2020 Northern Lite 9-6 QLE Walkthrough/Review - Full Time Truck Camper Living
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- čas přidán 27. 08. 2024
- In this video I do an interior and exterior walkthrough of my 2020 Northern Lite truck camper. I discuss living in it full time and a few minor issues that I’ve run into since beginning this journey. I am currently on my first nomadic adventure traveling border to border north to south from Montana to California while trying to stick to as much dirt road as possible. (Royalty Free Music from Bensound)
Follow along with the blog: www.locallynomadic.com
Sweet rig. Must be pretty cool to have your house with you no matter where you go. The spot you're in looks pretty nice for boondocking. Thanks.
Hey...I have an 2015 NL 10-2 EXCD and have been boondocking 6-8 months out of the year for the last 3. Don't drill for your cable for your 4G extender. Run your cord down the shower vent pipe cap, there is room there and into your cab. No drilling necessary. Also, I have raked off two Pipe Caps, three marker lights, and half my Fridge Vent Cap, so don't feel bad about your fridge access door. That's why I bought a truck camper so I could go places others can't. I have beat the crap out of mine and everything has held up. No water pipe problems, everything still works great, and it's so easy to live in. I have a woven mat under the bed and haven't had a condensation problem since I installed it. Fairly cheap too if I remember. It's a great camper...and if you do have a problem when you call the factory they answer and will hook you in to the guys on the floor to fix the problem....great company!!
Awesome thanks Dutchman for the info good idea. I think I'll either run it into that plumbing vent or possibly the fridge vent depending on where I decide to mount the receiver box. Yep I agree, I bought it for the same reason. Already taken off my top fridge vent and a few plumbing ones haha, no marker lights so far thankfully.
I'm glad to hear yours has held up to hard use after 5 years, makes me feel even better about my decision to get a NL. Yeah I emailed the factory and the president Keith has always replied to my emails very quickly. If I hadn't been sold before I was then and there!
The great thing about Northern Lite is, if you call their office during work hours a real person answers the phone. As a happy Northern Lite camper owner, the few questions and requests I had were answered right away. Some questions I sent by email, and were answered that day. Our camper is the 2017 10-2CD Limited Edition which we bought new. The only thing that has failed was the solar panel controller. Of course it failed just after the components 3 yr warranty, but that can't be blamed on Northern Lite. With some help from N L, I was able to source out and replace the controller myself. The item was not a major expense and easily installed.
I strongly believe these are the best campers to be had.
Great video, yours was a big influence on my decision to go with a NL 9-6, I just picked it up on Wednesday! Happy trails!
That was fantastic! One of the best walk through I have ever seen! I'm looking at a unit and this is perfect. Thanks
instablaster...
Nice walk through. I have an older 9'6'' sportsman. Interesting to see what is the same and what is new! Thanks for the video.
Nice walk through! I have an 8.11 SE and without a doubt, they are the best made hard side camper on the market.
Enjoy your journey!
What a great life. Savor it while young and free. Heck, you can do this until past retirement!
Nice camper and nice run down on what it has. I am researching campers for myself. Have fun!
Thanks for taking the time to make this. I really want to get this camper and its nice to see such a detailed overview! Cheers have fun
Excellent walk through! You are so thorough and well spoken man. I subscribed! I had a camper and full timed it back in 97 before all this. A basement camper is key for four seas9n use. I had a class C on a Ram chassis...look up Scerro Scotty! Great job and best wishesm. But the music sucks 😅
Great review! That Northern lights is a super sweet truck camper. Amenities makes you feel right at home w/tons of cool storage. Loved the awesome fridge and freezer...keepin them barley pops nice and chilled. Oven is really sweet also, thinking you need to do a Nomadic cooking video next! Good luck and keep on truckin bro!
Great boondocking rig your making it work great , thanks .
Sweet setup.
Nice thorough tour. I do wish you had talked more about what it's like actually living in it though.
Great tour! I'm looking at the 9-6 or 10-2. Thank you for your insight!
Nice video 👍🏼
Fantastic review.. your fridge is bigger than mine.. would love to know how long a "hot shower" is..once you have finished your travels come and explore New Zealand you will love it..
How shower can last maybe 7 minutes if it's on fully, 10+ with turning it on and off to soap up. But I can also keep the camper toasty warm so that helps! I definitely hope to explore New Zealand sometime in the future
Great videos 👏 good luck and keep it up man ❤️
This is very inspirational.
Love the camper!!!! I think I could live in it!!!! Great job Ian!!!! Safe travels!!!! XO
We have a short box. I think we are leaning toward Northern lite 811
Looks like some great camping. We love Montana. We are in Michigan. Subscribed to your channel.
I have the 2018 8.11 EX in my GMC truck with a 6.5 bed. The EX is actually 9' 3 '. So 3 inches short of the 9.6
@@refloyd1978 good info. Thanks for sharing
Enjoy! Looks awesome
Cool vid...👍
Love your little home, beautiful truck camper.👍👍👍
Great setup. 👍
Good Job.
