Palomino Bronco Reviews

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westywanderer

New Member
Joined
Dec 10, 2012
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Location
Dana Point, Ca
Hi all,

My name is Brent and I am looking at trading in my 1981 Volkswagon Westy for a pop-up camper that will fit on my 2005 Tacoma. I have been researching all of the brands and the Palomino Bronco 600 seems to be the front runner simply because of the price, I can't really afford a new FWC and the used market here in Southern California is dismal at best. Has anyone owned a Bronco or know of someone who owned a Bronco and if so how did it work out?

I mainly camp in Baja or the deserts of California, not a lot of off roading, but definitely some. Any and all help would be appreciated, I haven't had much luck finding reviews on this product.

Thanks in advance from the new guy....

Brent
 
Go here for a few reviews: rv.net

A quick search tells me they are pretty heavy, 1100 lbs DRY, must be wood framed. Also called "entry level" what ever that means.
I would research what your pay load capacity is on your truck.

Good luck.
 
Not to steer you away from it, but those will probably be pretty big, long, and heavy for a Tacoma.

I have seen people put similar campers on the Tacomas, but you will need some good tires and a stiff rear suspension upgrade for sure !

99% of the Palomino campers I see on the road are mounted on a full sized truck ?


These are just for comparisons purposes to give you an idea on sizing.

Looking at their website, it looks like the B600 is ...

77" wide for the camper body (The FWC Model is 69" wide -- the FWC Fleet Model is 75" wide).

Floor length is 7' 4" (The FWC Eagle & Fleet are approx. 6' 6" long).

Camper height is 4' 11" (The FWC Eagle & Fleet are approx. 4' 4" tall)


Again, I'm NOT trying to steer you towards the FWC, just trying to help educate you on what is out there.

If I had to buy a "NEW" pop-up camper and I was on a tight budget, I would pick most any other "used" camper before buying a new Palomino.

If you buy a new Palomino, you will probably take a big hit on the resale price when you go to sell it.

If you are going to hold on to it for along time, then no worries.

I don't want to bash them, they build a good camper for what it is.

You live in a dry area, and that works in your favor too.

But it is the lowest price pop-up camper on the market for a reason.

My opinion, and my opinion only, finding something like a nice used Palomino, used Northstar, used Starcraft, used ATC, used FWC, or similar would be my preference.

Have you looked at the www.usedfourwheelcampers.com ?

Or the gear seaction for sale on WTW ?


Hope this helps a little.

Wish you the best of luck on your camper search.

I know it is tough to find a camper for the smaller trucks these days at a reasonable price.

:(



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I think the aluminum frames of the Four Wheel Campers and the All Terrain Campers is why we buy them. They are light and very flexible, important for off-road travel. Good luck in your search, but I would urge you to consider Stan's suggestion to look for a used camper, preferably, in my opinion, an ATC or FWC.
 
Thanks guys for all of the replies, it definitely helps. I am not totally sold on buying a new camper, but the used market in my area for these style of campers is almost non-existent which makes it hard. I am not opposed to driving out of state to buy a used one, but that is difficult as well.

My Tacoma already has an add-a-leaf kit as well as a Firestone airbag system so the weight is not an issue as far as suspension is concerned. I was really hoping to hear from someone who has one of these Bronco's to see if they like it and how durable it has been, anybody out there with one?

Thanks again guys for helping out the new guy...

Brent
 
Brent, I have a friend of mine who has a bronco on his 2010 tacoma crew cab with a 6' bed. He bought it new because it was inexpensive. It's an okay camper but has flaws, mainly being heavy. We weighed his camper once and he was running a 1,000 lbs over gvw. He has air bags and 10 ply tires and hasn't had a problem with the truck after 50,000 miles but.....

The camper is not made very well. He's had problems with the back door not closing. The door is a full height door so it does not have a cross piece across the top and has become misaligned.

Most of the camper is made out of wood and lightweight particle board type material. He's had the roof supports where the lifting mechanism attaches to the roof come apart and has it to the dealer in Montana where he bought it 3 or 4 times to work on it.

When putting the top down, you have to go around the camper and push in the vinyl sides as you lower the top. The vinyl sides are not air tight in the corners.

He calls it his little piece of 'sh...' But they never have had a camper before and were wanting to get something cheap to see how they'd like it. And they don't do any off road with it. Ignoring the weight they've been okay with it but it has not been trouble free mainly because it's not made very well.

I think it's an entry level camper with a short life span and you do get a camper for about half the price of a better built camper but it seems way too heavy for a tacoma and not for going off road.

