frstnflt

[Frstnflt]

Finally!!!! It was a lonnnnng wait but after ordering my Hawk Shell in late 2/16 it arrived and we have been on the maiden voyage. I know this is WTW but there are a few Eastcoasters who love the site and would not know the first thing about this world without the website.

My rig:
The Camper: 2016 Hawk shell with silver spur exterior, driver side couch, gas lift, AC (dirty south must have), brown interior. Basic but lightweight and much cheaper than getting it optioned. I cook outside and like having the option of hosting 4-5 beer drinkers on a chilly or wet night.

Power: truck battery to power internal and external lights. Goal Zero 400 yeti to power truckfridge and other stuff. I like the modularity, clean look, and simplicity of this. I knew DIY stuff can look really bad if you are not careful. I can chain another battery to it and easily replace the battery if and when I screw up. Will probably change to a comparable Lithium ion solution at some point. I rarely can get away from work more than a night or two so truck will be running frequently to charge it.
Honda eu2000 for AC- amazingly quiet. I have read many WTWers criticism of generators but this thing on eco mode runs for 10+ hours on a gallon and was really necessary on this trip with temps in the high 90s and high humidity with a baby, thats my excuse anyway. I store it in the cab and never smelled fumes.

Truck: 2014 Ram 1500 3.0 ecodiesel 4x4. leveled, has cold air intake and muffler delete mods.

 

[Frstnflt]

Initial AC was non functional. This was disappointing as it was 102 degrees the day I got it and unbearable inside. Had a friend crack it open, weld in an access port, fill it with coolant. It worked temporarily but soon realized there was a coolant leak deep in the coil, not in a place I would expect transport to damage it. I suspect it was never tested. FWC took ownership of the problem and shipped a new one in a few days. They are busy but did everything they could to fix the problem.

 

[MarkBC]

Congratulations, Frstnflt!

 

[DrJ]

That looks great. Congrats on your new camper!

And generators are a must if you have AC. I've yet to see a viable battery option to keep AC going for very long without it.

I used a honda 2000 watt when we had a Grandby with AC. It worked perfect for that.

 

[Frstnflt]

The maiden voyage was to the NC coast and Outer Banks.
We spent the first night in Freeman Park camping on the beach near Carolina Beach. It was hot as hell even with a breeze and were thankful to have AC. Despite efforts to organize and stow things the baby and crib ate the camper. He is a terrible sleeper at 7 months but this was his best night.

 

[Frstnflt]

I have never driven on any sand let alone this soft deep sand. Letting air out of the tires was more than a suggestion for rookies. The truck happily climbed out of its holes after letting some air out.

 

[Frstnflt]

After a buffer night in a hotel we took the ferry from Cedar Island to Ocracoke. The 2.5 hour ferry ride was blast in our FWC stateroom. This night we stayed at the government campground but the beach is still right over the dunes but you have to contend with some crab traffic. I started to get the hang of sand driving. Baby Dean loves the camper.

 

[Frstnflt]

There are some serious beach rigs out here.

 

[Frstnflt]

Finally made it to the Wright Brothers Memorial. The namesake of Frstnflt. Notice my plate.

 

[Frstnflt]

Overall this is a great rig. I had only really seen one FWC before ordering it and am very glad. The quality is in the details. I was happy to find out that this thing is light enough that the driving experience is essentially the same. I like driving aggressively and passing people when I need to. I have had a turd particle board truck camper in the past and have pulled some heavy campers and didn't realize how driving slow and gingerly really takes away from the driving experience. I can drive however I want and there was never a creak or budge of the camper.
Fuel mileage with the ecodiesel dropped considerably but is still really good. Without the camper I typically get 24 around town and 29 highway. If driving on the flat and under 70 it will get above 30. With the camper all around hand calculated was about 22.5. On the Outer Banks which are flat and typically 45 mph it got up to 24.5.
My marriage is still recovering from the shocking amount I spent on it but you get what you pay for. Another $2K seemed like too much for a proprane heat/stove setup but in hindsight it probably looks much better than anything I could build or commission for near that cost.
Thank you all so much for advice and introducing me to this wonderful toy and hobby. I hope to meet some of you at Overland Expo East. Mainline Overland is very helpful and professional as well.

 

[Bseek]

Thanks for giving me a great giggle this morning. I looked at the first set of pictures and thought "What kind of idiot stores their porta potty on it's side?" and then realized the picture was rotated. Looks like you are enjoying your rig well. Welcome to the fold.

 

[longhorn1]

Welcome and congrats from another East of the Mississippi. jd

Sent from my SM-G900V using Wander The West mobile app

 

[rtpvibes]

Nice rig congrats looks like dad will teach little one about enjoying life . I was down your neck in end of June it was horrific , too hot but up in mass it's been same . I had the artic pack and two fantastic fans and it worked well for no ac . Happy camping


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[Squatch]

Thanks for sharing. We love Okracoke with our camper. Perfect for the NP campground there.

Make sure you pressure wash all under that truck and camper after driving on the beach. Get the salt off.

 

[RC Pilot Jim]

Congratulations on your new shell

Nice rig. Nice family pictures. Camping on the sand and NOT getting stuck!!! ....Wow.

We were in Kitty Hawk last year. I'm a plane guy although I'm only licensed to fly "fixed wing radio control models". Beautiful beaches. Outer banks are gorgeous. We were there in May after spending a week in Washington DC - another wonderful place to visit.

Hope you and your family have many, many, pleasant camping journeys.

 

[Timothy McGowen]

Congratulations on the camper. I recently got mine and love it.

Hope to head to the east coast when I retire. Loved the Outerbanks the one time I was there. Need to go back and see the lighthouse in Duck when it is open.

 

[Icutitup]

Awesome camper.
where do you live in NC? we are in chapel hill and are planning a trip to the coast in Oct or Nov. We have 2 fantastic fans, no ac, so we are going to wait until it is cooler.

Thanks for the slide show.

 

[fireball]

Awesome Camper! Thanks for the photos and concur that the guys at mainline Overland are great!

Do you mind sharing where are you were able to camp and sleep on the beach? I need to add that to the calendar for next year with my crew.


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[Frstnflt]

Thanks for your interest. We are in the Lake Norman area and I'm trying to find primitive camping places around here, maybe the Linville Gorge and Uwharrie? Yes, I think it will be more pleasant in the fall or even Winter. I like being at the beach but am not going to sunbathe.
It looks like the main places to do it are where we were, Freeman Park near Carolina Beach and the Core Banks, a ferry accessible only place which is wide open and VERY primitive. At Ocracoke you have to be at the campground, but its right over the dune from the beach and very easy even mid Summer to find a place on the beach where you cannot see other people. There are many miles of driveable beach but few places you can camp.