Another new Outfitter Caribou 6.5 Lite

[4wanderers]

Some pics of my new Outfitter.....just picked up from Longmont factory April 4 ! Very pleased with it overall - looks great ( I think ) and matches up to my GMC 1500 Sierra very nicely. At under 1000 lbs ( even though heavily modded ) the truck hardly feels it. Key modifications were ( above and beyond those on Outfitter's usual list of options ):

1. Custom vinyl flooring ( mock wood appearance )

2. Custom Spray Granite counter color and custom counter made to accomodate SMEV Euro style sink and cooker ( with folding glass lids - for more counter space )

3. Custom fabric color

4. Custom Euro style "L" shaped table mount ( gives more legroom and enables storage under the floor )

5. Custom smaller window ( personal choice - privacy, security )

6. Custom Lithium battery 100 a/h and Lithium charger - ReLion battery

7. Custom Euro hiddden hinges and flush drawer knobs

8. Height raised 2" to create deeper cabover and more sitting room with roof lowered

9. Bed changed to 'north south', cabover extended from 54" to 60" and extender length increased to 15" to create a 75" long bed. Open storage units created either side of the bed ( we felt the unit had one drawback and that was lack of storage, mostly due to its size )

10. Smaller Suburban furnace, enabled inclusion of small "utensils" drawer . Water level indicator ( lit in blue ) shows water level at all times along with battery charge indicator nearby.

We also had solar prewired and had an additional "connecter" plug installed externally for ease of adding an external movable panel to the system - still to add solar to the roof and will likely get the new, lightweight 'flexipanels". We were driven by weight considerations and the desire for a more contemporary 'Euro' look.

Still to add - custom shower unit.......more on that when it is complete !!



Sent from my iPad

 

[ski3pin]

Looks great, go out and have some fun. Congrats!

 

[rfg]

A question about weight. Did you have it weighed? I estimate my to be about the same but haven't weighed mine.

 

[enelson]

The weight is probably close to a similarly equipped FWC.

 

[takesiteasy]

Looks like a nice camper! Congrats and happy camping.

 

[4wanderers]

I asked Bob ( Ward - the owner of Outfitter ) about weight and why it did not have a weight stamp on it. He said they are not required but that, optioned as I have it optioned, it was about 950 lbs. It sounded about right to me. I will get it weighed soon and let everyone know. Keeping the weight low was important to me so I am curious too !

 

[Bigfoot]

Nice! But tiny photos.

I had a pleasant conversation with Bob over the phone last year when we were shopping. If we had gone with a 1500 the Caribou Lite was a leading contender because of the shell construction and option flexibility. Fully loaded with 2 adults I'll bet your payload is around 1800 lbs or more.

Enjoy!

 

[4wanderers]

Hi Bigfoot,

I thought that may be a bit high but I suppose it could be . I was thinking 950lbs camper, 350lbs ( us ! ), 200 lbs fuel and water, and 300 lbs
( stuff )..so there you have it....1800 lbs ! The truck can take 1974 lbs and it has no tailgate ( there's 60 lbs extra avaiable ) so it still leaves us 200lbs extra ( we dont carry the kind of junk that lots of folks do ) . I dont usually drive full of water either ( you can tell when it is full of water though ! ) so I think we will be fine.

When I see full size campers on half ton trucks I wonder how they do it !

 

[enelson]

I have a hard time believing 950lbs for a well equipped camper. It sounds like your truck is able to handle the camper well regardless. We use lithium batteries too and love them!

 

[Bigfoot]

Hi Bigfoot,

I thought that may be a bit high but I suppose it could be . I was thinking 950lbs camper, 350lbs ( us ! ), 200 lbs fuel and water, and 300 lbs
( stuff )..so there you have it....1800 lbs ! The truck can take 1974 lbs and it has no tailgate ( there's 60 lbs extra avaiable ) so it still leaves us 200lbs extra ( we dont carry the kind of junk that lots of folks do ) . I dont usually drive full of water either ( you can tell when it is full of water though ! ) so I think we will be fine.

When I see full size campers on half ton trucks I wonder how they do it !

Taking off the camper jacks will save another 100+ lbs. A full fuel tank should be included in the curb weight so that doesn't count against the payload. But for any kind of extended trip it's a challenge to keep payload under a 1000 lbs. If your weight label says you have a 1974 lb payload capacity that's excellent because my 3/4-ton is not much different.

 

[gbail]

Thx for sharing. Looks like a great, customized rig.

I've also been thinking of buying an Outfitter for my Chevy k2500HD, but I was put off quite a bit by how poorly they seem to be thought of in some of the online posts I had found.

I'd love to hear of your experience with your after you've had the chance to put it to test this summer.

