Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/09/02/vanlife-the-empire-strikes-b.html
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Wait until you learn about camper shells…
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I am a big fan of the Alaskan Camper shells. That looks like a 4WC?
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Yep. 4WC. Alaskans are great in the cold.
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Looks a lot like the friends camper that guided a lot of my Ford choices. I am reluctant to have a big honking thing back there for a while tho. This is not the nimble Vanagon.
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Wifey and I have talked about one for my Outback for just her and I to do road trips (flying is an issue for her).
We like this company in particular…
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If you have the Triton engine in there, be careful. I have one and had to replace the engine after it started shredding itself and throwing metal shavings throughout the whole works. Great work truck, not a daily driver (at least for us.)
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I want to try renting a few and see if a) I enjoy it and b) renting is better than owning because storing a trailer or shell where I live is inviting trouble where I live.
Coyote 5.0
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I’m sure Seamus will help you install a lift kit, if you ask nicely 
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I had an F250 which may be vastly different on paper, but in reality I think it just had better brakes then your F150 (which does translate to a bigger tow rating). I bought it to tow a nearly 40-foot long fiver, but also happened to tow a smaller extended teardrop style trailer (an rPod, and later another model), about 5000 pounds.
The “real” teardrop trailers are more like 2000 to 3000 pounds. Occasionally under 2000 (at least dry).
Anything 5000 pounds and under really will feel like it isn’t there. On flat surfaces. Going up hills. Basically anywhere. Unless of corse you forget it is there and take a corner tight enough that you whack it into a traffic sign, or forget and reverse.
So don’t spend extra money to get an extra small trailer. Just get whichever appeals to you & fits your budget. If you win the lotto get an airstream, they are super well designed.
Alternately get a big tent that is fast to put up and take down (I have a kingdom six, and it fits big tent, and it is fast to put up, but I have never gotten the back of taking it down in a hurry). The truck bed can haul all the supplies you need, and the tent is for sleeping
Edit: fixed a typeo (s/funds/pounds/), and a spello (brakes)
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Very nice engine! Use synthetic engine oil and keep the air cleaner clean. Its durablility is excellent and you are well past any infant mortality issues.
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Not sure what you mean by “real” but teardrops were originally designed to be light and aerodynamic so that they could be pulled by regular cars. Most traditional ones are in the range of 1000 lbs, and the big ones made by TAB are just north of 2000 lbs.
I managed to build one that’s just under 200 lbs empty, which I pull with my little Honda Fit.
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Congratulations and many happy miles!
I’m thrilled with my Ford Fiesta ST at 54K miles - my very first Ford!
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It seems like trucks I see these days always have cramped backseats in the extended cab, beds way too small for 4x8 drywall, pricetags twice that of a passenger car, and half the gas mileage. I just don’t get it but I am clearly not the target demo.
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They’re fantastic, and IMHO less cumbersome than a trailer, retro-cool though teardrop trailers are.
I’d recommend finding an area friend with a pop-up camper shell who might let you take it for a spin.
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Extended cabs are great for pets and gear. Bipedal passengers, not so much.
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Agree. Some people out there legitimately need trucks, but most of the people who think that they need them really don’t, or could easily get away with a smaller truck than those typically sold today. Most of the landscapers in my neighborhood who actually use their trucks for work every day drive much smaller, more practical older-model Toyotas and the like, not the behemoths that most suburban residents drive. I do a lot of home projects but it’s very rare that I can’t haul the materials I need in the back of my minivan. Very occasionally I’ve rented a truck from Home Depot for tasks like hauling compost, and the rental is dirt cheap.
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I did indeed mean the ones intended to be pulled by normal cars as opposed to trailers that are mostly teardrop shaped but far heavier, like the rPod at 3000+ pounds (which to be fair I did tow with a Volvo convertible, it was fun, but also at the limit of what the Volvo was rated for and I could absolutely feel it).
The heavier ones tend to have “more stuff”, which if you need is nice to have, but if you don’t well that is cost and weight. My rPod for example had an actual bathroom as a separate room, with a toilet and a “shower” (as in the bathroom had a drain on the floor but the shower was the entire bathroom). It also had a little slide out if I recall correctly.
It was my first trailer, and it was nice and worked well for what I wanted, but the slide-out in retrospect was not very useful, and consumed weight I could have used for other things. The shower I knew was next to useless when I bought it, but it didn’t take much space/weight. It also had an outdoor shower which was more useful (dog wash!!!). I also really really wanted air-conditioning, and it had it, and worked nicely for what I needed.
…hey that 200lbs tear drop looks awesome!
I’ve never understood the appeal over a small trailer (which I assume is a failing on my part), can you tell me the awesome parts? (If I don’t find them appealing I’ll just assume they are awesome for others and not my cup of tea, I’m not looking to argue them or anything)
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For myself, it’s easier to maneuver with a shell than a trailer. Reversing, parking, acute turns, less than ideal terrain and the like are all a hassle with a trailer. A pop-up shell can go anywhere the pick-up can go just as easily.
Admittedly, this might very well have something to with the fact that in the before times, weather permitting, two wheels was my transportation of choice and I never like driving especially big vehicles. F150 and the like are fine, but I got stuck with a Suburban for a rental once and I hated driving it.
Ultimately I think it boils down to personal preference, which is why I think it’s advisable to try before you buy.
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