Made my day, glad you like that! I really think people should spend the time on the road before dropping money, if you don't like it when it's as simple as a sleeping bag in the back of a car, you're not going to like it when you have year round maintenance to keep your rig from falling apart.
@nathansaier I mean, it's easy to get distracted by all the things you could have if you shelled out for a fancy camper. But it's also just great advice for anyone doing outdoor sports. I'm constantly telling myself to not upgrade my equipment (MTB, rock climbing, skiing) until it becomes a problem.
I have a 4x4 sprinter, and an arctic fox 811 on a gmc 3500hd diesel. I use the sprinter for work. Thought about converting it until I got in one that had been converted. My arctic fox is waaay roomier and set up better than a converted sprinter. Truck camper is the way to go.
I think a truck camper is by far the best way to go. The only reason the van is a good idea is if you’re old and you feel like you can’t get in it and out of the truck camper it’s on a 4 x 4. I’ve lived in mine for about 11 years now full time. I used to chase the snow, but the resorts got so annoying that I haven’t been doing it for a few years. Yeah diesel heater is good but a propane heater works great you just gotta keep the condensation down. And deal with it so you don’t get mold. It’s really the price point is what I would be looking at. You can get a nice slide in truck camper and a great truck for a third or less of what you would pay for a nice van. I took my shower out and also my hot water heater. They just didn’t seem very practical to me. Maybe one day I’ll put an on-demand hot water heater in, but it’s easy to heat up some water and it’s easy to take a sponge bath. I ended up getting all of that black water tank space as storage and I have a gear locker now instead of a shower, which I remodeled. I have a composting toilet so I don’t need a black tank and I don’t really like holding my shit for very long so I just offload it pretty quickly these days I’m camping in the desert in the winter in Arizona so it’s easy just to bury it and I have a folding toilet that works great. But yeah, I love your rig. It’s definitely the best of all worlds. You have so much more space than a van and you can carry so much more weight. The van definitely have some good points to them but they’re just so overpriced. It seems ridiculous. I have a client that spent almost $200,000 on one of the pre-built ones and all it has done is caused her hassles. All the systems are proprietary, and not that easy to fix. I got lucky and found a 2012 Lance used that I bought in 2014 for $18,500. I had to drive across the country to pick it up, but it was such a good deal and barely used that I was pretty stoked. I don’t think lances are necessarily the best, but the frame is good and so I can change everything else out which I have done most of. I basically redesigned the inside. I think most of us are built like crap. If I didn’t care about being stealthy, I would’ve just built something on the back, but I also didn’t have a great place to do that build out so this was my best option. And if you’re not a handyman, you will become one because I like to say living on a rig/RV is like living on a boat with wheels, there’s always something to fix. It used to bump me out when things would break but now I know it’s just part of the territory and I have a high tolerance now for things breaking, which is great much more peace of mind knowing that it’s just gonna break and I’m just gonna have to fix it.
Awesome, you came to the same conclusion we did this year. Dig the honesty with your review. Ours is a ‘12 NL 8-11. Had a few things to fix, but way better than having a full project to build from scratch. Absolutely pumped on our set up this season. Will keep an eye out for you, if you’re ever up around Meadows or Baker. 🤙
Nice video! Some benefits of the truck camper - A much safer way to drive for passengers. And like you pointed out, larger interior, all the comforts of home, nice place to hang wet stuff. Some benefits of a Sprinter - A safe place to transport mountain bikes and dirt bikes. This was the main reason for me. Also the diesel heater tapped directly into the fuel tank, can run that heater for weeks, just sips fuel. And like you mentioned, no need to exit the driver area to head to bed. But it all depends on what activities you do. For skiing, the truck camper makes a lot of sense, aside form the heater issue. But adding a diesel heater to a truck camper seems like an option. If you don't need to transport bikes, a truck camper is great.
All great points going to be making a video covering 3-5 specific cons and how to address them the propane consumption is out of control so going to install a diesel heater at some point. Also having issues with condensation
100% .. totally agree - very nicely presented. I've been going through the same thought process and only a couple of months ago concluded just as you have. Maybe not the same rig but very similar. Outpost 6.5 on a Tundra is what I'm now looking for. Thank you!!
You probably know this but make sure to figure out how to run a dehumidifier in there in the winter. That and the hypervent under the mattress is garbage. I replaced mine with some 2” blue foam board and have no condensation problems.
