Lance vs. Six-Pac
Thomas staehnke
I'm going to buy a camper.Very impressed with the quality of the Lance
products but want to check out a few others before buying.Does anyone
have info on the self- contained Six-Pac's,how they compare to the Lance
Squire 3000? I have a reg. cab, h.d.3/4 ton,350 Vortec Chevy. With the
reg. cab I'm going to get a 8.5' floor length camper.Any other brands of
campers that can match the Lance quality? Thanks for any
advise,opinions,first hand knowledge of these campers or other top of
the line brands. Tom
Erich Coiner
Fleetwood makes a line of campers called the Elkhorn and Angler. The
angler is the entry level and corresponds with the Squire in trim level.
They appear to be well made and you might want to look at them.
Erich remove NOSPAM to reply
Jack Wood
In article <69te41$gbm$1...@newsd-162.iap.bryant.webtv.net>, stae...@webtv.net
says...
>
>I'm going to buy a camper.Very impressed with the quality of the Lance
>products but want to check out a few others before buying.Does anyone
>have info on the self- contained Six-Pac's,how they compare to the Lance
>Squire 3000? I have a reg. cab, h.d.3/4 ton,350 Vortec Chevy. With the
>reg. cab I'm going to get a 8.5' floor length camper.Any other brands of
>campers that can match the Lance quality? Thanks for any
>advise,opinions,first hand knowledge of these campers or other top of
>the line brands. Tom
I had a 1990 Lance LC580 on a F250HD supercab 4X4 for a while. That camper
is quite a bit larger than the one you are considering as it had a 10.5'
floor and an extended cabover. The quality of the Lance campers is very
good. The appliances were all top notch, holding tank capacity was as much
as some of the tow trailers. I got it three years old, and the paint on the
siding was still glossy, although it may have been because the guy I bought
it from kept it stored indoors and was a fanatic about keeping it clean.
One featurethat I really liked was that it had a one-piece aluminum roof,
which I think gave it alot of rigidity.
The Six Pack campers that I have seen have not seemed to hold up as well as
the Lances.
One thing that I highly recommend on a truck carrying a camper is a good
set of spring overloads. I got five leaf overloads that bolted to the top
of the existing springs and contact spring pads that you bolt to the frame.
You adjust them so there is an inch or two between the overload and the spring
when the truck is not loaded. Then when you put the camper on the truck, the
pads move down onto the overloads. I think I paid $300 and it was the best
investment I made. Before the overloads, the truck would wallow in the turns.
The new springs made curvy roads far less intimidating.
Redmond Young
Thomas staehnke wrote:
>
> I'm going to buy a camper.Very impressed with the quality of the Lance
> products but want to check out a few others before buying.Does anyone
> have info on the self- contained Six-Pac's,how they compare to the Lance
> Squire 3000? I have a reg. cab, h.d.3/4 ton,350 Vortec Chevy. With the
> reg. cab I'm going to get a 8.5' floor length camper.Any other brands of
> campers that can match the Lance quality? Thanks for any
> advise,opinions,first hand knowledge of these campers or other top of
> the line brands. Tom
Do you have a longbed or shortbed ? With a longbed you can probably go with
a longer camper than 8.5'.
The basic entry-level Six-Pac campers start at $4500 (no bath, no options).
The Six-Pac seems well built, but their interior design seems stuck in 1977.
The basic Lance would be there SquireLite at around $8000 (wet bath).
Upscale from the SquireLite would be the Squire (~$13K) and then the Legend
($19K).
From Fleetwood, the entry-level is Angler ($8K), then Elkhorn ($12K) and the
Caribou ($15K).
I have a Class C now, but planning to switch over to a truck and camper
slide-in in the future. If you're in the price range of the Lance Legend
and the Fleetwood Caribou, then you ought to take a look at the Bigfoot
"Oakland" 3000 series or their "Winterwall" 2500 series. These rigs are
made in British Columbia and they're awesome! $20K though .. gulp. (but
fairly loaded for that price). They also offer a cheaper 1500 series,
but I think it's still around $14K.
If price were no object, I'd get a Bigfoot.
My price range is closer to the Squirelite and Angler .. 8^(
Red
Mike Mello
On 24 Jan 1998 03:22:32 GMT, re...@topspeed.corp.sun.com (Redmond
Young) wrote:
>
>Thomas staehnke wrote:
>>
>> I'm going to buy a camper.Very impressed with the quality of the Lance
>> products but want to check out a few others before buying.Does anyone
>> have info on the self- contained Six-Pac's,how they compare to the Lance
snip
>
>Do you have a longbed or shortbed ? With a longbed you can probably go with
>a longer camper than 8.5'.
>
>The basic entry-level Six-Pac campers start at $4500 (no bath, no options).
>The Six-Pac seems well built, but their interior design seems stuck in 1977.
>
snip
>
>Red
Glad to see someone else interested in truck campers. I am looking at
11-1/2 footers for my GMC 2500 4X4 (8,600 gvwr), 8 ft bed. I know I
will need air bags or additional springs for the load.
The Lance was nice, but way too expensive, over 20 grand. Didn't like
Shadow Cruiser or Hideaway, although they were priced better. Our
favorite was the Coachman side entrance.