I have a lighter and smaller popup camper shell that I bought from Coyote/Phoenix campers in Denver, a couple of years on my 1992 toyota pickup. The dry weight was 600 lbs. I bought a shell as it was less expensive to just get a camper. Since then, I've added some cabinetry and a 12/120 volt fridge and solar panel. I've had absolutely no problems with it and it's light. It does great off road.I previously had a wildernest topper on the truck and I notice no difference in off road performance with the popup.

My thought would be after camping with my friends a lot with their Palomino Bronco, I'd recommend that you try and put the dollars into a used FWC, Coyote/Phoenix, Hallmark camper instead. These campers are lighter and better made.

Good Luck
 
Be patient and aggressive in your search, and the right FWC will come along. You will probably have to drive a ways to get it but you will be much happier in the long run.

I had a skamper (palomino) as my first truck camper. It got me by and I certainly had great times in it, but I had a lot of headaches with stuff like zoie said. It wasn't trail worthy and I was always fixing stuff.

My friend eric has the bronco 600 on a chevy 1500. We have camped together many nights since he got it. Its about 5 years old and already falling apart, literally. Thing is a total piece of crap. It is the cheapest camper out there for a reason.

Having a cheap camper can very annoying in many aspects.
 
We weighed his camper once and he was running a 1,000 lbs over gvw.
He calls it his little piece of 'sh...'


Holy hell :eek:
A thousand pounds over?
 
I would listen to Stan and others who advise against a heavier camper. If you are in So Cal, there are FWC/ATC on CL not infrequently. When we were looking for a used FWC/ATC, most were around the Sacramento area and points surrounding. They hold resale well and are built to take the backroads easily. We felt the same at one time and bought a small hard sided camper for our Toyota. A learning experience for sure. Too top-heavy and bulky. We had a FWC for awhile on our Taco but went on to buy a bigger truck/camper because we needed more room for big dog/camera gear and hubby's back hurt from driving Taco. Do whatever it takes to get it right the first time.
 
Awesome, thanks for the thoughts. What about the Northstar? I'm aware of its wooden frame, and I'm not really leaning that way, I'm just trying to explore ALL options.
 
The dry weight of the Northstar uses up your GVWR, just like the Palomino. I can't speak to their durability.

I was asking the same questions about the same brands as you when I was camper hunting. I finally concluded that I would only put an FWC or ATC on my small truck. Any other camper would put the truck chronically way over the GVWR. Even with the FWC, I usually run right at or a couple hundred pounds over the GVWR - and that includes not carrying heavy gear.

There are some good folks here that scour Craigslist and post what's available. If you can travel and have the money in hand, the right camper will show up. There are many more in California than where I live!

One camper available now that wasn't when I was looking is the Caribou Lite 6.5. It appears comparable to the ATC/FWC. I imagine there aren't many used ones around yet, but it's worth looking into.
 
What HighZ said. X 2 You might think about a shell from ATC or FWC then building it out over time as a way of saving money initially. The used camper alert does turn up used deals, but be ready to move when they show up. Get the money in hand so you can deal immediately.
 
I will definitely keep my eyes peeled, I would love a FWC. I have the money and am ready to go, just need the right camper!!!!! Thanks again guys for all the help, I really appreciate it.

The New Guy,

Brent
 
I feel like I repeat myself over and over again here. If you go over payload, someone is going to get hurt by poor braking at some point in time. And when that happens, and if you hurt another party in an accident, there will be an investigation. And if it is found you are driving a vehicle that is over loaded, you will be considered negligent. It will cost you dearly financially and emotionally if a someone is hurt or killed. Please do not overload your trucks past recommended payload. It is unsafe for you and unfair to others on the road who may be hurt by your actions.

Springs and airbags do not increase a truck's payload. They do nothing to address chassis strength,axle strenght, braking, drive-train strength nor tendency for rollover. Airbags, in fact, put the greatest load on the chassis in a particularly weak location. If you must, please use overload springs, not bags.
 
I own what I own because I felt my old rig was going to kill me. I've told this story before. My old rig was overloaded. I had a full tire blowout (instant, not a nice slow leak) while towing my jeep. I had full size camper at the time. If it wasn't for my jeep, at least i think, and a straight stretch of road I might not be here to tell this story. I think the jeep acted as an anchor keeping the truck straight. If it had happened an hour later in the canyon I hesitate to think what might have happened. I ditched the truck and camper days later. I don't know what may finally do me in but I don't want it to be from a poor vehicle choice. I"m not wealthy, it stretched my finances to get a new truck and camper. I drive my truck daily. More than a few times its saved me from rear ending someone on my commute. My old truck was hit the brakes and pray, not fun. Just my two cents. Do what you think you need to do.
 
