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| Duncan Crawford: Off the Ground, Off the Grid, and On the Trail |
| Angela White | Thursday, 24 June, 2010 | |||||||||||||
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After a final frigid night of tent camping, Duncan Crawford and his wife had had it. Now the tent is out, the camper is in, and they hike, bike, and canoe across the continent.  There’s nothing like a cold night tent camping on the ground to remind you how luxurious even the most basic truck camper is. Perhaps we should all spend one night a year camping on the ground to remind ourselves of this. On second thought, no way! We’re sure Duncan Crawford would second the no on that idea. He and his wife said “good bye” to tent camping nine years ago, bought their first truck camper, and never looked back. As an engineer, Duncan has tuned his third truck camper, a 2008 S&S 11FBSC Green Package, into an off-the-grid technology tour de force. He’s also a big believer in the Stable-Lift system and owns a Ford F-450. Clearly, Duncan is serious about truck camping and had a lot to share about his favorite hobby.
TCM: How did you get into truck camping? Duncan: Our truck camping started after a very cold tent camping experience in the Adirondacks. On the day we paddled out the weather turned from seventy to thirty degrees and my wife was almost hypothermic. After that experience, it was time to find someway to get heat and hot water while being closer to the trailhead where we canoe. I had seen truck campers, did more research, and went to RV shows. There are two truck camper dealers around us, so I looked at various units. I already bought a short bed three-quarter ton truck. Most of the campers we saw were too big and heavy for my truck. After looking, I found our first camper, a Lance 845. That was in 2001. TCM: What did you do with your Lance? Duncan: We took the Lance up and down the East Coast, out to Missouri and Minnesota for canoe trips, and on numerous Maryland Eastern Shore canoeing weekends. The Lance was a good first camper, but we eventually wanted a dry bath and larger holding tanks. In 2005, we bought an Arctic Fox because it offered larger holding tanks, a dry bath, lots of storage, and a big slide-out. With camper selected, I went truck shopping and ended up with a Chevy Duramax 3500 dually with a long bed. We got Torklift tiedowns, a Torklift SuperHitch, and air bags. Loaded with our gear and wet, the Arctic Fox weighed about 5,000 pounds. That was a little too much for my Chevy 3500 dually, so I eventually bought an Ford F-450. The F-450 worked well for the Arctic Fox, especially after I installed Torklift Stable Loads. With the Stable Loads, the rig had no lean or sway. Between 2005 and 2009, we hauled the Ford F-450 and the Arctic Fox well over fifty thousand miles. We hiked, biked, and canoed from Prince Edward Island to Florida and many places in between.
TCM: And then you changed campers again? Duncan: We no longer wanted a slide-out. They’re great for creating more floor space in the camper, but they’re one more thing that can fail if you go off-road a lot or up to Alaska like we did. From now on, we want wood framed, non-slide campers. TCM: Well that explains why you bought a S&S Camper. All they make are wood framed non-slide campers. Duncan: S&S had what I was looking for. I called them up and talked to Doug Sieler, the President of S&S Campers. At the time, I didn’t know who he was. He just answered the phone. I asked Doug about the building codes and how the campers were constructed. We had a nice conversation and he convinced me that S&S had what I was looking for. I called back a few days later and talked to Gary Grafe about their Green Package. I wanted the new technology with the modern amenities. They had a 2008 model with almost everything I wanted. TCM: What green technology do you have in your S&S camper? Duncan: I have thermopane windows, the solar package, and a compressor fridge. It even has a green S&S logo on the side. I added two Fantastic Vents and a generator. I also had them install propane quick disconnect for my Wave 6 catalytic heater. TCM: Why are you interested in green technologies? Duncan: Our camping preference is boondocking, preferably in remote locations where we can hike and canoe. Between the camper solar, truck inverter, and camper generator, we generally never plug in. Give us access to fresh water and a dump station and we'll be good for months. Alaska was a paradise in that regard; not to mention the scenery. Our S&S has about half the grey and black tank capacity as our Arctic Fox so we carry a modified Thetford SmartTote on a rear hitch rack under the camper overhang. The modification is a twist-on gate valve on the integral hose so I can fill and empty the tank without removing it from the rack and avoid being slimed in the process.
