Need some opinions

[brett13]

I've been a long time lurker and occasional contributor to the board, so I know this is the right place to inquire. I have ordered a camper from Ben at ATC and he has been immensely patient answering my questions. They are set to start construction at the end of June/early July. The camper is going on a new 07 Tundra, which is full size 6.5" bed. Truck officially measures 80" wide, but rail to rail is about 72" (meaning the outside edge of the rail- the truck bulges out a bit further lower down and I don't know if the offical 80" includes the mirrors or just body flair width).

Here is my dilemma: should I go with the wider and roomier Panther (83" wide) or the narrower Bobcat (74" wide)? The reason I am unsure is because a) our purpose is to get way off the beaten path and sometimes trails can be narrow and b) this is my first full size truck/camper and I am still getting used to the size. We spend most of our time in southeast UT and plan on spending more time in our backyard, the CO Rockies.

So my question is this: what is your experience related to width on the trails? Have rocks, vegetation, limited room to maneauver offroad been a problem with wider rigs? I am not too concerned with interior room as this is a huge upgrade from sleeping in the back of an suv, but it is still a consideration. Thanks in advance.

 

[simimike]

Well since you are asking for opinions, here's mine. A little over hang over the bed rails is no big deal. It is all about looking good. Does the camper look good on the truck? As far as being to wide for the trails, A recent post showed a full size Dodge with a Panther on the White Rim Trail in Utah. If you are going on forest service roads you should have no problem with the wider camper. If the camper is too wide for the trail then you may be on the wrong trail and should be using a Jeep.

Heres some pictures of my truck and Granby with the over hang. The camper is about 4 inches past the rails. And I have not had any problems with being to wide. I've been on forest service roads in Utah and Colorado where the brush scratched the paint on the truck. But no problem with rocks or trees.
Hope this helps.

Cheers,
Mike

 

[quailsroost]

Bigger is better. From what I can tell if the mirrors will clear the camper will too, my problem in this photo is the vent wouldn't clear, back tracked about 10-12 miles to get on the other side of the tracks.

 

[benburnett]

quailsroost

You need to send me some photos for the web. Love that one above. Could you have let some air out and made it?

If not about 40 mph should have worked well and we could have fixed the hole for you.

Whatever you create, we can fix.

Then again, isn't it true that the faster you go the lower your vehicle gets pushed down by wind. Maybe 80 or 90 would have cleared it. Just throwing out ideas here to get more work.

 

[jc_oc1]

Opinions are like bungholes, everybodies got one...Since you are asking.

If interior space is not an issue and you will likely be on more remote and technical trails, go with the narrower model. My FWC is 69" wide (not including jacks) on a Tacoma, though I've only had one problem getting through a tight space, I've had a couple other close calls. If I'd been much wider I wouldn't have squeezed by.
Good luck finding the balance between function and comfort...
Peace,
Jay

 

[erod]

i have a tacoma as well and have a ranger II on it...similar to the bobcat but i think the bobcat is 4" wider (2" on each side). honestly, i would like a narrower camper but mostly for the look and visability...don't think you can go wrong though with more storage however. tomas, on this forum, has a ranger on a t100 and i think it looks sharp! but you have a fullsize, its already big, might as well go bigger. see how much you want to keep in the camper too, i don't really have storage issues but could always use more (i am going with a roof rack in the future). as far as wheeling the width has never been an issue for me, it actually does really well and in some cases inproves traction with the added weight.

jc_oc1, any pics of your truck...i really like the look of the tacoma with the camper on it. cheers!

 

[camelracer]

Another thing to consider is the width of the overhead bed. If you sleep crosswise it's nice to have the extra head and foot room.

 

[craig333]

I dont' think it'd show up in the pics, but I have some dents from tree branches on mine. That said, I think more room wins out over a slightly narrower rig. I figure if I dent my camper, its probably an area I should be using my Jeep in, not my truck.

 

[Tomas Tierra]

Brett13,

Given the choice, Iwould get the wider camper..I bought my Ranger used because I couldn't turn down the deal..

I will say that the skinny camper is much quieter on the road..Having just that little bit sticking( I had an old Fleet model on the same truck) out the side created tons of road noise in my regular cab. The visibility while driving is GREAT(!) with the Ranger..I would like to sleep side to side though, not back to front. I saw a guy this weekend with a Hawk model and I got to climb in and check it out.NICE! not havin to pull the bed out on top if your by yourself seems huge as well..Also the hieght difference is substantial..

My old Fleet never kept me out of anywhere I wanted to go..But it did have several nice sets of Baja pinstripes on it.

Good luck!

 

[erod]

tomas...that is such a sharp set up! more pics please!

 

[Tomas Tierra]

The old one...

 

[Tomas Tierra]

Thanx for the compliment EROD..

As requested (these are all I have, so excited the first night I got it I snapped a couple....pictures)...

Tom

 

[erod]

cooool! thanks for the pics!

 

[Sam]

Unless you have been folding your mirrors in on a regular basis to get down the trails, and the new wider camper is narrower than your mirrors (which it should be) then I would go for the wider camper.

 

[John D]

Here in Alabama, where the vegitation is frequently heavy on trails or logging roads, a wide camper would be destroyed. I have gone through overgrown roads/trails that folded my morrors flat against the cab.

 

[HERR42]

same here up in the sierras!

 

[cvc]

I have a '07 Cougar. It is 87" wide, including the jack brackets. I have standard mirrors, and with a small spot mirror on each side visibility is acceptable. With the jacks on I couldn't see squat, so they're in the shed. ( I leave the camper on the truck full time so it's no big deal.)

I would suggest laying a 2X4 or 2X6 of the appropriate length across the bed to get a feel for your visibility with the different widths. (Don't forget the additional width of the jacks if you're planning to leave them mounted.)

If you have adjustable mirrors, disregard the above. I recommend the wider camper!

Sorry for the rambling......