Newbie with questions about purchasing a FWC.

[James3344]

Hey everyone, I am new here and have started doing my research in hopes to get a new FWC soon! I am coming from a 16' Airstream but need something that will allow me to go further off road.

I have two questions:

1.) How often are you guys taking off your camper and storing it? Do you leave it on all summer or do you only put it on when you are going for a trip?

2.) I am not opposed to buying used, but as you know it is difficult to find the right one. The model I would have built if I went new is a Raven that is fully loaded and will cost about $35k out the door. How much will that depreciate once I drive it home? I am worried about losing $10k right off the bat for buying new as I haven't really seen many used FWC for more than $25k. But then again I just recently started looking so maybe they go for more.


Any information is helpful! Thank you and I'm excited to learn more about these awesome campers.

 

[heinphoto]

We have only had our Grandby since early August, but our plan is to leave it on full time unless we need the truck for some other purpose.

How long are you planning to keep the camper? FWCs tend to hold their value better than many campers and RVs, but they will depreciate in value like everything. However, unless you are only planning to keep the camper for a short time, I'm not sure I would worry about depreciation.

We are also in an RV "bubble" now due to the pandemic. Demand is incredibly high. I'm hearing that the lead time for ordering a new camper from the FWC factory is approaching a year. So, used campers are also in high demand, which means higher prices. If you do decide to go the used route, you need to be ready to act immediately.

Good luck!

 

[Jon R]

Drifting off topic ... I placed an order for a new Grandby about 2 weeks ago. I was able to do a change order on an existing order the dealer had for a May delivery. They told me that, if they (the dealer) had not had that order slot already purchased, delivery for a new order would be into October. So yes, as heinphoto wrote above it's right about 1 year lead time right now if you can't buy a dealer's existing stock or order slot.

 

[Ronin]

I seldom go anywhere between June-Sept so I leave my ATC off. Sept through Thanksgiving I leave the camper off unless I'm not going anywhere for a couple of weeks. I'll do a few winter trips Dec-March so the camper is off and on as needed. April- May is the same as Sept- end of Nov. My '19 Tundra gets around 13-14mpg with camper on (lots of freeway miles) and 15-16mpg unloaded (90% in town) plus it's just easier to drive/park without the camper so I prefer to leave it off whenever possible.

As far as campers go, I purchased my ATC Panther shell with lots of customization for much less $$ than a FWC. I had owned 2 Hawks before and actually sold one for more than I bought it for. You may want to look into an ATC. Marty and Jeff are great to work with and were willing to build out my shell the way I wanted it. ATC doesn't have the nice upgrade options that FWC does but I find no difference in build quality.

Good luck in your pursuit!!

 

[57Pan]

I put my camper on for the season,(April thru October this year) then take it off and put it in the garage for the winter. Still not real comfortable putting it on and off so it is just better that I keep it on for the duration that I’ll be using it. As far as cost goes, I was lucky enough to get a good deal on the Bobcat that I bought last year used, a 2011 in like new condition.

 

[kmcintyre]

I leave my FWC Eagle on fulltime. It's never been off my current truck (4 years now).

If you want to buy used, I'd get a truck and have it ready to go; tie downs, etc. When you find the used one you want, you have to jump on it quickly. Be ready to travel. One thing, if you buy used and the camper you find doesn't have jacks, you'll need to rent some and make sure they can lift the camper high enough and the jacks will extend out far enough away from the truck width.

Good luck.

 

[James3344]

Thank you for all of your replies! I have found a dealer that said he could get me a Raven by end of March. I am leaning towards buying new. I was kind of planning on taking the camper on and off throughout the summer but it sounds like most people leave them on.

Is that because they are so difficult to remove and put on?

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Hey everyone, I am new here and have started doing my research in hopes to get a new FWC soon! I am coming from a 16' Airstream but need something that will allow me to go further off road.

I have two questions:

1.) How often are you guys taking off your camper and storing it? Do you leave it on all summer or do you only put it on when you are going for a trip?

2.) I am not opposed to buying used, but as you know it is difficult to find the right one. The model I would have built if I went new is a Raven that is fully loaded and will cost about $35k out the door. How much will that depreciate once I drive it home? I am worried about losing $10k right off the bat for buying new as I haven't really seen many used FWC for more than $25k. But then again I just recently started looking so maybe they go for more.


Any information is helpful! Thank you and I'm excited to learn more about these awesome campers.

First, welcome to WTW,

As you’re coming from an Airstream, you know that almost all RVs (Including the best) depreciate rapidly. You might expand your search a bit and check out the ATC (All Terrain Campers) line up. They are well made, and live up to their motto, “Built To Survive”.

Similar to the FWC campers, but a little less expensive. ATC is also willing to do custom work for their customers. I have had both a FWC Grandby and an ATC Bobcat. Both were good, but my preference was the Bobcat.

Regardless of which brand you choose, consider going with a shell model. You’ll have far more interior room, and you can build it out as much as you want or need. The only “for certain options“ I recommend would be to have a factory furnace/propane, and a thermal barrier.

 

[oldhotrod]

I take mine off..not hard, takes me about 45min taking my time and includes installing the jacks. When it's on, I often leave it on for months at a time, no big deal either way...

 

[Advmoto18]

I take our Hawk off my pickup between camping trips. I need to use the box for hauling stuff.

