Your Dream FWC?

[Bombsight]

If you could build your dream FWC, money being of no concern but the build being within the offerings of FWC's itself, how would you build yours?

What extras / accessories would you leave off or add to it .... & why?

..... and just for grins, what truck would you slide it into?

 

[Lighthawk]

Great question, Bombsight.
There's a great collection of builds to check out on a new-ish forum, Camper Builds

After owning a Hawk for nearly five years on a Tundra platform, I think my ultimate build will be a flatbed on a 3/4 ton gas powered extra cab truck of your favorite flavor. I plan to have the shell build by either ATC or FWC and do my own interior furnishings & appliances.

 

[Kispiox]

One ton flat bed diesel. Definitely deisel for comfort and quiet and no constant hunting and downshifting of gears. Fuel efficiency is icing.

 

[Stalking Light]

So far I like my Eagle/Tacoma combo real well. Small and nimble enough and I went with the Eagle over the Fleet because it didn't make the truck/camper combo wider than the truck. I'm obviously not in the majority, though, since they are stopping production of the Eagle model. If I wanted to go bigger I'd probably just get an RV and tow a Jeep.

 

[Durango1]

Interesting. We just went through this process over the last few months. We love our 2012 slide-in Hawk (especially after I added an inside shower, extra drawers and converted over to the side dinette option) but we were still looking for the "sweet spot" for us as a couple. Soooo...

Two weeks ago we placed an order with "The FWC King of the Flat Beds", Denny Saunders up in Jackson, WY for a fairly tricked out Hawk Flatbed.

Jack brackets only (We don't plan to ever remove the Hawk but you never know. I'm not getting the stands yet because I don't want to store them!)
2-way frig 110 liter (ridiculously expensive but we LOVE the exact same one we have in our Hawk now.)
Furnace
Extra roof vent (We'll then upgrade to two of those fancy Fantastic Fans with the rain sensor)
Side Awning
Exterior LED lighting
Thermal pack
Aux. Battery System
2nd Deep Cycle Battery (I may swap these out for something better. Just totally confused on the whole solar/battery thing so I'm not installing anything yet.)
Self contained option(Hot water, Showers, Cassette Toilet)
Exterior Gas Struts (I can still put up our Hawk roof as of now but at 62...)

That's it. In September we'll be having a custom aluminum flat bed mounted (our current Hawk will be for sale then) and the new Hawk arrives mid-October!

I will say the Hawk FB has a lot more open space due to the extra 11" at the back and the extra space you gain by using the area of a normal PU's sidewalls.

My two cents,
Steve

 

[billharr]

Great question. I am very happy with my Hawk build. For an ultimate build I would have a flatbed FWC, might even go to a Grandby for space. Would have most of the options, DC fridge, shower, cassette, led lights, rear dinette. Just about all FWC offers. I am not sure if the flat beds will hold the value of the slide ins. If they don't I might pick up a used one down the road.

 

[Durango1]

Over the last 18 months I had a serious dalliance with Mark Guild who builds the Tigers. We also made a trip to Denver and met with Rob and Cari of Phoenix fame. (I still have my projected flatbed build with them drawn out full size on my garage floor!) And I really like what Marc of XP does. Oh, and we also had a brief fling at the 2015 Expo in Arizona with the Earth Cruiser people located in Bend.

But at the end of the day I came back into the FWC fold. While I do get frustrated with FWC's lack of flexibility on customizing (what, I can't switch out Formica colors?) I do understand the need to standardize in mass production. And FWC's build quality on my 2012 Hawk has been flawless. (Except as a hobbyist cabinet maker I will say they make the worlds WORST drawers!)

So the "sweet spot" for us is still with FWC. (And Denny Saunders has been great to work with. Very responsive and "creative" with solutions.)

And Bill, I wish you the best on a used FB hawk. And I dislike buying anything new. But newer FWC's are virtually non-existent and I've never seen a used FB. (If I had I would have bought it!)

Steve

PS Oh, and to answer Bombsight's vehicle question we are keeping our 2012 Ram 2500 gasser, selling off the bed and mounting a flat bed on it. (It only has 16K miles on it.) If I was buying new I'd definitely go with a one ton and probably a diesel now that we're going to pull the Rubicon part of the time.

 

[craig333]

Well I have my dream build. Literally dreamed about it for years. But, like Bill I might go with a Grandby for more room. Add bills rear bumper. I'd love to have some of the cosmetic improvements they've made. Nicer fixtures and color schemes. Better heater.

The truck is tough. New ones are nice but then I'd be stuck with needing DPF. I can travel to South America without worrying about fuel. Havent' given that much thought. Already tow a Jeep so the big truck doesn't bother me.

 

[Durango1]

...like Bill I might go with a Grandby for more room.

We kicked around selling the 2500 short bed and upgrading to a long wheelbase one ton diesel in an extended cab. But then when I saw on the Grandby FB model FWC stuck all of the space we would gain into a 48" wide dinette (I'm not that fat!) instead of giving us more walking/food prep/cabinet space I said "fuggedaboudit"!

But that is just us.

Steve

 

[super doody]

Just get every option FWC offers and the truck you want. done deal.

 

[ski3pin]

We have our dream build and are using it.

 

[Durango1]

We have our dream build and are using it.

I totally agree. We have camped in our current slide-in Hawk 28 nights in the 2015 season and have another trip scheduled for July 5th and forward.

In fact, during our recent 4300 mile Colorado-Oregon road trip we planned to stay in hotels every so often "for a break". But we were so comfortable it just wasn't needed!

But even so just looking for that elusive "sweet spot". Hopefully this new Hawk Flatbed will be it.

 

[super doody]

My wishes for FWC in the future- full size queen bed without the slide out and under bed storage.

 

[Durango1]

My wishes for FWC in the future- full size queen bed without the slide out and under bed storage.

Both of those features are on the FB Hawk. However, we still have to sleep east-west.

I am looking forward to the under bed clothes storage. It gets old living out of duffel bags.

 

[longhorn1]

Do you have a pull out bed or is your height the reason for sleeping East/West? I'm 5'9" and we sleep N/S in our pull out. I just pull legs up. Jd

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Wander The West mobile app

 

[Durango1]

On the Hawk we have now there is a pull-out but it takes the fixed bed at 48" out to 60". Not enough for a guy over 6'!

Since I am an inveterate tinkerer/ remodeler once I get the new FB Hawk I may figger out how to put a slide out on it. But the standard width of the fixed bed is 60". Plus I kinda like Sioux having to crawl over me in the middle of the night! Her feelings? Not quite the same!

 

[Stan@FourWheel]

pic . . .

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Campers are like fly rods, just one won't fit every occasion. Something small for the tight stuff, something big for the wide open spaces.

 

[rrudgers]

Campers are like fly rods, just one won't fit every occasion. Something small for the tight stuff, something big for the wide open spaces.

That is why I have 11 spey rods. Just need my second camper now.

 

[Cayuse]

Pretty happy with my Grandby the way it is. Now if i could put it on a 3/4 Ton or 1 Ton 4x4 Crew Cab with an 8 foot utility bed so that there was some extra storage for all the toys that sometimes come along that would be ideal. And so i keep shopping for the perfect truck but don't let my Tundra hear me say that.