Lurker to Member

[iowahiker]

I finally decided to switch from lurking to being a WTW member and would like to thank all the contributors who we read for several years as we acquired our FWC Granby one year ago. We are life long day hikers and have traveled coast to coast and corner to corner while staying in everything from tents to hotels including a popup camper and a full size van. We discovered the FWC in a Trailer Life magazine article over a decade ago and fell in love with the package of going anywhere with comfort at a manageable cost. The intervening years had our three children graduate and our retirement. Over a year ago, we ordered a FWC Granby from GoAnywhere in Wisconsin followed by an Ford F-150 regular cab V-8 long bed 4x4 with the payload package. Working with GoAnywhere went very smoothly from starting questions to delivery and installation in December, 2012. We ordered the truck locally and the forecast delivery time was one to four months with an actual delivery time of three weeks. The truck and camper were lightly optioned to keep our camping experience uncomplicated. The truck and camper have performed flawlessly over the past year of over 100 camping and travel days. The 5 liter V-8 has plenty of power and trip fuel economy ranged from 15.3 to 16.1 mpg by the tank fills for highway speeds of 61 (2 lane) to 69 mph (4 lane). The brakes are very strong and the payload package (2800 lb payload without the tailgate) needs no upgrading and has no sag. Total truck and camper height is 7'10" and clears our 8' garage door header and the camper is never removed from the truck. I STRONGLY recommend anyone using this truck/camper get the dealer installed trailer mirrors which remove the large blind spots on both sides and are difficult to get from the factory. The only truck modification was removing the "third seat" and adding a box as console with dividers for our atlases (no GPS), guide books, tissue, phone, etc. The Granby has two roof vents (no power), screen door, jacks, rollover couch, fluorescent lights, furnace, and two auxiliary batteries while we deleted the water tank/pump and the ice box. The ice box space is our wardrobe and the water tank space is the food locker (under the couch is the beer locker). Camper modifications are mostly minor: the sink hose was cut and routed into a 2.5 gallon reliance water tank for gray water under the sink, a thick wall dish soap plastic bottle with handle is our faucet, a 30 quart cooler stores in the space in from of the counter row, FWC table was replaced with a Walmart folding camping table (lighter, smaller, more stable), a speaker stand crank fits in the FWC table leg bracket, replaced the OTC mattress with 72x30x3" air/foam mattress which is softer. The remaining OTC space stores clothing while I sleep on the couch since I toss and turn a lot while traveling. The one handed roll to create the second bed and two beds in such a small camper were major positives for us. Water is stored in up to 6 2.5 gallon Reliance tanks in the cab along with folding chairs, screen room, hiking boots, coats, and day packs behind the seats. Several one gallon heavy walled plastic vinegar bottles are used to dispense water in the camper and are stored in the cabinets while the reliance tanks stay in the cab. Water usage averages 2.5 gallons per day with sink baths for both of us every two days and the narrow water jet from our "faucet." Total storage space provides up to 60 consecutive camping nights without laundry, over 30 days of food and beer without shopping, 100 days of propane (both tanks while eating cooking every meal), and 8 days of water before we would need our Reliance in tank water filters and chlorine tablets (not used so far). We camped 20, 30, and 40 consecutive nights last year in trips to Shenandoah NP, Washington State NF/NP's, and Colorado/New Mexico/Arizona (BLM+NF+NP+SP) while experiencing heavy rain, high winds, temperatures between 28 and 89 without difficulty. The only thing we would change on our camper is "a better cooler" which is the cost of all that storage and simplicity (camper is never plugged in, the propane tanks never empty, the batteries never get low, water is at the nearest faucet/stream, nothing to winterize at -10 deg last night, and no truck suspension upgrades). Thanks again to all the WTW contributors who were very helpful to us and FWC for producing a great camper. Assuming the current ice age ends, we hope to visit West Virginia, Colorado, and Northern California/Southern Oregon this year.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Decorah? West Union? My Bride is a good Iowegian. I am glad you're posting, not just observing. I am surprised you don't have an AC or at least the powered fan. I've been in NE Iowa when the air was so thick you could cut it with a butter knife.

