When I started thinking about this journey the first decision had to be “how to go?”. A trailer? A topper? A slide in? As you have gathered from previous posts the topper was the final choice. Which topper has not yet appeared. The first inclination was a slide-in truck camper.
The Caribou Lite slide-in from Outfittersmfg.com was the winner after comparing 4 different makes.
So, why didn’t I go with this beautiful solution? It came down to cost. I could do a topper for under $3,000. But it was fun to check out the details. Then I thought I would look at trailers. Stay tuned.
The Caribou Lite numbers came out to this:
|
base cost |
14,495.00 |
||
|
Options for Caribou Lite |
cost |
weight in pounds |
|
| Awning—8’ Side |
765.00 |
40 |
|
| awning 6′ rear Care Free |
595.00 |
15 |
|
| Solar Control Panel |
210.00 |
0 |
|
| * 95 watt Solar system |
995.00 |
27 |
|
| Additional Fantastic Fan |
245.00 |
12 |
|
|
2,810.00 |
94 |
subtotal of options |
|
| 24 gallons fresh water |
200 |
1 gallon=8.32487lbs |
|
| 20 lb propane |
20 |
||
|
314 |
weight of options, water and propane |
||
|
850 |
weight of camper | ||
|
1164 |
total without food or clothing |
||
| Real luxury possibilities: | |||
| outside shower w/ water heater |
795.00 |
35 |
|
| agm battery |
225.00 |
50 |
|
| totals |
1,020.00 |
85 |
|
| total cost/weight of van and options (base 14,495.00) |
18,325.00 |
1249 |
total without food or clothing |
| “The new V6 had many enhancements, such as a tow rating of 6,500 lb (2,948 kg), and a payload capacity of 1,650 lb (748 kg).” | 400 lbs of tools, food, clothing, books |
Truck Camper Hints 