nccamper
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Post by nccamper on Jul 30, 2014 20:10:58 GMT -8
As wonderful as vintage campers are, they don't give us much storage. Pulling things out the little hatch in the back is a hassle. I had a shell on our last pick up truck. I always thought it protected the little camper from being pounded by wind. I'm now deciding which way to go with the new truck. I was told the fold back caps are more convenient. Another person I know likes the hard cap that raises. Any thoughts? Positives? Negatives?
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John Palmer
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Post by John Palmer on Jul 30, 2014 20:34:46 GMT -8
Biggest problem I see with a vintage trailer and a pick up is the short tongue length. You cannot put the tail gate down to unload the bed with the trailer connected.
I use a "lift up style" fiberglass bed cover. It's nice because the gate, and the cover both lock.
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poncho62
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Post by poncho62 on Jul 31, 2014 2:46:28 GMT -8
Depends how much stuff you want to take with you...Its like having a shed, the bigger it is, the more crap you accumulate. I have both, a raised cap, which would help you deflect wind over your camper. Also have a soft bed cover that I use in the summer, as I have a 5th wheel hitch under it.
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Post by bigbill on Jul 31, 2014 5:09:09 GMT -8
Which came first the chicken or the egg? That argument has been going on for years, I have ran both on my personal trucks and I can argue both ways. The only problem I had with the full shell was I tended to let it pile up with "stuff", next thing I knew I was hauling more c*** around than anybody needed. Right now I am running an open bed with an aluminum tool box. There are times I wish I had a shell and times I am glad I don't.
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nccamper
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Post by nccamper on Jul 31, 2014 6:11:32 GMT -8
Thanks for the input.
When I went to pick up out Compact 2000 miles from home, I needed the shell to carry tools and even some precut lumber for a quick repair. But that was a tiny truck in comparison to what we have now. Even so, unloading everything to get to a box was a hassle. I wondered if people on this forum felt the flat cover on a full size truck was enough space for trailer junk?
Two things I was told...are they true?
*Soft covers don't wear well. The folding and unfolding along with being scuffed and scraped make for a short life.
*And, hard raised shells help gas mileage a little.
The folding soft version seems like it would be easier to get to our junk. But it has half the space of a raised shell.
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nccamper
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Post by nccamper on Jul 31, 2014 6:17:18 GMT -8
Biggest problem I see with a vintage trailer and a pick up is the short tongue length. You cannot put the tail gate down to unload the bed with the trailer connected. I use a "lift up style" fiberglass bed cover. It's nice because the gate, and the cover both lock. You know, I didn't even think about the gate of a full size truck not opening when it's hitched. On my mazda b3000 (ranger) the gate opened when I was hooked up. The nice thing about the hard cover is it's more secure. But is it a hassle getting off completely like a raised shell? Does it weigh a ton?
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Post by vikx on Jul 31, 2014 21:44:30 GMT -8
My truck has a hard tonneau cover and I'm not happy with it. There's only 19 inches clearance and it's a bit heavy to open with one hand. (say you have parts in the other hand) It does make the truck look nice and is supposed to help mpg, not sure on that.
I would rather have a canopy/shell with a little more height.
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kathleenc
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Post by kathleenc on Aug 1, 2014 4:45:46 GMT -8
I have the Bakflip folding cover and really like it, although like the hard cover, there is really not much room in it. BUT one advantage is I can ride with stuff in it and the cover doesn't have to be completely flat - it can be either folded up a few sections, or just sit on top of whatever is in there and the force of the wind will keep it from coming up. also it's aluminum and will hold up to 300 pounds so we stand on it when we're securing stuff to the roof racks. it will dent in a hailstorm though, more so than the truck. It locks, also. I do hope to get a shell someday, just to have more room.
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nccamper
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Post by nccamper on Aug 1, 2014 5:11:44 GMT -8
This is really helpful.
So my options are a raised shell with plenty of room but I can't open the gate (unlike my small truck) when I'm hitched to the camper. And it's hard to get on and off.
Or a flat cover that's solid, heavy and only gives me 19 inches. Not much space.
Or a folding (Bakflip) aluminum which is lighter, but also gives me only 19 inches space.
I've ruled out the folding tarp-like covers. I'll rip it in no time with lumber or junk.
People online say that their fuel savings are as high as 3 MPG. Hard to believe. Although I do believe a raised shell saves the camper some wind pounding.
A tough decision.
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kathleenc
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Post by kathleenc on Aug 1, 2014 5:15:21 GMT -8
you know what the answer is, right? It's like when you have the opportunity to acquire two vintage trailers, and you can't make up your mind which one you want. You just have to get both of them!
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John Palmer
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Post by John Palmer on Aug 1, 2014 8:07:18 GMT -8
I remember an episode on Mythbuster's. They did a test on if a pick up truck got "better gas mileage" with the tailgate Up, or DOWN?
In their fun testing style, they concluded that it got better gas mileage with the "tailgate in the up position". They felt that when the gate was up, that the truck's bed actually filled with air pressure, and the air flow over the entire truck was improved, which led to the miles per gallon improvement.
It makes you wonder if the improved mileage claims for various accessories are based on any real testing, or if they are just marketing hype?
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nccamper
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Post by nccamper on Aug 1, 2014 8:10:56 GMT -8
you know what the answer is, right? It's like when you have the opportunity to acquire two vintage trailers, and you can't make up your mind which one you want. You just have to get both of them! If I get them both after buying a new truck to tow the $2000 camper, and building a lean to off the garage to park the $2000 camper, and buying tools to repair the $2000 camper, my wife may have me sleeping in the $2000 camper. If I said to my wife a year ago "Baby, I need $40,000 so we can camp in a really nice $2000 camper!" I would have gotten nowhere.
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nccamper
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Post by nccamper on Aug 1, 2014 8:18:46 GMT -8
I remember an episode on Mythbuster's. They did a test on if a pick up truck got "better gas mileage" with the tailgate Up, or DOWN? In their fun testing style, they concluded that it got better gas mileage with the "tailgate in the up position". They felt that when the gate was up, that the truck's bed actually filled with air pressure, and the air flow over the entire truck was improved, which led to the miles per gallon improvement. It makes you wonder if the improved mileage claims for various accessories are based on any real testing, or if they are just marketing hype? Good point. I went from a 4 cyl Mazda B2200, to a 6 cyl Mazda B3000, to a 8 cyl 5.7 liter Tundra. According to my test of the three, I'm losing ground as far as MPG is concerned.
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Post by bigbill on Aug 1, 2014 15:56:10 GMT -8
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cowcharge
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Post by cowcharge on Aug 4, 2014 7:05:11 GMT -8
I like the room of a cap. I carry all my tools around, ladder etc. because my camper's 12 miles away. And yeah, it collects crap like crazy.
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