Eagle or Hawk for 02 Tundra?

[Another Rube]

If you had a 2002 Toyota Tundra with 45,000 miles and were buying a new Four Wheel Camper would you buy an Eagle or a Hawk (or even a Kestrel)? Due to storage issues, I plan to leave the camper on the truck almost full time. My inclination is to go small (Eagle) since it will be on the truck so much. But my wife would like the extra width of the Hawk. Any help resolving this debate would be welcome. (How much difference would I feel driving (parking in the city) the truck with the Hawk vs. the Eagle? Thanks.

 

[lqhikers]

hey rube!

every time i see someone on the forum from sacto area it reminds me of the 20 years we lived in carmichael and all of the great times spent in the mountains near by. but to get to my thoughts on camper keep in mind the bed in eagle is queen size,thats where we spend most time in camper as we do almost all cooking out side except coffee on super cold mornings.if you are mostly doing short trips and also using as daily driver the liter,smaller, the easier it will be on gas,. wear and tear.we get along fine in our eagle shell outfitted to our needs (sink,water tank.heater,t.v.porta-potie) plenty of storage enough room to set the two of us plus cat.having had all type of rigs (back packing to class a motorhomes)it all comes down to what you use it for and how if you are single,couple,or family how you get along in a small space,because they all seem small at times!that being said you wont go wrong with any size if it is used for what it was built for,outdoor enjoyment! just my opinion yours may differ! drive slow and enjoy "its the journey"

 

[Ted]

The Hawk, hands down

Another Rube,

We have a 2000 Tundra with a 2003 Hawk. The Kestrel was not an option when we bought our camper, but the Hawk has three inches more headroom and may make a difference to you depending on how tall you are. Not sure if the body style of the Tundra changed by 2002, but our camper has most of the options and stays on full time. The truck had similar mileage to yours when we bought the camper. we also leave the side legs on full time and park in standard spaces.

Looking at FWC's website, there is only 5 pounds difference in the dry weight between the Eagle and Hawk. Assuming you add the same options with either camper, there is no significant advantage in weight with the Eagle, but there is a significant advantage in size with the Hawk. therefore, I would definitely go with the Hawk.

BTW, as we are close to Sac, if you would like to stop by and see a Hawk on a Tundra and see what it feels like to drive and park, send me a pm and I'll give you our phone number.

Ted

 

[Sam]

I would get the Hawk. The weight & size will not be an issue and it's nice to have the extra room. "Pop" over to the factory in Woodland and step inside the two campers and see what you think.

 

[LAWNMOWERMAN]

I suppose if I was going to buy one new I would go for the Hawk.I will have to say that I really like that my Eagle doesn't hang over the bed on the T-100.Also it is nice to be able to use the stock mirrors.One thing I would recomend is that you get the corner jack mounts so you don't have to use those silly cable jacks

I was just looking at the specs on the new Eagles and it looks like they increased the headroom since my 2003.

 

[Buzz]

If you are in the Sacramento area you might want to check out the All Terrain Camper. I recently bought their Panther model (equivalent of the FWC Hawk) and am very happy with it. It's well worth a look.

Here's their website: https://www.allterraincampers.com/

-Buzz

 

[simimike]

A.R.

If I was going to buy a new FWC I would definitely get the Hawk. I'll list some reasons why I would do this.

Resale value, due to the large number of short bed trucks of all makes it would be an easy sale. This increases the potential market, and price.

Go to the FWC factory and check out the Eagle and the Hawk. Pull out the bed on the Eagle, does it interfere with the stove and intrude into the living space? Can you live with this? Some folks prefer to cook outside so this is not an issue. I'm an early riser and my wife is not, so using the living space in the morning is important to me. Nothing is better than a clear mountain morning and a cup of hot coffee.

Check the thickness of the foam on the bed in the two campers. The foam is thicker on the extended bed Hawk. Me and the wife like the thicker foam. I highly recommend the extended bed option. I had a1998 FWC without the extended bed. So each morning to use the stove I had to break down the bed and wake up the wife. Long story short we sold the camper.

Take the wife with you to the FWC factory. Stand in the Eagle with the both of you in the camper. Then do the same in the Hawk. The Hawk will feel like you can swing a cat buy the tail.(apologies to LQ) We felt that the roominess was worth it. We decided which camper we wanted then bought the truck to fit.

And the most important reason to get the Hawk. Happy wife, happy life.

Sorry for the long post. But if you are going to spend more than 10K on a new camper, opinions and information may help in your decision. Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Mike

 

[OffRoadJoe]

call before you go

my friend cruzed over there and they didn't have any campers to show him ?

maybe they do now ?



