Some AT camper questions from a prospective new owner

[statikpunk]

Hi all, I have been looking at getting an AT camper and joined the forum so i could ask a few questions. I have been poking around on the forum for a while but couldnt find the answer to a few questions I have and would much appreciate your help before I call up the people at AT to get a build started.

For starters I have a had a pop-up camper before but it was a palomino and not nearly as slim in the overhang as the ATs. can you leave the bedding (blankets pillows etc) on the bed and still have the top closed, or does it need to be removed before closing up.

Also i would like to get a porta potti I currently own stored in the camper. its a thetford curve and is 18 inches tall, which is a little more than an average potti. Would it be able to store under the couch or possibly in one of the lower cubbards ? Also Im looking at any model AT that would fit in my short bed Ram 1500, preferably a 6 footer but would be willing to move to the 8 just for the extra storage.

Also I have seen that most people either do not use permanently attatched jacks on their camper or they remove them for the trip? is there a reason for this other than just having less sticking off the side of your camper? or are most of you using seperate jacks to load your campers?

And finally I am debating on sticking with the old fassioned propane fridge, which i am used to, or going with a new compressor style fridge/engle cooler and solar panels, but I have found very few actuall accounts of people doing that. Does the 100 watt solar panel kit that AT will install for you actually keep your battery topped off with a compressor fridge for extended stays away from civilization, or should I just stick with the propane fridge. I live in northern nevada so I very, very rarely stay in campgrounds and I can be camped on public lands for upwards of a week or two at a time without resupply. if i could get the solar panel system working so that I could save my propane for heat and cooking that would be great, but if the solar panels wouldnt be able to keep up with both fridge and occasinal heater use then i would stick with the propane fridge. what are your experiences?

sorry to be so long winded and thanks for any help you may have.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Welcome to the group.
These are my opinions to your questions as best as I can answer.

On my Bobcat I keep the sleeping bag on the mattress all the time,but you do have to remove the pillows.
I store them between the stove and the bed slide when traveling.

I carry a Thetford Porta-Potti also and it stores at the right rear next to the door.My camper is also a side dinette.
There is enough room between the rear of the camper and seat/storage cabinet to keep the Porta potti.

I don't have jacks for my camper or brackets. Looking back to by build I maybe should have had brackets added.
My camper is on full time.
Seems most campers don't take the jacks along.They can get in the way on narrow roads. And no need to carry the extra weight if you don't use them while camping.

I like and use my 3way fridge,but I also have a Truckfridge compressor style 12v cooler I use inside the camper.
The propane usage for the fridge is so minimal ,it's only just a small pilot light and you could run the fridge a long tine on a tank of propane.We have gone 4 weeks from a tank,fridge,heater,stove usage.
I also have a 105w solar system with a 100ah battery and that works for us.The truck fridge uses very little power.

I am sure other members will also put in their ideas so you will get a lot of info.

Hope I have been some help.
Frank

 

[Alley-Kat]

I "could" leave the sleeping bags, but not the pillows, just like Frank.

However, my process inside the camper is... I like to roll up the sleeping bags as soon as we're up and at 'em in the AM. With that done, I pull the two sections of the slider mattresses and toss them on the forward part of the bed, then I toss the rolled up sleeping bags on the forward part of the bed, and then slide the pullout wood of the aft part of the bed, forward, toss the small dogs up there, and then we can use the rest of the camper.

I tried just folding the sleeping bags forward and then stow the aft two sections of the slider mattress on top of them to get them out of the way, but the sleeping bags never completely cooperated, and I would have to pull them out flat before lowering the top, and I just thought that process was not for me.

You'll figure out what you like to do pretty soon after you get your camper.

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Can't help you with the porta potti question as I don't have a Thetford curve or the roll over couch, I have the Thetford 465 electric flush and store it on the rear driver's side in my own interior build.

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The 6'-5" campers will hang out the back about 6", not a big deal, it just works that way on a 6' foot bed, very common, no extra support required.

If you go with the 8' camper on a 6' bed, then you'll probably want to have the tailgate ON.

Of, course, an 8' camper on an 8' bed fits great, usually without the tailgate on. Some do use the tailgate at a porch, however, I think most of us like to have the first step outside the camper to be lower than a tailgate. Going up, going IN, or down, going OUT (usually backwards), seems to work better. However, if you can try the technique, you'll see what you like.

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I've seen too many campers on the freeways, passing me, with damage to the camper because they hit something or something hit them on the jack. I don't drive with them mounted in place. I have taken two jacks with me on the floor of the rear of my truck cab because the truck & camper would sway a bit when camped and I would lower them just enough to stabilize everything, but not enough to try to push up against the turn buckles that hold the camper on. After I got heavy duty rear leaf springs, I didn't need to carry them at all.

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Plenty of info on compressor fridges and solar panels with a charge controllers on the forum, just look around. A lot of us have correctly sized our 12VDC electrical systems and they do just fine. Mine specifically, I don't have any electrical connection to the truck. I rely completely on my solar panel, charge controller, and battery to provide all my 12 VDC electrical needs for a compressor fridge, LED lights, and the starter & fan on the propane furnace (I use it to warm up the camper and them turn it OFF for the rest of the night or first thing in the morning). I am 12VDC electrically self contained, forever, or at least until my battery is too old to take and hold a charge, then I just get a new battery. And, I do have a propane stove and, as mentioned, a propane furnace.

