Four Wheel vs Hallmark

[Vic Harder]

Priorities

Howdy folks,

Really, really appreciate all the helpful advice. I halfway expected to be blown up in this forum for implying that a FWC might not be the ideal choice. So thanks for all the even-handed, helpful responses. The gist as I'm reading it seems to be that FWC is better geared toward off-road whereas Hallmark includes more comfort-friendly features. Also really like the suggestions to spend time in various rigs imagining life in there.

Question on weight, though: the Grandby 8' base weight is 1,095 pounds, and the Hallmark EXC 8' also appears to be 1,095 lbs (before options). Does the Hallmark end up being heavier with the same set of options? Seems like they're awfully close in weight.

Some additional background on me since I'd rather be doing this than working....

Family of four, with two kiddos (currently 9 and 5) who we homeschool. I'm a climber, skier, backpacker, free diver, anything-outsider-er., and as a family we've been car campers since my first was 2. My wife loves the outdoors but needs to be comfortable, otherwise she doesn't sleep which means my 'vacation' becomes her 'hell.' Hence the move from tent camping to a cab-over.

That said, she'll happily be cooking, eating, and showering outside. The camper will really be for sleeping, food/water storage (fresh veggies are highly valued in our family), and the porta potty.

In terms of use cases: everything from simple state park campground camping, to off-road excursions into the desert, to extended wander trips (prob 2-3 weeks) as part of the homeschool curriculum.

Oh, and our chariot is a 1/2 ton Silverado, 4WD.

We tend to be the types who 'do it right the first time' which often means spending money upfront to get better quality. However, in this instance, given other financial obligations, I'm thinking it makes sense to get into this lifestyle for $10k or less, if possible, confirm it works for the family, and invest in something new/higher quality (more creature comforts) down the road.

Any further input is of course welcome, but this has already been a huge help.

Thanks all!

It all comes down to priorities. What I see from your list is:
- wife has to be comfy when sleeping
- your "living/kitchen" space will be outside
- fresh veggies
- camper space is for food storage, and private space for porta potti
- wide range of uses, including off pavement
- some longer trips.

The fresh veggies jumps out at me since that is important to us as well. And if you want to go for some of those longer dry camping trips, you will want a good fridge and power to run it. That usually means bigger batteries and solar. That means weight.

So, maybe this isn't the time to agonize over which model to get, other than to realize both the Hallmark and ATC/FWC campers will be heavier than you think. We bought our FWC shell last fall and I have renovated it to meet our current needs. I look forward to spending time in it and modifying as needed. Eventually, a different camper may make more sense. The quality is there regardless of which of these campers you get.

And remember, the best camper is the one you have.

 

[Ramblinman]

I too really enjoy this forum and I have taken so much from it - so its my turn to contribute.

I noticed that you have a 1/2 ton Silverado as do I. I run a Hawk on a 1998 Z-71. I am sticking with the 1/2 ton for the following reasons

• Buying a different truck any way you look at it generally costs money (we tend to upgrade before downgrade )- the money I save keeping my old faithful half ton I use towards all kinds of adventures - (We went to Africa in October )
• Your half ton will have enough power to do your business fully loaded with 4 bodies inside (I travel w/ 2 big dogs)
• We have a routine in our camper - dogs go up on the bunk when we are inside - and come down to sleep - we put a sheet to manage the dirt that comes with dogs. Dogs = Dirt = but its a good trade off.
• It is tight inside - but lots more room than car camping
• Yes its harder to stop with a half ton but not impossible. Drive accordingly
• I have yet to see any issues with being over GVW with my half ton - my mechanic is not concerned.
• By putting a fully loaded Hawk on my half ton - I have reduced some of its operational capabilities off road.
• My truck seems to go everywhere the other ones do.
• I still go crazy places with my truck just a lot slower
• Just drove 9800 (6090 Miles) km from Edmonton to Baja and back and got about 14(ish) closer to 13 MPG my GF gets 17 sometimes when we trade off. I have a heavy foot - I can run about 75 MPH on those wonderful interstates in the US. 'Merica!!!
• Nice thing about a good old half ton - is that parts are everywhere and generally everyone knows how to work on them - Even in Baja
• I run E rated tires with Airbags - just put new shocks on
• When my ride hits 400000 km , sigh, I will probably buy a 3/4 ton or 1 ton, maybe

I am extremely happy with my Hawk - the guys at ATC are awesome - I have never laid hands on a Hallmark so I will not offer an opinion on that.

 

[buzzman]

I have owned both. The FWC and the Hallmark are both good campers, but different "animals" in several ways. It depends what you want to do with them and how many amenities you need, as others have mentioned here. We loved our Grandby...used it about 90-100 days a year for seven years. At first we carried it on a regular cab, long bed 1/2 ton Chevy...because that's what we had at the time. Not ideal because the truck was overloaded. Our Grandby weighed around 1400 lbs empty, loaded it was around 1900 lbs. But with the addition of a set of Super Springs, Helwig rear sway bar, and extra trans cooler we managed okay. In 2011 we put it on a Dodge Ram 2500 which was a much better match.

The main reason we sold our Grandby and purchased the Hallmark in 2015 was that the DW wanted a camper with a more amenities. Our Hallmark is loaded with most options. It weighs about 1000 lbs more than the Grandby, but the 3/4 ton truck does fine with it. We really like our Hallmark and it actually gives us more camping options.

FWC is a much bigger company than Hallmark. There are probably more used FWC's available, if used is what you are looking for. New campers from either company are sort of expensive.

Have fun searching.

Buzz

 

[LosAngeles]

Hallmark seems willing to do any sensible customization.