4WC question?

[1976gmc20]

For those of you that have pop-up campers on four wheel drive pickups, how do you reach those front latches?

[Zoomad75]

Originally Posted by 1976gmc20

For those of you that have pop-up campers on four wheel drive pickups, how do you reach those front latches?

If it's on level terrain, I just reach up and unlatch or latch them. But I am 6ft tall too.

However, if I have to park on a rock or log to level it out it can put any one of the latches out of my reach. In that case I just use the little stool I use to get into the camper.

On this campsite, I couldn't reach anything on the driver side of the truck. So the stool got used.


If my truck wasn't lifted 4" and riding on 35" tires I suspect I'd be able to reach the latches in most situations. But that's no fun being stock.

[1976gmc20]

Originally Posted by Zoomad75

If it's on level terrain, I just reach up and unlatch or latch them. But I am 6ft tall too.

However, if I have to park on a rock or log to level it out it can put any one of the latches out of my reach. In that case I just use the little stool I use to get into the camper.

On this campsite, I couldn't reach anything on the driver side of the truck. So the stool got used.


If my truck wasn't lifted 4" and riding on 35" tires I suspect I'd be able to reach the latches in most situations. But that's no fun being stock.

Our pickup is stock but being newer it is really tall. The top of the hood is almost up to my chin! It's about as tall as my old two ton was. I figured we could get in and out the back door using the step bumper or maybe a hitch step. Right now I like to just leave the tailgate shut and open the lift gate, and step up on the bumper and swing one leg and then the other over the tailgate.

Just trying to figure if we ever wanted to upgrade from our high roof topper. It would be nice to sleep cross-ways and be able to stand up, but I hate to think about the height of a real hard side. We probably wouldn't use the cabover at all except for a place to store bedding etc during the day. They used to make non-cabover pop-ups but I haven't seen one in years now.

[Zoomad75]

My buddy Larry's rig pretty close to the same height as mine, but he's shorter than I am. He carries a two step stool along with him to get onto the tailgate to get into his camper as well as reaching the latches when it's time to open or close them.

One thing to note, being a smaller guy than me Larry has been known to just open the door and stand on the rocker and reach up to the front latches. His camper does not have any latches on the leading edge as mine does. For the rear with the swing outs open he can stand on the tailgate and reach around to the rear latches.

You can see the step stool Larry brings along with him in this pic.


But the idea between hardside and popup really depends on the use. You can't get a hardside in some places due to the sheer size that a popup can go. But if you don't want to get into some of the crazy places I've taken mine that's ok. On the flip side, the aero advantage of the popup is pretty nice too.

Now the non-cabover campers are still available. Northstar makes them. Rayzr makes one. Capri is another and even Pheonix makes a pop-up non-cabover version too. Pheonix is who built Larry's camper.

I had a customer that brought in a Rayzr in the back of a 1500 Silverado. Looked really well built. It would be great solo. Two in that would be tough if somebody wanted to sleep in because the bed takes up a ton of space.

[1976gmc20]

I've looked at the Capri cowboy camper really hard, but you can't quite stand up in it and to my knowledge they don't make a pop-up (?). We have a long bed pickup so there is plenty of space to the rear of a cross ways bed. I think something like a Cowboy camper with about a 4'x4' pop-up in the rear half (not the whole roof) would be just about perfect so you could have a spot to stand up to cook inside or just pull up your pants. No need to stand up where the bed is anyway.

I've seen the Rayzr non-cabover stand up camper but only in a short bed. There's also an outfit in AZ ("Rodeo" ?) that makes a non-cabover slide-in. Pretty good "wedge" on the front for aerodynamics but still pretty high for getting under tree limbs. I don't want to tear up my outfit but I want to be able to get back into some pretty lonely places to camp.

Our current topper is about as tall as your pop-up is closed, but it tapers from the sides and front. We have a nice big bed in it but plan to cook outside because there is only a 2' footwell in front of the tailgate. But maybe someday we might take a longer trip and want just a little bit more comfort. Would be nice to get up early and make coffee without going outside.

One thing to note, being a smaller guy than me Larry has been known to just open the door and stand on the rocker and reach up to the front latches.

Yeah, I've been trying to figure out how much of a contortion that would be?

I wish someone would make a non-cabover pop-up that just hinged at the front and provided standing room at the back. Remember those old VW van pop-up roofs?

[Zoomad75]

There are some that have a wedge pop up roof. Here's an article that rounds them up. Only thing is most are geared to smaller trucks like Tacoma's or Colorado's. But Ovrlnd does do an 8ft version.

https://gearjunkie.com/camper-rv/lig...-truck-campers

[1976gmc20]

Originally Posted by Zoomad75

There are some that have a wedge pop up roof. Here's an article that rounds them up. Only thing is most are geared to smaller trucks like Tacoma's or Colorado's. But Ovrlnd does do an 8ft version.

https://gearjunkie.com/camper-rv/lig...-truck-campers

Thanks!


Edit: I want something with a double bed on the lower level. I don't want to have to raise the roof just to stop and sleep for the night. That's why we made sure to get a pickup with a full eight foot bed.

There's an old guy down the road with an old 8' Alaskan Camper but I don't know what condition it is in or if he would even sell it.

[1976gmc20]

I don't know why somebody doesn't make a slide-in pickup camper with a pop up roof something like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uq0LQO_H_kw

[1976gmc20]

Originally Posted by 1976gmc20

I don't know why somebody doesn't make a slide-in pickup camper with a pop up roof something like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uq0LQO_H_kw

I just want to add that in my opinion the above camper trailer is more cute than practical ("wine and cheese" instead of "beer and hot dogs" ).