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Good decision to go with an ATC, Marty & Jeff are the best.

They did everything I asked of them, and explained the reasons some of my ideas were crazy (and I understood where they were coming from, too).

 

[ski3pin]

Casa and Alley-Kat have answered the same as I would. Insofar as fridge, we use a top opening chest style 12V compressor fridge, not the common front door opening like your one at home. It is very efficient and frugal with use of 12V power. Ask away with additional questions, we'll help with answers as we can.

Marty & Jeff (and crew) are the best and straight forward to work with. You will be dealing with the guys who actually build your camper. And you'll get a great camper.

 

[fireball]

Alley - can you still sneak the jacks in the bed of the truck with the camper mounted? Or did I misunderstand what you wrote above?

The new 12v fridges seem to need only a 100W solar panel to basically run them indefinitely and I think most folks are finding that to be an easier option than propane.

 

[Alley-Kat]

When I was carrying them I didn't even think of putting above the fender wells in the truck bed.
I suppose they could fit there, however, might be best to have some sort of mounting system to hold them in place on a rough road.
There is no room between the fender wells, on the bottom of the truck bed, side to side, as the camper takes up just about all that space except about 1/4" on each side.

For storage, while in transit, I put the jacks on the floor of the rear of my truck cab INSIDE (Ford Ranger, Super Cab, small back door is the suicide style, hinges in the back), down low and more forward than the truck bed.
I was thinking about where the extra 40 lbs, (2 x 20 lbs each) would ride.
When I was camping, I would temporarily mount the jacks, one on each side, at the front of the camper.
Just turn them down until they touch the ground, and another 1/2 turn or so, just to take up the slack of a "rocking" truck.

Does that answer your question?

 

[ski3pin]

The new 12v fridges seem to need only a 100W solar panel to basically run them indefinitely and I think most folks are finding that to be an easier option than propane.

We have a 100W panel and a 100ah battery. It works well with our small energy needs. When we park at trailheads and go in for several day backpack trips, we have no concern about coming back to spoiled milk in the chest fridge. The battery is charged and the fridge cold. If I was using a front opening fridge of 65 liters I'd go with a 150W or larger panel or add the capacity for the addition of a plug in portable panel. If I was thinking of a 80 liter or 110 liter fridge. I would go with larger panels and more battery capacity. These are seat of the pants recommendations from personal and friends' experience.

Run numbers with reasonable estimates of your energy use and size your system accordingly. The are lots of tips on that here on WTW. I tested our chest fridge here at home and got a real number on what it used in 24 hours at the temp I run it at.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Like Ski we also have a Truckfridge a 45L though, and it will go for at least 3 days on the battery alone,with the 75ah.Now I have a 100ah so should go at least 4/5 days without charging from the truck or solar system.
The Truckfridge top loader chest makes a nice choice,depending on your food needs.
Combined with the 3 way we can carry things we want,but remember there are food stores everywhere.
Frank

 

[statikpunk]

Thanks for the tips everyone.. Im going to have to look more closely at the compressor fridge and solar panel combo now. (I had almost talked myself out of it) I read that the engel chest fridges produce a little noise and heat, is this true? and if so does it make enough difference to actually disturb anyone.

reallistically either setup Im sure would work fine for me, I just like to be as energy indipendant as possible. What really turns me on about the engel chest fridge is that if i wanted to I could "borrow" it from my camper and throw it in the truck if I needed to. Thats pretty cool.

 

[mitch h]

We have an engel 45 and I really don't notice the noise and the heat I think is no concern. Good luck and welcome to the family.

 

[GroovyDad]

I immediately took the jacks off of my Bobcat. Not only are they very heavy, but I didn't want them hanging up on anything I might drive over or between. If they get caught on anything, they'll do a lot of damage to your entire camper.

 

[Atlin]

I recently (end of February) bought a Cougar (8') to go on my F150 6.5' bed. Sits on the tailgate, and is perfect. Light enough to not cause any issues (although I've only just driven it home 125 miles) so we're happy with that. I want my tailgate if/when I use the truck without the camper at our place in northern BC. I'm in the process of building out the interior and have installed the 65L Engel, which seems quiet enough to me. I would not leave jacks on the camper when in motion - too easy to catch something and an expensive repair (Marty told me he spends a LOT of his time repairing campers where the jacks caught something).

I'm in Reno, so if you want to come have a look, let me know (arehart at unr.edu). We're headed north for the summer in two weeks, so needs to be soon.

Greg

 

[munchmeister]

PMJI and reviving this thread. Question: can an AT Bobcat be used while off the truck? That is, on its jack stands with the Bobcat up off the ground? TIA

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

PMJI and reviving this thread. Question: can an AT Bobcat be used while off the truck? That is, on its jack stands with the Bobcat up off the ground? TIA

Typically it's not recommended unless there is some type of good support under it.