I don't know if I have ever posted on here before but I have been around for years. I am looking at purchasing a 99 xcab long bed f150 to make as my long term camper, short term house. I haven't seen too many on any of the boards I follow and was wondering what the general consensus is for use. Are the F150's not durable enough, too big, too light, or just noone running them? I have never been an american made guy but I really can't find anything I like right now but I found this at a good price. Opinions please, feel free to flame.

I'd think you'd be better off going with a heavier duty truck than an F150, maybe an F250 or 350. However, a lot of it depends on how you want to make it a camper/house?

Kevo

A 1/2 ton truck is a compromise. It gives up load capacity for ride.
This is Desirable in a Daily Driver... but probably not a Expo rig.

It depends on what you are planning on doing with the rig.
The 3/4 and 1 tons usually offer more robust suspension.

However a 1/2 ton offers a nice highway ride....

I've got an '05 F150 Crew cab SB 4X4 that I've been using as my expo rig. I put a ton of money into it making it my expo rig and have been successfully using it as my expo rig. Longest trip to date was just over a month mostly off road living out of my vehicle... Anyway, I wish I would have just started with a F250/350 instead of this rig. Now, I'm in too far to sell it with any hope of getting even 1/2 my money back. A solid axle 3/4 ton would be a much better starting point IMO. Take my experiences with an F150 and learn from that, and listen to the other posters, go with an F250 instead.

Thanks guys. I kinda thought from reading about the 150 on Ford forums that maybe it was too weak. I just don't want a big truck. But I may just have to settle for one. I just want a great all around vehicle that'll get me to the backwoods and allow me to stay there for a while. Not into crawling or mudding or anything else. Maybe take a bike and my flyrod and have enough food to stay away from people for a bit and see some sights. I hope to move back out west but if I can't there are plenty of places here in the southeast that I enjoy also. Just haven't had the money and time to do so. I figure if I can get a vehicle setup moderately well, sale off everything, I can go back to coming and going as I please, within reason, of course.

An F250 is not really any bigger than your LB F150, it is heavier of course. The main advantage I see is the solid axles for durability and the weight carrying capacity. The F150's can have ball joint issues when used hard, and I've never been a fan of IFS for expo type use. I haven't had any mechanical issues so far though. Just a for instance case, My F150 has a cargo capacity of #1500 in the bed. By the time you add food, water, fuel, supplies, extrication gear, etc, I'm already damn near at the limit. The 3/4 ton gives you a larger margin of safety and heavier duty running gear, so your not running right at your max limits.

The Ford F-150 Raptor was petersons 4X4 of the year. Factory fox racing suspension included. http://www.4wheeloffroad.com/featuredvehicles/131_0911_2010_4x4_of_the_year_winner_ford_f150_svt _raptor/index.html

if you already got the truck, work it. only apply what you truly need on it and improvise as you go. IMO an expo rig doesnt have to be loaded to the hilt if you can learn to live with bare essentials. look at bear grylls, he can make it with two shoelaces, a knife, and a flint.

look at bear grylls, he can make it with two shoelaces, a knife, and a flint.

You mean a full crew to take care of everything and hotel rooms?:flipoff2:


You may not have it loaded to the hilt as you say, but as an expo rig you better be able to take care of yourself and get yourself out of trouble. That gear adds up.

You actually think you get close to 1500 pounds of gear? What are you taking? An ultralight, and a set of dirt bikes?

I don't know if my idea is that different than everyone elses, but I basically take backpacking equipment, 5 gallons of water or so, tool box, spare parts and fluids, a cooler, chuck box exc. ( I doubt I even come near 250 pounds of equipment) This is for two people, for about 2.5 weeks. I usually travel 4-5k miles during the 2 weeks. Everything I need, will squeeze into the back of my Jeep...

The problem I have with an F-250 is it would be a really tight squeeze to fit allot of places i would like to go. As well as being very heavy.

You already have the F-150, its lighter and smaller than a 250, and I doubt you will be taking more than 2k pounds of gear with you.

People have different ideas of what an expo is.

I have a hard time believing extrication gear, spare fuel, water, tools, etc only weighs 250#, but if that works for you
Heck, five gallons of fuel, five gallons of water, a winch, tow strap, and a cooler is gonna weigh over 250#

4-5k miles in 2 weeks seems to be pretty much all road travel without any type of even camping involved. Based on 4,500 miles in 2 weeks, that's over 320 miles a day. I must be really slacking cuz I'm lucky to do even 100 miles off-road, and that's a long ass day for me. We just got back on wednesday from our last trip, that was approx 150 miles out and back with about 90 on road and the rest off and that was damn near a full day of traveling each way.

I also don't believe for a minute that and F150 extracab long bed (as per OP) is any wider or longer than a 3/4 ton of the same cab and bed configuration...

I also don't believe for a minute that and F150 extracab long bed (as per OP) is any wider or longer than a 3/4 ton of the same cab and bed configuration...

x2

The body of the truck is going to be the same size between F150/250/350 for the same configuration (both of them regular cab long-bed, etc).

I agree that you want the heavier-duty suspension, based on what you want to carry in/on the truck. Are you talking about setting up a truck with a fiberglass topper outfitted so that you can sleep in it, or are you thinking of a slide-in camper or home-made camper box? And will you ever tow anything behind it, in addition to your camping setup?

I guess I should clarify a little bit. I am in between this truck and a Chevy Astro AWD. I am single so it is just me, well my little dog too. For the truck I have 2 choices. Go flatbed with some sort of camper, I have researched those options as well. OR go with a topper and build a platform for sleeping and some built ins for storage. Things I know I don't want. I don't want a built in stove or toilet. I will use camping equipment for cooking or build a fire and I've gone in the woods plenty. I may wire in a fridge depending, and IF I go the minivan route or the flatbed/camper route I may plumb a small sink. I would use this vehicle to get me out for a week to a month max. If I could spend more time away that would mean I have more money to actually buy what I want. Thanks for all the comments so far.

