Custom Built Camper for Flatbed Truck Fits Ranchers Needs

Ronnie Walker (not to be confused with Johnnie Walker) had a problem: The cattle rancher had plenty of flatbed trucks available down on the ranch, but most commercial truck campers just don't lend themselves to mounting up on a big flatbed. Ronnie also is an avid fisherman, and so taking along his 20' bass boat was mandatory.

The solution finally presented itself when Ronnie located an Oklahoma firm that could custom build the camper of his dreams. Ronnie asked them, asked them, "if they could build a big one with all the bells and whistles." The delivered "bells and whistles" included a 48" square floor shower stall--find that on your typical "off the shelf" unit! Ronnie's had his rig for three years and he tells Truck Camper News that he loves the rig.

Now when the intrepid rancher/fisherman/RVer wants to see the countryside, his rig mounts up right on his one-ton flatbed. Kudos, Ronnie!

If you've got (or seen) an unusual truck camper you've got a photo of and would like to share it with us, let us know at tcphotos@icanrv.com.

Photo courtesy Ronnie Walker.

Arctic Fox About to Unveil New Model for 2008

You really BIG truck camper fans listen up: Northwood, the Oregon truck camper manufacturer of Arctic Fox is soon to release photos of its new for 2008 double slide truck camper. The company is jealously guarding current photos of the rig, wanting to wait until they have a more formal photo shoot, but we were able to obtain a floor plan and a couple of details.

First, don't count on carrying this new rig on your three-quarter ton. Scaling in at over 4,000 pounds, your standard model pickemups would have to squat to rise--if they even could. Inside amenities of this seeming behemoth include a "neo-angular shower." Neo-angular? Must not be built for Neanderthal "hunter's special" types.

If Northwood's media guy holds true, we may have more details and pictures next week.

Take the Camper Off the Truck When Using It?

There's a question that gets plenty of bouncing about in the TC owner's circle. Do you, or do you not, want to take your camper off the truck when you're "out in the field."

For the most part, the majority answer a definitive: "That depends!" And the depends? The answer there ranges from, "If I have some other form of transportation (ATV, towed car, buddy's vehicle) I'll leave it on the truck," to "If I'm going to be in one spot for more than 2 or 3 days, then I'll take it off," to the "If I'm towing my boat with me, I take it off, because it's so much easier to launch the boat with the camper off the truck."

There are some who'd much rather leave the camper right where it is, and it sometimes seems to have something to do with the loading and unloading process. Newbies to the TC world often seem to have "separation anxiety," as does the distaff side in our family. Admittedly, it does take some amount of effort to off-board and re-board that big old camper. Seems like the older we get, the less inclined we are to go through the motions of driving out from under our big camper.

We did hear one that caused us a bit of a smile: One couple, presumably new to truck camping, was not open to the thought of staying in their truck camper when off the truck: They were afraid that somehow their weight in the "cabover" bed would cause the whole works to topple over on its nose. We have fifth-wheeling friends who are the same way--won't "live" in the trailer unless a tripod is set up under the kingpin. Well, let's put your mind at rest: It would take a very big amount of weight to ever "tip over" a truck camper. My unproven theory is that the amount of weight required to tip over a truck camper would probably "go through the floor" of the cabover section before the rig ever tipped.

What about us? We'll, I guess we fall into the, "That depends," category. The photos are out of our archives. At Bryce Canyon we camped next door in the national forest, but since we weren't too sure about our research plans, we simply left the truck on the rig. Worked out well for us, we had our "home" with us when we needed to rest from the rigors of high elevations. The lower photo finds us unloaded along the Oregon Coast. We could beat around the countryside to our heart's content.

New Truck Camper Owner Discusses $40,000 Purchase

Thinking about buying a brand new truck camper? If you've been looking around at all, you may have had to take the smelling salts with you. New truck campers can run even more money than a comparably equipped "wheeled" RV.

Still, there is something about the "factory new" smell, I guess. Of course, we've never bought a "new" rig, so it's interesting to read about somebody else's experiences. Including the good, the bad, and the ugly--like getting to take your brand new rig back to the factory after "copious amounts" of rain water wash down on your brand new innerspring mattress.

All in all, this discussion forum entry is worth visiting if you're in the market for a new rig, or just want to reassure yourself that you really do LOVE your good old truck camper! Stuffed with text and plenty of photos (including a daring picture of this owner's "weight ticket" with the new camper loaded up) it's an eye opener. Take a look here.