What kind of Four Wheel Camper are you?

[DirtyDog]

I've seen some real back roaders on this site. I've done some weekend back country trips but my off-road experience is limited. I'm bound to the highway by my quest to photograph every mining town in the Western US, but I like to get off road now and then.

What about the rest of you? Hard core off roader? Back country fiend? Highway warrior?

I have a big trip coming up - Oregon to Montana to South Dakota - back to Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona and Nevada on the way back to Oregon. Lots of highway miles but I hope to find some backroads on the way!

 

[kcowyo]

My primary reason for going with a FWC, and I was looking at FlipPac's too, was it's reputation for durabilty on extended off road travel.

Because of my location, I often have to log several highway miles to get to the remote locations in other states that I'm seeking out. I want to get as far away from the KOA's and Good Sam's as possible. So it needed to be a low profile set up for the least amount of wind resistance on the highway for the best possible mpg. The mounting sytem needed to be a proven set up so I can go off road without having to worry about it failing. I also don't like the chains and booms you see on many truck campers. I wanted a clean fit with nothing on the outside to snag on a tree or rocks.

I'm more into touring than technical trails. I wanted a versatile solution so if I go to NC to see my high school buds, I can pound out the road miles and save dough on hotels. Or if I chose to spend a week in a remote section of Utah, I have a set up that can handle wherever the truck can take it. Getting as remote as possible is mostly my style and what the FWC allows me to do, and in far more comfort than just a Jeep and tent on the ground.

I guess I would classify myself as a backcountry fiend with a little bit of necessary highway warrior. Hopefully someday, this outfit will allow me to go to Baja and Alaska in comfort.

 

[chnlisle]

We love back country and dirt roads. The fewer people the better. We're leaving for Bluff Utah and surrounding the area on 8/13 for a couple of weeks and a river trip on the San Juan as well. After that Baja in September. I love the highway to get me close but after that give me backroads.

Dont miss Lavender Canyon (Monument Valley)on your south west trip. You get the combination for a locked gate at the ranger station and you get to go to a remote area with no other vehicles around.

 

[DirtyDog]

Here's an old thread that needs resurrecting for our newer members

 

[CJ8Rockcrawler]

My intended usage is pretty much the same as KC. Alice and I looked at it as the way for us to have a high level of comfort, but still be able to get out into the middle of nowhere without anyone else around. People do seem pretty surprised at some of the places that we take it. These are incredibly capable units.

Kyle

 

[EdoHart]

Kcowyo said very well

Kcowyo said it so well (even the part about the flip-pac) there is little to add, except that to reach some of the more secluded or picturesque spots I find 4x4 a must.

While travelling I can make faster time on the highway, but will often take a dirt road or back road instead just to see something different and have a more enjoyable journey. I go out of my way to find new routes to places that I travel to a lot.

I've found some really nice places travelling that way. Now that I have a FWC, when I find those places I am more comfortable and can setup and break camp a lot faster than using a tent or shell on the back of my truck.

 

[silverstriketim]

Mixed

We are first and foremost whitewater junkies and love the FWC to be able to camp along a river and not have to be in a designated campground, and to be able to 4wheel down a dirt road to a put-in, when the rivers dry up in the summer we like to hit the Nevada desert high country which to us means a lot of dirt roads, usually not too much hard off road, then there is the trips to visit family and friends all highway driving and hiding out in an RV park.... we do not do this very often but its a great way to visit and still have our privacy!

 

[SunMan]

Put me in the Kco/Edohart back country fiend category. The more remote the better.

 

[Ted]

Good call, DD.

I don't remember this thread. Good idea to bring it back.

We are probably 80% campgrounds and 20% remote. Though we have a 4x4, we are usually alone and not skilled enough to know what we can or can't do. So hard core exploring is not usually an option for us. We try to camp once or twice a month. If that means Yosemite over the weekend with 30,000 of our closest friends, so be it. At least we are camping. But the trips that we get to explore new forest roads and primitive camp are best. Anywhere that we don't have to listen to a somebody's stereo/generator/party/put your pet peeve here is what we live for.

Ted

 

[Mark W. Ingalls]

The main reason I was interested in a pop-up was because I could leave it on the truck full time without being hassled by the zoning Nazis. That way, I could avoid the expense of storage.

The main reason I chose a second hand FWC over all the rest was to me they held their resale value.

After we got the camper, we did quite a bit more off road camping then we expected. We like it so much, we're planning to even more.

We want to go down some two-track!

 

[Southern Gent]

Fluffy Daddy, Hunt and Fishing

I backed into my 1996 Granby after a year of research. I knew I wanted some type of Pop-Up Truck Camper. Low profile and low center of gravity. The Granby I bought used was within 300 miles and the Solid reputation and unsolicited reports from current Four Wheel Camper owners sealed the deal. This was my first camper and I budgeted myself on the low side as an entry test.
I wanted to tow my McKee Craft 14 ft Fishing rig and Camp also. Much of the time I'm camping by myself. My wife of 37 years will also camp with me sometimes.

I do belong to a Hunting Club in Alabama with 8,000 acres under lease. We have a Camp ground with County Water, Electricity and septic system hook ups available. I choose to be off the grid. I Pop-Up and Sleep if I'm staying several days. Sometimes I just drive in, Climb in and Sleep with top down and Drive out into our property to hunt the next day.

Flexibility with comfort available.

 

[DLN]

I also missed this thread the first time around so thanks for pulling it forward DD.

Much like Ted we are about 80% camp grounds and 20% wild land. We decided on the FWC for the light weight and low profile plus increased resale. With the camper on the truck full time and no option to store it on site it was the only choice for us. The Eagle and the truck has and will see lots of highway miles between camp spots at times but having the four wheel road option is always desirable.