I think you should look at Adventure Trailer's website and scope out their Flippac topper to go on your F150.
It doesn't take long to setup, is relatively light, and isn't complicated -- unless you build extra components into it yourself.
The benefits of this setup:
All your gear in the bed is covered and weatherproof,
Your bed takes just a couple of minutes to setup, and stays dry during setup,
You maintain the full storage capabilities of your p/u bed,
You can stay inside the p/u bed during inclement weather and still be able to stand up very comfortably.

There's probably other benefits, but those are the main ones IMO. ;)

I have, and I have been on EP alot lately and seen plenty of builds there. That's why I am looking for op's on this 150, noone is using one and I can't figure out why. Especially with an 8ft bed. The flippac looks really cool except 3 things. What to do when it rains, I'm in the SE so we get alot of it. It's ugly as all get out IMO, AND it is $$$$! But it is really cool, and I like that I could have storage and a separate to sleep. AND I could remove the storage units and have the bed for hauling. I am a first time home owner and I have decided a truck could really be handy.

If your set on the F150 you mentioned and given that you're single, just put a topper on the truck. Build a platfrom in the bed to sleep on and you can store your stuff underneath it. That should give you plenty of room to sleep and still have storage underneath the sleeping platform. Costs will be minimized also.

If your set on the F150 you mentioned and given that you're single, just put a topper on the truck. Build a platfrom in the bed to sleep on and you can store your stuff underneath it. That should give you plenty of room to sleep and still have storage underneath the sleeping platform. Costs will be minimized also.

Horse, I forgot about the part where you're looking at an 11 year old truck, so your budget is probably tight...
I would do the above as wheelerfreak suggests.
You can probably find a cheapy topper and you can build the platform in two halves to make it easily removable for when you need to haul a big load of supplies or trash for the house.

Regarding the Flippac though, you can get a full rainfly for it, so it will keep you dry. And everything that AT sells is on the higher end of the $$$ scale but with all the reviews of current and past owners, you can feel confident that you are getting a quality product.
And ugly is a matter of opinion and probably shouldn't be at the top of your criteria. :laughing:

And the opinion of the F150, with all of your other needs you've mentioned, I'd use it. You're not expecting it to be a rock crawler, so you won't be using it as such.

It's better to have a decent machine and get out often than have to save up for years for a kickass rig and not get out to the "wild places" until you're 70... ;)

The F150 is a decent platform. They are pretty reliable and economical. The Astrovan is also a decent rig since they are pretty simple and the GM products of that era are fairly easy to fix.

I would try looking at rigs other people have and go from there. I would suggest the van if you are going into places that are cold, since it's easier to keep one large compartment warm and you can start the vehicle to charge batteries etc, without getting out of the vehicle into the elements.

For off-road use, the van has some drawbacks such as lower ground clearance and very limited in tire sizes.

All depends on your usage.

I think the F150 is a very decent ride. They are pretty reliable. The engines are very tough and will easily go 200k miles if you take care of them. The 99's did have issues with headgaskets and all the Ford Mod motors have troubles spitting out spark plugs. The transmissions are pretty tough, the t-cases are good. The rear axles are good and if you get one that is open, they are pretty cheap to add a drop in locker to. The front diff is an aluminum one, but they seem to hold up pretty well, even to abusive drivers with bigger tires. The only real drawback is the cv shafts in the front, when you abuse them. No different than a Chevy or any other CV type axle though.

The van would pose all of the same problems and more since they really were more designed to get you through inclement weather than for off-road usage. The front axle will be pretty weak, the t-case will be a single ratio, only high range and may not even have the ability to lock front and rear outputs, rather it may have a viscous coupling that will allow one end of the vehicle to spin while the other sits or barely receives any power. The rear axle will be o.k. and cheap to add a locker if you chose.

The van will likely get better economy due to the smaller engine. The Ford motors reallys suck the gas compared to most of GM's engines. Don't know why, but they just do, especially if driven hard.

The other alternative, and maybe a bit cheaper route...
Get an SUV of decent size you can sleep inside, build a platform with slide out drawers and throw a sleeping bag on top.
Then for your home reno/disposal needs, just build or buy a small utility trailer.
I had (and still have) a '98 XJ and used a little $700.00 4'x8' Snowbear trailer to do the renos on my first home, and my rental property.
You can fit 8' 2x4's in the XJ by sliding them in along the passenger side, or straight down the center.
But the utility trailer is a great thing to load up with demo'ed chunks of house over a few days and evenings, then hit the dump on the weekend. You don't have to worry about carrying all that crap in the back of the truck all week long, less wear and tear on your vehicle, lots of benefits of a cheap trailer. ;)

x2 on the cheap trailer - I have the same type of setup, or can use my car hauler trailer if there is something that won't fit in the small trailer.

I'm glad I found this thread, I was just about to ask the same question about my 2003 F150 XL regular cab, long box...

I like the idea of turning my truck into an expo rig for a few reasons.
- I already own it, and can't really afford to have a second vehicle around.
- Parts and service are readily available (3700+ Ford dealerships in the US).
- I'm new to adventure travel, and won't have to make a huge initial investment if I decide its not for me.

I'll be sure to post in the introduction thread shortly...

I have thought about building my shop truck 2004 F150 supercrew into one too.

Roof top tent on top.
slide bed cover to keep things dry and dust free.
then a rack over the bed with another roof top tent on the bed for the kids.
bumpers
minor lift with fox strut/coil over up front.

etc etc...