Let's See Those HDs With Slide-In Truck Campers!

[Chuck FB]

2 hours ago, lineman1234 said:

I  did the portable ac unit for a little wile, it worked fine. Then after the first full week in the camper, ordered a low profile roof 9.5 btu unit to free up the limited floor space.

Not a cheap ac unit, but works great. $1,200 for the ac unit with dry mode. Another $400 for heat pump option didnt make sense as electric heaters work better. 

      2 800 watt wall plug in heaters, work great, i have 2 zone heat, up top, and below now. I dont use the propane unless i need to, and havent needed to, except the on demand hot water heater.

          Putting that ac unit in alone in the camphood, i realize why the instructions say 2-3 people recommended. 

 

          I was in between Carlsbad and Artisia  NM last winter for a month with the 5ver, not much going on there. I did go to the alian museum in Roswell, and that was really a tourist trap. Never did go to the caverns. 

 

It wouldnt be hard for a person to use the 4 non used spaces front/back of the wheel wells to put stuff, and or carry water or waist there. 

 

 

 

The heat circuit in an air con unit would be fine to have, I've never looked into how much actual heat they put out though and would depend on the unit. It would be more for convenience sake than anything as it would take up no more room and certainly if one was in a camp ground with full hookup and cool out, using it if one had it. Otherwise like you say your able to use small portable units and set them were you want vs that one central heat coming from the ceiling. I get the idea most of those air con units are heavy awkward pigs to get up onto a roof, I imagine that was all sorts of fun LOL. 

 

I did go through Carlsbad caverns during the middle of summer ( the last time I've been any distance down into the USA ) and I definitely recommend the caverns although in the middle of winter I doubt the bats fly out like they do during the summer once evening comes as I took that event in as well and I found that quite interesting sitting there at the natural entrance as they bats came out like a tornado and flew off into the evening to hunt for bugs. During the middle of the day it was hot there outside in the parking lot or anywhere outside but the cave is such a relief from the heat. Yes I also did go through Roswell and went through the museum and yes, it was an utterly fantastic waste of money . I think I stepped into at least one of the completely corny touristy stores along main street and it took a lot of will power NOT to buy my very own green alien blow up doll ... but it was a good laugh though to see some tourists actually buying that crap. It was hot out, I think the readout in town showed 104 which for some people is nothing but its hot to me. I actually drove across the state line that first evening after the bat show performance to Guadalupe NP campground as there is not a thing near Carlsbad caverns itself to camp at but that was a gong show as it was in the middle of the night and a total frenzy as others were doing the same thing. I never had a chance to enjoy the park and its the wrong time of the year as one would bake to do any hiking in the mountains, winter time would be the time to be around there I would assume. 

 

Speaking of those spaces within the wheel well area that some campers make use of behind the rear wheel wells with built on storage boxes as part of the structure width, that can't be done with a camper that is meant for a variety of box lengths. My bother still owns an older camper and truck that sits in a shed and its a 10'6" or so sized camper but dates back to the early 1970's and its made for an 8 foot truck bed and so it has external storage access from the rear of the camper into those spaces behind the wheel wells. Then up front in the base of the camper as there is no sewer works/basement in campers from back then, there are two doors, one on either side that open up to access those dead space area's ahead of the wheel wells as they thought of that back then. We would store rubber boots etc in one of them up front as after all it was not weather proof storage. These days with basements and such, that takes away that place where one had access in front of the wheel wells. With your camper sitting further back and the fuel tank I assume across the whole width there would not be much room left in front of the wells but behind them and that your camper hangs out back, that is where if one made some type of storage boxes or semi enclosed enough that it would contain items but use weather proof containers to store items in and then place into that space as yes otherwise its a space that isn't being utilized. 

[Mike Payne]

Lance 825. This is my 3rd truck camper.  I custom ordered my truck for the purpose of a truck camper. It's a 3500HD with a GAS ENGINE.  Could not be more happy with the set up.  My previous setup was a Lance 1181 on a 2017 3500HD Dually.   I weighed the rig as you see it, full water and equipment with me (170lbs) included.  Total weight 10,720 lbs.  GVW is 11,550.  Im under GVW.  Tough to do with a hard side truck camper.  The 825 is only 86" wide with less height as well.    I love the gas engine.  I have owned 3 different Duramax's.  Great engines but I dont need 1000 ft. lbs of torque to haul 3k lbs.  

