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| True North: The Trailer for Truck Campers |
| Gordon White | Thursday, 28 January, 2010 | ||||||||||
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What is a travel trailer doing in Truck Camper Magazine? Is the True North really a truck camper related product? Your feedback is wanted. ... ...  This week we debuted the results of our 2009 Reader Survey showing that nearly 70% of you tow something behind your truck camping rigs. The ability to tow almost anything is why we like to say that truck campers are the ultimate toy haulers. When Northwood approached us with their new True North product, we were intrigued. Here is a product that’s in tune with our affinity for towing and potentially extends the capabilities of a truck camper. But can a travel trailer really be a truck camper related product? Have we gone south with the True North? The mastermind behind the True North is Lance Rinker, Northwood’s Director of Purchasing. To learn more about the True North and further challenge the relevance of this travel trailer to truck campers, we interviewed Lance about this interesting new product. After you read this article, we ask that you send your feedback about the True North to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Interview with Lance Rinker of Northwood Manufacturing: TCM: How did the True North Freelance get started? Lance: I go mountain biking and trial running. I was kicking around the idea of a lighter weight, easy to store, handy get-up-and-go trailer to facilitate those activities. We slowed down last winter with the economic downturn so I started researching a solution. Ron had challenged us to think outside the box so I got together with the design guys and pitched the True North. We call it an OSV, or Outdoor Support Vehicle. TCM: Why is the Freelance relevant to the truck camper enthusiast? Lance: It’s a great truck camper accessory that allows you to more haul more gear and toys and provides a secure place for storage. It also allows you to bring more people with you. It will accommodate four people or more on sleeping bags. You can also drop the True North in one location and head up the road with your truck camper to have two different sites. It’s good for people who do long endurance runs including mountain biking or kayaking. It eliminates the, “I wish I had this” or, “I forgot to pack that”. TCM: Truck campers are designed to go off-road. Is the Freelance designed for rigorous off-road use? Lance: Yes. It’s got 15.75” of ground clearance, so anywhere you take your truck camper you can pull your True North behind you. Everything is tucked inside the chassis. It has torsion suspension that is built into the axle, rather than having leaf springs. It also has skid bars in the rear. The True North is built on a modified tear drop platform. We build our own chassis in-house. It’s aerodynamic with streamlined fiberglass from front to rear. It’s aluminum framed so it’s not going to rust. And we have taken full advantage of our in-house lamination with the True North. I’m 6’2” and I’m comfortable in the True North. The True North has integrated D rings in the floor to strap down more gear. For example, mountain bikes and kayaks can be thrown inside if you don’t want them outside when you are away from camp. There is also a collapsable interior/exterior table, a 77.5” sofa bed, passthrough storage for three ice chests, and a 12-volt port/110 refrigerator/freezer. The True North features organizer bins and a diamond plate storage box on the front for tools and Ozite carpet on the ceiling. On the exterior, there is a roof rack on top, an exterior galley for outside cooking, an awning that comes out, and side mounted table with two exterior speakers. Finally the True North features 14” aluminum wheels. Overall, the True North construction is very similar to other Northwood products. TCM: What are the specifications of the True North? Lance: The True North is 16’4” from tongue to bumper. The exterior height without the rack is 7’0” and the interior is 64”. You can sit four people in there. The exterior width is 6’10” and the interior width is 78”. We made it this way because we wanted to tuck the OSV neatly behind your truck camper. The True North Basecamp is 1,535 pounds dry. The Ascent model is 1,685 pounds dry and the Summit model is 1,785 pounds dry. Those are all dry weights without options. You can add up to 940 pounds of gear if you disperse the load evenly. TCM: What is the MSRP of the True North and the warranty? Lance: The MSRP of the True North is $9900. There is a one year Northwood warranty on the True North. Any authorized Northwood dealer can sell the True North. TCM: How are you the Director of Purchasing and Director of the True North? Lance: I have two lives within the company. My day job is Director of Purchasing. Being the Director of Purchasing gives me a great advantage as Director of the True North. I know price points and where to go for materials. Ninety percent of materials were there when I pitched it to Ron. He’s let me run with the True North and together we make decisions. TCM: What’s it like to be named Lance and work at Northwood? Lance: Well, that’s a difficult one. On the phone I get, “You’re who with Lance?” and “Someone from Lance Campers called”. So I say, “No, I’m Lance with Northwood”. TCM: That’s funny. I can only imagine how confused everyone would be if my last name were Trailer Life. Not that Gordon Trailer Life doesn’t have a certain ring to it. Thanks for the story, Lance. We’ll let you know what our readers think of the True North and it’s potential with truck campers. Lance: You’re welcome. And I look forward to the feedback from your readers. For more information abuot Northwood Manufacturing's True North, visit the True North website at www.truenorth.me. |
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