# Movin' On Up Like George and Weezie



## Cold_Beer839

*I've been sleeping in the back of my truck under a fiberglass bed shell for years. It was never warm and there always seemed to be mosquitoes that found their way in, sometimes by the hundreds. I finally bought a nice used slide-in camper so things will be different from now on!! It's a fully self-contained '99 Fleetwood Elkhorn 8R that is in good condition and has been fairly well cared for. It came with a very nice custom made aluminum back platform that is big enough for 2 large coolers and a small generator. I'm updating a few things like adding a flat screen TV with a modern digital antenna and also adding a 160-watt solar panel to the roof. I'm heading out to Portsmouth Island this April, so looking forward to camping on the beach in relative comfort!!*


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## straps57

Nice!!


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## Guest

Awesome! Nice pick up!


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## hunter1

Looks Great.


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## Jollymon

Your in tall cotton now , wish I could get the wife onboard for a rig like that , that sir is one fine fishing shack .


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## Cold_Beer839

Jollymon said:


> Your in tall cotton now , wish I could get the wife onboard for a rig like that , that sir is one fine fishing shack .


It was not easy, she put up the good fight for 4 months, but when I told her that I had committed to buy one and was going to get it the next day, she actually rode with me to pick it up and was excited (well, as much as a woman can be). It's more for me and my 3 boys and she knows getting a break from them is worth it. Plus, she will eventually go camping too.


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## Cold_Beer839

*I had a great trip out to Portsmouth, we caught 16 nice Puppy Drum that were on the upper end of the slot, and we caught 2 good sized Black Drum. The camper did great and slept well, it will quickly spoil you. Just need to replace the marine type batteries with some true deep cycle 6-volt batteries with higher amp/hr rating (already ordered) and it will be perfect.*


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## VA-Apraisr

Click For Full-Size Image. Slept in the back of my Jeep for 5 years in 30 degree weather back when stripers were still around. Tough to go without a camper. Glad you decided to get "comfy"   And obviously I still can't figure out how to post a photo on this site!!


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## Thrifty Angler

Very inspiring.


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## Cold_Beer839

*Added a second 170-watt solar panel to the roof and 2 more 6-volt 225 amp/hr batteries. Getting ready for another trip out to Portsmouth. This camper has been a good investment, should have done it years ago.*


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## dena

Are those panels enough to keep the batteries charged up?
Good lookin rig.


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## Papa-T

Nice. Congrats


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## Orest

Very nice.

Looks like a good number of holes in that roof.

Make sure you check them often. Since she will see a lot of flexing on the beach.


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## VA-Apraisr

Question: How does that digital antenna work for you? I removed my permanent antenna on my RV because just no stations available that were worth watching..........are you able to find channels??


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## Cold_Beer839

*Not sure if these panels will be enough. The panels are 340watt and 19amps total, but I know that's figured on prefect direct sunlight conditions. The key will be power usage and cloud conditions. I have future plans to add a wind turbine to give me some power recovery during windy conditions, which always seem to be present on the OBX. The one I'm looking at is 250watts / 8.5amps made by Free Spirit Energy. It's compact and made for smaller RVs with limited space. The four 6volt 225amp/hr batteries should have the legs to go longer than the two mismatched marine batteries that came in the camper. They were extremely inefficient being different sizes, being separated on different sides of the camper, and connected with too small and too long of cables. The new 6volt batteries will be connected in series (to make the four of them into a pair of 12volt batteries) with 1awg battery cables that are 9 inches long and then in parallel with 1awg cables that are 12 inches long, and they will be grouped in one location. They are also the AGM-types so they are maintenance-free and do not vent gas. If I'm figuring right they will give me 550 amp/hrs total.

Reference the holes, I used the good lap sealer on every screw and bracket, putting down a fair amount then screwing down into it, then covering the exposed screw heads and entire bracket with a finishing cover. It's really good stuff that stays pliable and flexes. I know Mother Nature is tough and determined, so I'll keep an eye on it!!

The digital antenna works great, IIRC even out on Portsmouth it picked up 24 channels!! It also takes up a lot less space on the roof than the old crank-up antenna. It's a neat little device that you turn from inside the camper, a set of lights tells you when it's pointed in a direction that gets the most stations / best signal, then you use the TV's channel finder feature to set the channels.*


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## VA-Apraisr

Thanks for info on the digital antenna, however, are you getting any real TV or just infomercials and off-the-wall channels? Last time I used mine I got nothing but PBS and weird junk channels. Occasionally, I'd get a news channel. Don't really want to punch a hole in my ceiling for the digital antenna if the results are much. I did read online that even in NY they had a hard time receiving channels due to the buildings ( I take my RV to NY city often and wanted to watch TV instead of the DVD movies I have ). Even at Buxton NC, I rarely got anything worth watching. Just picking your brain since you're getting 24 channels. Thanks!


