Introduction

[Bill D]

Hi everybody, my name is Bill. I'm from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Thanks for the wealth of information posted throughout the forum. I've been reading for a few weeks now and I'm just about ready to place an order for a Hawk shell for my 2009 GMC Sierra regular cab. The only thing holding me back is a few questions and the fact that I haven't seen one in person. I need to order sight unseen, or drive 700 miles to see one.

I'm a computer dude with a background in instrumentation. I installed instrumentation/computer equipment on drilling rigs for 10 years and now I've been managing an Apple reseller store for the past 5 years (nice to be home every night). I'm also into auto detailing , so I thought I'd throw in a pic of some pretty black GMC paint.

I love to travel and typically spend my summer vacations on Vancouver Island. My GF and I bring our bikes when we travel. As you can see, we first started by loading up the bikes in the back of the truck, but now we have a small bike trailer. We have a huge Cabella expedition tent. So once we set up base camp we are actually pretty comfortable. We do however want to extend our seasons and mountain camping in Jasper, Alberta can get pretty cold, so I'm ready to graduate to my first camper.

I'll likely have a few questions before I pull the trigger and place my order. I plan on asking a few of them in related threads, so for now... hello.

I look forward to getting to know you all. I'm hoping to travel to San Francisco this summer with the Hawk if things work out, so I may have the opportunity to meet some of you. You're all welcome to come up here and visit. Jasper, Banff and Lake Louise aren't too shabby.


Bill

 

[100acrehuphalump]

Hello Bill, I just placed my order this morning for a Four wheel camper Hawk. I am very excited. I'm new here too at this site, but welcome! There is a wealth of 1st hand advice from many of the members here. I've found answers to all of the questions and then some before making any decisions on options offered by FWC, and lots of info on vehicle suspension upgrades. I cannot thank these people enough. Again welcome! Dan

 

[alano]

Welcome, Bill. Ask those questions, wrestle with your priorities, place that order and then head out for adventure. The good folks on this site have helped me and quite a few others with all these things.

Alan

 

[GroovyDad]

Welcome Bill...

 

[Dphillip]

We placed our Hawk order back in November and looking forward to picking it up in March. We're putting it on a 2013 GMC very similar to your truck. I've been glued to this site for over two years which really helped us become educated on the campers before we ordered. There are some extremely nice people on the site.

 

[longhorn1]

Welcome. You are correct this site has a wealth of good information. I purchase a 2014 FWC Grandby for our 2013 F-250 long bed, loaded, with front dinette, 2 AGM batteries, 100-watt solar on the roof, and solar plug for additional solar. To keep the cost down I didn't get the inside shower or toilet. I had FWC leave the lower cabinet doors off and I cut about 14" of the bottom face plate off. I purchase a Porta Potti Curve that slides into that space and we have a curtain and curtain rod to cover up the toilet. I purchased mine loaded as I'm not the handy man. There are 2-3 including Ski3pin and Bill Harr who bought shells and completed their own build-outs. Let me know how I can help. Start sending your questions.

 

[Bill D]

Thanks for the warm welcome.

DPhillip I can't wait to see some pics of the Hawk on your nice looking reg cab GMC. The Hawk will look awesome with your paint color and the regular cab.

Why March? After waiting 2 years, I'd think you'd pick it up asap. Is it taking 3 months to have one built?



What sort of suspension mods are you going to do to your truck? If you look at the pic above that I found on this forum, the Chevy looks like it's a little sunk in the rear.

 

[Dphillip]

When we ordered in November from Rocky Mountain 4 Wheel Campers in Denver we were told it would be March before the unit was built and delivered to their dealership. I didn't really question the 5 month wait, I assumed it was a rush of orders before the December price increase. Chris at Rocky Mountain 4W Campers was a super guy to work with and we really don't have a need for the camper this time of year. I haven't made any suspension modifications yet, I'm going to wait and see how the truck sits with the camper first. The Hawk we ordered is lightly equipted, no refrigator, no shower, no hot water heater and only one battery. I hope the weight comes in around 1,1000 pounds. That said, air bags still may be in our future.

 

[Bill D]

I plan to measure the height from the ground to the rear wheel well before and after to see how much impact the Hawk has on the suspension. I'm looking at a shell as well, but we normally pack a lot of items (even though we always say we will pack as light as possible this time). I also will be pulling the bike trailer.

