Camping/Sleeping
Update: I no longer own the Fleetwood Neon. See here for details http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13848
I thought about this one for many months. There is a long list of pros and cons for every option out there. Putting a shell on the back for sleeping accommodations wasn't going to do the job with a 5-foot truck bed. So I had to come up with something else.
This is what my ideal camping/sleeping setup would include:
1. I want more then a sleeping area. Yes I plan on being outside as much as possible but I would also like an indoor area that can be heated for those fall and spring trips. I also wanted an indoor area to be able to escape the swarms of black flies and mosquitoes that we have around here.
2. I want to have at least a partial solid roof. When it starts to rain I will feel a lot more confident.
3. I want the transformation from daily driver to expedition-ready to be quick and simple.
These were my choices.
Roof top tent…. This would include soft-top models like the Eezi-Awn and the hard shell models like the Maggiolia.
I really like these. I first saw one on the show Pimp my Ride (of all places). They pimped a VW Thing and put some type of hard shell tent on the top. If I just needed a place for sleeping, this is what I would get.
Leaves room for carrying a lot of additional gear.
Not that heavy.
Can be removed fairly easily by two people when not in use.
Can be stored in a fairly small location (shed or corner of garage).
Doesn't affect drivability of the truck that much. (a little extra weight, a little higher center of gravity, a little less aerodynamic, maybe a blind spot or two depending on mounting location).
Flip-Pac-Camper
Another excellent choice, but not for me.
Can be used just like any other truck topper when it's not in camping mode.
They make one to fit just about any size truck.
Allows you to customize the inside any way you want (water storage, cooking, cabinets, seating, whatever).
They are only sold in California (can't see it before I buy it and shipping would cost a lot)
Truck Camper
If I had a 6-foot bed I may have gone with one of these. With my 5-foot bed my only options were the Four Wheel Campers Falcon model or the All Terrain Campers Puma model.
Both companies offer quality products that are much lighter than a traditional truck camper. I like the fact that they are well insulated and have a solid roof. The biggest problem for me was the size. I will be doing a good portion of my trips with my wife and there just isn't much room inside of these models. If I was by myself it might be a different story. But either way, with shoes on my head would be scraping the ceiling. Six feet of headroom just isn't enough.
I ended up driving to Pennsylvania Easter weekend to pick up a Fleetwood Neon. It is going to take some work to get it up to the standards of an off road camper. I plan on adding shocks and bigger tires to start. I will post camper mods in the Expedition Trailers area. I like the fact that I can have everything ready to go and stored on the camper, so when the time comes I can just back up the truck, hook it up and go. The biggest drawback that I can see to this type of setup is that I am going to be a lot less maneuverable on the trail. Fortunately, the trip that I am planning is mainly gravel roads so this shouldn't be too much of a concern. As a backup plan I also have (thanks to another gift from my wife) a truck tent. More on that at another time.