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## Cold_Beer839

*I got a couple of local/news channels (ABC and NBC affiliates), a sports news channel, a good western classics channel, a cool travel channel, some spanish channels, several PBS channels, then some cartoon channels. There were several fly-by channels that had info crap on them. I already had the old antenna, and this one used the same hole, so it was a clear choice for me. I have an xBox One in there for movies and games for my kids.*


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## VA-Apraisr

Yep, was going to remove the housing from old antenna and mount digital there as well......but, doesn't sound like much has changed on the channels available. I'll just keep watching my tv series dvd's like Seinfeld, Two and 1/2 men, etc. which has worked so far. Glad you're enjoying your new comfortable fishing vehicle as I have mine for 14 years! Who says fishing has to be uncivilized!! Thanks for your replies.


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## Cold_Beer839

*True, if I had known how good it was to have a camper, I would have bought one years ago. I actually took a shower for the first time ever while on the beach, with hot water and all, it was like being in the presidential suite!!

These antennas are fairly inexpensive and simple to install when you already have an existing hole, I'd say just get one for the sake of having news and weather.*


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## Cold_Beer839

*Well, got lazy this summer and finally got around to wiring in the new 6 volt batteries and building a basic battery box. Should have plenty of power this time. We are heading to Portsmouth this weekend for 3 days.*


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## Cold_Beer839

*Had a great trip out to Portsmouth Island. Caught some nice slot Puppy Drum and drank some cold beer.

New batteries did great in the camper, power level never dropped below 80%.

Anybody tossing around the idea of getting a truck camper, do it, best money spend on fishing ever!!*


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## nissan11

Lets see some more pics of the inside.


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## mdsurffishing

I was thinking about buying something like that to go on my 7.3 but wondered how it runs through the soft stuff?


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## Cold_Beer839

nissan11 said:


> Lets see some more pics of the inside.


*Added some odds and ends after buying it. Converted the hanging clothes closet to a pantry by adding shelves and put the converter in there too. Put up some simple bungee cords to hold my surf rods. Put in a nice weather station too.*


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## Cold_Beer839

mdsurffishing said:


> I was thinking about buying something like that to go on my 7.3 but wondered how it runs through the soft stuff?


*Air down to whatever PSI it takes to get you thru. I set my PSI at 25 and had zero issues.*


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## mdsurffishing

What size lift do you have on the truck?


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## Cold_Beer839

mdsurffishing said:


> What size lift do you have on the truck?



*It's a 4" Pro Comp suspension left with 35" x 12.5" tires and 20" wheels. I didn't want to go tall when I did it because of pulling my boat, horse trailer, and various other pulling duties. It's about perfect with the camper. I have Lift Master air bags on the rear and run them at 90-psi with the camper on. I also put in 4.88 gears when I did the lift and replaced the factory limited slip differential with a Detroit Locker (it had 3.73's from the factory).*


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## surffshr

your truck really sits well with the camper on it. very nice outfit.


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## Cold_Beer839

*Updated the rear lights to LED. Was kinda worried driving home at night in the rain the other week that I would get rear-ended because the old incandescent bulb type bulbs weren't very bright. This iphone pic makes them look much brighter than they actually are (like the brakes are on), but they are much brighter than they were before.*


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## Cold_Beer839

*Put a nice tide clock in the camper.*


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## wannabeangler

Nice! I have a shell on my Ram 1500, but now have a Ram 2500. My newer truck has an 8' bed. Your pictures have me convinced now!


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## MSRIEF

Nice to see your progress with your rig. Best regards in the future, and thanx for sharing.


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## Cold_Beer839

*Thanks guys. I'm telling you, it changes everything about camp surf fishing. If it gets windy, rainy, and cold, just step inside and relax.*


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## VA-Apraisr

Going on my 15th year since getting my 4x4 motorhome, and as Coldbeer just said, ain't nothing like bad weather to make the investment soooo worth it! Nice rig and hope to see you on the Point or Ocracoke this spring.


