Back to a truck Camper!

[docdave]

Had an interesting visit with Rob and Cari Rowe at Coyote RV-Phoenix campers on Monday morning. My wife and I were in Denver for the day and arranged a factory visit. Phoenix is a small operation, Rob and Cari, and a guy or two helping to build campers. They were delivering a cool 8 footer on a Dodge truck that day....painted jet black. These are aluminum framed campers with fiberglass exterior and an aluminum top. They tend a bit toward what Rob calls 'minimalist' as evidenced by his roots with Four Wheel campers, but his campers can be equiped pretty much however you want. Not only can you option them however you want, but they will build to suit, pretty much anything you want. We shared some of our ideas and asked a ton of questions, and Rob offered solutions and offered interesting options. We are considering a custom build from Coyote RV (Phoenix campers) in lew of a newer Hallmark or Outfitter. I really like those campers, especially the new Cuchera, but I don't think either company will build some of the quirky things we are interested in. For one thing, we'd like the rear overhang to be 8 inches or so lower than the rest of the camper allowing for a step inside, a lower shower floor and lower entry height. We also want a toilet/shower configured as large as possible, Rob says he's built that before. We also want a higher pop up height, because I'm tall, and we want more room in the cabover. All do-able with Coyote RV. We had hoped to visit Hallmark and Outfitter, also in the Denver area, but they are closed on Mondays. Bummer. I know those two makes are vaguely similar in some ways, other than the obvious Outfitter basement design (soon to be offered by Hallmark), after all the owners are brothers who used to build campers together, and are pretty cool, and well built, so we'll take a look at them too. I have to admit though, the idea of drawing up our own camper and having it custom made is a cool idea.

[docdave]

camping10-11b.jpgCamping the first weekend in October in Nebraska....What a deal! A great weekend with my 7 year old daughter. Mom was off on a cruise, so we spent some quality time at the local lake. It was cool enough overnight to use the furnace a bit, especially first thing in the morning. Cooked meals in dutch ovens using our "feedpan fire pit" Gluten Free Bisquick Rocks.....(daughter is ciliac) We made sloppy joe bake and apple cobbler for supper, yum. The camper was comfortable, and with practice is easier to pack and set up. Still eyeing a new one, maybe a flatbed set up, but this is fine for now.

[docdave]

BTW could anyone give me some input on porta potties? This older Cuchara only has one holding tank, so......I guess you could call it "DARK GREY WATER". This disqualifies us from several waste water handling proceedures. I'd kind of like a cassette toilet, but don't know it it's worth it to convert this older camper. A high capacity porta potty runs about $165. How are they to empty, do they leak?

[bob91yj]

We've made do with a Thetford Porta Potti for years with no issues.

[docdave]

Took an interesting trip to Colorado today. I had made an appointment with Hallmark to tweak a few things on the old camper....an electrical glitch, worn out drain plug and replacing straps for the holding tank. Andy, the head service guy, found the electrical problem right away...it turns out that green is not always ground. The other tasks were completed in good time, and we had a discussion about eliminating the two piece rear door with a more modern unit that includes a screen door, which turns out to be a reasonably modest project. The current full height, two piece door is awkward , especially during raising and lowering the top, and allows insects and drafts in, not to mention the weakening of the rear structure of the camper (see discussion by "offroadcamperguy"). I may also replace and update the soft wall. Much discussion centered around the fiberglass top, which is very rare in these earlier campers. Turns out, some guy known as "Starbuck" used to make a few of these for Hallmark. Not as highly engineered as the new tops used by Hallmark and Outfitter, but pretty good just the same. The solidness of this top is a big reason that my '93 Cuchara is in good enough condition to warrant updating. I had worried about the top, as it has developed a "dished" appearance, and pools water in the middle. The guys at Hallmark told me that if the top is gradually blocked up, during warm weather, that a little at a time, the convex roof profile can be reachieved. I was pretty pumped. I had looked as a used unit with the idea of upgrading to a newer unit, but it wasn't substantially better than the one I have. The cost of these improvements, added to what I have in the camper already, is less than the potential trade ups that I have found. All and all, I had a good experience with Andy, and the guys at Hallmark.

