Finally managed to get out for my first night in my camper Friday night. Quick overnight about 2.5hr drive away. Full workday and left after dinner so arrived in the dark. Found a spot, was level enough, opened the camper and passed out. Woke up at sunrise and started mtn biking. Was able to finish up early before the storms came in and got home to the missus without getting in any trouble.
Build 427. F150 supercrew, 5.5ft bed. Picked it up in November. I’m in CO so things were too cold and snowy (for me) to camp locally, and then things got crazy all spring.
I’m 39, been backpacking and car camping (with a tent and sleeping in a car) most of my adult life. Busy with work m-f so one or two night weekend trips are a priority for me. Longer trips will be few and far between.
Main takeaway for me is that the camper is exactly as awesome as I hoped it would be.
The positives:
So so nice to only need enough room for my truck. Saves so much anguish over trying to find a good tent spot
I was also pretty impressed with the mattress. I’m a side and back sleeper and I was super worried it would be too stiff and I’d end up with a sore back in the morning. So I bought a 1.5in mem foam topper but forgot to throw it in the truck before leaving. So I just slept on the original. By the morning I was only slightly but i got a really great night sleep. I will still want to figure out a way to use the topper but very pleasantly surprised
Absolutely love
- how fast it is to do the set up and tear down.
- how fast it is to pack and unpack at home
- and I can’t stress this one enough, how nice it is to be able to get dressed and undressed standing up in the morning
- how much room there is in the xl camper. I’ve got a daughter on the way so we will see how it goes with the wife and kid but seems like it will be pretty great for many years to come
Things to do:
Really need to figure out a way to store my bike more efficiently. It takes up a lot of room. Think I will build something like that bike slide I’ve seen on here but will need to be able to remove it really easily
I do want to find a fan that will work off of its own battery overnight
A surprise takeaway:
As easy as it is to set up and tear down the tent, you do still have to be cognizant of how much junk you take up to the mattress area (upstairs). The more you take up the more you have to bring down before you can pack up. DUH, I know
Little nags about the camper:
- No bugs last night but I do have some pretty bad gaps in my v2 tent. I need to try the Velcro, backer rod, or weather stripping.
- I don’t get the roll up process for the rear of the tent at all. There doesn’t seem to be a half way option, and when rolled all the way up it hangs up there like a limp noodle. Same for the side door. Hopefully just user error, but not thrilled about that
- really would like to see a factory add-on option from GFC for a rear awning. I got a little rain in the morning right before sunrise and I felt like I had to scramble to close the rear flap
Overall just super happy with my camper and can’t wait to get some more nights in it