Awesome, thanks for the thoughts. What about the Northstar? I'm aware of its wooden frame, and I'm not really leaning that way, I'm just trying to explore ALL options.

There is an awful lot of bias on this site towards FWC, ATC, Alaska, etc., the campers that have been exclusively represented here for years. I have no knock on their quality or build integrity/design, but you should not rule out Northstar or any other brand if it suits your wallet or taste.
I have visited the FWC factory, talked to the owner and put feet into all the offerings, similar with ATC. I have done the same with Northstar albeit in a dealship in CA not the factory in Iowa. In my observation, Northstar popups may be heavier but they are a tad larger and have more standard equipment. They also offer an extended bed which allows you to sleep north-south and keep a mattress up above without moving cushions around and having to sleep in the cracks between them like in the others. FWC et.al.offer a pretty spartan, cramped environment as a basic package. When you start adding on the stuff you want the price and weight goes up exponentially.
Bottom line: if you expect to be off road and trailblazing like Kit Carson, maybe the all aluminum welded frame, lower weight and lower profile (a few inches) is just the ticket. However, if you are not so inclined to beat the bush on a regular basis, you can readily accomplish the occasional foray onto the Canyon Rim Trail or wherever in a Northstar, Outfitter, Hallmark or other quality brand and have a bit more room and comfort to boot!
 
Rotti, generubin,& Craig333 seem to be some of the only ones thank speak the truth about operating at or over, in some cases way over, GVWR. Everything mentioned by generubin is what led me to sell my Titan Crew Cab and get a 1 ton. Then it was a search for the lightest camper we could get with the things we needed and wanted with none of the fluff. I thought the Northstar was going to be it for us, but after comparing it to FWC didn't IMO have the quality we wanted. Really think how you will use it which sounds like you have. Lot of good suggestions here. Keep you eyes open and be ready to move. There are more than a couple of stories here where the right camper showed up unexpectedly and there's a new happy owner.
 
There is an awful lot of bias on this site towards FWC, ATC, Alaska, etc., the campers that have been exclusively represented here for years. I have no knock on their quality or build integrity/design, but you should not rule out Northstar or any other brand if it suits your wallet or taste.
I have visited the FWC factory, talked to the owner and put feet into all the offerings, similar with ATC. I have done the same with Northstar albeit in a dealship in CA not the factory in Iowa. In my observation, Northstar popups may be heavier but they are a tad larger and have more standard equipment. They also offer an extended bed which allows you to sleep north-south and keep a mattress up above without moving cushions around and having to sleep in the cracks between them like in the others. FWC et.al.offer a pretty spartan, cramped environment as a basic package. When you start adding on the stuff you want the price and weight goes up exponentially.
Bottom line: if you expect to be off road and trailblazing like Kit Carson, maybe the all aluminum welded frame, lower weight and lower profile (a few inches) is just the ticket. However, if you are not so inclined to beat the bush on a regular basis, you can readily accomplish the occasional foray onto the Canyon Rim Trail or wherever in a Northstar, Outfitter, Hallmark or other quality brand and have a bit more room and comfort to boot!


I researched and considered everything you mentioned here and thought the Northstar was wanted i wanted until I actually started touching and feeling. My Grandby Silver Spur with a front dinette configuration is anything but spartan and cramped. It's me, my wife, & soon to be 5 year old son and everything we take is stowed away easily.
 
Although this is an old thread, I thought I would toss my two cents in. I have a Palomino Bronco on a long bed king cab F250. I have it because the person who sold me the truck told me she wasn't going to take it off. So from a spartan camper on my old truck 2004 Ford F350 Diesel, I now have hot and cold running water, a commode, a shower inside and a shower outside, furnace, threeway fridge and AC. Pretty plush for me, a long way from the granite mountain ledges and small tent out in the Sierra with Doug Stewart and other wanderers.

I use my camper when on horse group outings, or on work projects, having the commode saves me from porta potties, shared with a couple hundred people, coming in hot, sweaty and sticky after pushing cows or wandering mountain trails a hot shower is a heckuva nice thing. After years of ski mountaineering and climbing and waking up to frozen boots and water bottles, that furnace is rather nice. I have never used the AC as it requires 3,000 watts and 110, and I am never in a place with hookups.



Most of my driving includes towing a horse trailer and a lot of dirt road miles. I have had no problems with the camper aside from door fit, which can be adjusted using shims under the bed rails. The Palomino is what it is, keeps the rain out and and like everything else is a series of tradeoffs and compromises. The only real question for a potential purchaser of any camper, or anything is: what are the compromises and tradeoffs that work for that purchaser.
 
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