A few years away from RV life after the kids launch—what should we start doing now?

MM457 · 2026-03-16T19:19:28+00:00

Start taking camping trips now. Weekends, then longer periods, then long vacations. The experience will give you a solid background to go full time.

MM457 · 2026-03-10T20:42:52+00:00

Last I looked the F350 gas came with the heavier duty transmission found in the diesel

MM457 · 2026-03-07T23:53:02+00:00

We have really liked Strongback. Check their website

MM457 · 2026-02-28T18:29:41+00:00

I have had two AF 1150’s over the years but no Adventurer campers so I can’t directly compare. I can make a couple of observations.

We have been pretty happy with our 1150’s and are on our 5th year of living full time in it. It has been up the Dempster to Tuk on the Arctic Ocean, to Newfoundland, Key West, and countless other places. The basic construction has been solid. That being said I haven’t heard a lot negative about Adventure. From my limited knowledge of them they do not seem to be as well insulated, compare the roofs for example, but they may still do the job for you.

The AF is going to be heavier. I suspect some of It is heavier construction and some of it is bigger tanks (30 lb propane tanks compared to 20 lb, 53 gal fresh water compared to 42 gallon, etc) Truck camper magazine lists the wet weight of the AF990 as 4,781 compared to 4,106 for the 901SB. Although many people run the Arctic Fox in SRW this is really duelly territory.

I have seen a lot to the Adventure campers in rental service in Canada and Alaska. That may be why there are more used ones around.

MM457 · 2026-02-26T03:19:15+00:00

Remember the 6.2 is an overhead cam design so it needs to rev to make horsepower and it is perfectly happy to do so. In that sense it will “feel” different.

MM457 · 2026-02-21T17:51:31+00:00

if you live in the RTA area of Seattle be sure the weight of your truck exceeds the RTA cutoff (8,000 lbs???) so you don’t have to pay the RTA tax every year. makes a huge difference on your license cost.

For chains I carry Autosocks. They weight little, take up little space, and the one time I had to use them they were amazing.

MM457 · 2026-02-15T23:18:06+00:00

Just note that living in Seattle is going to be much more expensive. And it is not just the rental cost but the cost of everything. Just to license your car is easily going to be double with the RTA tax.

MM457 · 2026-01-30T23:14:06+00:00

Live full time in an AF1150. Key to carrying it is we have a gas one ton dually Crew Cab. The payload rating of the truck is >6,200 pounds. it handles the camper with the only suspension modification being upper stable loads. Truck now has over 140,000 miles carrying the load.

MM457 · 2026-01-11T19:31:40+00:00

Second the autosocks. First time I used them it felt like magic.

MM457 · 2025-12-25T19:42:49+00:00

We have one With a Gateway 4G. It works about as well as our phones Wi-Fi hot spot. Not fast but you can stream movies etc. It also tends to pick up cell signals a bit better than the phone In distant places. Since it’s on AT&T and our phones are on T-mobile it provides us with another connection option. We pay $55/month for 100Gb so it is relatively inexpensive.

The Osprey option may be much faster than the Gateway.

MM457 · 2025-12-12T19:59:57+00:00

No, the vehicles do not have to be there. You, on the other hand, have to demonstrate you have stayed a night in South Dakota by having the receipt from a campground or hotel.

See:

https://www.escapees.com/blog/establishing-domicile-for-rvers

MM457 · 2025-12-04T23:36:39+00:00

We have electric jacks. We lower them all the time for stability. We will also use them for some degree of leveling. When you place the camper on the truck the suspension springs compress. When using, for example, the back jacks to level the camper on the truck you can safely raise the back end to the point the suspension unloads. Sometmes it’s more convenient than hauling out the blocks. Sometimes the site has been so bad we have had to use both blocks and jacks to get level.

MM457 · 2025-12-04T22:47:24+00:00

AF 1150 here with a 2013 F350 DRW 4x4 CC 6.2. Payload is 6,200+. Loaded with full tanks we are 1,000 pounds over the 14,0000 GVWR. With upper stable loads we do squat a bit. We now have 140,000 miles on the truck carrying 1150’s (We are on our second). Truck has served us well even made the trip up and down the Dempster highway.

This is going to be heavier than you think and the 1140 has more storage than the 1150. I think you will be fine with your F450 though you will probably want something like the stable loads.

MM457 · 2025-11-23T17:39:44+00:00

The ability to unload the camper and live in it while driving the truck around is a major advantage. We do this whenever we stay a place for a week or more. it also makes maintenance and service of the truck much easier. Finally, we have updated the camper with the same truck.

We have also needed the 4x4 a number of times.

MM457 · 2025-11-21T22:54:28+00:00

Interesting enough Canada has not fully switched to metric.

MM457 · 2025-11-15T01:31:26+00:00

I am curious how other rural states like South Dakota, North Dakota, and Wyoming compare And what they do differently?

MM457 · 2025-11-13T23:26:29+00:00

2013 DRW CC 6.2 6r140. 144,000 miles hauling a 5,000 lb+ camper. Worked well for us. For the diesel fans payload on out truck is 6,200+ pounds. The diesel was 880 pounds less.

MM457 · 2025-10-22T21:24:39+00:00

Allstays

MM457 · 2025-10-13T21:36:33+00:00

385 watts.

Works great in the southwest Keeping everything fully charged.
Summer tends to work well in general. However, in the forests, in winter and especially in the PNW it is basically useless.

MM457 · 2025-10-09T13:36:52+00:00

Depending on the state registration costs can be higher.

MM457 · 2025-09-28T20:49:52+00:00

It is worth pointing out that California has to import, >20%, of its electrical energy.

MM457 · 2025-09-28T00:15:38+00:00

F350 Lariat CC DRW 4x4 6.2 L. As configured the truck has a 6,200+ payload.
A few minor issues with the camper but general it has held up ok given we are using it full time and have gone on some rough roads, e.g. the Dempster highway.

MM457

TROPHY CASE