I must keep the stance the truck currently had. It was the big thing that attracted me to the truck.

Call me weird, but I always look at how trucks sit, when they are pulling trailers and hauling loads.

D, I'd love it if you can post a before and after pic of the profile once you get your new Hawk.

 

[Dphillip]

I hear you, I'm very conscious of the stance and gross vehicle weight myself.

I'll gladly send some before and after pictures when the camper comes in. I have attached a photo of my truck from about two years ago when we set a 1,500 pound Palimino camper on the back. It leveled out quite a bit but didn't sag excessively.

I should have mentioned before how much I like that motor bike of your. We will also be towing a bike and maybe on rare occasions an old Jeep CJ-7 on a car dolly.

I just had to include those pix.

 

[RC Pilot Jim]

Adding my Welcome too, Bill.
Delivery used to be 6-8 weeks in the winter. I have read that the RV/camper market is heating up. If that is so it would definitely affect FWC delivery schedule.

By the way what options are you ordering on your soon-to-be-ordered Hawk shell?

Whether you buy a fridge or not make sure to include two solar plugs in your list.
Happy Camping.

 

[Bill D]

By the way what options are you ordering on your soon-to-be-ordered Hawk shell?

I'm still uncertain as to my options list. I haven't had the opportunity to view a FWC in person yet. Ramblinman lives in my city and has invited me to check out his Hawk. I'm very grateful for this, but we haven't co-ordinated a time yet. Even Gary from FourWheelCampers.ca (Morrissey Industries) recommends I see one before placing my order. I'd have to take a week off and drive 1500 round trip to view one at the dealership, so once again, I am very gracious that Ramblinman is going to help me out.

My list at this point includes:

Must haves:
-Hawk shell
-factory furnace (with 2 propane bottles)
-aux. battery with separator (to power the furnace)
-12V accessory plugs
-aluminum jack brackets
-mechanical jacks (may purchase locally)
-solar wiring roof and rear
-thermal pack (considering making my own)

Options (in order of what I want most):
-side awning
-rear awning
-external gas strut roof assists
-drivers side window
-two burner stove
-Fan-Tastic fan
-extra roof vent
-exterior LED lighting package
-fiberglass exterior
-rear flood lights LED

Things I plan to make myself or purchase locally
-window coverings
-thermal pack
-build a set-up similar to RnK's dinette/lounge option
-solar panel
-mechanical jacks

Questions I have:
Is it worth it to make your own thermal pack. I haven't really seen one in detail to know how it works and how the window openings work. I really don't think I need window openings if I have a fantastic fan and roof vent. I also want the thing to work. It's below freezing 6 months per year here.

 

[RC Pilot Jim]

Bill,

Your option list looks good. Especially the second roof vent over the bed to get a little air circulation going. If I did it again I would have purchased the extra roof vent and put the Fantastic Fan over the bed, as there is no draft around are heads in hot weather.

Thermal pack is pricey at $475.00 because each one is made by hand - no automation.

I saw one in the field made from two single bed down comforters with no openings for the windows. The shell or regular camper comes with a horizontal strip of Velcro top and bottom. You just sew the opposing Velcro on the comforter and your done. We leave our thermal pack on winter and summer as it keeps the hot and the cold out and darkens the interior for sleeping. An army blanket might work too because its wool.

I thought you were getting the Hawk shell not the Raven which I think is 10" shorter (?)

Furnace,
You might consider a Wave 3 catalytic heater instead of or in addition to the factory furnace. The Wave doesn't have a circulating fan as it radiates the heat. In fact in many cases we don't use our portable catalytic heater, as boiling coffee water on our portable one burner Coleman does a great job of taking the chill out of the air. Course down here the coldest we get in the desert is mid 20's and it always warms up to at least the 60's when the sun comes out.

 

[Bill D]

I thought you were getting the Hawk shell not the Raven which I think is 10" shorter (?)

Furnace,
You might consider a Wave 3 catalytic heater instead of or in addition to the factory furnace.

Edited: I have no idea why I typed Raven. Hawk shell for sure.

I will consider a Wave or Buddy heater after I evaluate the factory furnace. I can pick one up anytime here in Canada. The factory furnace is a must have, or I may as well just keep sleeping in my Cabelas Alaskan guide tent. It has way more room @ 120 sq.ft.
http://www.cabelas.com/browse.cmd?categoryId=153157680&WTz_l=SBC%3Bcat104795280%3Bcat104779080
I have 4 different tents... depending on what I'm doing.

