What kind of camper do you have?

Skim through the camper build in my sugar. Most of the really fun stuff happened last year starts on around page 24 I think

 

We are also under my wife’s name Christie Carter

 

My last name is Nix if you see my post.

 

Will do! Now to order a roll n lock hitch...

 

Congrats!

 

I put one on mine and one for the dealer they make a great difference in towing

 

had spring fever, took it out yesterday to a local state park. Broke in the generator and ran the furnace all night. Storm rolled thru about 1 a.m. and had wind gusts of 40+ mph. She rocked and rolled, but kept us warm and dry..lol. best night sleeping in it yet..

 

Went to the RV show yesterday and after looking through dozens of trailers, I think we've officially confirmed the Apex Nano 208BHS is the right balance of size, layout, quality, & price for us and towability for the Tacoma at just under 4000# dry. The itch may need to be scratched soon...

Couple things we were wondering though:
- Backup camera - For those who have TT, has that been a ground-breaking add-on? It doesn't come with one from the factory or even prewired, so it would have to be totally after market to get it installed.
- Tires - It looks like the standard are Castle Rock ST on these. From what I've seen/read those are garbage. Any experience with that brand and think I should just plan on upgrading as soon as I get it? Goodyear Endurance seem to be recommended frequently as good replacements.

 

Made the first reservations of the year yesterday for next month.

Mine is prewired for the backup camera and I plan on getting it sometime in the future.

I'll probably be going to the Goodyears also when either these have blowouts or they are replaced.

 

My 09 appears to be wired for the camera. Do you just need the new rear view mirror? or is there more to it than that
Jan

 

This is on a camper not the Tacoma.

If that's what your talking about most of the backup cam's come with their own screen for them. Most are wireless these days.

 

Yes I have several friends that have installed aftermarket wireless cameras. Probably way cheaper that getting the factory Taco mirror
Jan

 

Yeah I think you guys are confusing rear camera on truck vs. on the camper. I have a '19, don't need one for the truck, I mean on the back of the camper so you can keep an eye on things behind you when driving and backing it up.

 

Yes my buddy has installed 1 on the rear of his 17 ft boler. Its also nice to have 1 on the truck when hitching up to a trailer
Jan

 

I just got a Wildwood 241QBXL, 4400 dry.,26 ft long. It is prewired for a rear camera. But it is 375.00, I can look in the mirror a lot for that much....

We moved up from a Aerolite 21 ft, so I added WDH and already have airbags. Looking into extra sway protection. Any ideas??

 

There’s always the Hensley Hitch. It’s pricy but it’s supposed to eliminate any sway.

 

1600.00, yep that qualifies as pricy.....

guess I will keep looking around, thanks for the reply

 

Are you having problems with sway now? You're WDH has the sway bar on it right?

 

Decided to hold off on the camper for now (can't really use it in the middle of winter anyway!) and now I'm kind of wondering if our Tacomas could handle something just a bit bigger. As I said before I was looking at and nearly ready to buy the Apex Nano 208BHS, but then I looked at the next size up and you really get a ton of stuff upgraded, along with additional length/room of course, for only an extra ~$3k.

Apex Nano 208BHS - tandem axles, total length 24' 10", 3950 lbs, ~$19.5k
Apex Ultra Lite 245BHS - tandem axles, total length 27' 6", 4665 lbs, ~$22.5k

But you get pretty significant upgrades going to the 245BHS, some of which I'd probably put on the 208BHS if I got it anyway.
- Manual tongue jack vs. electric (I'd definitely upgrade that on the smaller)
- Pre-wired for backup camera vs. not (probably would like this and pre-wired would be so much easier I'd think to put on in)
- Aluminum wheels vs. steel
- Larger U-shaped dinette, more space for eating & etc., larger bed when converted
- More counter space + sink cover, upgraded faucet
- Larger inside stove, more burners, plus convertable cover/backsplash
- Microwave & oven vs. just microwave
- Nicer entertainment system with TV included vs. basic and TV+mount is extra/add-on
- Half wall & curtains separating main bedroom, slightly more private
- Stove in outside kitchen is built-in on a sliding shelf rather than just free floating (still camp stove, but at least has place to go)
- Tongue mounted spare vs. hanging off the back
- Room for dual propane vs. single
- Obviously more space in general from the increased size

The one thing that the 208BHS has going for it is that you can get around easier with the slide closed, whereas the 245BHS cuts you off from easily getting to back area due to the counter corner sticking out (though still possible with a bit of acrobatics).

Any thoughts on going up to a 4700# dry weight camper and pulling with the Tacoma? Anyone pulling something of that weight and length and if so how is it? By the time you add in some gear and people you'd probably be closer to 5500# I'd think, but that is still under the ~6300# towing on the truck with a bit to spare, though not as much as the smaller one would be of course. It goes without saying that I'd have WDH with anti-sway with either of them as well!

 

That 6300# rating comes from people trying to sell you a truck. 5500# is way heavier than I’d want to be pulling around. That said it could probably be done safely.

Manual tongue jack=exercise
Backup camera is a nice safety feature.
Aluminum wheels look nice, spare is probably steel.
Larger dinette and sleeping space. Important for families.
Counter space is always lacking in campers. Nice upgrade.
Never used more than two burners when camping.
Convection/Microwave is a nice upgrade.
Same with entertainment center. It will rain sometime.
Half wall and curtains. Meh
Outside kitchens are nice. Not sure if it needs to slide.
Front or rear mounted spare. Rear is much better! One reason, tongue weight!
Dual propane is better than one.
More space++

As for not being able to get past the slide when in. You don’t have to extend it all the way. Figure out how much space you need and park with enough space to extend the needed amount.
One last point. Longer campers are harder to maneuver obviously. I’ve been in interstate gas stations that would not accommodate my 20’ R-Pod without going over a curb. Also had to fuel up with the rear of the camper in the street. You’ll only get 200-250 miles on a tank sometimes forcing you to fuel at small town “ma & pa” stations.
We bought ours in the fall. Custom order at a great price!
Good Luck