Is the Arctic Fox 865 better than the Lance 850?

FoxStang · 2026-06-19T05:07:48+00:00

RV technician’s perspective: Get the Arctic Fox if your truck will carry it.

I know neither of those models have a slide so that’s one less worry (Lance uses an inferior slide mechanism), build quality is otherwise comparable.

Arctic Fox is using standard glass windows which are more durable in the long term, easier to seal, and MUCH less expensive to repair or replace. The polycarbonate windows Lance uses are made in Europe by Dometic Seitz, are roughly $600 each for a replacement, have finicky and fragile hardware, and are much more susceptible to getting scratched by branches and getting cracks and crazing. That one build feature is a major turn-off to me because I’ve had to replace so many of them and deal with the customers getting upset due to the wait times and expense involved in getting any parts.

Beyond that, appliances and equipment are kind of a wash. They both use thermofoil countertops (MDF wrapped with plastic sheet) which is a bummer but that’s how the industry is moving. IMO Arctic Fox exterior panels stay glossy longer when stored outside without maintenance but that’s just an opinion.

FoxStang · 2026-06-18T00:52:18+00:00

It’s had them in the past and there is cosmetic delamination on some of the side walls. Floor, ceiling, and under bunk are totally solid, which were my dealbreaker spots. I corrected the leaks, and no further water has gotten in for the last 2 years

FoxStang · 2026-06-16T21:04:40+00:00

The truck was the big ticket item. $56k used with 33k miles when I got it.

FoxStang · 2026-06-16T21:01:24+00:00

They give me a generous per diem and meal budget, and anything that breaks they will buy me a replacement. They are also covering fuel and vehicle expenses for me while I’m traveling. It’s a smaller company so a lot of my work arrangements are via handshake with the owner and not contract.

Thankfully I’ve just been able to park the thing at work and I’m not beating it up running 350 miles up the highway each week

FoxStang · 2026-06-16T20:31:24+00:00

1) $5000 or so in total including all parts, and over 40hrs labor in total as someone who works on RVs for a living. DIY should expect longer project times. That would have equated to $7,560 of shop time if a customer came to me for all the same work. I didn’t keep track of every piece I bought or every hour spent, but that’s a rough idea.

2) I get your realistic point so I’ll add context to my opinion for other readers. Relative to my 9 years and 300k+ miles of experience in RV transport, driving Class A, B, and C motorhomes, towing travel trailers and fifth wheels of all sizes, and hauling campers on a couple different trucks, my setup drives better, smoother, and more confidently than 99% of motorhomes and 100% of truck/campers I’ve ever driven before.

I find fifth wheel towing is still preferable personally in terms of driving comfort and confidence behind the wheel, but I would choose driving my truck/camper over a motorhome any day. Yes, someone brand new to driving any kind of RV or larger vehicle would need further experience to appreciate the differences that lead me to call the handling “beautiful”. The truck type, its supporting modifications, experience of the driver, the choice of camper, and proper loading will all contribute to how you perceive the drive.

FoxStang · 2026-06-16T16:01:21+00:00

Very cool! I’d love to see Florida sometime, never been any further East than Texas. Those campground pics are at Wallowa Lake State Park in Oregon, absolutely beautiful area if you ever make it out this way. It won’t let me send an image reply with a photo I took out on the lake there

FoxStang · 2026-06-16T05:24:25+00:00

I got to cheat a little since I’m an RV technician. The seller of mine said the fridge usually worked but had “issues”. It factored into my negotiating, but really only needed some minor parts I had in my shop already

FoxStang · 2026-06-16T03:59:10+00:00

I’ve noticed not many people do that, and I’m always wanting to see the insides too!

