Introduction and our Northstar 650SC

[mfsr]

We picked up our new toy a few weeks ago and i thought it was about time I introduced myself to the forum and share my new camper. Our path to a pop-up camper has been a long one. We had 3 camp trailers before this. An '05 Desert Fox, an '07 Pioneer and our latest was a '13 Starcraft. We aren’t much for camping in developed areas so we kept finding ourselves wanting something smaller and more agile. We went the opposite route and started started sleeping truck topper. We realized that we wanted a just a few more comforts than the Leer could offer. So, we started shopping for a pop-up truck camper.

We looked at a few used Palomino, Outfitter, and Northstar campers and quickly realized that we wanted the North/South bed. The TC650 was high on our list but we wanted a toilet. We ultimately decided on the 650SC.

Enough of me yammering. Here are some pics.

The day i brought it home. Sorry for the potato quality photo:

Our last trailer:

We took up to a friends cabin the week we got and gave it a dry run in the driveway but this weekend was our first real trip. We intended to to get a spot on Stanley Lake and spend a day paddle boarding but i think that everyone else had the same idea. So we switched to plan B and set up camp at a more secluded spot down the road. The worst part was the view.

Stanley Basin:

The Sawtooths:

More Sawtooths. You can see our camper on the right:

All in all, we couldn't be happier. The camper itself is rock solid. The appliances all work flawlessly. This was the second time i have dumped the cassette toilet and have got it all figured out.

I will continue to update with pics.

 

[brian90744]

More pictures

Welcome to the Northstar 650 club.=brian

 

[Stonedog03]

Welcome to the 650 club! Great campers. We love ours!

 

[doctorit]

Welcome - we've got quite a few TC650 owners in the portal now!

 

[Abe Froman]

Nice camper and nice scenery!

 

[bobmono]

Nice setup! A couple questions if you don't mind, as I am thinking about something similar:

1. How does the truck drive with the camper? Did you have to do any suspension work? I was thinking of doing something similar with a Dodge 3500 6.4L SRW.
2. Do you find the dinette area too small in the 650sc? I really like the bathroom but it looks like you need to give up a lot of "hang out" space...

Thanks - I was excited to see someone talk about the 650sc on the forum!

 

[mfsr]

Nice setup! A couple questions if you don't mind, as I am thinking about something similar:

1. How does the truck drive with the camper? Did you have to do any suspension work? I was thinking of doing something similar with a Dodge 3500 6.4L SRW.
2. Do you find the dinette area too small in the 650sc? I really like the bathroom but it looks like you need to give up a lot of "hang out" space...

Thanks - I was excited to see someone talk about the 650sc on the forum!

The truck does fine. However, this is my first TC so i might not be the best to ask. I have Firestone Ride Rites in the rear. 15psi on each side. Could probably do 10psi.
We went back and forth between the 850SC and the 650SC(not having having a toilet was not an option) The dinette is the biggest difference. We basically leave the table set on one side and it leaves one seat. We just dont "hang out" in the camper enough for this to be an issue. When we have, one of us sits in the dinette and the other sits up forward. Hope that helps.

John

 

[bobmono]

The truck does fine. However, this is my first TC so i might not be the best to ask. I have Firestone Ride Rites in the rear. 15psi on each side. Could probably do 10psi.
We went back and forth between the 850SC and the 650SC(not having having a toilet was not an option) The dinette is the biggest difference. We basically leave the table set on one side and it leaves one seat. We just dont "hang out" in the camper enough for this to be an issue. When we have, one of us sits in the dinette and the other sits up forward. Hope that helps.

John

Thanks for the info - if you get any additional pictures I would love to see them.

 

[Regcabguy]

Glad you're having fun! It's nice to curl up in a bed with sheets and blankets and get out of the elements when needed.
I swapped out my interior lights using this company's product:
http://www.m4products.com/led-rv-retrofit-bulbs/
I went with the warm Elite series. Jeez,it's a bright as home inside now.
We've been using the 25' x 24" Reflectix product from Home Depot. For insulation now on cold nights. Cheap and effective.
Removing the jacks on your trip lightens your load by 160#.
A Hellwig swaybar improved my handling a lot also.