If most of the thermal pack is labor, then I will likely make one myself. I'm pretty patient and detail oriented. I just made my own axe sheaths. It cost me the same amount as purchasing them, but it was much more fun and satisfying.
I own a big roll of industrial velcro and likely this is the most expensive part.

I think in the end I will order whatever I feel I can not make (exceptionally well) on my own.
ie. the awnings.
Of course I could make something, but I will probably regret not getting the factory option, because I would use it more often and be able to rig it in and out much faster. We usually break camp 1 or 2 times a day to go for a drive in the truck (morning and evening). We ride the motorbikes during the warm part of the day.

 

[RC Pilot Jim]

Yes up there a furnace is definitely a "must-have".
You will have a good time with it Especially since it is 13" wider than our Eagle....And we love the Eagle as we are campers so mostly we just sleep in ours..doing our cooking and lounging out-doors.

 

[billharr]

Ski has a detailed post on making a Thermal Pack. Ski's TP windows roll up FWC's TP they pull down like the windows do. I do not have the sewing skills and the wife said we would need a new sewing machine, as her's would not do the velcro. Even with buying a new machine I might have saved $200 over purchasing a new one. But one O'**** and I would be better off buying a new one, so that is what I did. Ski said he had an experienced sewing machine operator when they made their TPs. If you can do it save the $$. I like doing things myself, but have learned what I can and can not do.

 

[Bill D]

Yes up there a furnace is definitely a "must-have".
You will have a good time with it Especially since it is 13" wider than our Eagle....And we love the Eagle as we are campers so mostly we just sleep in ours..doing our cooking and lounging out-doors.

I will definitely appreciate the wider option. I'm 6'3" and I will be able to sleep across the front with the top down. This will be an awesome option.

I plan on cooking outside too, but I still plan on getting the 2 burner stove. It doesn't take up much additional space with a furnace only option and it's not that expensive. My GF is an extreme athlete I can see her getting up before me and making her oatmeal and protein pancakes on it while I sleep . I can also see us making coffee with it (when we can't find a Tim Hortons ). We are not that backwoods yet.
I plan on keeping the camper on 8 months. I hate lunch rooms. I can see myself using the stove to warm up/make lunch. This might help me eat healthier, vs. going for takeout.

 

[Lighthawk]

We like both the factory furnace and our Wave 3 heater. The blower on the factory furnace is helpful to dry off if you or your dog get wet and knocks down the cold quick with lots of BTUs, however it is noisy. I think the newer furnaces are quieter than 2008 models.

The catalytic heater is great for those long nights when you want quiet, non-battery consuming heat. If I was building out a shell I might consider a Wave 6 only, but I live in California not Canada!

 

[Lighthawk]

Ski has a detailed post on making a Thermal Pack.

We just completed our arctic pac, basically following the directions of Ski3pin. It worked great tested to 23F on our Christmas trip. We're going to add extra velco to hold down the corners near the front and rear lift panels. Ski and I talked about it and they are going to do something similar. The current design puts too much pull on the last nine or ten inches of velcro beyond the edge of the window and it needs to be anchored with an extra bit of velcro. We spent ~$175USD for the velcro and Evolution cloth vs. the $475 quote mentioned above for factory option.

 

[Bill D]

Ski has a detailed post on making a Thermal Pack. Ski's TP windows roll up FWC's TP they pull down like the windows do. I do not have the sewing skills and the wife said we would need a new sewing machine, as her's would not do the velcro. Even with buying a new machine I might have saved $200 over purchasing a new one. But one O'**** and I would be better off buying a new one, so that is what I did. Ski said he had an experienced sewing machine operator when they made their TPs. If you can do it save the $$. I like doing things myself, but have learned what I can and can not do.

Thanks for the link Bill H. I guess what I need to do is ask my dealer If I can get the thermal pack after the fact and how much it will be.
My brother has a vacation property in Point Roberts U.S.A. (just below and connected Vancouver), so I may be able to have accessories shipped there if needed.

Is an Arctic Pack the same as a Thermal Pack. I've seen both terms while looking for options.
I understand that the units that come to Canada have some changes for cold weather and propane, but I really don't know what it entails.