Cab over camper for hunting.....

[Mustang72]

I 've had two. Looking for a third. It's my favorite way to go for no more than two people. I love tent camping also but a hot shower and bathroom are nice. Great for when the weather gets nasty. In decent weather just set a cot up and sleep under the stars.

 

[DirectDrive]

I have a buddy that has gone through three cabover campers for hunting/ fishing. He's pretty happy with them. He's a knowledgable hunter and has hunted all over for probably 50-60 years. Another buddy uses an old trailers and is happy with that. I'd like one but would be careful as they are top heavy. I'd also try to get one with electric jacks. Or some other electronic lift/ stabilization system.

Set up your suspension correctly and "top heavy" is a rumor.
Also, you want a solid camper-to-FRAME tie down system.

 

[Ken61]

Just a couple of comments on Big Dons post. His experience and mine differ a little bit. I have found that you need to pay attention to the payload rating of your truck and the rating of your tires. This isn't a problem unless you make it one. As for top heavy, I haven't experienced that with a properly matched camper and truck. A 3/4 ton will accommodate many PU campers. A 1 ton dually will accommodate most of the bigger campers. Some of the newer 1 ton duallys have a 7000 lb payload. Home work pays off when you look at campers of any type.
I have had truck campers for 50 years.

 

[ROCKCREEKARMS]

well i have a north star 8.5 popup has a queen bed (nice) shower/toilet/small storage area (nice) small closet, kitchen, dining area (nice) it has a low center of gravity (nice) I have equipt it with several radio systems hf/vhf/uhf (nice) ( hunt base camp ) we use it all the time have a 16' trailer to haul just about any thing needed (nice) RZR SXS it has radios also, gas/water/food/you name it. you cant get any better well maybe but this one is mine and it works for me see you out in the middle of no where some time OH and it is a sub zero model stays real warm inside takes the wind well and is just plane fun. and not to be left to far behind we also have a 27' toy box that can be taken along when we do the big group hunts this all trails fine have a one ton single wheel rear 450 hp diesel 6 speed xmisson 4X4 it is a short bed and gets us where we want to go

 

[xsn10s]

Never had one, but I suspect it's a lot nicer than hauling a trailer on FS and BLM roads.
I have a Coleman Fleetwood pop-up that's comfortable, but a PITA to haul around, so only used it once hunting.
Mostly tent, sleep in my rig, or bivouac when deep in-country. Was a part of a hunting camp 10 years ago, and while the cooking was great, these guys were more into hunting for the drinking that happened.

Me and some friends in the Grizzly Unit about 12 years ago. I'm in the tent and had about a foot of snow come in that night. I stayed surprisingly warm lol.

My buddy's trailer he inherited from his uncle.

The others in the group slept in a Fleetwood popup trailer too. A camper, motorhome, or trailer would be an improvement. I have a class c that I intended to tow a Jeep with. But really I'd like a camper.

 

[Ken61]

I think selecting the type of camper you get is all about compromise. Each has it's pluses and minuses. It come down to individual choices. Younger guys are toughe and like to rough it. I'm 75 and like my comforts.
It's all good.

 

[xsn10s]

I think selecting the type of camper you get is all about compromise. Each has it's pluses and minuses. It come down to individual choices. Younger guys are toughe and like to rough it. I'm 75 and like my comforts.
It's all good.

Exactly they all have their advantages and disadvantages. And I'm 57 and I like the creature comforts too. No more sleeping on a HUMV hood for me.

 

[hunter67wa]

Which one are you leaning towards?

The Cirrus looks great. But I would like to have a camper with no black tank and a composting toilet that is rated a true four season. I have a 24 foot Winnie and we love it but not four season and the sxs fits in back of the truck. I have looked at companies that will build to suit and they are spendy. Luckily here in WY I'm close to the hunting so i hunt from home except antelope but it is warm then and the trailer works. I could actually live full time in my trailer!

 

[xsn10s]

I have a 24 foot Winnie and we love it but not four season and the sxs fits in back of the truck.

Are you towing the truck with the Winnie? If so what engine in the Winnie and what size truck? TIA.

 

[hunter67wa]

The winnie is one of the trailers towed by the truck.