I also went about 10 miles down the road and checked out Outfitter mfg. I met Bob Ward, and looked at one of his campers. Outfitters appear to be a good solid design, similar in layout to Hallmark, but with aluminum structure, and fiberglass siding. The basement design offers some real advantages in storage and cold weather use, but does raise the profile of the camper. Although perhaps not as sophisticated as the molded sidewalls of the Hallmark, the Outfitter appears sturdy, smooth and well packaged. It also looks like they are about 12% or so less expensive. Certainly worth a look for new camper shoppers. I didn't get to spent as much time with Bob, as there were other customers, but he was helpful and answered all of my questions.

I've now visited 3 area manufacturers, Hallmark, Outfitter and Coyote RV. Which is better? It all depends on what you want.....Custom built and lighter weight?.....Coyote rv, Slick design with all the bells and whistles?.....Hallmark, Solid, roomy and well equipped?....Outfitter. For now, I'm going to update my old camper, but down the road..........................

[arlon]

I'm thinking the next pickup will be a tonner. Not that easy to find a SRW tonner though

Might try some air bags and higher capacity tires.. Air bags made a world of difference when I started towing a 5th wheel around with my 3/4 ton truck.

[Ponyracer]

Still having screw stripping problems? The "proper" way to fix it is to drill the hole out as large as possible to a size coresponding a pine dowel. Then slather the hole and dowel with glue and tap it in. Should be a snug interferance fit. Once dry drill a pilot hole and walla new wood for your screw.

[1stDeuce]

Hey Doc, it's nice reading your posts! I have a few thoughts and questions that I thought I'd out.

First, are you still having backup lights glowing issues? If so, check the ground on your wiring harnesses. If your camper is plugged in through the trailer wiring, I will guarantee that you have a bad ground on one side or the other. For some reason, the backup lights become the ground path vs. the other lights. (Assuming no battery in the camper, so it runs off the truck...)

Second, I have a '94 Ute with the 2pc rear door like you have, and mine could use new soft walls too. I was also thinking about going to a traditional door with screen, and then just having new canvas made by Bear Creek. What did Hallmark say they would do for canvas if you replaced the door with a short door? Any rough pricing you could pass along?

My camper has the original Hallmark roof, which is non-aluminum, non-fiberglass. It's not very light, so I think it's wood based. Mine also bows down in the middle where there isn't any support, and it sags at the front when you put it up, though it seems like they all do that. If you have the fiberglass roof, you are lucky indeed!!

Keep posting!
Chris

[docdave]

The guys at Hallmark solved the wiring problem....so that's a relief. The back door can be replaced with a single piece door and a piece of soft top velcroed in place of the upper door for about 1500 dollars. A new soft top all around is about 2 grand. I think I'll replace the door, since the service guys thought the camper was sound enough to warrent the investment. The soft top, will have to wait, mine isn't all that bad. My fiberglass roof, although it sags in the middle (less now since I've begun propping it up) doesn't sag a the front when it's up, like so many older units that I have seen. Another lucky break for me. You can get a new roof and top, for about 3 grand. I guess a substantial number of older camper owners have opted for this update. With new campers over 20000 dollars, even up to 30000 it's no wonder updating older campers has become big business. I've also talked with Rob at Coyote RV about the rear door modification....he's a bit higher priced, but is also willing do do it. As I may have mentioned earlier, when I visited Coyote RV, they were delivering a sharp black 8 footter, which had a really slick 60 watt adhesive solar unit. Rob says they can retrofit that on a camper for about 500 dollars, so I'm considering that too.

[homemade]

if it is one of these it sounds like there is a $300 charge to stick it on

http://www.amazon.com/Unisolar-Flexi...ef=pd_sbs_hi_3


If I was still using my slide in camper I would have put one on the roof. It wouldn't work well for the flippac so I bought a 30watt hard panel with solar controller for about $100.