I did add the Hellwig rear stabilizer and the torklift upper stable loads.  Truck sits level.  Stable loads only raise rear by 1/2-3/4".   But everything adds up.  I take them off when the camper is off to give it the stock level of ride comfort.  

Edited January 28 by Mike Payne
Adding more info

[dieselfan1]

That's a nice setup.

[Chuck FB]

3 hours ago, Mike Payne said:

Lance 825. This is my 3rd truck camper.  I custom ordered my truck for the purpose of a truck camper. It's a 3500HD with a GAS ENGINE.  Could not be more happy with the set up.  My previous setup was a Lance 1181 on a 2018 3500HD Dually.   I weighed the rig as you see it, full water and equipment with me (170lbs) included.  Total weight 10,550 lbs.  Im under GVW.  I love the gas engine.  I have owned 3 different Duramax's.  Great engines but I dont need 1000 ft. lbs of torque to haul 3k lbs.  

I did add the Hellwig rear stabilizer and the torklift upper stable loads.  Truck sits level.  Stable loads only raise rear by 1/2-3/4".   But everything adds up.  I take them off when the camper is off to give it the stock level of ride comfort.  

 

I looked up the specs of your camper and comparing to some of the other current Lance campers, as well as trying to dig up some information on the no longer made 1181. There is a vast difference in dry weight and size of the two campers to put it mildly and for a single rear wheel truck a camper like this weight wise works without being overloaded when filled up ready to hit the road. However how on earth did you ever cope with downsizing from what you had with all the features and room you had in your former camper to this one. Everything from now having one propane tank so no backup fuel supply for the fridge, small fridge and the list would go on and on with what you had and now don't have for storage room and stand up room and so on. 

 

Your truck, did you order it with heavier torsion bars and if so what front gross axle weight rating is it now ?. Those scissor type expanding stairs, where do they go when folded up as I am assuming they have to come off and be stored elsewhere ?. I notice you have a hitch extension stuck into the receiver, are you towing something or have a bike rack you slide into it ?. 

 

So I have a truck that is very similar to yours I bought last year, standard box crew cab with the gas and its also a 3500. When I look up camper specs and ones that more catch my eye they are plenty heavy as in getting almost to your total packed weight which would put the truck well over on the rear axle and being a srw would be bad news. The smaller campers tend to not have as high a ceiling height and that is an issue for me being 6'4", being able to stand up in the shower is a no go in some of the campers or sitting upright in the upper bed area. I always circle back to the dually and camper theme as being the more fully equipped setup and if you read through this thread it was myself who commented on what my brother has and he tows a TJ to be able to run around with.  The problem is that buying a truck specific just to use a camper some and a large expensive camper and a decent vehicle to tow behind, that's about a 300000.00 touch here in Canada if not more and why I don't have such a unit !. 

[Another JR]

4 hours ago, Mike Payne said:

Lance 825. This is my 3rd truck camper.  I custom ordered my truck for the purpose of a truck camper. It's a 3500HD with a GAS ENGINE.  Could not be more happy with the set up.  My previous setup was a Lance 1181 on a 2018 3500HD Dually.   I weighed the rig as you see it, full water and equipment with me (170lbs) included.  Total weight 10,550 lbs.  Im under GVW.  I love the gas engine.  I have owned 3 different Duramax's.  Great engines but I dont need 1000 ft. lbs of torque to haul 3k lbs.  

I did add the Hellwig rear stabilizer and the torklift upper stable loads.  Truck sits level.  Stable loads only raise rear by 1/2-3/4".   But everything adds up.  I take them off when the camper is off to give it the stock level of ride comfort.  

I am with you on the gas engine choice. I am totally happy my 2021 L8T with 6L90 for hauling my truck camper and for the towing I anticipate (max 7000 lbs plus camper). It’s quiet in the campgrounds, doesn’t mind short trips, and has plenty of power for my needs. I get 17.5 mpg empty on the highway and 15.5 with the camper on the highway. 

