Randy and LaWana Smith: Northstar On a Roll |
| Angela White | Thursday, 01 October, 2009 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Randy and LaWana Smith show us their creative camper modifications from wheels on their camper jacks to LED lighting to an almost obscenely large bed in their Northstar pop-up.  Truck camper owners are well known for their creative modifications. The most clever and practical of these modifcations often catch the attention of the manufacturers. It's no different among the manufacturers themselves who keep close tabs on what the other companies are building. They're always looking for new ideas and innovations no matter what the source. It's not exactly crowdsourcing, but the best ideas have a way of making their way onto the camper production lines and rolling out the door. Speaking of rolling, Randy and LaWana Smith have put wheels on their camper jacks to help them with loading and unloading their camper. While we're not completely sure how safe this would be in all circumstances, it's proven to be an effective solution for Randy and LaWana. So now, thanks to Randy and LaWana, truck campers not only rock, but they also roll.
TCM: Tell us how you chose your Northstar pop-up. Randy: We specifically wanted a pop-up. For us it’s like having a home outside. We’re only inside during inclement weather and at night. We even cook outside. We have a 2005 Ford F150 and a 2006 Northstar TC650. LaWana: We have nine children and did a lot of tent camping. After tent camping, I wanted something more comfortable with a hot shower and a big comfortable bed. Randy didn’t want to pull a big trailer behind. Our pop-up allows us to get gas easily and go just about anywhere. We live outside pretty much the whole time we are traveling. Randy: Another example of why we wanted a pop-up is the time we went to Baxter State Park in Maine with a height restriction of only nine feet. We got through fine, but only by a few inches. It was one of the best parks we’ve visited. TCM: What do you like to do when you go truck camping? Randy: We like to kick back and be lazy. LaWana: We’ve been married for thirty-eight years. I teach school during the year and Randy is retired. Camping allows us to spend quality time together. We tend to be very independent and like the feeling of freedom. Our truck camper gives us that freedom. It allows us to do what we want to do.
TCM: We love that sense of freedom too. We looked at your photos and I want to ask you about your camper modifications. Let’s start with the wheels on your jacks. Randy: The benefit of wheels on our jacks is maneuverability. The wheels allow us to literally roll the camper on and off when on concrete. The wheels make it easy. I bought the wheels online from Northern Tool. Northern, I believe, has the best selection. The wheels have a weight capacity of 1,500 pounds per wheel and cost $24.95 each. The part number for the wheels is #128476-2806. The foot is part number 128479-2806. The feet have a capacity of 5,000 pounds per foot and are $12.99 each. These are both the bulldog brand. Now, I’m able to easily pull the camper off the truck by myself while LaWana watches to make sure I don’t turn into the truck with one of the jacks. To align my camper perfectly on my truck, I use a rubber mallet to help turn the wheels. The wheels roll quite easily. Of course, my camper is fairly light weighing just shy of 2,000 pounds. LaWana: I am a little person and maneuvering the camper was difficult. To help me out, Randy put the wheels on. Now, it’s amore enjoyable experience for me.
TCM: Tell us about your LED lighting. Randy: We really like the LED lighting the LED lights we use are a little brighter, use less juice, and don’t put out much heat. The fluorescent lights were reworked by taking all the parts out of the plastic cover and replacing the lights with LED strips. I also added a switch at the end of the fixture that allows us to turn on one or two strips of light. I also replaced the exterior lights with LED lights. LaWana: The LED lights are from Jireh Supplies. TCM: You also added speakers throughout your camper. Randy: I added speakers on both sides of the mattress in the overcab area and two outside on the passenger side. Two are the forward speakers and two are the rearward speakers so it’s easy to switch to inside or outside or blend them. They are regular white marine speakers. My first major in college was Music so I really enjoy having music in the camper. LaWana: Randy was in the Marine Corp Band when Vietnam came along and then joined the Air Force Band. He was in the military for nine years. Whenever we move, wherever we go, there’s music.
TCM: Looking at your pictures, it looks like you have some comfortable sleeping arrangements. LaWana: (laughs) We switched out our camper mattress for a nice pillow top mattress. After calling Northstar and finding out the storage area was not structural, we removed it allowing us room for the mattress. This was the first modification we made. TCM: Tell us about using a drill with your jacks. Randy: We have a drill that we use to raise and lower the camper. It proved to be very beneficial on our last trip when we had a flat tire in Wyoming. With my drill, we were able to move the jacks up and down quickly to take the weight off the truck. I’m just using a Craftsman 19.2 volt drill with an adapted fitting. The adapter is a regular adaptor for a drill that fits a socket using whatever size drive you want. I use a ½” socket attached to a hex that is long enough to fit inside my Happijacs. The hex I used had been a shock tool, but there are sockets that are for head bolts or any ½” hex found at a tool store will do. We just use plumbers putty to keep the parts together which also allows it to be taken apart easily when needed. There are commercial drill adaptors available in RV catalogs that fit Rieco-Titan jacks and may fit other brands as well. It works better if you put the drill on low when the jack has a load on it. The drill can be used at high speed when there is no load. It also works better if two people work together using two drills, although it’s not necessary. The drills go up and down faster than any motors we’ve seen and certainly beat hand cranking. The drills are also handy for any fix-its in the field.
TCM: You seem to modify all kinds of things on your camper. Where did this desire to modify things come from? Randy: It’s kind of fun to modify because of the compactness of a truck camper and it’s systems. It’s also nice to be creative and to think of ways to meet your own needs and wants. I believe that most people who own a truck camper are a unique and many of us want to make our surroundings conform to our own needs and wants. The question always is: How can we make this better or do what we want it to do? I think it is unusual if a truck camper owner doesn’t modify his/her truck camper to one extent or another. It’s a lot easier to modify than a trailer or a motorhome, both of which we’ve had. LaWana: It’s a matter of looking at something and thinking of a whole new way of using it. Randy’s always been able to do that. TCM: Thank you, Randy and LaWana. You guys sure are creative and resourceful. Keep us in the loop with any further camper modifications.
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