New Member Questions

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Irvine101
Posts: 8
Joined: October 28th, 2017, 7:41 pm

New Member Questions

Post: # 19822Post Irvine101
November 2nd, 2017, 9:10 pm

Hi

I am new to the demountable camper scene, having dabbled with tents, folding campers & camper vans over the years.

I like the flexibility that the demountables seem to offer but have a few questions that I would appreciate views on:

1) Poptops are presumably easier to drive due to the lower centre of gravity. Am I correct in this assumption? Any opinions will be gratefully received. I am aware that Northstar make poptops, but are there any other poptop manufacturers that I should look out for.

2) If I did go the demountable route I would probably go for a Mitsibushi L200. Is it necessary to remove the tailgate when the camper is mounted, or can the tailgate be left on (possibly in the down / open position when mounted / driving?) If they need removing is this a quick straightforward job.

4) Can demountables be pitched on grass on a campsite or do they need to be on hardstanding pitches so the legs don't sink into the ground.

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zildjian
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Joined: September 8th, 2013, 3:30 pm

Re: New Member Questions

Post: # 19824Post zildjian
November 2nd, 2017, 9:35 pm

I am new to the demountable camper scene, having dabbled with tents, folding campers & camper vans over the years.

Hello and welcome, yours is a common path leading here and here you'll find your answers hopefully




Quite correct on Pop tops,
in terms of on road use they travel that bit better but its a trade off against the hardside campers which offer that bit more storage, insulation & sound deadening,
Northstar indeed make a couple of versions available to us in UK, additionally you could look at Gazell campers imported by our very own Gary & Morag Warr of Dorset, there aren't any other manufacturers of Pop tops that sell here that spring to mind and you'd have to travel to Germany most likely if you needed one



L200 are a popular choice certainly, and again depending on camper its dimensions, weight & design,
removing tailgate is regarded as a good idea given its weight so far back behind rear axle (especially when lowered) and its paint vulnerable to stone chips off road surface!


Grass; campers will stand on grass OK though many of us just drop a pad of wood (or if flush) a set of Fiamma jack stands, I imagine IF you had a downpour overnight you could potentially see camper dropped another inch so just wind the legs up to get truck beneath again!

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sabconsulting
Posts: 269
Joined: July 27th, 2015, 9:49 pm
Location: High Wycombe

Re: New Member Questions

Post: # 19825Post sabconsulting
November 2nd, 2017, 9:52 pm

Hi,

A lot of the weight of campers is fairly low down, so a pop-up camper might not make a huge amount of difference. A "hardside" will give more storage and be easier if you want to mount stuff on the roof (we regularly carry a fairly heavy kayak).

Whether you can leave the tailgate on will depend upon the design of the camper. I can on mine, but it serves no purpose and is a load of extra weight just where you don't want it. The problem with pickup trucks here tends to be the short load-beds, meaning you can end up with a load of weight behind the rear axle. The tailgate only adds to that.

We often camp on grass, but then we never remove the camper from the truck when away from home. Having a 4x4 camper means not worrying about getting stuck on wet grass :mrgreen:

Steve.
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Mike
Posts: 236
Joined: August 23rd, 2014, 8:36 pm
Location: near Yeovil

Re: New Member Questions

Post: # 19827Post Mike
November 2nd, 2017, 11:21 pm

Hello and welcome, also consider air bags on the rear suspension and or may be both a suspension upgrade. I replaced the rear shock on mine this year and made a huge difference when loaded.
Tailgate definitely off, in the ford ranger easy to do, 4 bolts only. Others may have to unplug some wires.
Have to think about single or double cab or the extra cab, will need to be matched to the camper unit length wise.
Happy hunting
2008 Ford Ranger 3.0 Wildtrack
Nomad ( Ranger ) Demountable

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derestrictor
Posts: 2342
Joined: November 18th, 2014, 7:21 pm
Location: gotham Nottingham

Re: New Member Questions

Post: # 19834Post derestrictor
November 3rd, 2017, 1:41 pm

Welcome to site Irvine, lots of helpful sorts here so keep asking the questions

Ajphelps
Posts: 1
Joined: November 4th, 2017, 9:05 am

Re: New Member Questions

Post: # 19857Post Ajphelps
November 4th, 2017, 1:09 pm

We carry wooden "pads" to stop legs sinking in on grass.
We also like to demount if on site for more than 1 night, frees up the truck for goingnoff site, in my opinion the whole point if the demountable.
It is important to get the combination of camper/truck correct.
My tailgate is always off, partly as it makes mounting the camper easier but also it saves 20+ kilos hanging off the back end.
I've got an older Suntrekker and a Mazda BT50 4x4 pickup. No issues on muddy ground.
Cheers, Tony

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zildjian
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Joined: September 8th, 2013, 3:30 pm

Re: New Member Questions

Post: # 19858Post zildjian
November 4th, 2017, 1:24 pm

Also anticipating next question


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you CAN live in camper off vehicle as you would any other, but typically you will either drop it down low to ground (as in video) or as I do leave it wound fully up while you go out to beach during the day

and simply back beneath camper when you return and use it as usual

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Toshbins
Posts: 237
Joined: October 22nd, 2015, 12:12 pm
Location: Between Reading and Oxford

Re: New Member Questions

Post: # 19880Post Toshbins
November 5th, 2017, 11:09 pm

Hi.
We have to take the tailgate off to fit our camper. That is very straightforward. What is more of a pain for us is that we bought a fancy spec pickup with a roll bar and roller shutter over the rear bed. This has to come off in one piece and is hugely bulky and heavy. It also has the third brake light built in, so that has to be unwired and a replacement light fitted. Buy a pickup without!

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