 

[4wanderers]

Hi Gbail,

Sure just send me another note. Drove it from Denver to BC, Canada when I picked it up and so far so good. Truck handles it well ( though I will add airbags to stiffen it up ) although one slight negative was the fuel economy. I was very surprised by how much impact the camper had on it. In US gallon terms we found it dropped to as low as 12mpg. Now that was at 75mph across Montana into a direct ( and strong ) headwind. We don't usually go that fast and it improved quite a bit at 60 and once the wind died down. So much for the camper taking it down an mpg or two - more like 5 ! I would not be happy with any less than 16mpg but it seems like we will need to baby it to get that. I'd be curious to hear what mpg people are getting with lightweight pop up campers on 1/2 ton pickups.

Can already tell you we are very glad we went north south on the bed, got the larger fridge, and storage either side of the bed - the camper is very light on for storage otherwise.

Am curious......what are they saying on the other site ?

 

[Ethergore]

Updates on how your liking this camper?

 

[4wanderers]

Still going strong and performing well. There are of course minor annoying little things that probably crop up on most campers but overall I would say we are happy. Things we like:

1. size inside seems just right, get lots of comments on sleek, low profile look, appreciate larger fridge

2. definitely appreciate the north south bed arrangement and extra storage that comes with it ( we had custom made )

3. Lithium battery a godsend....why does anyone still use the heavy, clunky lead acid type ( I think they will be like black and white TV's in 2 or 3 years ).... Lasts long and half the weight

4. Everyone comments on the mock hardwood floor...they love it ( custom choice - did not like Bob's standard option ) along with cassette toilet

Things we would change/ did not like:

1. structure is very sound or so it seems but finish is not as good as 4Wheel.....some annoying loose ends were left and they ignored some of my specific requests. That said they were more open to customization than 4wheel which we liked.

2. Had the roof raised 2" so we had a deeper mattress and the ability to sit up with camper roof in down position. Now it does not fit in my garage (my fault ) and my head still touches the roof when the roof is down. Not sure I would do this if I had my time over ! Seems to have pushed up the weight too

3. It seems to weigh much more than we expected......Bob suggested that based on my mods it would be about 975lbs. We seem to be closer to 1150-1200

4. Minor peeve ( and I missed this ) - it is 84 inches wide and thus extends 2" over either side of the standard 1/2 ton truck. I can fix the optics of this with fender flares and negative offset rims creating a wider stance ( but, more $$$$ ). Better to have the camper fit within the width of the truck.....most are 80". That said the extra space is nice !!!

If buying just be VERY specific about what you want and don't assume anything.....cabinet knobs were not what we asked for and placement of sink and cooker on counter were not where we wanted despite pretty specific instructions. Can't change them now !

 

[rfg]

3. It seems to weigh much more than we expected......Bob suggested that based on my mods it would be about 975lbs. We seem to be closer to 1150-1200

Have you had it weighed? I still haven't done that with mine and I'm curious.

 

[4wanderers]

Once, but not accurately as I weighed the truck without camper then with camper but at different times. Camper is off the truck now and stored so I wont weigh it for a while but when I do I will be very specific and share the details with you. I would be curious too because you went with a 12 inch cabover and I went with a 10" and I think it has added more weight than Bob estimated. Let me know if/when you do yours and whether you have camper tanks full and jacks on.

 

[keyprop]

Now that it has been a few years, what is your review of the Caribou lite?

 

[4wanderers]

Not much changed from before .

Bigger fridge and lithium battery are huge assets, and we love the cassette toilet and use it often when boondocking on a cold night. We really like the north south sleeping arrangement but the quality of the slide out ( extended ) is flimsy and finicky to push in. We will rebuild it like the 4wheel version which glides effortlessly ( again, one of those Outfitter quality misses ).

If you get a swing arm table, do NOT get the version Bob supplies. It is poor quality and the teeth on the ratchet arm have already worn. ‘ Lagun’ make the best one for just slightly more money - we will be getting one .

I would also not get the Attwood / Suburban furnace - too loud, can’t control fan speed and uses a lot of propane. Way, way more capacity than needed for the camper. Get a Propex ( smaller, quieter and much more efficient ) if you want to run propane or an Eberspacher diesel/gasoline heater if you want the Rolls Royce of heaters and avoid introducing a 3rd fuel type. The heater they sell is huge and takes up space that could be an ( invaluable ) drawer/ cabinet .......you will find storage is very limited in this rig ( but we knew that ).

Lastly, do not put anything on the roof - we ordered a rear awning ( said to be 15 lbs ) and it was in fact very close to double that. We could not figure out why the roof was so heavy to lift, my wife cannot manage it by herself, and so we removed the awning. The roof is now far more manageable to lift. For us it was a waste of almost $600.

That’s all I can think of for now

 

[smlobx]

We have the North / South bed in our Hallmark and love the layout and additional storage it provides.

Do you know what brand of Lithium batteries you have? I've been thinking of upgrading as my wet cell batteries are on the way out.

 

[4wanderers]

Yes, they are ‘Relion’ brand and have served us well - no issue so far. We paid just over $1,000 USD for a 100amp unit. Quick to charge, light weight and run down to 0%. We also have Progressive Dynamics lithium compatible charger.