Hey Everybody,
I am new to the the truck camping world but my wife and I are super excited to get started on this journey. I am hoping to get some feedback on the rig we are creating and to see if anyone out there has similar setups and recommendations. This past week, my wife and I put a deposit down on a new FWC Fleet. We liked that the counters were lower for her and the ability to put the camper on a smaller truck. We are planning to leave the camper on the truck full time so we are getting the camper without jacks and the dealership said that they will always have them available if we change our minds down the line. The camper comes in at around 1150 pounds with all of the options. We love camping on Forest Service roads throughout Washington and Oregon and we wanted a rig that would let us travel somewhat gnarly roads without having to get stuck.
As for the truck, we pulled the trigger on a lightly used 2018 Chevy Colorado with a 3.6L V6 gas engine, the crew cab and the long 6' bed. After speaking with the camper dealership we are getting Firestone Ride Rite airbags installed, a set of E rated tires and lifting the truck by 2" to accommodate the larger tires and give us added ground clearance. The truck dealership is ordering these parts right now and they said we could still change our order if we need to change our specs.
My questions for the community as a whole are:
1) Does this seem like a safe setup? It seems like many Fleet campers on a mid-size truck (Tacoma, Colorado, etc.) are likely to exceed their payload when you take into account passengers, water, and gear.
2) Is there anything you would do differently with the truck?
3) I am concerned that with the added height from the airbags, lift kit, and the extra platform needed to install the camper on a Colorado, will make the truck too tall. We are planning to have a collapsible step stool that we can use to enter the camper and to operate the latches on the camper. Does anyone have experience with a similar setup?
4) We have a large dog (about 85 pounds) we know that space will be tight in the camper when he is in there too but we plan on being in the camper primarily when it is time to sleep and when the weather is at all decent we will be hanging outside next to a fire instead. Does anybody use a Fleet with two people and a large dog?
Thanks for considering everyone. I am feeling a bit nervous about such a big investment but at the same time I am really looking forward to the camping opportunities that will open up with this setup.
I am new to the the truck camping world but my wife and I are super excited to get started on this journey. I am hoping to get some feedback on the rig we are creating and to see if anyone out there has similar setups and recommendations. This past week, my wife and I put a deposit down on a new FWC Fleet. We liked that the counters were lower for her and the ability to put the camper on a smaller truck. We are planning to leave the camper on the truck full time so we are getting the camper without jacks and the dealership said that they will always have them available if we change our minds down the line. The camper comes in at around 1150 pounds with all of the options. We love camping on Forest Service roads throughout Washington and Oregon and we wanted a rig that would let us travel somewhat gnarly roads without having to get stuck.
As for the truck, we pulled the trigger on a lightly used 2018 Chevy Colorado with a 3.6L V6 gas engine, the crew cab and the long 6' bed. After speaking with the camper dealership we are getting Firestone Ride Rite airbags installed, a set of E rated tires and lifting the truck by 2" to accommodate the larger tires and give us added ground clearance. The truck dealership is ordering these parts right now and they said we could still change our order if we need to change our specs.
My questions for the community as a whole are:
1) Does this seem like a safe setup? It seems like many Fleet campers on a mid-size truck (Tacoma, Colorado, etc.) are likely to exceed their payload when you take into account passengers, water, and gear.
2) Is there anything you would do differently with the truck?
3) I am concerned that with the added height from the airbags, lift kit, and the extra platform needed to install the camper on a Colorado, will make the truck too tall. We are planning to have a collapsible step stool that we can use to enter the camper and to operate the latches on the camper. Does anyone have experience with a similar setup?
4) We have a large dog (about 85 pounds) we know that space will be tight in the camper when he is in there too but we plan on being in the camper primarily when it is time to sleep and when the weather is at all decent we will be hanging outside next to a fire instead. Does anybody use a Fleet with two people and a large dog?
Thanks for considering everyone. I am feeling a bit nervous about such a big investment but at the same time I am really looking forward to the camping opportunities that will open up with this setup.