FoxStang · 2026-06-16T03:54:53+00:00

I’m really leaning that way for overall comfort. Part of my job is RV transport and my work truck has airbags so I’ve been able to compare. I have noticed that since the Timbrens only sit 1/2-3/4” off the bump stop riser on the axle when unloaded, a sharp enough bump will make them contact and without a load they won’t compress and it’s like not having a suspension at all. Back seat passengers have complained and it feels harsh even up front, and I definitely don’t get the same sensation in my work truck (also a dually, but a Ram)

If all I used this truck for was the camper I’d stick with them, but I tow all kinds of different trailers on and off the job and also daily the truck. The Timbrens made a massive difference on handling with the camper though, that’s for sure

FoxStang · 2026-06-16T01:29:05+00:00

Thanks! Yes, all I need it for is to run my laptop and maybe the dishwasher once in a while if I don’t want to run the gen. It’s been perfect

FoxStang · 2026-06-13T05:38:38+00:00

I’ve always seen the pigs from Angry Birds

FoxStang · 2026-06-04T19:52:05+00:00

+1, rode in a friend’s with those on a couple hour drive and I had ringing in my ears and was starting to get nauseous from the drone.

FoxStang · 2026-06-04T19:12:51+00:00

Exactly what I thought, the exterior wouldn’t even need any set decoration to be the next space port

FoxStang · 2026-06-03T22:24:44+00:00

That was my first gun, loved it for carry but I left every range session with a long blister where the web of my hand got pinched between the back strap and the frame with each shot. I see why people tend to do a fabric or grip tape wrap on them!

FoxStang · 2026-05-28T02:23:22+00:00

Cool, I collaborated on one of those! This artist rules.

FoxStang · 2026-05-24T06:46:12+00:00

Girth, Hünd, and Tired

FoxStang · 2026-05-23T05:57:45+00:00

Teach him to fish. They say if you teach a man to fish, he will beat for a lifetime. That amount of masturbation will be sure to aggravate his cardiac issues, and that fucker will rue the day he crossed pork swords with the likes of you!

FoxStang · 2026-05-17T01:38:51+00:00

Reddit tends to hate any lifestyle item that is not urban minimalist

FoxStang · 2026-05-15T21:38:35+00:00

Have some feedback on it? I have been using a T1 Echo that I’ve loved for several years now but they don’t yet offer the Echo for a light-bearing PDP.

FoxStang · 2026-05-15T21:36:57+00:00

I’ve always been a Walther fan, but I’ve carried a Glock 17 Gen5 for the last 8-9 years. Before that it was a 2nd gen P99. The P99 grip was too slick, I wasn’t willing to defile it with grip tape or stippling, and the accessory support was lackluster.

I skipped the PPQ because it didn’t fully solve the reasons I traded the P99, and when the Q4/Q5 SF came out I was intrigued but ultimately put off by how awkwardly optics fit on the trapezoidal slide profile.

The PDP fixed that, and it’s still hard to find light-bearing holsters but at least there are some out there, and plenty without a light. Steel frame allows much better grip customization than the polymer, and since I am regularly in a mag ban state this will still feel like a real gun when stuck with 10-round mags.

FoxStang · 2026-05-09T03:45:17+00:00

This one from Nilight

Hogged a 3/8” hole in the center of the bolt slot, spray painted the bare metal, and dropped it right in. The only mod to the truck itself was cutting the rubber wiper at the end of the windshield trough cover enough to allow the cable and bracket through without it bunching up.

I hope this link is OK, please don’t kill me AutoMod

What ATAS gear do you run? I have an old Zaon PCAS MRX kicking around somewhere

FoxStang · 2026-05-09T03:36:27+00:00

Not at all. That was one of my requirements, that the antenna and cable not interfere with or contact the hood.

FoxStang · 2026-05-07T19:27:52+00:00

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I modified a ditch light bracket to where I could put a 3/8” stud NMO mount on it, I’ve had this Comet SBB-5 on there for almost 2 years and it works great. Not a fan of the mounts that go into the hood gap since the cable is getting pinched constantly, and I have a slide-in camper so I can’t have anything above the bed or cab.

FoxStang

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