Once you get the hang of taking it on/off, it can be done fairly quickly. Even faster if you have a helper with drill motor who can assist you raising/lowering jack legs in tandem on opposite sides of the camper.

If you're going to spend a lot of time off-tarmac, consider the condition of the tracks you will travel. Every camper option adds weight and payload can have a big negative impact on your suspension on rough, off-camber tracks.

I suggest making a wish list of the options you desire and then ponder that list for several weeks and determine what options you really need vs would simply be nice to have.

 

[trikebubble]

We leave our Hawk on the Tundra full time. We've had it 4 years now and spend at least 30 nights a year in it. Aside from camping, it's great to have to be able to haul along a place that you can stop and fix an impromptu picnic, or have your own porta-potti and a place to use it. We go snow shoeing in the winter and will sit in the camper with the furnace on after, sipping on hot chocolate to warm up as well. I've found that leaving it on just opens up a few more options and possibilities for uses of the camper.
As far as resale goes, I figure if we amortize the cost over the years of use we get, and the enjoyment we get out of it, it has more than paid for itself. When we do get around to selling it, I'm sure it's residual value will be far better than pretty much any other regular camper or trailer out there (though that is not why we bough it).

 

[Karlton]

Taking it off is easy, putting it on requires some familiarity with how things look in your mirrors when you back in. I had it dialed in with my old truck. The thing I find most time consuming is raising it by hand as I don't do more than 6 cranks per jack before moving to the next jack.

Camper removal is facilitated by a level surface. My new driveway has a 3" difference from front to back of the camper, which creates a situation where the load isn't aligned with the jacks causing stress on the attachment point. I put down some pavers and leveled the pavers with shims so that the jacks were not stressed under the load.

 

[jimjxsn]

I don't leave the camper on the truck unless we plan to use it in the near future. It doesn't take much time to mount or remove it.

I stuck a piece of tape to mark the center of the camper and a matching piece in the center of the bed for alignment.

The hardest thing about taking the camper on and off is all the cranking. I extending the height of the rieco-titan camper dolly to match the truck bed height. That way, I just have to give it a few cranks and can drive under it. Then, lift it a few cranks to drive out from under it and slip the dolly in place. We use the drill attachment to raise the jacks for driving.

It actually doesn't seem to take longer to load the camper than it did to hitch up our old camping trailers with equalizer hitches.

 

[AWG_Pics]

We have had our Hawk for 10 months and have not taken it off the truck. We plan to leave it on permanently and use it as a convenient picnic and stay dry place on short jaunts in between longer trips. Not worried about depreciation. A year ago September, we ordered it nearly fully built out (meaning everything except a toilet and hot water heater.) We received it on January 7th and have taken two 3 and 1/2 week trips. We go pretty much anywhere we want with the Tundra 4WD and love it. Hope this helps.

 

[CurranC]

I am also new to this camper game ... had a small motor home for a while but now that the kids are all grown and doing their own thing we just ordered the flatbed Hawk edition and I’m so excited I can barely stand still , can’t wait to get my hands on it but it’s looking like it’s gonna be at least 6 months. I looked at all the other options thoroughly and this is the one . I have a truck I’m dedicating so not gonna take camper off truck unless an unforeseen issue presents itself. I am off half the month (12 hr shifts) so we plan on using at least twice a month minimum. Also just found out I’m gonna be a grandpa, I’m 49,my daughter is 29 and having her first ,she lives by the Olympic national rain forest In Wa so that is a whole other area I look forward to exploring. I live in Ventura Ca please don’t hold it against me I have found in our travels people don’t particularly care for people from SoCal but after a few beers they are fine . Can’t wait to explore the Sierras which are just a few (5) hours away Anyways I’m rambling just happy to be here ... will be asking questions in the near future hopefully I posted this in the correct spot .

 

[Vic Harder]

I am also new to this camper game ... had a small motor home for a while but now that the kids are all grown and doing their own thing we just ordered the flatbed Hawk edition and I’m so excited I can barely stand still , can’t wait to get my hands on it but it’s looking like it’s gonna be at least 6 months. I looked at all the other options thoroughly and this is the one . I have a truck I’m dedicating so not gonna take camper off truck unless an unforeseen issue presents itself. I am off half the month (12 hr shifts) so we plan on using at least twice a month minimum. Also just found out I’m gonna be a grandpa, I’m 49,my daughter is 29 and having her first ,she lives by the Olympic national rain forest In Wa so that is a whole other area I look forward to exploring. I live in Ventura Ca please don’t hold it against me I have found in our travels people don’t particularly care for people from SoCal but after a few beers they are fine . Can’t wait to explore the Sierras which are just a few (5) hours away Anyways I’m rambling just happy to be here ... will be asking questions in the near future hopefully I posted this in the correct spot .

Welcome to the cult! We want to see pictures... start with the truck and flatbed!

 

[JCO]

I have a 2016 Hawk that I take on and off my 2011 Tundra regularly. I’m getting better at it, it’s still a “process” getting in on. I put circle marks on my garage floor so I put the stands roughly in the same spot each time I take it off. I put a piece of electrical tape in the center of the camper vertically below the front window. I put a piece of painters tape down the center of the truck bed. I line up the tape on the camper and the tape on the bed kinda like a “sight” It helps keep it all aligned when I’m backing into the camper. As for new vs used. I’m happy with all the options I specked out in my Hawk. Hopefully it’s a one time purchase !