Looking to upgrade (more room)

[aaronmt]

Right now we have a Bigfoot 9ft 6 2500 and it has been incredible for us over the years.When slides came out I was very reluctant of them,but feel the new ones may have the bugs worked out now.I wanna stay at 9ft6 to be able to keep the same towing set up we have.Im not a fan of all the extensions.We are looking for a wetbath with possibly dual slides.A must is the ability to use the camper on the side of the road without having to put the slides out.I know the camper we have is one of the best setups and it's hard to change.The fact is we need just a bit more real estate.We use it for seasons so it being a well built camper is high priority.We are seeing host,eagle cap,af but nothing seems to jump out.Is there anything I'm missing? The Artic fox 990 seems to be the front runner but we were hoping to go dual slides.We saw a eaglecap that was a few years old and the slides were definitely not designed all that great.Any thoughts are appreciated.

[av8rds]

If you dont need new I cant say enough good things about my Lance 992 that I had. The earlier models you could get in without moving the slide. In later models they made the dinette bigger and it butted right up against the bathroom when closed so you'd need to bump the slide out to get in.

[mountainkowboy]

We had an AF 1140 and could use everything with the slide in. The only thing we didn't like about it was the dinette was so uncomfortable when you were in the TC for long periods of time. (rain and snow storms mainly) It had more storage than we could use and it was REALLY HEAVY!!. On the Dodge I was 1,400lbs over GVWR, but under on tires and axles. No mods it did okay, but would have been golden with upper and lower stableloads and bigger swaybars. The wicked Cummins didn't really care it was back there...should have kept the whole setup.

[Highway_Runner]

We traveled around with a Host Rainier DS for a few years. It is 9.5’ and well build.
We used a Dually with Torklift stable loads, timbrens, and Rancho 9000.
I suggest a good set of airbags on your 2500 with the Stable Loads and you will enjoy for many years to come.
We never had any difficulties with the slide outs. The ONLY difficulty I had was some plastic melting underneath when the GenSet was run for a long period.
Good Luck and Happy Travels.

[work2much]

The 3000 was a conventionally framed camper.

[jaycocreek]

work2much wrote:
That's correct. I think most of us remember the Bigfoot 3000 series campers.

In addition years later they have discussed making a new camper with a slide in their clamshell 2500 series. That discussion is in the link I provided above.

So,not having ever seen a series 3000 Bigfoot TC in person,I assume they are a one piece mold then instead of two piece mold like the 2500..I did read the article but I guess I don't understand the difference between a 2500 and 3000 Bigfoot TC other than the slide in the latter.

Why would a two piece mold be more economic than a one piece, as the 3000 series if cost was the reason to stop the TC slide..

It is good to hear that Bigfoot is in good hands like Northland TC's now being Rugged Mountain or I should say,both have the knowledgeable employee's of there old lines.

[work2much]

I shot Bigfoot an email asking about the slide. They responded right away.

[brholt]

aaronmt wrote:
I'm not opposed to a single slide.I just want to make sure we are getting a vast more amount of room if we do make the change.Our bigfoot has done us incredibly well.Is the AF 990 usable with the slide in? I see on the new ones the have a domed roof to help with leaks I'd assume.One thing I wonder is if Bigfoot made the campers any wider over the years.Ours is a 99 and has every single option the offered including dual pain windows it even has 3 porch lights.It however is a bit a challenge to load on our Dually Ram.If the new ones are even a few inches wider I'm sure it would make a huge difference.

We have a 1150 (same layout as 990 but the extra foot+ give much more storage) and it is very usable with the slide in. The only issue is "squeezing in" past the dinette (opening the bathroom door helps a lot) and some of the more "robust" people here could be challenged. Once in you can cook and sleep without problems.

No Arctic Fox has a flat roof. They made it more pronounced and extended it into the interior.

[work2much]

jaycocreek wrote:
Bigfoot already made a TC with a slide then discontinued it..

Bigfoot 2005 3000 series M 30C10.10ESL Much sought after 3000 series model, M30C10.10ESL, with a slide out is the highest level Bigfoot truck camper. Insulated to withstand extreme cold. Slide-out production was ceased by Bigfoot due to high cost.

That's correct. I think most of us remember the Bigfoot 3000 series campers.

In addition years later they have discussed making a new camper with a slide in their clamshell 2500 series. That discussion is in the link I provided above.

[jaycocreek]

[work2much]

adamis wrote:
Like a previous poster mentioned, I also had read somewhere that Bigfoot was contemplating a slide-out on their camper. They of course have a lot on their plate so it is probably a back burner thing but it wouldn't hurt to give them a call and inquire about it. At the very least it would give them one more reason to push it to the front burner.

Here is that interview regarding a slide in a 2500 series clamshell camper. No specifics on design or timeframe. Just that the owner is determined to do a slide. The interview was from 2 years ago.

https://www.truckcampermagazine.com/news/bigfoot-on-the-move/?singlepage=1

[jaycocreek]

Bigfoot already made a TC with a slide then discontinued it..

Bigfoot 2005 3000 series M 30C10.10ESL Much sought after 3000 series model, M30C10.10ESL, with a slide out is the highest level Bigfoot truck camper. Insulated to withstand extreme cold. Slide-out production was ceased by Bigfoot due to high cost.

[adamis]

Like a previous poster mentioned, I also had read somewhere that Bigfoot was contemplating a slide-out on their camper. They of course have a lot on their plate so it is probably a back burner thing but it wouldn't hurt to give them a call and inquire about it. At the very least it would give them one more reason to push it to the front burner.

[otrfun]

aaronmt wrote:
. . . When slides came out I was very reluctant of them,but feel the new ones may have the bugs worked out now . . . we need just a bit more real estate . . . a well built camper is high priority . . . We saw a eaglecap that was a few years old and the slides were definitely not designed all that great.Any thoughts are appreciated.

Totally understand being attracted to the extra real estate a slide brings. There's no argument the extra space is very nice to have. However, once you've had to deal with leaks, alignment issues, or a stuck slide when you're supposed to vacate a site in 30 min.---well, then your perspective on slides change a bit. IMO, if a slide is installed properly at the factory, odds are you'll get years of trouble-free use. Unfortunately, an improperly installed slide can appear to work well . . . until it doesn't. By then its probably created numerous secondary issues that significantly complicate the repair. Slide repairs are expensive. In some area it's very difficult finding a facility that has the proper equipment, tools, and expertise to repair them properly.

For some, the extra space a slide brings trumps any concerns about future slide problems. On the flipside, some feel giving up a bit of space is a more than fair trade-off for the guarantee you'll never, ever have to deal with a leaky, mis-aligned, stuck slide (again).

[jimh406]

If you go to the Seattle RV show, you can see several brands of truck campers and models at the same place.

Length or a slide will add weight. In the case of a slide, 200 to 500 lbs. It’s not more because you lose cabinets which are weight. Likewise, length adds weight of 200 to 500 per foot. More length also means more overhang, more overall length, and requires the use of a longer more specialized hitch. Also, a longer slide needs more support because it is more weight and is harder to support in a small RV such as a truck camper.

In our case, the second slide does add more floor space which is helpful if you ever use a dog crate. It also adds to the esthetics which my wife loves.

We can say what we like about each of ours, but ultimately, you have to trade off something.