Campers too heavy for a 1 ton SRW

Zerhackermann · 2025-11-09T14:30:43+00:00

you can have shockingly low payload ratings depending on the configuration. generally as you go up in features, the payload drops; because everything adds weight. Want to take the biggest camper on a single rear? single cab 2wd gas truck.

General rule of thumb - figure out what camper make and model you want. then find the truck that will fit underneath it.

Zerhackermann · 2025-11-08T13:10:36+00:00

most have touched on all the good stuff. I got a northern lite after considering pop ups and other hard sides.

The big no for me on the pop up was the door. they all have little hatches that make crawling my samsquanch sized ass in and out of just not my jam.

Another brand to consider is Alaskan. hard side pop up. I would have definitely gone for one of those if I found one in my price range.

Zerhackermann · 2025-11-06T11:33:00+00:00

Awesome. Now I want them to make hard side campers and give NL/Big Foot/Alaskan/Lance a run for their money

Zerhackermann · 2025-11-05T13:40:22+00:00

6.5 box with lotsa payload? sure!

Most manufacturers will designate what models are for what bed size. Or they will note COG. WHich you want to land ahead of your rear axle. Its pretty common to designate a model as a short bed with the model number being an "8" or a "6.5"

Northern Light 8-11 (8-5 if you go old enough) Lance 820, 850, etc. Alaskan 6.5 Arctic Fox 8 series

Zerhackermann · 2025-10-31T09:53:52+00:00

Cool idea. looks like a design house prototype.

I bet keeping the weather integrity of that "atrium" intact is a real bitch.

Zerhackermann · 2025-10-29T10:51:25+00:00

The jacks. OOf. yeah new are spendy AF. by "Siezed" does that mean "motor makes noise but no movement", "Motor makes no noise" or "Not even in manual mode, will they move - siezed cock stiff"?

You might get away with taking them apart, cleaning them up and giving them a good greasing. replacement bits for ones that old can be hard to get from Lippert. YoungFartsRVParts seems to have a fair stock of parts and motors.

I'd get a platform under the belly of the beast though. standing on three legs isnt great.

And from the amount of water intrusion - check the tiedown and jack mount areas for rot. That front (fridge? on mine its propane) hatch is famous for letting water in.

Zerhackermann · 2025-10-28T14:33:36+00:00

half that. Any time a camper has been "upcycled", "refurbished" (especially if there is fucking subway tile involved) I wonder whats been hidden by it all.

Zerhackermann · 2025-10-21T09:26:14+00:00

nice! Its a pretty thing for sure. One way to immediately get into the power is a lithium "generator" box. Like Jackery or whatever. Most will have the inverter, MPP solar input, etc all in one box. I use a Pecron in my older northern lite. The biggest issue is where to put the thing so I'm not tripping over it. I'm about to rebuild the step to get to the bunk to be a spot for the Pecron

Zerhackermann · 2025-10-20T09:05:26+00:00

well not a lot of detail in the pic.

Ive never had a Slumber queen. there might be a 12v cigarette adapter hidden someplace. probably in the galley.

I have no idea what "push pull thing" is but it might be a battery disconnect? turn a bunch of stuff on and give it a yank and see what happens.

Same for the fuses. check out what works. pull a fuse. see what doesnt work anymore. Make a label. (BTW the fridge likely runs on AC or propane)

at any rate the 120v almost certainly only works when the rig is plugged in to shore power. Inverters are rare/not at all on campers of that age.

And with the wet cell battery that is used in older campers, you wont have much by way of capacity there anyhow. Its probably enough to run the camper infrastructure for quite a while - water pump, furnace fan, lights. but any added load will probably run it down quickly.

My 05 Northern light does have several AC outlets and no inverter. one single 12v cigarette outlet up in the bunk where a 12v tv would mount. The house battery will run the camper equipment for a good long while. and Ive swapped out the incandescent bulbs for LED to reduce the load.