 

[mfsr]

It's been a while since I posted an update to my original post. I'll try to be better in the future. We've had it almost 11 months now and have had it out on 13 different weekends. We made a few mods but nothing too drastic. I cut up some Reflectix panels for insulation(we have camped down to 25 and were cozy), made my own grey water hose storage and added a Hellwig swaybar to the truck. The whole camper already has LED throughout so no need to change anything there. We have used it so much that it has only been off the truck from the 3 big river trips we took last year.

All in all we have been pleased with the purchase of our new camper but there have been some hiccups. The pigtail got pinched during shipping so i had to take it back to the dealer once we noticed it. It took some convincing for them to believe that i hadnt even had it off the truck and didnt do it myself. When fully extended the drivers side hangs lower than the passenger side. The driver's corner is over an inch lower than the passenger side. The dealer said they spoke to Northstar and nothing could be done. Sounded like a brush off to me. We found out early on that the electric jacks were wired directly to the battery. I was pulling the in-line fuse but my battery was still draining after sitting for only a couple days. Thought i had a dud battery. Now i just leave the jacks disconnected. Both the internal and external showers were plumbed backwards. Annoying but easy enough to adjust for. The appliances have performed flawlessly and the rest of the construction is rock solid.

Enough of that. Here are the pictures.

Me and a buddy's camper off Edna creek. This was our base camp for our backpack into Jenny lake. Ignore the cans.

Here we are near Warm Springs on the SF Payette.

A little spot over looking the SF Payette near Grandjean

Another little spot we found on the SF Payette

Here is pic of my Reflectix panels installed. 2 panels each side and 1 each front and rear. We use binder clips to hold the ends together.

Here is a test run on a makeshift awning setup. It fits pretty well.

mfsr

 

[Huntv]

Sweet setup, sorry to here about some of the glitches. I am on my second Northstar and 5th camper. Absolutely love the quality of construction and well thought out design. I have had zero problems that I did not create myself and my current TS1000 is 10 years old. I have called Northstar several times with questions and am always amazed and grateful for the high level of customer service they provide. For the money I think they are one of the best popups available, I know I will stick with them in the future. I also have a Phoenix popup that is 13 years old and has been mostly trouble free and a good camper, but the Northstar will always be my first choice, the layout and overall design is far better. I store them both under cover when not in use and keep up on all maintenance, so that helps these things last for many years. I also haul them both into every kind of terrain and road conditions that the PNW has to offer. Thanks for the pics, love seeing them in action!

 

[Regcabguy]

Nice that Northstar includes the straps on the sides,holding in your Reflectix panels.
Don Thuren valved me some King 2.5's,Carli supplied some minipaks for the rear springs along with his Long travel airbags and Kore coils are up front. I chucked my swaybar as it was interfering with the articulation.
A sold my Smarty tuner to a friend with an '05 like yours and went for EFI Live. Either one makes the truck way more fun to drive. Just take it easy with the right foot with the autos.
Beautiful photos. Thanks.

 

[cninghm]

nice pics, mfsr. What kind of steps did you put on? Do they cover the license plate, or do you remove them each time?

 

[mfsr]

nice pics, mfsr. What kind of steps did you put on? Do they cover the license plate, or do you remove them each time?

Thanks. They are the Torklift glowstep. I remove them when traveling so there is no issue with the license plate. I normally have a small hitch step that we use when we arent at our camp site. You can just make it out in one of the picks on page 1. I just recently bought a StowAway swing away cargo/bike rack that is awesome. Ill post pics soon. Anyway, the stowaway covers the rear plate in the closed position so i will likely have to relocate the plate.

 

[cninghm]

Ok thanks. That would be great (pics of bike rack). My current one would be in the way.