1. Towing capabilities. We want to be able to tow various toys behind my rig so that narrowed the choices to two - a class IV motorhome or a truck camper. don't want to tow two trailers, and we have too many toys to haul everything in the back of a truck.
2. Maintenance. If we were to get a motorhome, that would mean quite a bit more maintenance. The times that we would use it, I would worry about making sure the oil was changed, tires were ok, insurance and registration were up to date - plus all of the RV capability maintenance: water, battery, heater, fridge, etc. With the camper, I can just make sure my truck is maintained (which I do) and do the RV maintenance that I would normally do.
3. Maneuverability. We own a short bed pickup (which limits my camper options, but I do not want to drive a long bed truck while not hauling my camper) and so attaching a camper would be quite similar to driving a pickup without the camper. We also have four wheel drive where we would not have that luxury in a motorhome.
Those were the major decisions that influenced our decision to get a camper.
Now, which brand of camper and which model. To us, there was no real decision. We saw some Lance models at an RV show and we were hooked. Their quality was far superior to any others that we have seen. They have tested their campers in below zero climates and have received the distinguished award of being "Alaska-Tested-Tough."
In the beginning, I had thought that it was between Lance and Artic Fox. But at that RV show, when I stepped into the Lance, my first impression was that there is no comparison. It was either Lance or nothing. That was quite a few years ago and have since visited a number of dealerships with different camper brands. My thoughts have not changed. Lance just makes better campers.
Now to which model? Like I mentioned, I own a small bed pickup truck which narrows my options, and since I have chosen a Lance, that narrows the options even further. We have currently have 3 children ages 8, 5 and 2. Many thoughts come and go about how many beds are important to have. When we go camping, it would be really easy to kick the older kids out in a tent and have them fend for themselves. So in that instance, having only one or two extra beds in the camper would be sufficient. But the problem comes when we just are not using the camper for camping - rather vacationing to different places across the US. The Lance models that would most fit our use are:
815
845
861
Up until last year, those were the options that were available to us. Then Lance came out with an entirely redesigned camper that would fit in a small bed pickup:
830
This camper has the option of the queen size tent in the rear, along with the dinette that folds down into a bed. This was almost a revelation to us! This is exactly what we had been looking for. This gave us enough flexibility for the kids to almost have their own room, yet roomy and spacious enough for the rest of us. The bathroom is large enough. There is plenty of storage available. It is actually a little bit longer and wider than the others above.
I can only see a couple of drawbacks:
- no oven - only a two burner stovetop.
- no built in generator available.
They are easily remedied, though. We don't bake very much when we are camping nor would I see that we would bake much while vacationing. The times that we do need to bake, we can bring a dutch oven a cook in that. And the two burner cook top? We don't hardly cook in the camper, either!
The generator is just a convenience issue. There is a nice outdoor storage spot that is almost designed for a small 1-2kw generator to fit. Having a built in generator would be nice to turn it on and off from the camper itself. With a tethered generator, it requires physically going outside and turning it on or off. What a bother.
So, the camper is chosen. We are still looking for one but plan on purchasing it as soon as the camper and funds present themselves. Until then, I have to plan on how to outfit the truck.
