Outfitter Camper Apex 8

[silversand]

From everything you said, I guess the bottom line would be about 10-15 degrees safely...maybe a bit more

We try and keep anything heavy down at the floor level stored in the Caribou, and well secured. Additionally, the water tank, and auxiliary propane bottles, jacks and assorteds are stored in cabinets, at floor level. The trick is keeping the weight sitting on the truck as low as possible. I think I had mentioned this earlier, but we have no heavy rooftop air conditioner up there, too.

Cheers,
S-

[Wyoming Shooter]

Thanks for the many informative replies. I made a deposit on a 2005 Apex 8 with solar panels, AC, dual 6 volt batteries, side awning, etc. Delivery/inspection to occur sometime in February. I'll keep you posted. Best regards, ELN.

[Wyoming Shooter]

Gentlemen - Thank you again for your replies to this post. I inspected and purchased the camper this last weekend (3/1/08). It's my first "RV". My initial impressions:

Outfitter packs a lot of "stuff" into a small package. The Apex 8 is equipped with a thermostatically-controlled furnace, a 3-burner stove, propane water heater, a 3-way fridge, AC, inside toilet, shower, and sink, a queen size cab-over bunk, ample storage, an outside shower, 32 gallons of fresh water, dual 6-volt batteries, solar panels, and an outside shower.

Construction seems solid. The top erects and lowers smoothly, quickly, and easily. Wet weight, per the seller, is about 2200 lbs. My Ford F250 V10 handles the load without much problem. I can maintain 75 m.p.h. on the level and moderate grades. Steepish highway climbs drop my speed down to the mid 60s. Highway mileage dropped from about 13.5 m.p.g. to about 10.5 m.p.g. with the camper in place. No suspension mods appear necessary but, I haven't pulled a trailer yet. Mounting the camper on the truck is a P.I.T.A. Tolerances are close. Three spotters are a big help, at least for this neophyte.

More to follow. Best regards, ELN.

[Ursidae69]

Looking forward to the pictures of your new setup.

[kcowyo]

I inspected and purchased the camper this last weekend (3/1/08). It's my first "RV". My initial impressions:

Outfitter packs a lot of "stuff" into a small package.

More to follow...

Congratulations Ed. I've been keeping my eye out for you. Hope to see the new set-up sometime.

How was Vegas?

[Wyoming Shooter]

KC - thanks for the note. I'll bring it by sometime soon. Vegas was good. The NASCAR race was quite a spectacle. Nothing like 150,000 cheering rednecks (used endearingly) dropping $100 million into the local economy. I can now say that an Outfitter Apex 8 will easily withstand the downdraft of executive helicopters flying close overhead at 1 minute intervals. ELN

[smuller64]

Am late to the forum, but wanted to share my good experience with the Apex 8 on my 3/4 ton Dodge. Have used it for 3 1/2 yrs on-road and off with no stability probs using std leaf springs & manufact installed air bags. This includes 2 month, 11,000 mi round trip to Alaska w/ 15% grade roads in BC w/ haipin downhill curves. The Cummins was awesome and w/ Edge chip I get ~ 22mpg clean & ~17mpg w/ camper on. For two of us the Apex 8 has been great ... am selling this summer to downsize, and will miss it. Steve M.

[Mit Fuso]

I have been all over the western US with the 9.5 Apex with lots of options since 2007 mounted on my 2005 Ford F250 HD 4X4 XLT with custom Bilstein shocks and air bags and haven't had any major trouble with either, and certainly no load problems. I had a leak in the toilet which Outfitter fixed, and the front panel to the long pull-out under-bed storage drawer popped off on me because it had been screwed on from the back for aesthetic reasons. I re-screwed it from the front and no problems. I really load up with heavy stuff--chains, jacks, etc., but keep the weight far forward. On top of that, the looong cabover with the two under-bed storage compartments may help shift more weight forward. I haven't checked the cg; haven't felt the need. It handles well. If you buy one from the factory, just check for the details that matter most to you. Good idea to visit the factory first and see how they're built.

I was worried about the cold and heat, but we travel mostly in the fall and late fall and we just set the thermostat to 55 degrees and have not noticed any problem from cold--I had expected that I might have to roll over at night to warm up the outside side of me, but I couldn't tell the difference between the Outfitter's cloth and the wall of the Lance I had before. When I got that Lance off and put the Outfitter on, I could really tell the difference. MUCH better stability on the road, like taking off in a sports car was what I said after my first run out of the factory. We also camp a lot in the desert, and I think I've run the AC more in the driveway than anywhere else. The roof is white and well-insulated and I suspect that with the awnings out and some ventilation, it should take the heat pretty well. If I had it to do over, I probably would get the AC anyway, just in case. I want to keep my wife happy, hence the 9.5 for more storage, plus oven.

Regarding overhang, the Outfitters don’t have a bunch of junk hanging down like some other campers, so the bumper is going to drag first if anything does. Everything is in the “basement.”

I strongly suggest that anybody buying a camper work hard at matching the camper to the “mission.” I liked my luxurious Lance, but I was glad to get rid of it. I really hate to get rid of the Outfitter, but I’ve recently acquired a Fuso FG with a Callen custom RV body for even more extreme off-road/bad-road work, so I’m going to get rid of my Outfitter and pickup.

Maybe I’ll see y’all at the Expo next month . . .