So does anyone have any comments or experiences with various makes of
truck campers? We intend to use it for remote hunting and fishing
trips for three years and then take an extended (~1 year) cross
country and Alaska/Yukon trip.
Any comments on truck setup or camper selection and setup would be
very helpful.
Buck
Erich Coiner
Mike Mello wrote:
Our
> favorite was the Coachman side entrance.
>
> So does anyone have any comments or experiences with various makes of
> truck campers? We intend to use it for remote hunting and fishing
> trips for three years and then take an extended (~1 year) cross
> country and Alaska/Yukon trip.
>
> Any comments on truck setup or camper selection and setup would be
> very helpful.
>
> Buck
I carry an 11.5 foot camper on an 8600 GVWR Ford Truck. I added a set of
Firestone Ride-Rite air springs. They are very nice, with about 45 psi
in them it brings the truck back to a level attitude. My headlights no
longer illuminate the heavens.
I would seriously consider purchasing a used Camper. If you can live
with a 5 or 6 year old unit the prices get down under 10K.
Take a look at the Elkhorn campers made by Fleetwood. They also have a
model with the side entrance. I think the price is up in Lance country
as well :( . As I recall the side entrance gave you a nice corner
shower and dry toilet. The downside was you gave up a compartment for a
generator.
Depending on how remote you are talking about, an 11 foot camper may be
two large. With a 3 foot overhang you really decrease your departure
angle. I have a 2wd truck and I take it out on gravel roads quite a
bit. If I cross a stream I WILL drag the back end. You will be in
better shape with 4wd but it will be an issue you need to look closely
at.
Any other questions fire away,
Redmond Young
On 24 Jan 1998 03:22:32 GMT, re...@topspeed.corp.sun.com (Redmond
Young) wrote:
>
>Thomas staehnke wrote:
>>
>> I'm going to buy a camper.Very impressed with the quality of the Lance
>> products but want to check out a few others before buying.Does anyone
>> have info on the self- contained Six-Pac's,how they compare to the Lance
snip
>
>Do you have a longbed or shortbed ? With a longbed you can probably go with
>a longer camper than 8.5'.
>
>The basic entry-level Six-Pac campers start at $4500 (no bath, no options).
>The Six-Pac seems well built, but their interior design seems stuck in 1977.
>
snip
>
>Red
>Glad to see someone else interested in truck campers. I am looking at
>11-1/2 footers for my GMC 2500 4X4 (8,600 gvwr), 8 ft bed. I know I
>will need air bags or additional springs for the load.
>The Lance was nice, but way too expensive, over 20 grand. Didn't like
>Shadow Cruiser or Hideaway, although they were priced better. Our
>favorite was the Coachman side entrance.
>
>So does anyone have any comments or experiences with various makes of
>truck campers? We intend to use it for remote hunting and fishing
>trips for three years and then take an extended (~1 year) cross
>country and Alaska/Yukon trip.
>
>Any comments on truck setup or camper selection and setup would be
>very helpful.
>Buck
Buck,
Yes, I've been looking at truck campers since I've decided to sell
my Class C.
IMHO, my "dream" truck camper is the Bigfoot (aka Oakland) 3000 or
2500 series. All fiberglass construction, built for cold weather
use with R-ratings of R8 to R12. I was very impressed with the
campers, but they are also $20,000 ... that's US dollars and not
Canadian! (the campers are made in British Columbia). They offer
a lighter camper, the 1500 series, with a R-6 rating, but they're
still $15K. But hey, if you're taking extended trips to the
Yukon, you just might need a Bigfoot with their "Winterized
Option and Thermopane windows". The water tanks are enclosed and
heated. The 3000 & 2500 have a basement! A real quality unit
from my inspections. Try to find a local dealer and take a look.
Though the Lance can be $20K, this is their top-of-the-line
Legends series. They also offer a mid-range series, the Squire.
A co-worker bought a Squire 3000 (lowest model in the Squire line)
for ~$10K. Lance also offers a "Squire-Lite" series. A local
dealer is advertising an entry level Squire-Lite for $7995.00.
Check out the Fleetwood offerings too. The Caribou ($$$), the
Elkhorn ($$), and the Angler ($).
Red
"Bigfoot dreams, Six-Pac budget"
Redmond Young
In addition to the Bigfoot 3000/2500, Lance Legends, and Fleetwood Caribou
for high-end truck campers, there is one more that bears some inspection.
The Alpenlite Durango is an all fiberglass truck camper much like the
Bigfoot. I've never inspected a real one, only photos. But I have seen
Alpenlite 5th wheels and they appear to be very well constructed.
I'm not sure about Coachman truck campers, but owners of Coachman motor-
homes have complained about their quality on this newsgroup in the past.
Red
Steve Alexanderson
I'm also looking at truck campers for my full size short bed. I'm very
impressed with the Bigfoot, but may need to settle for second best due to
cost. Any opinions on roof materials? Squire has aluminum, Elkhorn has
rubber. Which will last longer in the damp northwest? I see lots of campers
parked around here with tarps draped over them. Seems like a bad idea, since
condensation is trapped. Any opinions / experience?
--
Steve Alexanderson
Newport Oregon
Redmond Young wrote in message <6bqqtu$d...@jethro.Corp.Sun.COM>...