased my camper a year ago here in Bozeman, MT for $9500. I hunt pretty hard during the fall so bought it to have my little motel on wheels when I'm in the mountains. I've been pretty hard on the camper already and it has held up well. I commonly drive on rough roads getting into the mountains and also did a coues deer hunt in Arizona that tested the offroad limits of the camper. It did great.
Some things I really like about the camper:
-Proper queen size mattress. This makes the camper taller in height than a FWC, but having a real mattress has been really nice.
-North/South bed. The cabover portion of these campers allows for north/south sleeping configuration, meaning you don't have to climb over your partner getting up in the middle of the night. It also makes the bed area feel like its own room.
-I understand that the camper is some sort of particle board with veneer, but I really like the feel. It isn't ultra premium but feels kind of like a Holiday Inn Express. Just good enough
-Upper cabinets: I haven't seen these in FWC but do like them in the Palomino
-Heater: The heater COOKS. I've spent comfortable nights in -F without any issues
Some things I dislike:
-Power Lift Roof: This was obviously sold as as a +, but if you have battery issues or a mechanical failure, there isn't an easy way to raise or lower the roof. I can see this leaving you in bad situations either not being able to lower or raise when you need to.
-Weight: I believe these have a dry weight of around 1700#. Really not bad, but not as nice as FWC. I had mine on a half ton and decided to upgrade the truck to 3/4 to carry it easier and safer
-Wood construction: I know the wood construction simply won't stand up over a long period of time compared to aluminum.
To summarize, I think for the price performance this camper is hard to beat. It provides a very comfortable camping experience in a form factor that let's you take it pretty far into the backcountry. I have the means to afford an FWC but have struggled to justify the upgrade at 2x-3x the cost. I no doubt will end up with an FWC one of these days, but for now I'm loving the Palomino!
Happy to answer any questions anyone might have.
First off, I'll pay my respects to FWC as I do understand they are a superior product regarding longevity, quality and their ability to handle tougher offroad applications. I'll also tip my hat to them as I grew up 20minutes away from their HQ in Northern California.
That said, for the price, I've had a superb experience with my Palomino so far. I purchased my camper a year ago here in Bozeman, MT for $9500. I hunt pretty hard during the fall so bought it to have my little motel on wheels when I'm in the mountains. I've been pretty hard on the camper already and it has held up well. I commonly drive on rough roads getting into the mountains and also did a coues deer hunt in Arizona that tested the offroad limits of the camper. It did great.
Some things I really like about the camper:
-Proper queen size mattress. This makes the camper taller in height than a FWC, but having a real mattress has been really nice.
-North/South bed. The cabover portion of these campers allows for north/south sleeping configuration, meaning you don't have to climb over your partner getting up in the middle of the night. It also makes the bed area feel like its own room.
-I understand that the camper is some sort of particle board with veneer, but I really like the feel. It isn't ultra premium but feels kind of like a Holiday Inn Express. Just good enough
-Upper cabinets: I haven't seen these in FWC but do like them in the Palomino
-Heater: The heater COOKS. I've spent comfortable nights in -F without any issues
Some things I dislike:
-Power Lift Roof: This was obviously sold as as a +, but if you have battery issues or a mechanical failure, there isn't an easy way to raise or lower the roof. I can see this leaving you in bad situations either not being able to lower or raise when you need to.
-Weight: I believe these have a dry weight of around 1700#. Really not bad, but not as nice as FWC. I had mine on a half ton and decided to upgrade the truck to 3/4 to carry it easier and safer
-Wood construction: I know the wood construction simply won't stand up over a long period of time compared to aluminum.
To summarize, I think for the price performance this camper is hard to beat. It provides a very comfortable camping experience in a form factor that let's you take it pretty far into the backcountry. I have the means to afford an FWC but have struggled to justify the upgrade at 2x-3x the cost. I no doubt will end up with an FWC one of these days, but for now I'm loving the Palomino!
Happy to answer any questions anyone might have.
