Learn me slide-in campers

I dunno, why not?

I've got an '88 GMC 1500, 8ft bed, regular cab. Thinking it might be fun to screw around this summer with a couple dirtbikes and a slide-in. I've never even been inside one of the things, though, so maybe I'm getting a little ahead of myself.

My truck's a stripper with a 305 and an auto, but it seems to not mind a heavy load in the bed - I've had a couple yards of mulch and it didn't make it any slower to go or stop than it already is. But I'm guessing helper springs or airbags would be wise for a camper and a light trailer, eh?

What do I need to know about low-budget RVing?

I've got nothing useful to add, other than a friend's brother's neighbor is building his own from scratch. I've seen it, looks like he's using cabinet-grade plywood.

It's certainly grassroots, but doubt it's cheaper than buying used. In his case, I heard it had something to do with finding one that fit his new Ram.

slide in campers can be cool... and a cheap way to get more usage out of your truck (or saab)

(hotlinked for her pleasure)

Tiny Tiny Tiny!

Not much to say but... My parents bought a pop up "truck bed camper" to fit a longbed GMC S15 (yes, a little truck) back in 1986. Both truck and camper were new, I think the truck might have had an option for heavier loads, like a tow package or whatever. The S15 was a 2.8L V6 with a four speed manual. That truck and camper made a number of long trips all originating in Michigan to such far flung locals as Wyoming, Florida, West Virginia, and the UP (from the southern end of the state). I was a kid for many of these trips, but I don't recall much drama, but I do recall it was somewhat of a challenge getting up and down mountains, and it was noticeably blown around by high winds. That truck lasted over a decade despite all of the abuse until the intake manifold gasket went south, which I understand was a common failing of that generation of GM 2.8 v6. The camper fit a set of parents and a small son reasonably comfortably. The primary bed was over the cab, and the dining area table converted into a small bed for me (cool feature, involving velcro, etc.). Our family did pretty much outgrow the camper when my brother was born and I started getting taller. Good memories in that thing though.

I've camped in them, and traveled through the mountains in trucks with them. Haven't owned one myself.

They weren't particularly comfortable to camp in, and were very poorly made. That does seem to have changed greatly in recent years. Though those improvements come with a tremendous price increase.

Remarkable how they would make the truck pitch and sway and roll. Felt like the truck was going to fall over at any moment. Most unpleasant to drive. The bigger the box, the worse the problem. Back in the day, those boxes were heavy and high. The modern ones probably aren't as bad, and I'm sure the pop up types are not.

Getting them in and out of the truck is remarkably difficult and time consuming. It's no quick and easy task. Makes one far more unwilling to use the box, or to use it right.

With a couple of dirt bikes and camping you're talking either box in the bed for camping and a cargo trailer, or a camper trailer with the bikes in the truck. I think I'd rather put the bikes in the truck and pull a pop-up camper.

Modern ones are heavier.

My '78 Frontier only weighs 1600 lbs and it's the biggest 8' in the lineup. That's three-way fridge, stove, sink and furnace.

The lightest new 8' that I could find was 2200 lbs, it had all the same stuff but everyone expects tile floors and fancy interiors so the weight goes up.

I use mine a lot, it's great for trolling swap meets far from home.

I run Firestone bags in the back of my truck and it helps with the roly-poly feeling a lot.

Shawn

makes me wonder if anybody ever combined an inbed camper with a popup.. so that it would sit nice and compact behind the cab.. but expand to be roomy inside when you are parked?

foxtrapper wrote: They weren't particularly comfortable to camp in, and were very poorly made. That does seem to have changed greatly in recent years. Though those improvements come with a tremendous price increase.

I hate all campers, but I especially despise slide-ins. They more often than not are really poorly made. The new ones are very expensive, and they may be better, but they still aren't great.

Being an insurance adjuster you learn to hate a lot of things you previously thought were kinda cool, but conversion vans and campers rank at the absolute bottom of "please, let the thing burn to the ground before I get there to look at it".

mad_machine wrote: makes me wonder if anybody ever combined an inbed camper with a popup.. so that it would sit nice and compact behind the cab.. but expand to be roomy inside when you are parked?

Yes they have:

Pop up full size truck Camper

I've also seen ones with slides to expand the width.

-Rob

I had a friend buy a 20 year old f-250, 200,000 miles,rust etc. He paid $500. When he came back 3 hours later to get the truck it had one of these campers in the bed. The seller said the camper goes with the truck or no deal. So he takes the entire package to another friend's farm and unloads the camper there for " a few days". 10 years later it has been to many music festivals in several different truck, serves as a guest bunk house or fight with the lady refuge and a good spot to mount a tarp and shoot targets while drinking "cold pop" (the refrigerator still gets frosty) I recommend one if you can get a good deal on it. It has been named Man Land.

Not sure what your budget is like, but there are lots of small toy haulers out there that might do what you need with a little more security and easier to drive.
From open trailers in front of a camper: Open

To cargo trailers with beds: Linky

To nicer ones: Link

(I've been kicking around ideas a couple of years now for an inexpensive way to haul karts and not have to rent a hotel room)

-Rob

I like those toy haulers, but I'm looking at '80s era slide-ins for like $1500 on the high end for nice (looking, on craigslist) ones. I'd just as soon pull a light utility trailer with the bikes, but I can certainly appreciate the idea behind those toy hauler trailers.

This is just a lark inspired by the fact that I have a vehicle that can haul in ten years, and it seems like a slide-in might be a nice upgrade from a Wal-Mart tent.

http://columbus.craigslist.org/rvs/1752719522.html

Buy, pick up and bring to Mid-Ohio in August.

I see pop ups campers all the time at or below that $1000 price tag... then again it does need another tag :-/

FWIW, we discussed this subject a few months ago and a number of good comments were made.

As my truck is already set-up for one (btw - some mods to the truck are required), I've looked at slide-ins quite a bit. The problem with many of the smaller ones (like the one above in Ohio) is they generally don't have the one thing I really want a camper for - a bathroom.

Really nice ones - with slide-outs and bathrooms with showers - sell for good money. Even used. Let's face it. They aren't really that popular and old ones don't seem to age well.

Most of the current manufacturers don't recommend anything smaller than a 3/4 ton and many want a 1 ton for the larger slide-ins. As mentioned, they aren't light.

A guy around the corner from me had one of those. The first time I drove by it, I thought I was hallucinating.

mad_machine wrote:

Oh... and I've been driving by a pop-up slide-in during my commute to work for the past couple of months... I should stop and give them a call...

A friend had one. An Avion. It was fancy for it's day, but it was still crude, small, and heavy.

I'm curious to see what this one sells for... especially since it's local to me.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330438822351&fromMakeTrack=true&ssPageName=VIP:watchlink:top:en

modernbeat wrote: A friend had one. An Avion. It was fancy for it's day, but it was still crude, small, and heavy.

That is friggin sweet.

I've found a couple with a/c and a bathroom here. I'm on the fence about both for my purposes.

go flip pac

They're great for race weekends, but I wouldn't want to live in one.

the flip pac is nice.. that was what I was thinking when I mentioned Popup style. Could probably even make one with a swing down rear to give even more room inside.

Sort of like a tent, but with more protection from the elements and critters