 

[iowahiker]

Wandering Sagebrush, We live 20 miles from Minnesota and 20 miles from Wisconsin with the Decorah Walmart being the closest civilization(?). We were using a Blackberry as our primary internet access which WTW rated a "troll" probably because of the Canada IP address. This winter we converted to a cellular internet hub and a Chromebook which Google assures us can withstand malware. A Russian teen is currently working to prove them wrong but so far the Chromebook has worked well and is a simple system to use. The Blackberry was impervious to advertising and malware but the browser was aging and memory was becoming an issue as internet pages keep growing. Iowahiker

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

If you run into the family, duck and run, they're a vicious lot of dairy farmers!

We were back in fall 2011, it's grown a lot, but you can still get a pretty good pizza at Mabe's. One of the family farms has become the new Seed Savers headquarters. I like it better in the spring, when the morel mushrooms are plentiful.

As Uncle Einer says, "You can tell us Norwegians, but you can't tell us much!". Yah sure, you betcha!

 

[ski3pin]

iowahiker, welcome to WTW and it looks like you are having good adventures with your truck and camper. My family left Iowa in 1865 and moved over into Wisconsin where some still milk cows and most play Euchre. I believe we'll need some photos of your adventures!

 

[KILR0Y]

Excellent, Truly Good To Hear!

 

[highz]

Welcome, iowahiker.

 

[TZtraveler]

Great read, Iowahiker! Thanks for posting.

Your setup is just about what we are planning to order very soon from Sean at Go Anywhere, and it is really good to hear about how your truck and camper work. We would love to see some pictures of your setup and some of the details you mention in your post.

I think its interesting that you don't have a power fan in your camper, and I wonder how those near-90 degree days worked with that set-up. We'll likely be doing quite a bit of travel in the southeastern US and are thinking of getting at least one fantastic fan and possibly also an air-conditioner as well. Yes, we're wimps, i suppose. I admire your ability to put the value of simplicity into practice with your set-up, but we feel we need to ease into that over some time as we learn.

Though I am quite new to posting on this site, I also want to welcome you to this forum and look forward to hearing more about your rig and travels.

Hope the grip of winter lets up soon so you can get going again.

 

[jha6av8r]

Yes, welcome to WTW. We picked up ours about the same time and got out a lot but not nearly as much as you but trying.

I've found we don't use the Fantastic fan as much as I thought we would even when the day time temps were above 100. We don't spend much time inside the camper during the day.

Where the Fantastic Fan has come in handy is lowering the roof during windy conditions or the occasional time we cook inside.

 

[takesiteasy]

A welcome from a fellow "mid" westerner. We are similar minimalists in our camper but we did get a fridge. Maybe see you around the driftless area. We are often there in the summer and fall. This year we are planning a circumnavigation of Lake Superior- probably late summer, early fall time frame.

 

[iowahiker]

The lack of a power roof vent sparked some questions. Our goal in not having a power vent fan was to
minimize roof weight so I can lift the roof by hand without struts which is working well. Our Granby slick top roof is not an easy
lift and any added weight would be a large disadvantage. Tucking the corners after lowering the roof is our
only struggle and a power roof vent could save this chore. We carry the hand crank only in case of an
injury. We purchased a three speed 12 volt floor fan made by the same company as the vent fans, store it under the couch,
and never used it. We set up our chairs under a shade tree or in the shade of the camper which does not have
an awning but the ten foot tall raised camper provided good shade when needed. We rarely opened the fabric
windows but used the screen door, both roof vents, and side window frequently.

We avoid hot destinations by using the climate charts in the "Road and Rec Atlas" series and use cooler campgrounds especially heading west (NF north of Sundance WY). Driving during the day with A/C (slower on very hot days), camping near lakes, and camping in the evening after the western dry air cools has helped avoid heat. The southeast is our favorite April to June destination with smaller crowds, cooler temperatures, lots of high country hiking, and no snow.

This is my first forum post anywhere and so an adventure but pictures will need a higher aptitude. Iowahiker

 

[Taku]

The folks on WTW will easily walk you through the process of posting photos - they even got my problems figured out. Just take good notes, since if you are like me, it all disappears by the next time you want to post some photos!

 

[iowahiker]

Please excuse the double upload but our camper picture is in the gallery for Mt Rainier.
Lots of learning.

Lets see if it will show here. Iowahiker

 

[Timothy McGowen]

Nice picture and welcome to the group.