japhi
Vancouver
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Joined: 10/19/2009
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Hi Everyone,
I'm in the fortunate position of upgrading our TC rig. The last year or so we put about 10K KM's on a '05 Frontier with a Sun Lite 7' Camper, including trips to up to Alaska and down to California. We fell in love with this style of traveling and figured it made sense to move up to a full size truck and camper.
I spent the last few months lookign hard for the right truck and we pulled the trigger on a 2nd gen CTD Ram 2500 longbox regular cab as a dedicated truck for a new camper.
Buying the truck was easy relative to finding a good TC. There are way less variables in buying a truck if you do your research. We are confident that the truck will last 200K more with strict maintenance.
I have to say, though, buying a camper has me puckered up. I've followed these forums - and read hundreds of posts - and the conclusion I've come to is camper construction is inconsistent, and downright shoddy. Worse, problems that are easily identifiable in a truck can be hidden in a camper; before you know it you're 10K camper is being sold as scrap:
http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/rds/rvs/1427918037.html
There are numerous posts like this of poeople buying a used camper that is less than 10 years old that has damage so bad it needs to be sold for 10% of what they paid.
With that said, my strategy is going to be as follows:
1) Stick to well known brands, in particular target the clamshell designs like Bigfoot and Northern Lite. If I can't get a clamshell, target the figerglass sided campers
2) Whatever camper I buy go over it in detail with special attention to windows/vents, jacks, wings/basemant area.
3) Take no one at their word that the camper doesn't leak
4) Avoid Artic Fox (Fat Fox's thread!)
Any other advice you can offer is appreciated. Encouragement (eg. I bought my '97 TC in '03 and have had no problems at all!) is alsw welcome!
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sstan
Martinez California
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Joined: 09/15/2008
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Hi Japhi,
Good choice on your truck. The 2nd gen CTD's are hard to beat. Guess what I drive? 
Your timing is good for TC shopping. This about the time last year when I got serious too. You'll find many deals as we get further into winter. Your strategy is good but I would add one more criteria. Select an aluminum frame.
Here's a link to my Outfitter pickup trip Apex 9.5 in case you're interested. It fits my CTD like a glove and my mileage didn't suffer.
Good luck.
Steve
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lance88lover
Florida
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Joined: 08/27/2005
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Filon sided campers are nice (I have one) but harder to make repairs than those that are aluminum clad on the outside if one experiences rot. There are a number of opportunities for water to get into any RV. Truck campers (seemingly) are campers that love the boondocks and therefor subject their TC's to more shake and twist than those who only have to deal with the occasional pot hole on the interstate. They must be built strong and be routinely inspected and maintained. (I hit a tree limb off road and knocked out a BR fan shroud and the people who repaired it did not seal the fan shroud properly).
So do not rule out other campers because many are well built and if properly maintained still have years of useful service. There are so many places that a RV can leak because of all the holes that are cut in the roofs for A/C, vents, lights, awnings etc any brand could be rotten inside.
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japhi
Vancouver
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Joined: 10/19/2009
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sstan: that apex looks great. I love to fish - would love to have a 14' welded aluminum on top of a TC with a small jet ready to go!
lance88lover: good points, in our price range (10K) it is likely that we don't get a filon sided camper.
Question for anyone that can answer - I've found a 9.5' bigfoot that has a water stain on the roof carpet. The owner claims that the previous owner left open a vent which led to the water damage (stain), about 4 years ago. He says that under the stain is firm and that there is no further damage. Can anyone tell me what is under the carpet in a bigfoot camper and what to expect from this?
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tcman
Aldergrove, BC
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Joined: 07/02/2009
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I would be suspicious.
2006 SnowBird 9'6
2005 Chev SRW
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japhi
Vancouver
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So I picked up a 2003 Fleetwood Elkhorn 9t on Saturday in Oregon. The camper is in great shape - it was stored inside a heated shop it's whole life and has seen very little use - around 20-30 nights.
When I started looking for used campers in Canada I soon came to realize that sellers considered a loaded camper one that had an oven, furnace and queen bed. This one has all the goodies - genset, AC, electric jacks, awning, antenna, microwave, coffee maker etc. I doubt I'll need them all buy nice to get them as part of the package. It also has an aluminum frame.
Based on all the reading I did here I checked all the seams and they are soft and pliable. Checked every drawer and compartment and there are no soft spots. No delamination on the filion either. The inside looks like new - the oven has never even been used and the genset only has 30 hours on it.
Fits like a glove on my 2WD standard cab Ram 2500 with air bags and the truck doesn't sway at all. Also pleasantly suprised with the gas mileage - got around 16 MPG on the I5 averaging 70MPH.
Big props to all the forum members here for the great threads, I swear I spent 100 hours here reading the last 2 months and I think it paid off!
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sstan
Martinez California
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Joined: 09/15/2008
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Japhi - Congratulations! Be sure to share some pictures when you have time.
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DandE
WI, but looking for a better place
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Joined: 02/19/2002
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I think that it paid off for you too, enjoy & happy camping.
Dale & Ellen
2005 Dodge Quad Cab 3500 5.9 CTD 4X4 Long Bed w/Tonneau cover
2002 Shadow Crusier 862 Short Bed Truck Camper, A/C
2008 Polaris X2 500 ATV
2004 Bayliner 185 BR
2002 Honda VTX1300
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billtex
RI
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Joined: 07/20/2004
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Pics!
2006 D/A CC
25'Airstream Excella
Adventurer 810WS
Camping all around New England
Good People Drink Good Beer-Hunter S Thompson
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japhi
Vancouver
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Thanks everyone. Here is a bad pic taken from my blackberry:
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