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So here is the drivers side. Batteries and some extra room which i have now filled with a espar diesel heat system and fuel tank. heavy duty battery charger with time and a iota converter three stage battery charger, 45 amper. I use two 1000 watt inverters to supply all my power as they are cheap at 100 bucks a piece, and i can turn one off without affecting my main fridge. the beer fridge from a warm temp, turn it on and within two hours it will freeze a beer.

I went with the espar heating system as i also had a cold floor in the camper. I cut a hole close to the floor as a heating duct and this where the espar shoots out the heat, heats the floor very nice and warms the camper quick and easy, especially when it is minus 20 outside.

In the coldest weather it uses about 5 gallons a week of diesel which is very affordable considering I was using 40 pounds of propane a week. Also the heat is more uniform and remains a constant temp as the espar switches to a low setting to maintain the temp.

My doors in the camper that allow extra storage when you have the camper in the back of a pickup truck, well i enclose two of them so that i can have more storage. real handy for extra canned foods and stuff like that. My camper has alot of storage already, but more is better.

The Truck Camper

1993 Lance 10.5 Squire 8000, i bought last fall for 2500.00 off a older lady that used it as she travelled around with her horses to shows and stuff. Bought it for the kid and one day it will go back to him providing he smartens up, it will fit nicely on his truck that sits in storage again till he figures its time to smarten up and work with the people that are behind him. yea teenagers, time will tell.

I set the camper on my ford e 350 dually that i use to haul my fiver with. Powerstroke diesel with a chip, lots of power. I suspect this whole deal weighs in around 10000 pounds. Left the sleeper on for extra storage but had to cut the roof down to get the camper to sit where i wanted it to sit.
The above pic shows the camper with the side doors open, honda 3000 watt genny, snap on tool box, and the beer fridge, also in there is a two speakers tucked up under the camper and in the side compartment is the sony explod system with a separate amp for subwoofers. Sounds good and once your into the campsite, just unbolt the doors and they either lay down to have a nice big table or unhook the chains and they go right to the ground. Grab a beer and chair, turn on the radio and relax.

I had to build a 12 inch high platform for the camper to sit on in order to get clearence for the cab . This puts the camper a little high on the truck but after using and driving the whole unit, it feels very stable, probably due to the dually and extra wieght of the sleeper.

I use the sleeper for extra stuff to have around when travelling and camping but the big thing is a freezer. Yup a onboard chest freezer, and its full of different meats, frozen juices breads and southern comfort. This is the best thing to have when travelling and living fulltime whether in a fiver or truck camper. Can take advantage of deals at the grocery store and less spending in the shops close to campgrounds where it can tend to be expensive.

The outside beer fridge and freezer work off one of the inverters. 1000 watt inverter supplies the power from 4 crown 6 volt batteries. i can easily run 24 hours with this setup as long as i am frugal with the camper lights and what not. I should also say, the camper fridge inside is a home unit too and works off the 1000 watt inverter that supplies the camper power.

Been Awhile

I see i have not posted anything for quite awhile, been busy in the shop the last few months and actually made some money. But i closed the shop June 1 to take the summer off, i plan to open up again maybe in mid august. This time around, just me working in the shop as there is not enough work to warrant a payroll.

I moved into the truck camper back in Feb and have been customizing it over the last few months to my liking. I installed it on the truck that i use to haul my fiver as I had my fiver moved to our seasonal site and it will sit there till at least this fall.

The wife does not want to travel and that suits me fine, so it is basically my brother in law and I travelling the summer away. My 15 year old has been screwing up in school this last year and has to do summer school so he wont be available for extended camping trips.

So I have the summer off, wife is settled into our seasonal site and the kid can come out on weekends when he is not tied up with army cadets. I am also considering going on my own and the wife do her thing as threw the years we pretty much ended up doing our own thing anyhow. Getting close to 50 now, really appreciate my time alone and not with all the business of the wifes bullshit.

When i moved into the truck camper back in Feb, I decided to do everything on my own, yup shopping, cooking laundry and cleaning. You know what, it was the best thing that i could do. I am happier and more content and the peace and quiet is the big plus. I dont see any reason to go back. Matter of fact i camped at our seasonal site about a month ago and parked right beside my fiver, had the whole family over for dinner and even sat on my seasonal site with the wife and had a campfire.

this fall, the wife and kid are going to rent a apartment about 10 miles from our town so that he can go to the school that he wants to go to, i will likely remain in the truck camper but have the choice of going back into my fiver. The fiver is a pain in the ass though, levelling and 4 slides, big 40 foot unit fully equipped, nice unit, but i only ever used the bedroom and shower. With my truck camper i can get into the nice tent sites in local campgrounds where my fiver would never fit. Plus i can easily tow my boat if needed.

I really dont want to tow anything anymore, after so many years of towing i think i am finally done with it. I dont need alot of room and the last four or so months in the truck camper has confirmed to me that i am okay with it.