Modifying and lightening an Alaskan camper

[pennask]

New member, but been lurking on these forums a lot and it's a wealth of information!

I recently saw an older Alaskan 8' NCO for sale near me, in pretty poor condition. It would definitely need rebuilding as there was some water damage. I was wondering if anyone has tried heavily modifying an Alaskan with the goals to make it much lighter and able to fit in a compact pick-up (e.g. Tacoma or Frontier). Basically a custom "Alaskan mini" which there seems to be little information about.
https://www.truckcampermagazine.com/off-road/adventures/guy-tokunaga-living-large-in-an-alaskan-mini/

Does anyone have any more information about these mini versions? Was it a one-off or were they a production model?

It sounds like the 8' NCO has a weight of around 1200 lbs, but I've seen posts about the weight being anywhere from 750 lbs for a stripped shell and 1400 lbs. Would it be feasible to reduce the weight below 1000 lbs by cutting down ~2' of length and reducing the weight of the interior cabinets or is this not a possibility while maintaining the Alaskan character? I realize this would be a ton of work!

Thanks in advance!

 

[PackRat]

The phrase "in pretty poor condition" is often either a warning that it has rotten wood behine the siding and inside, or the floor is rotted out. Both can be the death knell for an Alaskan I'm afraid. Pics of the area around the ceiling vent and at the corners front and back will be helpful for the TOP but you might not be able to detect and rotten floor without examining it or...checking out where the siding meets the floor and if the aluminum corners have pulled away. If the upper door and lower exhibit the same rotten or soft exposed wood then I think this Alaskan is telling you it has been exposed to the elements for far too long.

Now, having said that, unless you are a carpenter and have a large space I your shop to separate the top from the bottom and to begin to essentially rebuild the Alaskan from scratch, this one may not be for you.

I looked at CL for a year before finding my '76 8ft CO and the search was from Seattle to LA to Albuquerque to Reno to Spokane...and I found it about 60 miles from where I live.

It needed a couple new piston tubes that had split and leaked and new Pirelli everywhere. I figure I got lucky but the point is, I didn't want to rebuild the thing. My old '60s 8 FT NCO I had back 20 or so years ago didn't leak, but the Pirelli seals were like fringe. I didn't know they could be replaced so I used some foam water pipe insulation on each side once we got camp set up. Times have changed and you have the WTW to assist you.

Post some pics and I'm sure you will get some good advice from even those so bold to tear their Alaskan apart and repair rotten wood and floors!

 

[Taku]

There is an Alaskan remodel on Expedition Portal that was a pretty complete rebuild - not shortening like you are thinking of though. I would second the need to have lot's of inside space to do a complete rebuild where you have to separate the two parts. If it is that rotted out, I would look for something a bit better condition. Unless you get it for free and want to have a big project!

 

[pennask]

Thanks for the responses folks! The specific camper in question has sold, but mine was more of a general question about if it is possible to reduce the weight by 25%+ by taking 2 feet off the length and making mild changes to the interior. Was hoping someone had done a similar modification before. I have the space and capabilities (hopefully!) to do it, but it wouldn't be worth even trying if I knew it would still be too heavy. Those rebuild posts are a great resource.