My biggest aggravation is they waste valuable real estate adding a sink to the bathroom. Campers don't need 2 sinks.
YES!!! I don't get it at all either, makes no sense to me. I saw someone who deleted the sink to make more shower room, I may do the same.
Best review yet. What's your plan to combat condensation in the bedroom?
I got a Froli Zona system for under the mattress. It raises it up about 2.5 inches and allows plenty of airflow. Haven’t had issues in the bedroom cabinets from what I can tell.
You can buy a hitch extender for towing ...I did I have a 2021 811 and I use a Curt extender on my F350. The Curt extender is rated for 4500 lbs and 450 tongue weight wich is plenty to tow my small aluminum boat...its much lighter than a super hitch and way cheaper too.
Yeah I just don't want the added complexity in my towing setup personally. I also wouldn't feel comfortable using one since I'll be towing a 6,000+ lb jeep on a heavy trailer so 10-11k lbs total.
@@LocallyNomadic I agree thats alot of weight! Even without the camper.
Can you link to products you use? 4G booster, etc? Who is the patron saint of camping and hiking? What will you get for condensation? I love this camper! 💕❤️
The 4g booster is a WeBoost Drive Reach
www.weboost.com/products/drive-reach
with a WeBoost OTR truck edition antenna. The system has worked better than I could've hoped. St. George is said to be the patron saint of camping and hiking. For condensation I recently installed a Froli Zona sleep system. Have had no under mattress condensation issues since. Just let me know if you want to know about any more products. Thanks for watching!
Your camper is awesome. Is that a 12 inch frozen pizza in the freezer? What is your gas mileage if you do not mind me asking? Do you go boondocking for four or five days and then go to a rv park for the dump, water and to re-charge? How long does it take for the Honda generator to re-charge your batteries? Is it easy to take out the LP tanks and get them re-filled? Your exact rig is what I may be looking at in the future. The Ram 3500 with the airbags included is a tempting truck, but I am also considering the Ford 3500. Thank you
Yes it is about a 12" normal store pizza. Had to take it out of the box to make it fit. Mileage with the diesel is 11-12mpg with a lot of mountain driving. I can boondock for 6 days in the winter on my two propane tanks. Longer in summertime before having to dump tanks. I have never stayed in an rv park, only paid to camp a few times at state parks. The generator takes a few hours to charge up the batteries. Taking out the LP tanks to fill isn't hard for me in my 20s but depending on ones height you might need a step or something. Yeah I love my Ram 3500 but I wouldn't get it with the factory air bags. I got the regular leaf springs and added aftermarket airbags because the factory ones have issues and I am able to run an additional air line for filling tires this way. Thanks for watching!
Nice Camper! I looked at them and then went with the Bigfoot short box instead because it has a rear dinette. The only criticism o the Northern Lite short box is the belly dinette - just too claustrophobic.
Thanks! Yeah I totally understand that, to each their own. The dinette works for me with the sliding table and the U shaped dinette let’s me lay sideways and lounge out sort of but everyone’s different. I just couldn’t do that short queen mattress in the Bigfoot’s as I really like to stretch out. Safe travels, enjoy!
Great video. One question, can you still use the tow hitch with the over hang of the camper? Id have a little car id like to tow dolly behind mine in the event i got one.
You can use a hitch if you get a 12 inch extension. Torklift also makes 2 tube heavy duty extension for heavy trailers.
Thank you for the. Idea, what are you planning to specifically do to keep the condensation down for under the mattress ?
Take a drink every time he says " nice "
Nice video. I see you are running a Dodge Cummins. I have a 2003 Dodge Cummins quad cab long box 4X4 SRW and the GVWR is 9900 pounds. I think that only leaves me with about 2800 pounds of payload which wouldn't allow me to carry a camper like yours. What is your payload and how do you find the camper and truck for roll, and bouncing around etc when you are driving?
Thanks. My payload is over 4200lbs since its a one ton srw, they rate the newer trucks higher but I would think yours is similarly capable if its a 3500. The bouncing isn’t bad because I have airbags plumbed independently, it sways on low speed drop offs a bit more than I’d like so I plan to get a sway bar for the rear at some point.
great set up. high way mpg?.
Nice - very functional. How warm is it in the winter???
I can keep it at 74 degrees when it's zero outside.
Hey man, great video! Based on your and many other vids i think i am prob going with this model. I have the same exact truck as well.
Have you ever weighed your rig and if so what did it come out to. I would like to tow a small boat as well with this but concerned about payload. Did you buy it with all the options? sticker weight is nice and low, Do you know the overall total height to the top of your A/C. Thx, sorry for all the questions.
My rig weighs over 12k loaded for full timing but if it’s a small boat it definitely might be doable if you watch your tire weight. I did buy it with all the options so it’s 2700+ empty. To the top of the A/C is 11’6” I believe but I go with 12’ as my limit to be safe. Thanks for watching!
