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Your thoughts or experiences with slide-in campers

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imcqueen

Your thoughts or experiences with slide-in campers

I’ve got an ‘86 F-250 XL, 460, C6, 4x4.

Truck drives great (and will again when I finish the engine rebuild).

My question is regarding a newer slide-in camper.. anything I should know about putting a slide-in camper in my Bullnose?

Would you do it, or would I be better off buying a newer truck to carry it? I know my GVWR can handle it.

I know I’m gonna get shit fuel mileage. But my last adventure set up was a bumper pull teardrop that I pulled with a 2019 Tundra (and that only got 12-14mpg).

1986 F-250, 4x4, 7.5L 460, C6, SCLB.

85lebaront2

Re: Your thoughts or experiences with slide-in campers

Administrator

I had a 1972 Wolverine 11.5' slide in I used with my 1977 F150. I had replaced the 300 six and C4 with a Camper Special 390 and C6. Truck got 16-17 mpg empty, 10-12 depending on wind towing my 1982 Horizon behind so I had something other than the truck and camper to go shopping in.

I never tried using it in Darth due to the dually fenders, I had also bought a 30 ft 5th wheel trailer to use camping.

The slide in does make the truck top heavy, but newer campers are lighter than that Wolverine, it was pretty solid wood construction sheathed with aluminum. I built a sliding extension system for my rear bumper so it came back far enough to be used for towing the Horizon and it also protected the waste water tanks on the camper.

Bill AKA "LOBO" Profile

"Getting old is inevitable, growing up is optional" Darth Vader 1986 F350 460 converted to MAF/SEFI, E4OD 12X3 1/2 rear brakes, traction loc 3:55 gear, 160 amp 3G alternator Wife's 2011 Flex Limited Daily Driver 2009 Flex Limited with factory tow package Project car 1986 Chrysler LeBaron convertible 2.2L Turbo II, modified A413

Nothing Special

Re: Your thoughts or experiences with slide-in campers

Most newer slide-in campers are HEAVY. They try to compete with travel trailers and motorhomes with everything under the sun in them. One or even two slides aren't uncommon. If you're looking at slide-ins like that, I wouldn't. They will overload a modern 1-ton let alone an older 3/4 ton.

But you did say you knew your GVWR could handle it. If you are looking at a light weight slide-in I think those can be a good option. We used one for almost 20 years in 4 different trucks. Our camper was an ultra-light pop-up. It weighed about 1200 lbs and wasn't as tall as most while traveling. I carried it in a '95 F-150 SuperCab short box, a 2008 F-250 crew cab short box, a 2002 F-350 CCSB and the '97 F-250 CCSB I still have (picture on that truck below).

The 3/4 and 1 ton trucks handled it fine. The 1/2 ton, well, it handled it. That load put me pretty much at my GVWR (like a bit over when people and gear were included). I added air bag helper springs to the rear to make it livable. But my advice based on that experience is don't push your GVWR with a slide-in camper. It could get a little spooky with sway. It didn't happen often, but it simply didn't have much safety margin.

Bob
Sorry, no '80 - '86 Ford trucks
"Oswald": 1997 F-250HD crew cab short box, 460, E4OD, 4.10 gears
"Pluto": 1971 Bronco, 302, NV3550 5 speed, Atlas 4.3:1 transfer case, 33" tires
"the motorhome": 2015 E-450-based 28' class C motorhome, 6.8L V-10
"the Dodge": 2007 Dodge 2500, 6.7L Cummins

85lebaront2

Re: Your thoughts or experiences with slide-in campers

Administrator

That Wolverine was heavy, I found that before slide outs were added it was one of the heaviest campers built, it made that 1977 F150 squat a bit which is why I added some rear helper springs.

Bill AKA "LOBO" Profile

grumpin

Re: Your thoughts or experiences with slide-in campers

I've had a couple of slide in campers. I had a 1977 Western Wilderness with everything but a generator.

It was heavy. Had it on a 1988 F250 and a 94 F250. I was always cutting back on things we brought, food, firewood, how much fresh water I put in it, etc. (Drove my wife crazy!)

A pop up like Bob showed is great if you like those types. Or, if you can do without a wet bath that'll save weight.

I like slide ins, but if I get another RV it will be a trailer. I've had one 19 foot conventional travel trailer, much easier weight wise and campground wise, as it's easier to unload.

If I did get another slide in I would use Stable-Lift mounts.

http://stablelift.com/

Dane
1986 F250HD SC XLT Lariat 4x4 460 C6-Sold
1992 Bronco XLT 4x4 351W E4OD
1998 GMC Sierra SLE K1500 350 4L60E
Arizona

Nothing Special

Re: Your thoughts or experiences with slide-in campers

grumpin wrote

.... A pop up like Bob showed is great if you like those types. Or, if you can do without a wet bath that'll save weight....

