Renting a truck camper

[Wolfram]

Hello folks.

After our recent trip to South Dakota in our 20? class C motorhome we are considering changing to a truck camper. We do a lot of off road boondocking for our rockhounding and the poor Class C is just not up to the task. We have a 2015 GMC 2500HD rated for a max cargo of 1980lbs and GVWR of 9500lbs. We would like to try out the truck camper before purchasing and was wondering if anyone knew who rents truck campers?

Thanks in advance

Keith & Cindi Newman

 

[Rob&Deryl]

With less than 2000 lbs payload (doesn?t include passenger or personal effects), it better be a pretty light camper.
Maybe a different motor home towing a Jeep would work better for you?

 

[Isaac-1]

Cruise America rents truck campers with trucks from select locations, they started doing this about 2-3 years ago.

 

[Arch Hoagland]

Where do you live?

 

[Ex-Calif]

I had a standard 8 foot slide in camper for a while, it was an older one, very basic and it weighed around 1,000 pounds "empty."

Cons -

1 - No shower
2 - Porta potty
3 - "Minimal" water (like 10 gallons)
4 - No alternating current = no fridge (although LP is possible), no microwave, no aircon...
5 - Like an RV it's not a practical vehicle to go sight seeing at your destination so you might want a toad - TT has an advantage in that you can unplug and use tow vehicle.

I'll stop there as more modern ones may have more features but they will also start weighing a lot more.

Advantage

If you get the weights right you can tow some toys...

I viewed the slide in as 2 steps removed from camping on the ground - after a pop-up.

I started looking at TT, then wanted a Class C and then this Class A showed up so I dove in...

 

[Wi1dBi11]

Finding a place that rents the camper on your truck is unlikely as there are tie down points attached to the frame. So unless you buy those and find a used unit that you could talk the dealer into a rent/demo I think you'll be hard press.  Also, I know people that have these on 1/2 tons but I suppose it depend on the size and type.

Wi1dBi11

 

[winona]

Don't know of a place to rent a truck camper, but my cousin in Colorado has a Tiger camper.  Truck body with camper.  It is very nice, can still tow a Jeep, and boondock off the beaten path.

https://www.tigervehicles.com

 

[Broke Boater]

I had a standard 8 foot slide in camper for a while, it was an older one, very basic and it weighed around 1,000 pounds "empty."

Cons -

1 - No shower
2 - Porta potty
3 - "Minimal" water (like 10 gallons)
4 - No alternating current = no fridge (although LP is possible), no microwave, no aircon...
5 - Like an RV it's not a practical vehicle to go sight seeing at your destination so you might want a toad - TT has an advantage in that you can unplug and use tow vehicle.

I'll stop there as more modern ones may have more features but they will also start weighing a lot more.

Advantage

If you get the weights right you can tow some toys...

I viewed the slide in as 2 steps removed from camping on the ground - after a pop-up.

I started looking at TT, then wanted a Class C and then this Class A showed up so I dove in...

Hey, hey take it easy on us lowly truck camper Peeons,, but  i get what your saying about the old days. My first TC was a 8' Six Pac, some time in the 70's, two tent trailers, a 24' Terry bunkhouse bumper pull, then back to a 9 1/2' Lance TC. The TT was nice especially while the kids were growing up. We did look for a Class C with some guts to tow 10,000lbs, no dice. Our Sal****er boat is 7000lbs on the trailer, not leaving behind.  Then recently looked at a Class A diesel, but no getting that into our hunting/fishing spots, plus we would still need the Ram Dually for the gooseneck horse trailer, too much outgoing just for  insurance and Ca. reg fees. So we looked at TC again and they have gotten pretty nice. Yes heavy too, but they are the right tool for the job given and you can have some nice creature comforts. Just get the right truck to match what you want in a TC. So far we have done a couple fifteen day trips and still want to go longer with our Arctic Fox 992 with a 10'  full wall slide,it feels much bigger inside. For those that haven't looked inside  TC for awhile,  I'll throw this link up for the 992, even though ours is older then the one in the short video, it's almost exactly the same as ours. The construction is the same also,,,gregg

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VPGyumSgMCw

 

[Ex-Calif]

No malice intended. I lived in a slide in mounted on a Datsun 4 banger mini pickup for a year in college. I?d drive to school then drive to work (airport) work a shift and sleep there. There were 3 of us residents.  We had a blast!