[jake111]

For many, many years, we have had a bike rack on the back.  With hitch extensions, I could make a big enough gap to open the camper door and get in/out with the bikes mounted.  I welded a step (black tongue sticking out under scissor steps) so we could step there, then on top of the hitch extension, and into the camper.  As needed, we used a little step stool on the ground to get to the hitch step.  With knee problems/replacement, wife can't yet step up that high, so I had to figure out a way to get more steps.  Below are the pictures.  The scissor step that came with the camper can rest on the hitch extension, and I built a wood structure to support and hold it in place.  Works great and (most importantly) wife is happy.

 

I added Timbrens in the back.  It raised (at the axle) the truck about an inch, which is what I wanted.  Yes, it rides just a tiny bit rougher . . . a lot like a 3500!!  Hit some decently gusty winds in the mountains on the last trip and I think these made a big difference.

 

Chuck mentioned a concern about only having 1 propane tank.  I had that concern 19 years ago.  Over the years I realized that I carry propane adapters and a spare 1 lb. canister.  In the rare event you ran out of propane, just hook up the little canister.  It'll run the refrigerator and heat water on the stove for a few days.  Ok, probably can't run the heater or water heater.  Actually, I also carry a 1 gallon propane tank for my propane generator that I never use.  I've even had a stray thought about taking out one of my propane tanks and using the space for a 2nd house battery . . . still just a stray thought.

 

If anyone is wondering, the tie-down strap in the lower picture puts tension on the bike rack so it doesn't rattle around.  When bikes are on rack, another tie-down helps stabilize them (just snug tension).

 

 

 

[Mike Payne]

How did I downsize?  It was 4 of us in the Lance 1181.  It's just me now.  Kids grown, divorced.  The steps fold up quickly and are secured to rear of camper with 2 preinstalled rubber straps.  The steps have a stored "home position" to make it easy.  I also have an 18" extension with a swing away bike rack when bringing a bike.  The 1181 was mostly comfortable with 4 people inside.  The 825 feels cramped with just myself.  I guess it's an adjustment but I like the "efficiency" of the truck and camper physical size.   

Having owned previous truck campers, the wet wight of my camper does not surprise me at all.  It's a good lesson based on the Lance website showing the 825 weighs 1795 lbs. To be fair, the listed weight is dry and NO OPTIONS.   Im basically 2800 lbs.   I do have (3) 100aH Lithium house batteries and a portable generator on board when I weighed the rig.  

[Chuck FB]

1 hour ago, Mike Payne said:

How did I downsize?  It was 4 of us in the Lance 1181.  It's just me now.  Kids grown, divorced.  The steps fold up quickly and are secured to rear of camper with 2 preinstalled rubber straps.  The steps have a stored "home position" to make it easy.  I also have an 18" extension with a swing away bike rack when bringing a bike.  The 1181 was mostly comfortable with 4 people inside.  The 825 feels cramped with just myself.  I guess it's an adjustment but I like the "efficiency" of the truck and camper physical size.   

Having owned previous truck campers, the wet wight of my camper does not surprise me at all.  It's a good lesson based on the Lance website showing the 825 weighs 1795 lbs. To be fair, the listed weight is dry and NO OPTIONS.   Im basically 2800 lbs.   I do have (3) 100aH Lithium house batteries and a portable generator on board when I weighed the rig.  

 

I can see how that would change the picture rather drastically although I can speculate that in some ways you would not have minded still using what you had with the former rig for its interior room and what you could stuff away inside of it, the downside being a more portly rig and wider/taller/longer to park. 

 

That makes sense Lance has a setup to contain the style of steps they chose, I think some with older campers have adapted the same style steps to use them but with no proper way of them remaining mounted. From what I see it seems most of the camper companies out there play the weight game with publishing weights based off of a weight only for the base camper with no options and sometimes they delete the jacks from the weight, no batteries included in the figure and so forth. They know full well if they told the truth or published the weight of a fully optioned unit, buyers would not buy it if they were paying attention to weights and realizing the truck they have or want to limit themselves to is not adequate. 

 

I was rather surprised that you ordered your truck with the standard front torsion bars as I expected to see either the camper axle weight spec or the plow package, I've been surprised how many on this forum have trucks with the plow package on a gas truck which jumps the front axle up to 6000 lb, the same as the duramax version with the plow prep. Your current front axle weight proves you don't need anything more for your setup but somehow GM seems to think your truck ( and mine the way I ordered it also with the 4800 lb front ) is not fit to carry any sort of slide in camper as I imagine you have that sticker or paper warning in your glove box as well. I see your truck has the sunroof which I decided not to get due to potential issues with them and where I live I would never use it up here anyway and it slightly reduces the head room although in hindsight I don't think it would have been the issue I first though it might be after sitting in a couple of different trucks as their seats were not down as much as I use mine as I run mine right on the bottom ( also helps so I can see the traffic lights at an intersection without always having to duck down/ lean forward to see them ). 

