Cassette and full self-contained vs. shell

[Couerl]

Hi folks, I'm going to buy a Hawk this year for my Tundra and I have some questions and seek your input.

My wife and I traditionally camp out of our trucks (Tundra or her Jeep Wrangler) in tents and have been for years and I'm 48 and I told her I don't want to sleep on the ground anymore.

I spent the last couple of years researching/debating on what would be best for us, Class A, C, B or travel trailer or even a pull behind popup. My brother even offered to give us his old 1996 palomino popup but, we travel light and quick and the damn thing takes almost an hour to setup at night and break down in the morning and well, it's old and crappy and a pain in the ass.

Anywho, like most of you I have spent days, hours, weeks trying to figure out what rig and with what options would be best for us and I have read all the threads here and came to the sad conclusion that I'd either go stripped down shell or full blown self-contained. The shell runs around 12k with a few options I would want and the full-blown deal looks to be around 19k or so and I don't know which one would be better. I suppose it all comes down to the cassette and outside shower, something my wife would love.

My dream build would be a hawk shell with a cassette, awning, outside shower and front dinette but, they don't do that unless you get the sink and stove and counters too with the full-blown model. We cook over fire and have a small Coleman stove for no fire camping areas and drink bottled water so all that stuff is sort of irrelevant to us. In addition, we do a lot of stuff when we go out, mostly rock hounding and mineral/gem collecting and so we have a lot of gear we need storage space for.

My first question is do people like the new cassette toilets? Are they something you can't live without or do they go unused? Are porta potties just as good and have you really pooped in both? No liars!

Second question: Can a fully self-contained rig carry gear for 2 people? Back packs, fishing poles, a rifle or two, shovel, axe, clothes, couple boxes of rock specimens, camera, tablet, food and sleep a couple of doggies outside on mats or foldaway kennels?

I want the ability to travel light and fast because we make a bunch of stops on our travels and yet pack enough stuff so we can do all the things we like to do out there from AZ, NM, UT, CO (we live near Denver) and love traveling the surrounding area, Moab, Zion, Canyon lands, Tahoe and all of that..

Thanks for any thoughts you have, I'm disappointed that I can't make up my mind and hate to trouble you all..

 

[billharr]

Buy a Shell and build it the way you want, for the cassette you would need the door in the middle and Propane tanks from the side not rear. Porta Pot just as good as cassette and will fit without center door, just dump before full, it gets heavy. I would add a heater to your list. By the time you get what you want you might as well have the counter or a counter of some type. Lots of shell builds on WTW to look at. Blog on my Hawk Shell build
Build on WTW



My dream build would be a hawk shell with
a cassette, Needs center door
awning, No problem to add
outside shower, Need propane, water heater and water tank
front dinette, Not a problem to add.

 

[camper101]

I've got a shell so I don't really know what space is like with all the amenities. But I'd second the suggestion of a heater if you camp anytime besides summer (although you could probably get away with spring and fall if you're more tolerant of cold than we are). If you get a heater, you'll need propane, so that might influence the decision on shower...

Never pooed in a cassette toilet -- just used poo bags and a sealing bucket, which seemed like a good idea to me since you can just throw the bags away (no need to wash anything out on your way home). I'm satisfied with that.

I would imagine you could get all your gear in even with a kitchen, you'd just have to do some shuffling once you've reached camp, but everybody probably shuffles a little anyway...

 

[jha6av8r]

We have a front dinette Grandby and have pretty much everything except the inside shower and toilet. We have an outside shower and carry a PETT toiler & WAG bags as well as Little Johns. We have a crew cab and between storage in it, interior storage in the Grandby, and the roof have plenty of room for 3 plus cloths, food, and gear. Your under seat dinettte storage won't be as large as mine. We augment storage with 3 plastic containers 2 of which fit in the space between the dinette seats. We carry two collapsible kennels for our dogs. We probably carry and equivalent amount of gear considering recovery equipment when in the desert.

 

[idahoron]

I was on the fence about a shell with some stuff added or a base model. The shell with the stuff I wanted and the base model were close to the same price. I wish now I would have got a heater. I use a buddy heater and it works well but I have a Generator with me almost all the time anyway. I hook up to the generator and I have all the power I need and the heater would be nicer than the buddy.

 

[jha6av8r]

Do yourself and fellow campers a favor and install solar and house batteries and eschew the generator. We've found we have all the power we need without the noise.

 

[idahoron]

No thanks. I am normally in places where there are no other campers. The noise doesn't bother me a bit, my Honda is very quiet.

 

[RC Pilot Jim]

Couerl,
You don't have to spend $12 grand on a shell.......only a little over $ 10,500 if you don't buy the 2 cabinets and 2 couch cushions (which I did). About $10,599k buys the shell with Fiamma awning, fantastic fan, 12 volt outlets, 2ea- solar plugs, aux battery system, Privacy curtains, porta potty. mechanical camper Jacks) In your area I would buy the furnace and Propane system.

Continue to cook outside, use a porta-potty, sleep and read inside out of the cold and wind ( we camp in the desert so get a lot of wind and cold overnight temps),

or

Check out the WTW Gear Exchange and purchase a used regular camper Hawk.

Yes there is minimal storage in a Four Wheel Camper, however a Four Wheel holds together better than any other camper in the back country

For all your gear buy a full size four door truck used or new to handle the weight

 

[Couerl]

I thank you all very much for taking your time with me. I'll take your advice and see you soon with a new Hawk.

 

[Espresso]

You'll have to be careful about "gear creep". If you bring too much stuff, it will take you an hour to clear enough room in the camper to pop the top. Been there and it doesn't lend itself to travelling light and fast.

 

[Couerl]

Yep and we have a lot of gear from metal detectors to fossil and gold panning stuff and fishing, guns, hiking, climbing, photography and the whole shebang plus 2 doggies so I'm going with the shell and a front settee or bench and I will take everyone's advice and get the heater.

 

[ETAV8R]

I say go with the shell and build it out the way you want. I praise the guy who decided to design the "shell" I purchased. I bought it slightly used, only a few months. Mine is a Finch so significantly smaller than what you're planning. For me it is great. I have a fold down couch on the drivers side which allows me to look out the large passenger window. You can do most of your own build out. Check out Kodachrome and Overland Hadley's shell builds.

I carry a toilet seat made for 5gal buckets, green bags, and kitty litter for the times I would use the "camp" toilet. Most of the time it isn't needed. I can see using it in more desolate areas.

You have talked with the guys at FWC? Seems they will build it as needed from what I've heard.