Hey, hey take it easy on us lowly truck camper Peeons,, but  i get what your saying about the old days. My first TC was a 8' Six Pac, some time in the 70's, two tent trailers, a 24' Terry bunkhouse bumper pull, then back to a 9 1/2' Lance TC. The TT was nice especially while the kids were growing up. We did look for a Class C with some guts to tow 10,000lbs, no dice. Our Sal****er boat is 7000lbs on the trailer, not leaving behind.  Then recently looked at a Class A diesel, but no getting that into our hunting/fishing spots, plus we would still need the Ram Dually for the gooseneck horse trailer, too much outgoing just for  insurance and Ca. reg fees. So we looked at TC again and they have gotten pretty nice. Yes heavy too, but they are the right tool for the job given and you can have some nice creature comforts. Just get the right truck to match what you want in a TC. So far we have done a couple fifteen day trips and still want to go longer with our Arctic Fox 992 with a 10'  full wall slide,it feels much bigger inside. For those that haven't looked inside  TC for awhile,  I'll throw this link up for the 992, even though ours is older then the one in the short video, it's almost exactly the same as ours. The construction is the same also,,,gregg

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VPGyumSgMCw

 

[TheBar]

If you are not claustrophobic just a tall camper shell can sleep 4 people. 40 years ago I built bunk beds into a long bed shell. A Coleman gas lantern would keep it warm down to the low 20's and I built a window air conditioner mount to the tailgate for the summer. Had to crawl in and out through the back window when the A/C was mounted. The kids and I didn't find that to be a problem but the wife was never really happy for some reason  So the shell is long gone but I'm still driving the same truck.

 

[Tom55555]

Want to know why truck campers were invented? If you want a good laugh check out this short clip or two.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaNdF4YhS2o

 

[Wolfram]

Thanks for all the kind responses.

We live in northeast PA.

Yeah, we realize the wet weight limit likely means a pop-up with limited creature comforts.  That?s not a biggie since we are only going 2-3 weeks a year at this point.  Once we retire then upgrading the truck to accommodate the size of truck camper we want is the plan.  But in the meantime this seemed like the best approach.

Thanks,

Keith & Cindi

 

[Arch Hoagland]

Have a friend here in California that sells truck campers.

You can rent a truck with a camper on it but nobody that he knows of rents just the camper itself.

Good luck trying to buy right now. He is sold out and can't get any into inventory.

I suspect that's the case all around the country.

 

[Wolfram]

So I checked into renting a truck camper at Cruise America. There are limited locations to rent from. From Salt Lake City in August it is about $140/day, plus additional charge per mile of $0.35/mile. There are also other charges, aka taxes that add around $700 more.  Now if you go in winter, the charge drops to the $50-$60 a night range, depending on where you rent from, like Salt Lake or Phoenix. So it?s a little pricey to be sure. And on top of that the truck is 2wd, so off road options are limited.  We were just in South Dakota and the dirt roads need 4wd, particularly after a rain!  Anyways, I am rambling now, apologize for that.  It has been an eye opening exercise.  Thanks again for the good ideas and leads.

Have a good one.

Keith & Cindi

 

[Jkoht]

There are quite a few towable popups of various breed and brand available in off road packages now. Usually they have better ground clearance, better tires and suspension. If I had it my way I'd have an A-frame toyhauler, or coachman clipper popup/teardrop hybrid for when I wanted to get out in the woods light and easy (as compared to my 25 foot TT), but the wife isn't that obliging.

 

[Wolfram]

I appreciate the lead, I will look into that.  The more we have discussed it the more we think a truck camper will suit our needs best. It will allow us to tow something else behind, such as a stock trailer, car, etc. for other hobbies we have. But I will look into your suggestion, thanks for the perspective.

Keith & Cindi