I have the chance to buy a Wildernest type camper shell for my truck. This is a flip top camper that weighs about 300+ pounds and bolts on in place of the truck cap I have now. My question, and why I am posting this in the off road section is, does anyone have first hand experience as to how badly this extra weight will affect the off road handling of my truck. I will probably buy load springs for the rear of the truck if I get the camper, so I won't lose clearance from the extra weight, but I'm guessing that the extra weight, and the fact that it is concentrated above the truck bed, will throw off the handling of the truck. Has anyone done any hard trail riding or technical driving with a camper like this that could tell me if it will be a big thing to deal with. I'm guessing it wouldn't be a lot different from the load carried by a 4 runner with a gear basket loaded with spare tire, gas can, jack and other things, in which case there are a lot of people doing this, but I'm wondering if anyone has experience with a camper or similar load and can let me know what to expect. Thanks.

 

I sure as heck notice my 200lb snugtop canopy when I'm wheeling, I can imagine the one you're looking at would be twice as bad since most of it's weight is in the top. Depends on how tippy you get, if you're not pushing it right now then it might work.

 

I've wheeled w/ a SnugTop and the Exo-cage thru some pretty nasty stuff- 3.5 to 4 rated trails (on the 1 to 5 scale). The camper does have an effect on body roll, but you'll be amazed at where you can go. It just takes a few trails to get used to the extra body roll in off-camber situations. I've been well past 30 degs with no problems (YET) My rear springs are 56" long All Pro's and are very soft w/ the added load, yet the rig is still very trail worthy.

I've got my rig setup with a removeable cage brace behind the cab so that I can throw on the shell when we go camping and/or need the dry storage space.

Of the two, the exo had a much greater effect on adding high weight. If I had it to do again, I'd use 1.5" tubing vs. the 1.75" to reduce the weight.

In short, I don't think you'll have a problem unless your going to run extreme trails-

 

Thanks for the advice. I already haul so much crap with me when I travel that I'm getting worried about how the truck will perform if I keep adding to it. I only have about 2" of lift so the weight is not that high, but I know I will notice the extra momentum of the camper when I get into sketchy situations. At least with the camper I don't have to worry about saving enough room in the bed to sleep, and can move the spare tire and stuff out of the roof basket. Probably make the GF happy having a nice place to sleep, too.

 

I think you have seen my setup, and although I try to keep my gear and load as simple and light as possible, I still require quite a bit of weight to accomplish my goals. The last time I weighed the truck FULLY loaded with water, food, fuel, gear, and passenger (weighed just before the big trip to Baja), it weighed in right at about 5,000 lbs. Compare that to a stock '98 Taco V6 xcab at 3,400 lbs - that's about 1,600 lbs. of extra weight. This was before the 32's and sliders, (and now extra battery) which added some more.

Granted, on my most challenging trail trips with this truck, I haven't carried a full-on expedition load, but only enough for weekend camping and have been quite successful despite the added weight. There is no doubt about the trade-off, more weight ultimately means less agilility and traction, but depending on the trails you run, this might not be a factor. If you have some good torque and at least a rear locker, you will do well. I wish you knew the trails here so that I could tell you which ones I have done, so you would have an idea of what I am talking about.

I don't know how much of the wildernest load is concentrated at the roof-line (being a flip-up/pop-up type) but I don't imagine it's much more than my roof rack with spare tire, jack, lights, and axe.

I can tell you that you may go through springs/coils/torsion bars faster with the extra weight. I have about 30,000 miles on my SAW coils and they need to be replaced. My custom rear leaf packs are shot, and will be getting replaced with Alcans. I'll be weighing the truck again before I order the Alcans, so I'll be sure to post the results.

Just like most off-road mods, there are trade-offs. But, if you really like camping, I think you should go for it! If it's so terrible, you could always sell the Wildernest. But, I'll bet you like it.

The downsides I might see with the Wildernest, is that you cannot have alot of the "other" gear that will set you up for long term camping trips without adding TOO much weight. (i.e. aux. fuel tank, roof rack, water storage, misc. gear, extra parts, tools, etc.) and in bad weather you won't have the ridgidity of the camper shell around your bed, you will get the mighty shakes and flapping fabric in the storms. Maybe you can sleep through that, I have trouble sometimes... so I like the solid shell.

 

I've actually done quite a bit of wheelin in S. Utah so would probably recognize trails there, but I think I get the idea of moderation on trails with the extra weight. The suspension upgrades were already on my list for this summer, I found that last years big trip saw me carrying enough weight without the camper top that I was pushing the rear springs. I guess I have to weed out some more of the heavy items for this year. My one big trip each year usually sees me away from my house for up to two months at a time, so I tend to over pack not knowing exactly where I will end up. I guess I can try the camper for the rest of the summer before selling my current cap and make the decision in the fall. Thanks again for the advice.

 

Well, what I am trying to say, is that on alot of trails (most trails you will run with an IFS rig) the moderation really isn't necessary, unless your center-of-gravity is really high due to the wildernest design. Even though I have the roof rack with spare and jack, my COG is pretty good because I have lots of low ballast weight with the aux. fuel tank, tool box, cargo deck and water bins.

You mentioned S. Utah... so maybe you have been to Moab? I have done Hell's revenge, Fins n' Things, and Seven Mile Rim with a pretty full load, but no aux. fuel and probably a little less than half of my water storage. I did have some guys do counterbalance standing on the sliders for the really tippy section of seven mile rim where you have to cross the big slickrock dome sideways.

Wipeout hill on 7 mile rim... long descent to the bottom, and then you have to climb back out the same way.



I'm showing this obstacle because it's a good example of a pretty technical steep section that brings alot of the added weight into play, especially when going back up when you have alot of weight (gravity) shifted to the rear of the truck while trying to negotiate a series of ledges and ruts on an extemely steep run. This photo gives a pretty good idea of the climb up, but it doesn't show the lower section that he just came up. Anyway, I made it up with all of the gear and weight - it was fun!

 

I've spent time in Moab, done Fins n' Things among others so I know what you are talking about. You bring up a good point about countering the high weight. I have been trying to keep weight out of the truck and have avoided installing my aux fuel tank, but the weight down low may actually help as long as my suspension is up to the total load. I'll have to go back through and see what things I can move back to lower mounting points so the overall effect will be lessened.
I'm hoping to get back to that area this fall and do Elephant Hill and Kane Creek, two trails we had to skip last year because of trouble with a friends rig. I'll let you know the dates and maybe we can meet up.

 

Kane Creek is supposed to be awesome, but I haven't done it yet either. Unfortunately, this fall is already booked up for me as far as vacation days away from work. But if you make it to AZ, definitely let me know - a weekend run would be fun.