 

[mtn-high]

Travelling 100% in the Western US...we're definetely *Forest/Fire Road* type campers 95% of the time. We've ended up in a few designated sites here/there out of necessity/while covering ground...but in general I loathe established campgrounds/fee sites and avoid them like the plague. For me, nothin' ruins a good evening (night's sleep/buzz) like some chowderhead pulling in late...parking right next to you (when no one else is there) and firing up his generator for an all night session.

I'm lucky. My wife doesn't demand a "bathroom" and hates fee sites as much as I...although we are finding that during the winter months many of the State parks and places with hookups that are still open are virtually empty... and she was thrilled a week or so ago when we were out on the road on a 10-15F night and I pulled into a SP where she could hook up her electric blanket...LOL.

Pat

 

[Yukon]

Little of Everything

Fantastic replies by everyone! What a group.

For my wife and I, we have just moved up from a 30 year tenting life. We do not care for RV campgrounds, but enjoy camping by a river where with no facilities. We look for extremely remote places, with no services. No services means Few people. We are interested in 4-season camping in extreme conditions. (Been beyond Arctic circile twice and camped in places where grizzlies we very close). But, we want 'simplicity' in camper design, and the resources it requires. This weekend we are driving our camper to our cabin in the Sierra's of Calif. We are hoping to enjoy just pulling off in any remote location along the way on back roads, not the freeway. The critical element for us is not creature comforts, but the freedom to go anywhere on our terms. 4WC does this for us. We love it.

 

[masterplumber]

We use ours for almost everything. It stays on the truck most of the time & other than fresh food & water I try to keep it in ready to go mode. It's seen some 4+ rated trails when that was the only way to get to where I wanted to go but I try & keep it to just rough roads as it is hard on the frame etc... doing all that twisting. I can't count the number of road trips it's been on all over the west, Been to Baja once - would love to go back, makes a great place to change & have lunch when sking with the family for the day, also a great place to relax when the boys are at an all day 4H shooting competition.

I don't think I've found a limit to the ways we use it except that the truck doesn't make a very good work vehicle with the camper on so I have another old '95 Ford for that. I also have to take the camper off to tow a freinds gooseneck horse trailer. We've had everything from a class C motorhome to a travel trailer to tents & for us this seems to work the best - can go anywhere, park anywhere, & still get out of the weather & make something warm to eat quickly & easily.

Doug

 

[ScottBailey]

Umm.... Mutt, I guess?

After 3 years of marriage, my wife and I went on a family--and friends--camping trip. It was horrible. Our little guy was cold, cooking outside was tough, and I spent a LOT of time packing and unpacking the truck. What a PITA!

All these autos are our group:

BUT, we enjoyed the out doors, and so did the children. So we looked at trailers. Pop-ups and hard-sides. No way could I get a hard side trailer all the places I wanted to go... And guess what comes up when you google "four wheel pop up"?

The other big cementer was looking at a friend's Westphalia. My wife loved it. (And, honestly, I think the Sportsmobiles are better than my setup, but too costly since I already OWN my truck.) Anyway, the amenities of the ATC are pretty much the same as the Westy.

Just imagine how much better this pic would be w/ an off road camper in it:

I like quiet, undeveloped campgrounds (high clearance required). But we like the ability to camp ANYWHERE.

 

[brett13]

Put me in the Kco/Edohart back country fiend category. The more remote the better.

Me too. I'd say we are 80% backcountry. We end up in campgrounds sometimes for convenience- like when we just don't feel like fourwheeling another couple of hours down a trail or don't know where we are headed or the weather turns and we are going to hunker down- and only when they are mostly empty and we can get a private site.

As for off-roading, I'm not nearly as adventurous as I was when we tent camped from our Landcruiser. I could take that just about anywhere and was confident in it. Having the camper on a long 1/2 ton makes me a little weary to climb steep grades and bounce over obstacles. One the 10-point scale, I take it on 3's. Used to take the Landcruiser on 4's or "easy" 5's. You need a heavily modified vehicle for anything over a 5, so I doubt many here do that. But a little moderate 4wheelin' will get you to really great places with not much risk to the truck/camper. And you won't find many people out there.

 

[pvstoy]

Just being out there

As time goes on I find my wanderings less of a four wheel hard core adventure. The truck is built for that kind of adventure. Last trip to Colorado it never went into four wheel mode. It is a special truck with dual transfer cases with a crawl ratio of 215:1 and a lot of other stuff to go where you point it.

We get to where we want to go on the highways and byways. But we really like to get away and camp 100% of the time away from anyone. It can just be off the interstate on a dirt road, in a gravel pit area or just tucked away behind some trees. I really don’t enjoy being in campgrounds, but there are times they are unavoidable.

Being out there in great spots you can enjoy sunrises vistas (pictures below, camped just off the Utah I-70 near Moab exit) or views of the Sierra’s on a bluff.

 

[craig333]

Put me in that mostly offroad group. So nice to just look for a wide spot and call it camp. Don't need tables, stoves and bathrooms.

I will camp in campgrounds when they're empty.

That applies to my solo journeys. If I have friends who want to camp I don't mind campgrounds. I'm not completely anti social I understand some people with kids need (or want) some nicer facilities. Also, with a big group, sometimes a campground can work much better.

I don't get very carried away with the truck offroad. Just because its 4wd doesn't mean I want to beat it up.

One thing I like about camping with a group (whether in a campground or not) is kind of gear head. Hard to justify taking all my toys when I'm solo, but put me in a group and watch out. Solo I can use my ice chest for a chair. In a group I'll pull out the super deluxe mushroom chair. Maybe some of you'll see if I make the death valley trip

 

[robbie]

We live in the Yukon Territory so we are pretty well 100 % off road.


robbie