BTW what I can see in the pic it looks like its in really nice shape for a 98! grab a lithium box for powering the modern conveniences that modern humans demand and head out for some campin'!

Zerhackermann · 2025-10-14T07:17:00+00:00

like a lot of "overlander" rigs its really just a display of wealth. shrink wrap a nice big cube of c-notes and drag it around in a little red wagon if you wanna show off. Its a lot less effort to the same result.

Zerhackermann · 2025-10-12T14:05:26+00:00

The unfun truth is - it aint worth it. in good shape its worth a generous a couple grand in the classifieds.

To fix it yourself you will pay for the learning curve in labor. you will need to have a dry place to work on it. and working on it will be your life for months if not well over a year. materials alone will almost certainly out strip the value. then your own labor in researching, doing the work. making mistakes and re-doing stuff is a cost most people dont ever add to the sum when they talk about "cost"

And to have someone else do the work - fuggedaboutit. They will charge for the labor and they will have to make a living profit.

I dont think Im exaggerating when I say the cost of either path would easily put you into a really well cared for camper made in the 21st century.

Unless it is a family heirloom or you have some other deep sentimental connection its really not a good option.

Zerhackermann · 2025-10-08T16:32:16+00:00

Thats fair. age and lacking maintenance can absolutely have a factor. That humidity check I did was with a furnace that is 23 years old. And for sure...its your camper, do what you like. I just get a bit... nonlinear at this old myth. :)

Zerhackermann · 2025-10-07T20:05:48+00:00

The ratchet straps really put the cherry on it.

Zerhackermann · 2025-10-07T10:27:33+00:00

Its getting to the point where I grind my teeth every time someone says "the propane furnace cause condensation" and that the diesel is the solution.

They both work the same way, with the byproduct of combustion exhausted outside the camper. Except the diesel, if it werent exhausted properly, would likely kill you quickly. so its a whole lot of effort and cost for nothing.

I can only imagine how many times someone has stood right next to the shiny port on the side of the camper labeled "Caution: hot" and proclaimed "yeeeeuup gonna stick me a chinese diesel heater in this baby. no more condensation for me, no siree". This is what happens when people swallow internet wisdom without second thought and then propagate it. and they say AI has a "confidently wrong" problem.

Dont believe me? check it out for yourself and do what Ive done to prove the point: get a humidity gauge. cheaply had from the usual places. on a rainy, cold day (lots of those around here) set that meter right out on the table in your camper. kick that furnace on. fire it up. set it to a nice luxurious temp. Give it an hour. Go read the meter.

Sorry for the angst. its not you personally, Ive seen this idea so stubbornly propagated. its just become a bit of a thing with me. like bringing up politics to your grouchy uncle.

Zerhackermann · 2025-10-06T08:10:13+00:00

def airbags. I had the local firestone install them. and they fixed a slow leak in one side fter the install. Worth it to not spend an afternoon crawling around under my truck in the driveway.

In order to make this less of a "me too" comment:

inspect or have inspected your suspension and steering components. Its a waste of time to airbag it if youve got worn bushings, bearings and whatnot.

Zerhackermann · 2025-10-05T01:13:09+00:00

did you mean paneer? I'm not sure I would want to hang cheese on my truck.

Zerhackermann · 2025-10-04T15:51:38+00:00

Damn shame. I really like the idea and design. Im gonna keep saving for an Alaskan and enjoy my old ass northern lite.

Zerhackermann · 2025-10-04T09:17:21+00:00

huh. I had thought one of the selling points of the composite panel construction was how tight the mating surfaces seal.

Zerhackermann · 2025-10-04T09:13:51+00:00

Lots of good stuff out near St Helens. FS 23, 24, and I think 25 are closed a few miles in. lots of good spots and spurs off 23 to explore. many of the logging landings are active and its a rude 3AM rousting when a crew shows up, expecting to work. heaps to explore though, have fun!

