Hey all, new member here. I'm in the market for used slide-in camper, anyone have any recommendations of what brands to look for or stay away from? So far, the Arctic Fox A990 is catching my eye, but I've heard of problems w/ delamination. Any help would be much appreciated.

 

Campers are a highly subjective item to select, and it really depends on your use.

I use one for elk hunting, and it is an old aluminum skinned 9' Caveman I bought new in 73 that I drop off at elk camp. The upside is that I do not worry about banging it into a tree or two. The skin just unscrews and gets the damaged sections replaced at the end of each hunting season, and the painted aluminum waxes like a car once a year and it looks like new. The upside is that it requires no electricity, as all the appliances and lights are propane without any electronic controls. The water spiggot is a pump deal, and hot water is a pan on the stove. The shower is a bucket with holes that hangs outside in the snowbank. Now, my wife will not set foot in the thing, so we have a diesel pusher motorhome for when she goes, but it cannot get ten feet off the road, sucks a ton of fuel, and simply ain't much fun where I want to go.

A friend of mine has a late model glass bodied 9.5' camper, and he has spent some money in the last few years fixing dings and glass delaminations from our elk hunting trips. But, nothing that would be beyond reason, or that could not have been avoided with a bit of care.

Regarding delaminations, the fiberglass units require a significant amount of waxing and surface care and maintenance and cannot be torqued from uneven loading or unloading or the glass will develop stress cracks which lets water in and causes delamination. If you do the waxing as necessary, keep them stored out of direct sunlight (just like a boat), and use care and common sense, all I have seen do just fine. You get lazy and do not wax one, or leave it in the hot sun for a season, and you will have problems.

The old metal skinned versions require annual resealing of the top where it meets the vents and sides, and wax to keep the finish like new.

If I were not so cheap I would buy a new or newer glass bodied camper, and not worry about it at all. They sure look nice and are lighter than the older composite units.

 

I have a Arctic Fox 990 and would highly recommend it. It is loaded to the gills and works like a dream. I only wish it was lighter but that comes with the territory of having every option.

 

Also, as far a maintenance of the outside...3 years now and I only wash it. Never waxed it and doesn't look like it needs it. Probably good to do though.

 

Good info RCW. I've started looking for some type of less expensive slide in for my truck, mainly for hunting fishing and the beach. Don't want a real heavy one either. Good points to keep in mind.

 

Look at as many TC's as possible, Don't jump at the first
one ( unless it's a real deal ), The more you look at the them more things you will notice,

Leaks are a BIG item, look for stains, and press the panels
with your finger, feel for soft spots, dry rot, bad...

I wood stay away from Caribou, ( Fleetwood )

Bigfoot & Northern lite are good, I always liked the shadow cruisers, Light weight, but the 8 & 9.5 " are a little tight.

I have a Alpenlite now, it's ok, warm, but had a
manufacture defect, bad sealent in lower wall trim strip,
water intrusion caused dry rot, Many hours to fix..

This is my 4th TC, 1st was a shell that I did over inside,
Second was a Sun Line, very good unit
3rd, A Hideway, OK, but had a leak that finnaily did it in.
an now a Alpenlite,

If I could afford new, Probably a Big foot.

Enjoy....

 

I bought my Arctic Fox 1 1/2 years ago and haven't had 1 problem yet. As stated earlier though, they are heavy, my 860 w/slide out and all the options fully loaded weighs 4900lbs. No issues at all, and I absolutely love it, couldn't be happier with it. It gets used most weekends in the summer, and I've had it out for a week in -27'c during the winter, amazing units.

 

I picked this one up late last summer for $3500. Fully self contained 1994 Lance. Everything worked and was in great shape inside and out.

 

Good info, guys. Thanks a bunch.

 

Be patient and shop around.
I got a 89 Cascade self contained for $3k. All the appliances work, excellent condition and no water damage. Cushions and upholstery need replacement, but wife is happy to redecorate. Cramped for a family of four, but we only use it to sleep and hide from the heat of the day.
As with any slide in, it needs a full maintenance before this year's use.

Have you thought about tie downs?

 

If you are handing like myself and patient then you can find an older one like I did.

I found this one for $500

it is a 1974 that weights 1200Lb fully loaded.. that is water, food, supplies, luggage, etc...

I met an older guy that had it and had not used it in years.. but he kept it in a covered car port the entire time.. so roof, sides, wood are all perfect.. just keep your eyes oen.

 

I'll probably go w/ frame-mounted (Torklift) tie downs as I've read that the bed-mounted style can damage the bed. Also looking at the extended hitch since whichever camper I end up w/ will most likely be serving as jobsite quarters for out of town work part of the time, so I'll be pulling a flatbed trailer full of tools and material. I would assume with anything longer than an 8' camper, one would need some sort of hitch extension.

 

I wanted to go with Torklift, but my low ground clearance (2wd plus running boards) forced me to Happijac. Discovered Happijac is a very good system on the front side. Rear mounts on the bumper need reinforcement.
edit
Forgot to mention that Happijac MUST have the front bar to link the left & right sides together plus attach to the bed frame. I got a heavy wall tube from local steel shop for $7 compared to the Happijac thin wall tube for $35

I have a 8½' camper and the receiver hitch is fully accessible without an extension.

I estimate the bed weight is around 2,500 lb fully loaded. This is on the light side compared to most self contained units.