 

These figures might interest you though being that our trucks are very similar but not quite the same due to items I decided to add to mine. So while no sun roof which adds a certain amount of weight, I have the double alternator and two battery setup so that certainly would add some weight to the front axle, the block heater because of where I live, and the fifth wheel prep package which the way GM does it only makes sense to have from the factory as its welded into place. Otherwise we have the same running boards, same tires etc but yours with the different designed dash and I have the multi flex tailgate like yours as well. So my factory curb weight is 7687 and my payload is 3863. 

 

So is there a compartment on the outside of your camper large enough to store a Honda 2200 gen set for example ?. Also do you have an air conditioner option on your roof and if so will the generator you have run it ?

 

As your profile doesn't mention what state your in, are you in one of the more westerly states ?. The season length for using a camper ( and not freezing to death or dealing with snow or road salt ) in some of the states is vastly longer or basically all year around vs here with our limited summer or early fall weather window of time and campsites are not open for that many months and most dump stations close up for the winter as well. 

[Chuck FB]

21 hours ago, jake111 said:

For many, many years, we have had a bike rack on the back.  With hitch extensions, I could make a big enough gap to open the camper door and get in/out with the bikes mounted.  I welded a step (black tongue sticking out under scissor steps) so we could step there, then on top of the hitch extension, and into the camper.  As needed, we used a little step stool on the ground to get to the hitch step.  With knee problems/replacement, wife can't yet step up that high, so I had to figure out a way to get more steps.  Below are the pictures.  The scissor step that came with the camper can rest on the hitch extension, and I built a wood structure to support and hold it in place.  Works great and (most importantly) wife is happy.

 

I added Timbrens in the back.  It raised (at the axle) the truck about an inch, which is what I wanted.  Yes, it rides just a tiny bit rougher . . . a lot like a 3500!!  Hit some decently gusty winds in the mountains on the last trip and I think these made a big difference.

 

Chuck mentioned a concern about only having 1 propane tank.  I had that concern 19 years ago.  Over the years I realized that I carry propane adapters and a spare 1 lb. canister.  In the rare event you ran out of propane, just hook up the little canister.  It'll run the refrigerator and heat water on the stove for a few days.  Ok, probably can't run the heater or water heater.  Actually, I also carry a 1 gallon propane tank for my propane generator that I never use.  I've even had a stray thought about taking out one of my propane tanks and using the space for a 2nd house battery . . . still just a stray thought.

 

If anyone is wondering, the tie-down strap in the lower picture puts tension on the bike rack so it doesn't rattle around.  When bikes are on rack, another tie-down helps stabilize them (just snug tension).

 

 

 

 

 

That's a tough one with a solid hitch bike rack setup to create the steps one wants and as you say the room between the bikes and the door for easy access to swing the door out and so forth. The further the bikes get moved back the more potential issues could arise. I suppose it might be possible if one is good enough at fabricating and welding light metal, some time of stationary higher step with a flip up/fold down step design all attached to the receiver extension might work. Of course it would be nice to have a "landing" that's why for some applications the fox landing can be slick as it steps down to either side of the receiver at an angle and imagine that was part of their intension to design that around a truck that is towing something. Mike Payne made the comment that he uses a swing away bike carrier, I've never seen one in person or know what their weight capacity is but I am sure they have their place as well for access to the door without having to unload the bikes. 

 

I had to laugh a little as I thought of the propane compartment with a tank of propane and then a battery also mounted in the same compartment. A leak of a propane connection and a spark from a battery connection, make big boom 

 

That is an interesting thought though about having small canisters as backup or if a smallish refillable propane tank could fit in another compartment as a backup source that could be slipped into place if needed. A fridge can run for a long time on a volume of propane, stove top takes a certain amount for sure depending on how much cooking one is doing but a furnace being forced into action due to cold weather sucks propane like crazy if its quite cool out, never mind actual true winter temps.