 

[Muddyboots]

I've used an old Sunlite 8' pop-up truck camper for years. Sold it and argghhhh! BAD mistake! It was the wardrobe version that the dinette converted to bed that was long enough for me to sleep comfortably at 6'4" stretched out. Don't ask why I sold it cause still trying to figure that dumb mistake out. The pop up gives you good aerodynamics going down the road, had standard stuff like furnace, frig and stove so it was nice to be self contained like that. No toilet which added more space but for hunting, pick a tree. I've had solid truck campers too and you do need to be aware of height etc for traversing 2 tracks. Plus driving one is more stress in cross winds big trucks etc. I went with pop up which gives more room and plus good towing even if you have a 1500 truck. I have 2009 Ram 4x4 2500 so no big deal.

If you do decide to buy full size slide in camper:
1 - install air bag air lift system. I have the Air Lift remote wireless and the added stability to towing and having a full size camper in truck is completely under control with an air bag system. Once you have one, you will never tow anything heavy or carry anything heavy without one installed. The truck drives like it is on rails!
LINK: Air Lift
2 - I found campers without toilets have far more room and give you added space for gear, food etc. The sleeping arrangements are usually better as well. I look at the campers as an upgraded tent. I still used an outside tent for general storage and sometimes even cooking. Nice to have a table and some chairs for a casual area to relax and BS.
3 - Pop up truck campers still need to have a tarp over top IMO to keep snow out of the pop up area which is huge advantage if you have to bug out due to weather.
4 - Add an awning or rain fly setup and you have coverage for rain, snow crap so you have dry entry to camper.
5 - Already been stated but do not cheap out on tires. Buy max capacity tires and live with hard ride. You are likely driving down rougher 2 tracks and tires are a really big deal on rougher ground.
6 - construct some leveling boards so you can drive up onto to level camper as best as possible.
7 - In bear country, I always left the slide on camper on truck to give added height to keep nosey ones from getting to nosey!
8 - Use these TorkLift for tie downs and awesome! LINK: Tie Downs

And yes, I am looking for another camper like I had and think I found one 450 miles from me. Road trip!

 

[QuietTexan]

They over gross your tire ratings by a lot - unless you're running a dually.

My F-250 has E-Rated 18s good for 4080# each, big knobby Nitto mud tires at that. Maybe if someone is still running the factory 16s on a pre-2005 Super Duty they'd be over on the tires, but even the little dinky 17s that came on my truck would cover more than 6000#s per axle. If his truck is 1999-2016 the 10.5" rear axle is rated for 6830#, even higher for the new axles after the 2017 body style change. Tires should not be a problem unless you aren't running ones spec'd to cover the GAWRs of the truck.

Springs are a different issue; I have a an overload plus aux spring but no sway bar or bags. Depending on what his truck has on it, changing out the shocks and adding a swaybar, Hellwigs, or bags can help significantly with lateral movement.

 

[DirectDrive]

My F-250 has E-Rated 18s good for 4080# each, big knobby Nitto mud tires at that. Maybe if someone is still running the factory 16s on a pre-2005 Super Duty they'd be over on the tires, but even the little dinky 17s that came on my truck would cover more than 6000#s per axle. If his truck is 1999-2016 the 10.5" rear axle is rated for 6830#, even higher for the new axles after the 2017 body style change. Tires should not be a problem unless you aren't running ones spec'd to cover the GAWRs of the truck.

Springs are a different issue; I have a an overload plus aux spring but no sway bar or bags. Depending on what his truck has on it, changing out the shocks and adding a swaybar, Hellwigs, or bags can help significantly with lateral movement.

Hellwigs are TOTAL crap.
All they do is muck up your main springs under load or under no load.
Novice crap.

Use bona fide overload springs, which are a full and separate spring pack that sit on top of your main springs.
Frame brackets are set up by you or your spring shop so that the overload springs are "out of play" with no load on the truck.

Or use the air bag system.
I have several experienced camper friends that swear by them.
They can also be regulated so you don't get beat to crap with no load on the truck.
And they have a long service life, so there's that.

 

[Nevrsummr]

Ive owned 3 popups and 2 hard side campers. Use them for hunting and traveling/overlanding/boondocking. At one point the wife and i got tired of campers and went to a toyhauler. Year later we sold the toyhauler and went back to a camper. We love this camper and the freedom it offers. We are able to get into many more places than you could ever tow a trailer. And much easier to boot. There are many things to consider and no perfect solution. Our current camper we just set up on a flatbed which offers a ton more storage. Its light, all aluminum and synthetic materials no wood. Nothing can get damaged by water. And very strong. Handles well. I built a trailer like one person on here mentioned specifically for the camper. You could stand the camper pull forward and then drop it on the trailer with a nice patio out back. Sold that setup too. Lol. Id be happy to chat with ya if you had any questions. Id advise staying away from popups. Not much better than a tent.

Hope that helps