Above Left: This close-up shows how the camper is plugged into the truck inverter system to allow them to be almost entirely independent while on the road. Center: Canoe rack, which is the main reason for the truck camper; to travel, camp, and paddle. Right: The Thetford SmartTote with added twist-on valve, ready to be loaded and strapped onto the hitch platform. When it's in place, they can dump to the SmartTote and then dump it without removing it from the rack; effectively almost doubling the camper tank capacity. The F-450 can handle the cantilevered rear weight without issue. At the lower left-hand corner you can just see where the camper plugs into the truck inverter's weathertight duplex groundfault outlet on the side of the SuperHitch. TCM: That’s an interesting idea to extend the capacity of the tanks. What other modifications have you added to your camper? Duncan: I've added one more LED light in the bathroom, upgraded one of my two Fantastic Vents to the twenty-two speed version using a retrofit kit, and installed an in-line water filter under the kitchen sink for the cold water line. All of the original incandescent lights now have LED bulbs. We run a Wave 6 catalytic heater for cold weather camping. S&S installed a propane quick-connect for it in a toe space and I added a manually-switched basement fan to keep the air circulating when it's running. TCM: You told us that you had a Stable-Lift system on your Arctic Fox and then had a new Stable-Lift system installed on your S&S. What led you to get Stable-Lift systems on both campers? Duncan: What convinced me to get a Stable-Lift system was a jack failure. As an engineer, I thought there had to be better technology and a safer solution. Stable-Lift seemed like a logical way to solve the problem. I researched Stable-Lift on the forums and in Truck Camper Magazine. Then, I called up Mont Peters and he invited me out to their facility in Kalispell, Montana. He gave me a free installation with my Stable-Lift system purchase. I had already been to Glacier National Park that summer, but I drove back to Kalispell in December to get it done. TCM: That’s a long drive from Maryland. What were your impressions of the Stable-Lift system once it was installed? Duncan: The Stable-Lift systems have made all the difference. WIth the system installed, it’s not scary to take the camper on and off. In Alaska, we were road side camping in Valdez on a sloped road with a propane refrigerator and a narrow site. I had to be parallel because that was the only way to level it the rig. I dropped the Stable-Lift and it was great. After our experience in Alaska, I decided that the new camper was going to have to get another Stable-Lift system. It’s one of those things that’s critical equipment when you have a big camper on a high truck.
TCM: How did the second Stable-Lift installation go? Duncan: After I talked to Doug and Gary at S&S and ordered the camper, I called Mont Peters at Stable-Lift. The two companies are only a mile apart in Kalispell, Montana. I asked Mont at Stable-Lift if I could transfer the Stable-Lift system from the old camper to the new camper. He said that I could, but I might not like the results. On S&S campers, wing walls stick down two and a half inches. To address this difference, Stable-Lift offers a system with a L shaped bend. This bend compensates for the lip allowing S&S Campers and Stable-Lift systems to fit together like a puzzle. With Mont’s feedback, I ordered the Stable-Lift with the L shaped bend appropriate for the S&S camper. I then asked Doug and Mont to have the Stable-Lift system installed on the new camper before I arrived in Kalispell. TCM: It’s great that they were able to take care of the installation before you arrived. We’ll have to follow-up with you down the road after you’ve had a few adventures with the new camper. Is there anything you would like to add to your interview? Duncan: My daughter has a fixer upper house and I’ll go up to help her and stay in my camper. I’ll take my tools and work on the house. I get to help my daughter out and spend time with my grandkids. Since I’m in my truck camper, I’m out of their way. My other daughter, husband, and grandson have a three bedroom, one bathroom house with cats. I’m allergic to cats. So when I go to visit them, I’m happy to be in my truck camper. It gives everyone schedule independence and space if you need it. Truck camping is a lifestyle choice. You can have all of your toys with you or behind you. It gives us the opportunity to take a canoe or hiking gear and go where you can’t go with a trailer. It’s just wonderful. TCM: We also enjoy our camper when visiting friends and family. You’re never a house guest. Thanks for the interview, Duncan. Duncan: You’re welcome. To join in the discussion about this article, go to our Facebook or Twitter page. |
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