After our first interview fourteen years ago, we catch up with fellow truck camper Dave Ruane. Since then, he’s made the leap from a pop-up to a Northern Lite 9-6 LE, and taken up one wild hobby. Get ready for mountain lions, wolves, moose, and beyond.
A lot can change in fourteen years, but some things stay exactly the same. In that spirit, you will enjoy the wild heck out of our catch-up with Dave Ruane. And if you enjoy this, be sure to check out our first interview, The Hunt For Adventure. Here’s Dave’s Reader Spotlight.
Dave Ruane in front of his Northern Lite 9-6 Limited Edition
When we interviewed you fourteen years ago, you were traveling in a Northstar TS-1000 pop-up. Today you’re in a Northern Lite 9-6 Limited Edition hard side. What inspired your move to a Northern Lite, and what have you gained, and perhaps lost, with the change?
I was looking for a larger camper with less setup and takedown concerns, and more comfort and features. I bought a Northern Lite 9-6 Limited Edition new in January of 2020 and traveled to a Northern Lite dealership near Bozeman, Montana to pick it up.
I camped my way home in brutally cold temperatures and wind. The Northern Lite immediately proved to be a fantastic unit. It added a considerable amount of weight over the pop-up, but it wasn’t as heavy as I expected. I had both campers on a 2008 Chevy Silverado 3500HD single rear wheel diesel.
The hard side rig is several feet taller than the Northstar TS-1000 pop-up, forcing me to be more aware of branches and other low clearance issues. That said, I am very happy with the construction quality of the Northern Lite.
Winter camping in northern Colorado
Due to the two-piece solid fiberglass shell and insulation, the Northern Lite stays warmer in fall and winter weather. The significantly more premium-priced Northern Lite Limited Edition also adds a new level of comfort and features. That said, I kind of miss the ability to hear what’s going on outside like I did in the pop-up, but it is nice to not be awakened by outside noise as well.
Dave’s son has a Scout Yoho on a Ford Ranger
Back in 2012, you were loading up the truck on Friday afternoons and heading into the unknown. Do you still camp that way today?
Yes, I am very much still a weekend warrior and camp mostly the same way. I have trips that are both spontaneous as well as highly planned. My wife and I spent nine nights in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks this past June after planning that trip for over six-months.
Unloaded at Yellowstone National Park – they use the truck everyday to tour
I like to have the camper off the truck if I don’t plan on using it for more than five to seven days. I can usually get the camper on the truck in about forty minutes from raising it to getting it tied down. There’s similar timing to get it off the truck. The tailgate adds a bit more time. For the most part, I leave it off the truck during high use season from March to mid-December.
Camping in northern Colorado
What destinations in the past fourteen years have left the biggest impression on you?
Most of my truck camping is in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nebraska, and Montana. Since my Truck Camper Magazine interview, I did hit Big Bend National Park in Texas and a few other National Parks in Arizona and New Mexico. All have been highlights.
Dave’s rig in Grand Teton National Park
I have some favorite places within a few hours of home. It seems like it has become harder to find places in the last fifteen years. There are more crowds, and they show up earlier.
I still consider the Yellowstone trip the big event of the year, as well as the National Parks in Utah. We’re also overdue for a trip back to Glacier National Park in Montana.
You described yourself as a naturalist, angler, wildlife watcher, and gadget geek. Which hobbies have stayed with you over the years?
I’m still at it with all of those. I also enjoy setting up trail cameras. Trail cameras are a great add-on to camping since you need to make a return trip to these remote, past places to pick up SD cards or the whole camera. I like to put out nine to twelve cameras at a time and the batteries should easily last four to five weeks depending on activity and night versus day imagery.
Check out more of Dave’s Trail camera videos on YouTube
I commonly focus on wildlife like mountain lions and bears. I also get video of a lot of other critters including badgers, moose and foxes. I even captured a video of one of Colorado’s wolves when there were only eleven known in the whole state.
The wilds of the Nebraska Sandhills
What have been some of your favorite upgrades to your truck camper rig?
We’ve made quite a few upgrades over the years, ranging from major electrical projects to small convenience improvements. One of our favorites was a DIY lithium battery and inverter upgrade, along with adding Victron components including a shunt, solar charge controller, and DC-to-DC charger. We also upgraded the refrigerator fans and installed a programmable thermostat, all of which improved the camper’s electrical efficiency and day-to-day usability.
On the truck side, we added reverse lights and integrated backup and rear-view mirror cameras into the truck’s factory camera system. Those upgrades have made maneuvering and keeping an eye on what’s behind us considerably easier.
Some of our favorite modifications are actually the simpler ones. We added bedside power stations, replaced the interior LEDs with warmer-spectrum lighting, installed roof-vent branch deflectors, and created an easy-access shovel holder. We also automated the stove hood vent so it opens and closes electrically, a project that was featured in Truck Camper Magazine.
Individually, many of these upgrades are fairly small, but together they’ve made the rig more comfortable, capable, and convenient to live with.
Stella, Luna, Sunny in front of their Northern Lite 9-6 Limited Edition
Dave Ruane’s Rig
2023 GMC 3500HD
2020 Northern Lite 9-6 LE