Are you referring to the 2” styrofoam you find at Lowe’s/Home Depot? We’re not having great luck with the hypervent, and were eyeing the Froli system, but it’s crazy expensive for a bunch of plastic pieces.
Been running a 96' Bigfoot,9-6 on a 99 f350,4dr PS for years.Sitting on a alum. flatbed with 4 alum. storage boxes and a under mat for gen.Solar and a back up wave heater for boon docking.Tons of storage, done many months long trips and lived in while building a log home threw a MT winter,9 months.Its my hunting set top and I tow a T4R Hill or my built jeep, if I need a run around rig.Fishing trips I have my Woolridge AK jet boat.
I paid 22,000 for my brand new Bigfoot camper back in 2005. I’ll never sell it but I’ve seen them listed for 18 to 20,000. Bigfoot’s and Northern lights really keep their value.
Perfect timing....have been on the fence between Truck conversion or Van conversion....but leaning heavily towards a truck conversion....ie 2018 to 2021 Toyota Tundra with a composite type trailer for 4 season outdoor home away from home!! This just confirms what I am ....leaning towards myself!! Cheers, B 1000 islands Ontario
Stoked to help, I'm going to make a second video talking about more specific problems to watch for, kind of a 3 pros, 3 cons type video. I will warn you with tundras you are going to have very serious fuel economy issues. We have a friend with essentially the exact build you're talking about and they get 7-10mpg. Went diesel (still stock not deleted) and I've averaged 15.5mpg across the last 10k miles, theoretically that could go up with a deleted but I'll be leaving it stock.
Still finding quite a few struggles with it, going to be making a 3 pros, 3 cons type video here soon where I can dive into specifics because I feel like I got overwhelmed with too much to talk about in this first one
Oh and worth noting as I point out the issues to look for im also going provide the solutions we're putting in place, stuff like condensation mitigation, propane consumption etc.
Traveling and skiing? Sweet. So many questions? Cannot believe the size of the sink. Tv monitor? How, where do you park? Up close parking is a fortune over time. Do ski resort have off site parking, then you take a bus in? Totally know nothing on this. Wanna break free. Always end up skiing with rich relatives or siblings where you park the car at the hotel and you are ski in/ski out. This setup would offer so much more flexibility self contained.
Hadn't even thought to do that 😂 filmed most the video after dark in knee deep snow. What sort of questions would you have or want me to cover on the outside
I kind of addressed this in another comment, but this is a 2011 6.7 power stroke completely stock except for some of the breakable bits replaced. (To say not deleted) I went diesel for the increased fuel economy, reliability and for future expansion into a sled trailer etc. I've been getting about 15.5 mpg on average with a low of 13.5 and a high of 17.7 across the last 10k miles. Theoretically with a deleted power stroke or Cummins those numbers could get up in the low to mid 20s. With any gasser, especially tundras (not strong enough to support most full slide ins) you're going to be talking 5-10mpg.
Andrew Muse ...started out with a truck conversion on season one with Booter dog....and then tradegy struck, and he eventually built a earthlike roamer for season 2 and 3....the earth roamers are just too damn expensive !!!
If I had all the time in the world I'd get a 7.3 power stroke, Carli suspension, Bowen flatbed and build up from that with a custom total composite shell. It'd be way better off-road but I'd definitely lose the homey feel of this thing and some of the amenities like a bathroom.
@@nathansaier Thank you ...appreciate that you took the time for advice...much appreciated....Tundra V8 is reliable and durable but sure does drink the gas!! Might look elsewhere now...( hmmm makes you think twice
i have bigfoot c8. 1100lbs! can have it on a ford f150 eco boost. that is the beauty of a truck camper aint it, the truck dies, you can just put it on another one.
"Don't buy a solution for a problem that you don't have yet" -- some of the best advice I've heard.
Made my day, glad you like that! I really think people should spend the time on the road before dropping money, if you don't like it when it's as simple as a sleeping bag in the back of a car, you're not going to like it when you have year round maintenance to keep your rig from falling apart.
@nathansaier I mean, it's easy to get distracted by all the things you could have if you shelled out for a fancy camper. But it's also just great advice for anyone doing outdoor sports. I'm constantly telling myself to not upgrade my equipment (MTB, rock climbing, skiing) until it becomes a problem.