Ours was VERY minimalist! It had nothing in it but a bed and a dinette (that was always dropped into another bed). No furnace, no AC, no fridge, no stove, no oven, no sink, no toilet, no water tanks, no propane tanks. No thing.

But it had a lot of storage (under the bed, under the dinette, where the water and propane tanks belonged, where the fridge and oven belonged...). And with the "tent" sections around it all being able to open to screens fo ventilation, it was a great summer camper (and very acceptable down to the 30s with warm enough bedding).

The reason we moved to a motorhome was the bed as we were getting older. It was a nice queen sized bed. But it was a bit of a climb to get into when we were in our 40s. It wasn't easier in our 50s and I didn't see that improving! Plus it went cross-wise, so I had to crawl over my wife to get to my side of the bed. Not great if I needed to get up in the night, or when I woke up earlier than her. Include the fact that it didn't have quite enough headroom to sit up in the bed and we were ready to upgrade.

I should add that when we were looking to upgrade a bigger slide-in camper was on the list. But we couldn't find anything that we liked that wasn't too heavy for my '97 F-250HD crew cab. So we ended up with a motorhome.

Gary Lewis

Re: Your thoughts or experiences with slide-in campers

Administrator

We had a 9 1/2' self-contained camper that we bought when we bought the 1972 F250. That allowed us to pull a small trailer on which we put our motorcycles so we could putt putt around when we got "there".

We used it quite a bit for a few years, but there were several downsides that we noticed and which others have pointed out. It did put us right on the GVWR w/o much of anything in the way of water, food, etc. It was ungainly in the wind, and once was downright scary. The bed in the cab-over was ok when we were in our 20's and 30's, but now in our 70's would be no fun getting into and out of. And setting up the bed in the dinette each night would have been a pain. Plus the motorcycles were ok for exploring forest roads, but didn't work well for shopping or going to church.

If we were to do it over again we'd go with a trailer. A small trailer, maybe a 5th wheel but maybe a bumper-pull. That would keep us below the GVWR of the truck & keep the center of gravity low. Plus we'd have a vehicle to go to town in when the trailer was disconnected. But we wouldn't have the bikes.

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

Dad's: '81 F150 Ranger XLT 4x4: Down for restomod: Full-roller "stroked 351M" w/Trick Flow heads & intake, EEC-V SEFI/E4OD/3.50 gears w/Kevlar clutches
Blue: 2015 F150 Platinum 4x4 SuperCrew wearing Blue Jeans & sporting a 3.5L EB & Max Tow
Big Blue: 1985 F250HD 4x4: 460/ZF5/3.55's, D60 w/Ox locker & 10.25 Sterling/Trutrac, Blue Top & Borgeson, & EEC-V MAF/SEFI

Nothing Special

Re: Your thoughts or experiences with slide-in campers

Gary Lewis wrote

.... If we were to do it over again we'd go with a trailer. A small trailer, maybe a 5th wheel but maybe a bumper-pull. That would keep us below the GVWR of the truck & keep the center of gravity low. Plus we'd have a vehicle to go to town in when the trailer was disconnected. But we wouldn't have the bikes.

There are "toy hauler" trailers, in both fifth wheel and bumper-pull configurations that could carry a few dirt bikes, or at least one bigger street bike. Or with a bumper-pull trailer you could load the bikes in the pickup bed (having carried dirt bikes in a pickup bed when I was in my 20s, I wouldn't recommend that for someone in their 70s!).

Gary Lewis

Re: Your thoughts or experiences with slide-in campers

Administrator

Good point. My brother has a bumper-pull that will hold his RZR and then with it out he has a bed, stove, etc. And his sons have 5th-wheel trailers that have full campers and room for an RZR. But they require pretty serious trucks while my brother's trailer just requires his half-ton.

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

mat in tn

Re: Your thoughts or experiences with slide-in campers

In reply to this post by Nothing Special

seeing this picture makes me want a slide in camper! flat towing the bronco, I could do that too.

Nothing Special

Re: Your thoughts or experiences with slide-in campers

That's exactly why I had a slide-in camper. I want to go camping with my Bronco, so either I need a camper my Bronco can pull, or a camper that can pull my Bronco. And actually it was the '75 CJ-5 I had before the Bronco that was the factor. And it was TERRIBLE on the highway! So camper towing the Jeep (and now Bronco) was the way to go.

Back in '99 when I bought the slide-in I had kids ages 3 and 5, and I didn't have the budget for a motorhome. Plus I had just downsized from an F-250 to an F-150 the year before. So an ultralight slide-in was the best fit.

Fast forward 20 years, and as empty-nesters with a few promotions and raises under my belt, the budget was in better shape. So now the camper that tows the Bronco is a lot nicer (but honestly, I do like driving the F-250 better!)