I'VE HAD RV AND TRAILER AND BEEN LOOKING AT THESE , CAN YOU SHOW HOW THE CAMPER IS SECURED TO THE TRUCK ? I HAVE DODGE 3500 WITH ELECTRIC SIDE RAILS/STEPS ...WILL THEY STILL WORK OR GET HUNG UP ON CABLE ? GREAT VIDEO
It’s secured to the truck with mounts clamped to the frame that come out under the bedsides. As long as your steps don’t come past the cab they’d work with my setup. Go on torklift’s website and put in your truck info and it’ll show what mounts fit.
Nice!
Hey how's it going with the TC? You still full timing in it??!!
COuld I ask you if that is a 6'4" short box or 8' long box?? Thanks!
It is a 8’ long box!
Why did you go with single wheel over dually? Did you have to modify or add any springs or shocks?
Went single wheel because it still gave me 4300lbs of payload while being more capable in deep snow and mud. I added Airlift 5k lb airbags with a separate line to each side and an on-board air tank/compressor. Probably will upgrade to a little heavier duty wheel and tire in the future just to have even more safety margin weight-wise.
@@LocallyNomadic Ok, I like the dually. This way I don’t think I really need to add anything. I like the stable wide base. Great info though on TC.
Thanks. And yeah the dually is great the stability will always be nice. I would probably still add airbags though personally just because it allows me to level out the camper on un-even ground which is essential to keeping the fridge running properly while parked.
What brand and model is ur TV?
What have you done about condensation in cold weather?
I have a froli suspension system under the mattress that elevates it a couple inches and then I also use Eva-dry mini dehumidifiers that require no power. That handles it pretty well for me. In freezing temps I crack a window at night as well.
Thanks for sharing! When you sit up in bed does your head ever touch or come close to touching?
Yes my head does hit barely when sitting up and I’m just under 6ft tall but its not bad.
@@LocallyNomadic i ended up going big with an arctic fox 990 now i wish i had a bigger truck haha
When was the last time you saw truck camper on the road.
two thumbs up!
can you make vlogs like Taylor dzman. you live in beautiful place just like him
canada?
Close, filmed in central Idaho.
How well do those 4g extenders work in your real world experience?
I've found it to be definetly worth the money. It boosts almost no signal to 3-4 bars. However I've also been surprised by how many places I've gotten service while in the middle of nowhere. So if one doesn't need to stream/upload video then you could maybe get by without. But as I said, It has been well worth the money for me.
13:28 when your voice …
wow dude, we have almost exactly the same setup! looking forward to checking out your videos, check mine out if you got time!
Woah we both have G56 Laramie rigs with a 9-6 what’re the odds! That’s awesome haha. Now I just need to get a winch bumper like yours. Thanks man, you’ve got some rad ones as well. What method model are you running, the NV HD 4500lb version by chance?
@@LocallyNomadic yessir the method nv HD. I didn't want to upgrade, but i was already over GAWR on rear axle due to the stock rims only having a 3500 lb payload cap.
I think I may have had one of your friends stop by my camper in 4 corners yesterday morning around 7am. He knocked on my door and then he apologized thinking it was "his friend's." I'm guessing he was a friend of yours, hahaha.
Yeah, the front bumper has been a nice security upgrade. I am saving my pennies for the warn 16.5 ti, but it's going to take a long time because those things are quite pricey and I just spent a bunch of money on upgrading my camera setup. I've been trying to post my most recent video, but the dang CZcamss has failed to upload 5 times in a row and have gotten frustrated.
Okay awesome, I’m hoping to run those as well since I’m close on GAWR too. Are those the 18’s? What tire and load capacity? I’m trying to find a 4500lb tire but the closest I’ve found is a 4300lb Toyo MT in a 37 for 17s but they don’t make those in bronzes apparently, although I thought I saw some. Just wondering if there are any other HD tire options out there for the NV HD.
Haha might’ve been, I don’t know that I’ve got any buddies in the four corners area right now, but anything can happen!
@@LocallyNomadic managed to catch me right before I set off to bed..in an area with reception, even!(currently camping on top of a large bluff on the Clark canyon reservoir)
I run 285/75/18 toyo AT3s. They have a 4080 lb payload....more than enough for our rigs. Leaves about 800-900 lbs extra when I'm loaded down to the max. I've been through 3 sets of the at2s, and only once did I have a small puncture running them down a dirt road when they were almost bald. And that was after 15 miles of some really nasty rocky offroading with the camper on.
That’s a great spot! I grew up going to Dillon and Twin Bridges nearish there where my grandfather had some land. That part of SW Montana is my favorite area in the world for sure.
Okay good to know, I’ve heard good things about the AT3s thanks for that info. I would have about 500lbs left with those haha. I don’t know how I managed to load this 9-6 with so much stuff! I’d like to be able to possibly tow my Jeep in the future but the solution then may just be to swap to a dually axle I guess.
Just really don’t want to lose the capability of a srw because I’ve dragged this thing through passes over 8,000 feet in Montana a couple months ago in deep snow and that was pretty cool to be able to do with my house in the back!
Thanks again man, safe travels and hopefully we meet on the road someday!