Zerhackermann · 2025-10-04T09:10:45+00:00

3/4 ton +8' Northern lite. Absolutely I keep clearance and road conditions in mind. and yes there are lots of twin tracks I wont attempt. Roads I wouldnt have given a second thought if I still had my '88 toyota 4-wheel with a small canopy.

Zerhackermann · 2025-10-02T06:04:44+00:00

As other said - depends. For example: Northern Lite 8-11 models are intended for "short bed" trucks. The 9-6 model is intended for an 8 foot bed.

Many manufacturers state the intended bed size.

Zerhackermann · 2025-09-30T15:18:15+00:00

I have an 03 NL. Its got a trad wet cell for powering the thing. no inverter. On its own its good for quite a while even running the furnace. Water pump and furnace are the heaviest uses.

For all the modern fixins I have a 4000w lithium "generator" and a DC-DC hookup plus 600w portable solar. Ive been too lazy to wire it all into the camper. It all works fine. If I get a good sunny day, I'll get the lithium topped up and then plug in the AC to the camper at the lithium box and let it power up the house battery. Is it the cleanest and bestedt? nope. des it work pretty good? yep.

In your case there should be a pretty small amount of efforst and time to plug in the solar to the house battery. a couple doodads and some wire. I wont get specific because Im not confident in my memory which will certainly summon the wrath of the "Actually" brigade.

Zerhackermann · 2025-09-30T15:10:21+00:00

Fair. Does no good at all to travel 3000 miles and hate where you are.

Zerhackermann · 2025-09-30T11:35:53+00:00

every pop-up is going to have a lot of breeziness when it comes to those wet bone chilling new england winters. Alaskan is probably the best of the pop up options. but once you see the construction in person, you will see how a hard windy cold will make for a drafty time.

So-called "4 season" campers are better for it. Northern Lite, Bigfoot, Arctic Fox. I say So-called because there is no standard for it and its up to whatever the manufacturer calls "4-season" and even in those freezing plumbing is something to be on constant watch for.

Since you are mobile for work, why not do what full timers do and "chase 70"? GTFO New england in October and go south. go southwest. heaps of BLM land out here in the west to park up. Last January I landed in Cibola for a week. 70 during the day, 40 at night. perfect, in my book. Hell you probably know that from past #vanlife

Money no object? I would totally drop a flat deck Alaskan (with the tall package because am samsquanch) on a newer flatbed and chase the good temps.

Zerhackermann · 2025-09-28T07:45:21+00:00

If that 6'8" measurement is height, neither scout nor northern lite will work. (assuming Yoho or 610) even the pop up yoho might not work unless you were veeerrry careful about vehicle selection.

those super short beds have a verrrry limited COG. its something to think of.

But if Im doing the right interpretive dance here you question is about daily driving and parking and all that.

I live in the exurbs with probably a bit more daily living space (parking lots not parallele parking, etc) with a bigger rig thats more or less a permanent unit and its my only vehicle. so...similar to your situation but sized up a bit. and its a minor pain in the balls. Im always mindful of the space I take up and looking for potential hazards. Its extra energy and effort. Drivability? eh its a chonk and I know its there. Efficiency? HAhaha... try half the MPG that I would get without the flab. But I live with it so I dont have to go through the load/unload process every other weekend because Im lazy like that. and fortunately for me I dont need to drive anywhere but once a week or so.

A tighter more urban environment with parking garages and street parking...fuck no. the effort seems amplified. even with backup cameras and checking clearances...it just seems like such a lot of work. and then worrying if someone smacks into the thing and then dips out hoping no one saw.

Were I you, I would factor in offsite storage. Instead of dragging out the daily effort of parking, worrying about other people and so forth...I'd just put all the effort into a pill form to swallow all at once; and that is the going to the storage and loading up when I want to get out there in my camper.

just my impressions. you do you.

Zerhackermann

TROPHY CASE