I just posted it for an example of something with a pop-up that wasn't the whole roof, but just a small raised area so you could stand up in a critical spot - basically the kitchen/galley.

Mitchell in Denver used to make a "fishing hut" non-cabover slide-in camper that had a permanent raised channel right down the middle of the roof, sort of like those old rail cars. That reduces the frontal resistance, and I've found when off on the back roads that it's the outside corner of a camper that usually hits a tree when you run over a rock or stump on the opposite side.

[Zoomad75]

Originally Posted by 1976gmc20

I just want to add that in my opinion the above camper trailer is more cute than practical ("wine and cheese" instead of "beer and hot dogs" ).

I just posted it for an example of something with a pop-up that wasn't the whole roof, but just a small raised area so you could stand up in a critical spot - basically the kitchen/galley.

Mitchell in Denver used to make a "fishing hut" non-cabover slide-in camper that had a permanent raised channel right down the middle of the roof, sort of like those old rail cars. That reduces the frontal resistance, and I've found when off on the back roads that it's the outside corner of a camper that usually hits a tree when you run over a rock or stump on the opposite side.

I get the concept, but it wouldn't work for me. The amount of space that opens up when to top goes up on mine gives the whole thing a more "airy" feeling and is what makes it usable to me My only wish is the whole thing went up another 10-12" higher than it does. Not so much for standing headroom but to allow the ability to sit up while in the upper bunk. Right now I can only lay down on my back or side up there.

[1976gmc20]

Originally Posted by Zoomad75

I get the concept, but it wouldn't work for me. The amount of space that opens up when to top goes up on mine gives the whole thing a more "airy" feeling and is what makes it usable to me My only wish is the whole thing went up another 10-12" higher than it does. Not so much for standing headroom but to allow the ability to sit up while in the upper bunk. Right now I can only lay down on my back or side up there.

Yeah, that's why I'm not too crazy about a cab-over to start with. Sleeping up there would be about like a pilot berth on a sailboat.

What we have is okay. Planning to just cook outside but we/I could fold up the bed and set up camp stool(s) and Coleman stove in the open space. But I was thinking "what if?" for longer trips and it would be nice to be able to stand up to cook in bad weather or make breakfast in the dark - while still not being any taller on the road.

[Zoomad75]

See the Topper lift setup?

https://topperezlift.com/

Takes your topper and lifts it up to allow exactly what you were wanting to do.

[1976gmc20]

Thanks, I don't think that would be that much advantage over what we have. I can stand up stooped over as it is. We can't sleep crosswise in a topper so the bed would have to be folded back to leave much room, and so there couldn't be a permanent counter for a stove, etc.

There's a guy down the road a mile that has an old 8' Alaskan. I don't know the condition but someday I should get brave and ask how much he might take for it? Those are about perfect except I would want to put a sliding window in the lower door so you could use it with the top down.

Otherwise an 8' pop-up would work for what I want as long as it had a double bed on the lower level - and I could reach the latches without too much trouble. But the old front dinette style doesn't seem too popular anymore.

[Zoomad75]

Alaskans are really nice and hold value even better than an FWC unit does. Don't be surprised if they want a firstborn child for it.

[1976gmc20]

Originally Posted by Zoomad75

Alaskans are really nice and hold value even better than an FWC unit does. Don't be surprised if they want a firstborn child for it.

Yeah, they're something like $30K new now so I suppose one that hasn't leaked and rotted is probably worth way more than it cost new (30-50 years ago). You can't buy a new Alaskan in a non-cabover version.

The Capri Cowboy camper (hard-side, low profile, non-pop-up slide-in) starts at about $8K. I think it's about 60" inside so you can't quite stand up. Plus you have to order it and drive to Texas to get it, and they charge several hundred dollars extra for "installation." I'm thinking: "Huh??? Just loan me a pair of jacks for 15 minutes and I'll be on my way."

The only thing I've discovered about the Alaskan is that you need to change out the solid window on the lower door for some sort of sliding mechanism so that you can get in and out with the top lowered. Somehow I always thought they came that way but I guess not.

Our Leer 122 was $2500 new which I thought was crazy but I couldn't find any used canopy to fit a long bed 2016. We needed it for a trip that we had to make last summer. And with the sleeping platform slid back or even removed we can still use the pickup for hauling stuff. The narrow door and aisle of a slide-in wouldn't leave much room for cargo, but it would sure be nicer for a longer term trip. Sometimes I want to say the heck with Montana winters.

[1976gmc20]

I wish they still made ones like these. There are a few around used. I never really liked the front galley layout but I understood they were making the twin beds for a couple buddies or a father/son (back in the "good old days" ). I actually installed some of these brand new (part of the purchase price back then!) when I worked for a Mitchell dealer. But for some reason I just bought an insulated aluminum frame topper, which I later traded off when I went to logging full time and wanted an open pickup and a travel trailer. I didn't like sleeping with gas cans and saws, plus it was better to have my camper trailer parked and then drive a short distance to work.

The famous author John Steinbeck had a camper something like this on a Chevy/GMC pickup for his "Travels With Charley" (his poodle!). I think his camper was another brand and maybe 10' long because it seems like it stuck out to the end of the lowered tailgate. His camper had a front dinette bed, and galley and closet/icebox on either side towards the rear. Not too unlike a basic sailboat cabin.

Oh yeah ... Steinbeck named his pickup/camper "Rocinante"

[1976gmc20]

Well, I did a little more online snooping and I have to post a link to this:

http://www.thecamperbook.com/man-sav...teinbecks-van/

Not a 4x4 but a 3/4 ton GMC