Picking up my new (to me) Kestrel! (Help please)

[SantaCruzin]

Howdy, all!

I've been lurking on here for a while trying to help me with my decision and finally am pulling the trigger this Saturday. I have a 2018 GMC Sierra 1500 SLT with the 5'8" bed, so I know in a few regards a 2003 Kestrel is not the "perfect" FWC for me. I know I will have some overhang at the back and I also know I will need to build a small platform to raise it over my bed rails...but the market is insane on these right now. I've been looking for months and this was the only one remotely close, in my price range, and not completely thrashed.

My immediate concern is getting this home safely (I have to make it over Highway 17 in California, if you're familiar). To that end, a few questions:

1. I am going to fabricate a raised platform and want to do it right, but I will need something to get it home. I need to raise it about 3 inches, any tips/thoughts?
2. How can I determine the location for my eyelets without having the camper on hand? Or can I? If not, is there a method I could use to get it home safely? The owner said something about straps, but that makes me pretty nervous.
3. I plan (or hope) to run this without the tailgate on. For this initial transport, should I leave it on to be safe?

Anything else to know for getting the camper home? Or general tips? I'm sure I will have a lot more questions once we get it

 

[m.r.h.]

You may want to look at putting it on a trailer. That way you don't have to worry about putting the eyelets in the right place. You don't have to rush building the riser box.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Many people have used straps to bring a camper home. I’ll try and find a recent thread where Stan from FWC added a comment.

edit: use this * site wanderthewest.com strap * (without the asterisks) as a Google search. There are a number of threads on the topic.

I believe the secret is good straps, secure anchor sites, and sane/slower speeds.

 

[SantaCruzin]

Just figured I'd round out this thread in case anyone comes along with the same question.

First off, I am now a proud FWC owner! Beyond stoked already, and can't wait for adventures with the family! My modification list is already growing

To get the camper home I brought some pallets (Kestrel model, so it needed to be raised about 3.5 inches). The pallets raised it over 5.5 inches so it was a bit more in the air than I would have liked. That said, the setup was fairly comfortable, even the few times I brought it up to 65 on accident. I did have the tailgate on, for whatever that is worth.

I ended up running two straps across the back to ensure it was held forward. Important note here: we did a few good shoves at the back to ensure that the camper was slid all the way to the cab. This ensured that the camper wouldn't slide forward with hard braking, loosen the straps, and allow them to come off.

I then ran one strap over the top near the front to keep the camper from lifting. This one was a bit tricky because access to the D rings in the truck bed were difficult (we attached them before putting the camper in, but one came loose and we had to fish it down to the hook). Be sure not to do this too tight as it could cause issues.

That setup got me the 55+ miles home (including over a windy mountain highway) without issue. That said, on my way home I called FWC and asked if I could have used the factory bed D-rings and just use the turnbuckles there since they were roughly in the right spots. They said it was okay, as long as I wasn't going too far and/or off-road. In hindsight, it might have been a more comfortable option, but I made it home and I guess that's all that really matters

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Welcome to the cult.
Great that you found the camper you wanted.
FWC/ATC pop ups are hard to find.They go fast.
Looks like your temp hold downs worked.

Enjoy your "new" camper.
Post some photos when you can.
Frank

 

[SantaCruzin]

Thanks so much! Beyond stoked to have tracked one down!

Here are some photos from pickup and a quick little excursion with the kiddos. I still need to fab my regular platform and get the eyelets installed, but so far it's been great!

Chris

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Chris thanks for the photos.Sure looks good on your truck.
I don't think the overhang is that much.
Will you remove the jacks while camping?
They can be a problem hanging down like that.

I had a hardside camper back in the late 70s
with jacks and the left rear was backed into in a parking lot
and did some damage to the left corner of the camper.
Fortunately it was easy to fix,but at the time we were at the begining
of out trip and at first all I could think about was that the damage would end the trip.

I did a quick temp fix and continued on.Lesson learned leave the jacks home.

Frank

 

[SantaCruzin]

Cheers Frank!

Yes, the jacks will definitely come off when we do any real trips. This was a spot about 15 minutes from home where we could have a quick hike and a meal in the camper per my 3-year old's request! Haha.

 

[craig333]

Looks good!

 

[ski3pin]

Congrats on your new camper and getting it home safely!