If you are in the Sacramento area you might want to check out the ATC.
-Buzz

 

[Kokopelli]

Bed Orientation different in Eagle vs Hawk

We looked at both models and liked the Eagle better. Reason being the orientation of the bed. In the Eagle the bed orients front to back. In the Hawk its side to side. Being tall (6'3") I like my feet to be able to hang over the edge of the bed. It felt more cramped sleeping sideways. Also sleeping front to back one person can get out without crawling over the other. We both get up a few times to answer the call of nature at night. Having to climb over the other person my wife didn't like. Also the Hawk has the front seat, so the length of space to move around in is less. We were looking to decide what type of truck to get, and decided to get a smaller truck that the Eagle would fit on vs the larger camper and truck.

Good luck!

 

[Another Rube]

Thanks for all the helpful insights. The decision making has just gotten a little murkier because the Eagle is now available with the extended cabover bed! So, the Eagle can now have the thick mattress and less impact on the cook area when the bed is deployed. To me the biggest remaining differences are: (1) can't deploy the couch bed while standing in the galley; (2) less storage; and (3) less storage.

Do you think the five inch overhang on the Hawk will create a bigger hit on my mileage than the flush fitting Eagle - or is this so nominal I shouldn't worry. Ted: how big a mileage hit does your Tundra take with the Hawk on?

Thanks again. This website is a great resource.

- Rube

 

[Tomas Tierra]

Rube,
I have a 2002 Tundra with a FWC Ranger (8ft. long Eagle).
In the past I had a FWC fleet on the same truck. The fleet is about as wide as a Hawk. I had some pretty severe visibility issues that absolutely vanished when I put the Ranger on the truck.
It is a long bed camper on a short bed truck. Handling and ride are compromised compared to what an FWC Eagle would provide.
Wife and kids sleep up top, I sleep below. We are trying to figure out a cushion solution for up top. I'm thinking a lite, molded foam camping pad under each side would do it. That's another topic.

I think all of the Eagle and Ranger campers have the extended cab over. The campers are not wide enough to sleep side to side, so the extended cab over is necessary.
I am also looking for a solution for pre dawn coffee. Cowboy campfire coffee can be a challenge,and, dammit when you need coffee you need coffee

I went in the new '07 ('08?) Eagle at the FWC factory the other night. (Stan, it was open....what was I supposed to do??)
And it is definately taller, and the cushions are definately thicker than in my '02 Ranger.

I did notice when running both the Fleet and the Ranger on my '93 T-100 Baja beater, that the narrower Ranger had ALOT less side sway than the Fleet..

All that said (not much really, but alot of words)....If I had the caish to do it, I'd march right up ther and put a brand spankin new Hawk on my Tundra (and keep the Ranger/T-100 package for Baja) (( how cool would my driveway look))

Do as much research as you can on available options and new stock upgrades(ie; taller Eagle for '08 with thicker cushions).

Keep us posted on your decision...

 

[EdoHart]

At the risk of hijacking this thread

I am also looking for a solution for pre dawn coffee. Cowboy campfire coffee can be a challenge,and, dammit when you need coffee you need coffee


While I have several camp stoves, for simplicity and weight, I like to use my white gas fueled backpacking stove made by MSR. It usually requires two sparks to get it running - one for the preheat and the second to light it once the fuel inlet is hot. If I time it right, I can do it with one spark . That and a coffee pot to heat the water in, a hand held plastic cone for a Melita number 2 filter, some coffee and a thermos and I have hot coffee in about 10 minutes.

 

[Stan@FourWheel]

Hey Rube

It looks like you are getting some good advice from the forums.

For fit as a daily driver, the Eagle and Access Cab Tundra combo has to be one if the nicest fit and driveability packages I have seen and driven in the last 5 years.

But if you want more options on the camper and more storage space, the Kestrel is a very nice fit as well ! Looks good and drives well on the Tundra.

I think if I was putting the package together with "going camping" in mind, I would probably go with the Kestrel Model (over the Eagle Model).

If you go with the Kestrel Model and extended cab-over bed, you can have the cab-over bed fully made up and still have access to the sink and stove in the morning. It will give you more storage space inside, a bigger water tank, the option for hot water & outside shower, and you can roll the lower couch bed out while still standing up in the walkway.

I don't know what the gas mileage differences would be between the 2 models, but personal experience and customers feedback has told me they loose approx. 2 miles to the gallon while the camper is on the truck.

Just let me know if you have any other questions

I would be glad to help in any way I can.

(picture # 1 = Eagle on Tundra)

(picture # 2 = Kestrel on Tundra)




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