Absolutely! He also gives some really practical and good opinions about the adventure craze. An excellent video from such a young kid.
This advice has stopped me from numerous unnecessary purchases, wise words indeed!
I have a 4x4 sprinter, and an arctic fox 811 on a gmc 3500hd diesel. I use the sprinter for work. Thought about converting it until I got in one that had been converted. My arctic fox is waaay roomier and set up better than a converted sprinter. Truck camper is the way to go.
I think a truck camper is by far the best way to go. The only reason the van is a good idea is if you’re old and you feel like you can’t get in it and out of the truck camper it’s on a 4 x 4. I’ve lived in mine for about 11 years now full time. I used to chase the snow, but the resorts got so annoying that I haven’t been doing it for a few years. Yeah diesel heater is good but a propane heater works great you just gotta keep the condensation down. And deal with it so you don’t get mold. It’s really the price point is what I would be looking at. You can get a nice slide in truck camper and a great truck for a third or less of what you would pay for a nice van. I took my shower out and also my hot water heater. They just didn’t seem very practical to me. Maybe one day I’ll put an on-demand hot water heater in, but it’s easy to heat up some water and it’s easy to take a sponge bath. I ended up getting all of that black water tank space as storage and I have a gear locker now instead of a shower, which I remodeled. I have a composting toilet so I don’t need a black tank and I don’t really like holding my shit for very long so I just offload it pretty quickly these days I’m camping in the desert in the winter in Arizona so it’s easy just to bury it and I have a folding toilet that works great. But yeah, I love your rig. It’s definitely the best of all worlds. You have so much more space than a van and you can carry so much more weight. The van definitely have some good points to them but they’re just so overpriced. It seems ridiculous. I have a client that spent almost $200,000 on one of the pre-built ones and all it has done is caused her hassles. All the systems are proprietary, and not that easy to fix. I got lucky and found a 2012 Lance used that I bought in 2014 for $18,500. I had to drive across the country to pick it up, but it was such a good deal and barely used that I was pretty stoked. I don’t think lances are necessarily the best, but the frame is good and so I can change everything else out which I have done most of. I basically redesigned the inside. I think most of us are built like crap. If I didn’t care about being stealthy, I would’ve just built something on the back, but I also didn’t have a great place to do that build out so this was my best option. And if you’re not a handyman, you will become one because I like to say living on a rig/RV is like living on a boat with wheels, there’s always something to fix. It used to bump me out when things would break but now I know it’s just part of the territory and I have a high tolerance now for things breaking, which is great much more peace of mind knowing that it’s just gonna break and I’m just gonna have to fix it.
Awesome, you came to the same conclusion we did this year. Dig the honesty with your review. Ours is a ‘12 NL 8-11. Had a few things to fix, but way better than having a full project to build from scratch. Absolutely pumped on our set up this season. Will keep an eye out for you, if you’re ever up around Meadows or Baker. 🤙
We had a Northern Lite 10-2. Awesome rig with great quality. You definitely found the best combo out there!
Nice video! Some benefits of the truck camper - A much safer way to drive for passengers. And like you pointed out, larger interior, all the comforts of home, nice place to hang wet stuff. Some benefits of a Sprinter - A safe place to transport mountain bikes and dirt bikes. This was the main reason for me. Also the diesel heater tapped directly into the fuel tank, can run that heater for weeks, just sips fuel. And like you mentioned, no need to exit the driver area to head to bed. But it all depends on what activities you do. For skiing, the truck camper makes a lot of sense, aside form the heater issue. But adding a diesel heater to a truck camper seems like an option. If you don't need to transport bikes, a truck camper is great.
All great points going to be making a video covering 3-5 specific cons and how to address them the propane consumption is out of control so going to install a diesel heater at some point. Also having issues with condensation
100% .. totally agree - very nicely presented. I've been going through the same thought process and only a couple of months ago concluded just as you have. Maybe not the same rig but very similar. Outpost 6.5 on a Tundra is what I'm now looking for. Thank you!!
You probably know this but make sure to figure out how to run a dehumidifier in there in the winter. That and the hypervent under the mattress is garbage. I replaced mine with some 2” blue foam board and have no condensation problems.
Are you referring to the 2” styrofoam you find at Lowe’s/Home Depot? We’re not having great luck with the hypervent, and were eyeing the Froli system, but it’s crazy expensive for a bunch of plastic pieces.
