Northwest Reel Life August 2024 Volume 3 Issue 10 - Flipbook - Page 30
NOW BOOKING
SMALL MOUTH
BASS
TRIPS ON THE
DWORSHAK
RESERVOIR
& SNAKE RIVERS
Enter to WIN a
FISHING TRIP for 2
2 0 8 .7 9 0. 2 1 2 8
R E E LT I M E F I S H I N G .C O M
than I used to but I do need
some comfort. Knowing
that the whole tent thing
and sleeping on the ground
or leaning back in the
driver’s seat for a power
nap was behind me got me
to wondering; where am I
going to sleep?
Although a 5th wheel or
other pull-behind trailer
would be luxurious, at this
point I still need to be able
to pull a boat. Tents, out of
the question, and a hotel
bed doesn’t seem to align
with most fishing trips. For
many years our ARB shell,
TruckVault, and a queen-
size mattress served us well
but it was time for a heated
change. I use the truck for
work every day so a fullsize hard-sided camper
wasn’t going to work. We
considered getting a motor
home or some form of a
van conversion but in the
end, decided that they
were not in the budget and
worse we’re out of driveway
real estate. Years ago, I did
some catering for a series of
offroad events in southern
California and there were a
ton of both ATC and Four
Wheel Campers at the
events. They are purposebuilt off-road campers.
Both manufacturers utilize
a lightweight welded
aluminum frame and are
soft-sided pop-up campers.
We decided to find a FWC
and quickly determined
that used campers to fit
our full-size truck were few
and far between. Order a
new one? Well maybe; after
researching the cost of
the few newer used FWCs
available as compared
to the cost of a new one,
ordering a new camper
seemed like a solid financial
decision. Add a level of
customizations available
and we were sold.
FWCs are available as
topper, a basic shell model,
a fully loaded slide-in
camper and as a flatbed camper with various
options available for each
model. We ordered a basic
shell but customized our
order with forced air heat,
a larger bed, a forward
dinette a flush mount
stove top, an 8’ awning
and shore power. Deposit
made; the wait began. We
expected the 4–6-month
lead-time but after a couple
months started getting
antsy and second guessing
our configuration choices.
Eventually, our lead time
transitioned to an install
date and we were off to
Mule Expedition Outfitters
in Issaquah for the install.
