Buying a Four Wheel Camper for a Tacoma

I ended up putting two deep cycle batteries in my ATC when I accidentally smoked the original factory single one by letting it get too-discharged. I've never regretted adding amp-hours :)

Dan
 
Hey Dan, I apologize again for not knowing who you were on your second post, but I bet you're having a great time up there in Mammoth.

It all works out--I ordered my Bobcat from Marty at ATC yesterday. But I do have one question (and I'm pretty sure I saw pics of you with boards on top of yours), what is the best rack system to get if, no laughing please, you're carrying an 11' Munoz, a 10 footer, and maybe a plastic carrier on top?

I now have Bamboo racks on my Tacoma and they've lasted over five years and been all the way to and back from Scorpion several times.

What do you suggest?

Thanks,

Terry


hi terry,frank here.sorry we didn't get to talk about the bobcat,but i'am glad you decided to order one.what are you carrying on top?i have the optional roof rack not the yakima one to much money and not as useful.check out my thread on carrying a canoe.keep in mind that the extra weight makes it harder to lift.i made the roof lifter that Less from lqhikers i think thats his member name, has pictures of.you can call me for more info. 831 633 4643.i'am in the monterey area.i can send more pictures if you like. frank
 
Congratulations Terry on your new Bobcat. You made the right choice and you will be pleased with it. In addition to the regular lights in the camper I bought some LED lights at Camper World that I am going to put under the cabinet above the couch. Once I put them in (they just stick on with two way tape) I will put some pictures up for you to check out. My wife likes to read also and I think they will be great for her.

Best of fun to you.

Darryl
 
Congratulations Terry on your new Bobcat. You made the right choice and you will be pleased with it. In addition to the regular lights in the camper I bought some LED lights at Camper World that I am going to put under the cabinet above the couch. Once I put them in (they just stick on with two way tape) I will put some pictures up for you to check out. My wife likes to read also and I think they will be great for her.

Best of fun to you.

Darryl


Thanks Darryl, That sounds like what I was thinking to do. I have the Miner's LED Headlamp that I've been using in the dark in Baja for a couple of years and that works fine for me. Appreciate your input.

I'm flying up Wednesday to see the progress on my Bobcat--my daughter's a Southwest flight attendant so I can fly free.

Its delivery date is March 2 so I'll try to do some pics then,

Thanks Again,

Terry
 
hi terry,frank here.sorry we didn't get to talk about the bobcat,but i'am glad you decided to order one.what are you carrying on top?i have the optional roof rack not the yakima one to much money and not as useful.check out my thread on carrying a canoe.keep in mind that the extra weight makes it harder to lift.i made the roof lifter that Less from lqhikers i think thats his member name, has pictures of.you can call me for more info. 831 633 4643.i'am in the monterey area.i can send more pictures if you like. frank


Hey Frank,

I'll be carrying an 11' Munos Super Glide Longboard that has been to Baja many times now. It only weighs about 25 pounds so I like your idea of the roof rack.

My daughter's a Southwest flight attendant and I can fly standby free so I'm going up Wednesday to All Terrain to check out what they have for a rack and then I'll go from there.

Thanks for your input, always appreciated, and I will keep you up dated.

Thanks again,

Terry
 
Terry congrats on your purchase, you wont be dissapointed. :) ATC is a great outfit to work with. I have an ATC Cougar on my F350 PSD 4x4 and have gone to places in the High Country I never thought possible. Look forward to pics and hearing about your adventures.

Fire Proof
 
Terry. here are a couple of shots of my ATC Cougar from the Colorado Rally.IMG]http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/uploads/1253211857/gallery_2_108_39142.jpg[/IIMG]http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/uploads/1253218236/gallery_2_108_72484.jpg[/IM
gallery_370_109_50485.jpg
G]MG]
 
Terry congrats on your purchase, you wont be dissapointed. :) ATC is a great outfit to work with. I have an ATC Cougar on my F350 PSD 4x4 and have gone to places in the High Country I never thought possible. Look forward to pics and hearing about your adventures.

Fire Proof



Hey Fire Proof,

Thanks for congrats. Everyone says ATC is great and they've been wonderful so far. It's being installed March 2, hopefully I'll have pics from a July Baja surf trip.

Take Care,

Terry
 
Hey Frank,

I'll be carrying an 11' Munos Super Glide Longboard that has been to Baja many times now. It only weighs about 25 pounds so I like your idea of the roof rack.

My daughter's a Southwest flight attendant and I can fly standby free so I'm going up Wednesday to All Terrain to check out what they have for a rack and then I'll go from there.

Thanks for your input, always appreciated, and I will keep you up dated.