@ yes the hard foam though. Never had problems with condensation sonce
Been running a 96' Bigfoot,9-6 on a 99 f350,4dr PS for years.Sitting on a alum. flatbed with 4 alum. storage boxes and a under mat for gen.Solar and a back up wave heater for boon docking.Tons of storage, done many months long trips and lived in while building a log home threw a MT winter,9 months.Its my hunting set top and I tow a T4R Hill or my built jeep, if I need a run around rig.Fishing trips I have my Woolridge AK jet boat.
Intro is beautiful 👌
And all very well spoken, everything has its pros and cons, and your rig fits you well!
What model Northern Lite is this? The floorplan is excellent.
I paid 22,000 for my brand new Bigfoot camper back in 2005. I’ll never sell it but I’ve seen them listed for 18 to 20,000. Bigfoot’s and Northern lights really keep their value.
Lmao, that's about what I paid hard to find used ones that have had good upkeep
Perfect timing....have been on the fence between Truck conversion or Van conversion....but leaning heavily towards a truck conversion....ie 2018 to 2021 Toyota Tundra with a composite type trailer for 4 season outdoor home away from home!! This just confirms what I am ....leaning towards myself!! Cheers, B 1000 islands Ontario
Stoked to help, I'm going to make a second video talking about more specific problems to watch for, kind of a 3 pros, 3 cons type video. I will warn you with tundras you are going to have very serious fuel economy issues. We have a friend with essentially the exact build you're talking about and they get 7-10mpg. Went diesel (still stock not deleted) and I've averaged 15.5mpg across the last 10k miles, theoretically that could go up with a deleted but I'll be leaving it stock.
Awesome, Northern lite is a premier rig in the TC world.
Still finding quite a few struggles with it, going to be making a 3 pros, 3 cons type video here soon where I can dive into specifics because I feel like I got overwhelmed with too much to talk about in this first one
Oh and worth noting as I point out the issues to look for im also going provide the solutions we're putting in place, stuff like condensation mitigation, propane consumption etc.
@@nathansaier Awesome, that will be good content.
Traveling and skiing? Sweet. So many questions? Cannot believe the size of the sink. Tv monitor? How, where do you park? Up close parking is a fortune over time. Do ski resort have off site parking, then you take a bus in?
Totally know nothing on this. Wanna break free. Always end up skiing with rich relatives or siblings where you park the car at the hotel and you are ski in/ski out.
This setup would offer so much more flexibility self contained.
Let me get back to you on all this might make a complete video detailing how we do everything.
Nice rig......is that 8-11?
did i miss the tour of the outside of the rig??
Hadn't even thought to do that 😂 filmed most the video after dark in knee deep snow. What sort of questions would you have or want me to cover on the outside
Awesome setup!
What about the fuel consumption?
I kind of addressed this in another comment, but this is a 2011 6.7 power stroke completely stock except for some of the breakable bits replaced. (To say not deleted) I went diesel for the increased fuel economy, reliability and for future expansion into a sled trailer etc. I've been getting about 15.5 mpg on average with a low of 13.5 and a high of 17.7 across the last 10k miles. Theoretically with a deleted power stroke or Cummins those numbers could get up in the low to mid 20s. With any gasser, especially tundras (not strong enough to support most full slide ins) you're going to be talking 5-10mpg.
Andrew Muse ...started out with a truck conversion on season one with Booter dog....and then tradegy struck, and he eventually built a earthlike roamer for season 2 and 3....the earth roamers are just too damn expensive !!!
If I had all the time in the world I'd get a 7.3 power stroke, Carli suspension, Bowen flatbed and build up from that with a custom total composite shell. It'd be way better off-road but I'd definitely lose the homey feel of this thing and some of the amenities like a bathroom.
Awildtuan on Instagram is another worth watching dudes going the same route from custom Tacoma build to old f350 flatbed up build.
@@nathansaier Thank you ...appreciate that you took the time for advice...much appreciated....Tundra V8 is reliable and durable but sure does drink the gas!! Might look elsewhere now...( hmmm makes you think twice
i have bigfoot c8. 1100lbs! can have it on a ford f150 eco boost. that is the beauty of a truck camper aint it, the truck dies, you can just put it on another one.
Subscribed I like you!
They look awful so they will be less tolerated. They are top heavy.