After 6,400 camping miles...This report is an over all report on my first extended trip with comments and thoughts on my truck, camper and equipment that relates to several different topics and posts from this forum; do I have the right truck, camper, tires, solar panel and the list goes on. I have a 2011 Nissan Frontier short box with a Four Wheel Camper Fleet. A concern was he shorter wheel base with the Fleet. Not a problem. I have the tail gate down with safety supports. I added an additional leaf to the rear leaf springs, also air bag levelers, 10 ply Bridgestone Ko2 tires (one size taller than stock), 2" lift in front. Drives just fine on the highway and on the back country trails. After a month long 6,400 mile trip I had no "bucking" that some trucks get on certain roads. Loaded the truck carried the weight of the camper and gear with the right amount of support ad stiffness needed for off road driving. After this trip I am giving up on trying to strike a balance of Camper "On" and Camper "Off" suspension. I and going all the way and setting up for camper "On" suspension and I am going to go with heavy duty shocks when the stock ones need replacing. I think the rest on the truck's suspension will appreciate the upgrade.
Lift assist shocks used to help while lifting the roof need to be upgraded for more assist. On the roof I carried two pairs of Traction Matts, two high back lawn chairs and 50 pounds of dog food. Not a lot of weight but enough to make a noticeable difference. Not interested in any kind of jacks that some use to help lift heavy roofs...I want to make the task of set up easier and faster not more complicated.
Solar panels? I used the camper last summer and never ran out of camper battery power and camped for 4 days without a charge. I thought, I didn't need a solar panel. However, if you are spending days on end in hot weather you will run your batteries down because the frig will run a lot more. After about 6 days of continual use with the only charge from driving a little each day and the batteries died. I live in northern MI and being in a cooler climate with lots of shade I didn't need one. On this last trip I was in the desert and always in the sun. The next solar question was fixed or portable? I thought portable of course, but on this last trip I really wasn't parked long enough for a portable to be setup and utilized effectively. I and going to look into a portable that I can mount on the roof and that can be moved to the ground when parking in the shade and to get best angle for efficiency.
Where to camp? I wanted beautiful backcountry, off the grid camp spots, every day...its not going to happen. After a 6,400 miles, I realize some overnight spots are picked for convenience. I need to charge batters, refill water tanks, take shower, do laundry or empty the toilet...basically regroup for the next 5 days of cool places.
Do I need a second source for cooking outside the camper? Maybe an additional two burner gas stove? Maybe a small BBQ? Don't need it. For grilling I used heavy duty tin foil on the ground under a small grill that folds up flat for traveling. In the morning rollup the tin foil and ashes and pack it out as required in many national parks. Works great.
Setup and take down has to be easier and quicker. After a month, my wife and I have a good system but we need to tweak it a bit more. Because I have a Pop-up I need to find places for things so they don't need to be rearranged or pack-up when the top is popped up or down when moving to different locations or we want to leave camp for the day for some reason.
In my younger days I backpacked and I like things simple and I don't like lugging around stuff I don't need or use. On this trip we started in the Florida Panhandle and went along the Gulf shore thru to South Padre Island TX, then around to Big Bend NP in southwest TX...then back to MI. The only other thing I can think of is, I will mount some water cans so we can take more showers.
Lift assist shocks used to help while lifting the roof need to be upgraded for more assist. On the roof I carried two pairs of Traction Matts, two high back lawn chairs and 50 pounds of dog food. Not a lot of weight but enough to make a noticeable difference. Not interested in any kind of jacks that some use to help lift heavy roofs...I want to make the task of set up easier and faster not more complicated.
Solar panels? I used the camper last summer and never ran out of camper battery power and camped for 4 days without a charge. I thought, I didn't need a solar panel. However, if you are spending days on end in hot weather you will run your batteries down because the frig will run a lot more. After about 6 days of continual use with the only charge from driving a little each day and the batteries died. I live in northern MI and being in a cooler climate with lots of shade I didn't need one. On this last trip I was in the desert and always in the sun. The next solar question was fixed or portable? I thought portable of course, but on this last trip I really wasn't parked long enough for a portable to be setup and utilized effectively. I and going to look into a portable that I can mount on the roof and that can be moved to the ground when parking in the shade and to get best angle for efficiency.
Where to camp? I wanted beautiful backcountry, off the grid camp spots, every day...its not going to happen. After a 6,400 miles, I realize some overnight spots are picked for convenience. I need to charge batters, refill water tanks, take shower, do laundry or empty the toilet...basically regroup for the next 5 days of cool places.
Do I need a second source for cooking outside the camper? Maybe an additional two burner gas stove? Maybe a small BBQ? Don't need it. For grilling I used heavy duty tin foil on the ground under a small grill that folds up flat for traveling. In the morning rollup the tin foil and ashes and pack it out as required in many national parks. Works great.
Setup and take down has to be easier and quicker. After a month, my wife and I have a good system but we need to tweak it a bit more. Because I have a Pop-up I need to find places for things so they don't need to be rearranged or pack-up when the top is popped up or down when moving to different locations or we want to leave camp for the day for some reason.
In my younger days I backpacked and I like things simple and I don't like lugging around stuff I don't need or use. On this trip we started in the Florida Panhandle and went along the Gulf shore thru to South Padre Island TX, then around to Big Bend NP in southwest TX...then back to MI. The only other thing I can think of is, I will mount some water cans so we can take more showers.