Thanks again,
Terry


hi terry.the roof rack would work well for you.my canoe is 12' long and fits nicely between the rails of the roof rack.i'am glad i had that one installed instead of the yakima its more useful.if you have a concern about the length of the board between the rails of the rack have the front rail moved a foot or so closer to the rear.if you have seen the roof rack you know there are 3 cross rails ,from the front one it's 91" to the middle one and 10' between the front and rear.hope this makes sense.with only 25# extra to lift it might not be much of a problem.my canoe is total about 60# i can lift the roof but it's hard for us senior persons,but with the roof lifter it's not a problem.hope i have helped.frank
 
Hey Terry,
Big time congrats on the Bobcat. My wife and I bought ours in October and love it. We put the long option of Yakama racks on our cat and it works out good. We put two short boards up there, and we still have room for our permanently mounted solar panel. Although it is getting a bit heavy to lift. I don't think my wife can lift the top anymore.
Besides that, I added new springs to our 02 Tacoma. It may be a bit overkill, but there is nothing I need to fear (other than my own stupidity) when it comes to bumps now.
We bought ours loaded with every option they had and couldn't be happier.
I hope to see you out there camping someday.
Scott
 
Thanks Scott, That's good info for me. I'm actually flying up to Sacramento this Wednesday (my Bobcat will be installed March 2) to check on the racks and a couple of other things too. When I go to Scorpion Bay--you should try those short boards at Pt. 3, awesome wave--it's about 100 miles of washboard so I have to make sure it's ready for that.

If you're ever headed into the Baja from your area just let me know--any excuse for me to head south is a good one.

Will hopefully provide pics in a couple of months.

Oh, just thought of something--I take my board off as soon as I reach the beach. Do you use the wall steps? I'm thinking I don't need them; I have the step rails on the sides of my truck.

Take Care, and Thanks again,

Terry
 
Terry,
I normally remove my boards and put them in the cab of the truck, it is an extended cab. Honestly, I haven't really used the steps on my Bobcat that much. Also, it would be difficult to reach the racks from the steps. I met some guy who put two 2 x 4 brackets under the underside of the camper, above where the truck bed sides end. He then slides two 2 x 4's cut about 30" long into them and a cross piece of like a 2 x 8 or 10. He uses that to step on and reach on top of the camper, or as a bar on the outside to eat or drink off. I hope I am explaining it good enough. He carries the wood pieces outside his camper and always has it available.
Just another thought, make sure Marty is ready for you before you fly up there. When I got mine, I went up 2 weeks ahead of the birth date, and mine wasn't even there. There is a lot to these campers, but those boys have it down and they don't take long to make them.
I would love to meet up with you in Baja, but my wife had some bad times there and so because of that we won't go there anymore.
the first week of March we are going to visit Ventura for some surf, might be a good break in run for you and yours on the way back from Sac? let me know, we could meet there and surf. We live in Santa Cruz, and right now the waves are epic.
 
Terry,
I normally remove my boards and put them in the cab of the truck, it is an extended cab. Honestly, I haven't really used the steps on my Bobcat that much. Also, it would be difficult to reach the racks from the steps. I met some guy who put two 2 x 4 brackets under the underside of the camper, above where the truck bed sides end. He then slides two 2 x 4's cut about 30" long into them and a cross piece of like a 2 x 8 or 10. He uses that to step on and reach on top of the camper, or as a bar on the outside to eat or drink off. I hope I am explaining it good enough. He carries the wood pieces outside his camper and always has it available.
Just another thought, make sure Marty is ready for you before you fly up there. When I got mine, I went up 2 weeks ahead of the birth date, and mine wasn't even there. There is a lot to these campers, but those boys have it down and they don't take long to make them.
I would love to meet up with you in Baja, but my wife had some bad times there and so because of that we won't go there anymore.
the first week of March we are going to visit Ventura for some surf, might be a good break in run for you and yours on the way back from Sac? let me know, we could meet there and surf. We live in Santa Cruz, and right now the waves are epic.
 
Hey Scott, So sorry to hear about your bad Baja times. I've got about 50,000 Baja miles and I've been fortunate to have only had the "good" Baja bad times--getting stuck in the sand, out of cerveza, etc.

I did check with Marty and Jeff, and they called back and okayed my trip there. And thanks for that steps info, I agree, I really can't see how I'd need them.

I have to pass on the Ventura/Santa Cruz surf trip, although it would be pretty fun. Can you believe I first surfed there in '68 I think? No wetsuit yet.

I've been watching the news footage of the waves--WAY too big for me, hope nobody gets hurt.

Hey, thanks again for the info. I had actually read other of your posts and enjoyed those when I was still deciding. See you on the road somewhere.

Terry
 
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