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## Cold_Beer839

VA-Apraisr said:


> Going on my 15th year since getting my 4x4 motorhome, and as Coldbeer just said, ain't nothing like bad weather to make the investment soooo worth it! Nice rig and hope to see you on the Point or Ocracoke this spring.


*You ever try Portsmouth? I'm telling you, it's better. The point is way too crowded and Ocracoke is only a little less crowded. Portsmouth is just a little harder to get on and off (small private ferry and the channel sometimes is not passable due to weather), but I have always caught more and bigger fish there.*


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## VA-Apraisr

Fours years on Portsmouth, however, the $300 ferry fee and distance is too much for me. Plus, I'm good with 3-4 days of fishing and we'd spend a week down there. Bad weather trapped us on the island twice, so, I'm happy having Hwy 12 to just escape back home at a moments notice (unless it floods of course). Usually I'm south Ocracoke watching my other buddy's fishing the north end of Portsmouth


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## mdsurffishing

Do you stay at Beachcomber or the NPS campground when your at Ocracoke. We are heading down in late May for the week and wanted to check out some of the campgrounds while there


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## VA-Apraisr

I've never stayed at any of the campgrounds down in the OBX......usually night fish and stay all day/night where I'm fishing, or I pull off near Ramp 59 on Ocracoke and use the small parking lot about 1 mile south of the ferry.


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## Harrymanz

Ahhhh what?


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## Benji

moverandshaker said:


> do you like to camp in the wild? If you want to know more about how climate change affects tribes, read here: https://tribalclimatecamp.org/ my brother also approves of it.


lol.


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## mdsurffishing

VA-Apraisr said:


> I've never stayed at any of the campgrounds down in the OBX......usually night fish and stay all day/night where I'm fishing, or I pull off near Ramp 59 on Ocracoke and use the small parking lot about 1 mile south of the ferry.


I thought they close the OSV at 9pm from May 1st to mid november, I've always walked on at night


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## Cold_Beer839

VA-Apraisr said:


> Fours years on Portsmouth, however, the $300 ferry fee and distance is too much for me. Plus, I'm good with 3-4 days of fishing and we'd spend a week down there. Bad weather trapped us on the island twice, so, I'm happy having Hwy 12 to just escape back home at a moments notice (unless it floods of course). Usually I'm south Ocracoke watching my other buddy's fishing the north end of Portsmouth


*Those are the big drawbacks right there: the ferry is expensive and the weather can close down the ferry. But the isolation makes it attractive to me and I've caught more and bigger fish there (just a personal experience, not saying that's the case for everyone). Plus after going for over 20 years you start to see and get to know the same ol' group of fisherman.*


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## dena

h


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## Cold_Beer839

dena said:


> h


*Pat, I'd like to buy a vowel please*.


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## Cold_Beer839

*Another successful trip out to Portsmouth. Fishing was slow but met an old friend out there and pasted the time drinking a few beers and watching big sharks and rays pull our rigs out onto the continental shelf. Camper did great again, frig was a little slow to start working, but it finally did fine. Deep cell batteries and big solar panels continue to be a great upgrade and power was never an issue, even with my two younger boys playing the PS4/TV a lot. 

Guys thinking about getting a truck camper need to pull that trigger, this is still the one big investment that has made my surf fishing experiences so much better. Weather was supposed to get real nasty the next two days after we got off the island, high wind and rain, felt bad watching folks get off the ferry that were intending to tent camp.*


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## Guest

👍👍👍👍


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## Pomatomus salta

Cold_Beer839 said:


> *Air down to whatever PSI it takes to get you thru. I set my PSI at 25 and had zero issues.*


I go down to 15...I like my truck alot ...and transmission. lol !


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## Cold_Beer839

Pomatomus salta said:


> I go down to 15...I like my truck alot ...and transmission. lol !


It really depends on the beach conditions, truck weight, and type/size of tire. One PSI setting isn't universal. I'd be afraid to go down as far as 15 with a truck as heavy as mine due to the possibility of rolling a tire off the bead.


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## VA-Apraisr

Old post but maybe original poster can let me know the digital antenna he's using? I was just on Portsmouth with my RV and couldn't get one channel! Mine is taped to the inside of the bunk house window but seems to work fine in other areas. Scanned many times during my 7-day trip and never got one channel. Ughhhhhhh.


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## Danta

very nice


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## Cold_Beer839

VA-Apraisr said:


> Old post but maybe original poster can let me know the digital antenna he's using? I was just on Portsmouth with my RV and couldn't get one channel! Mine is taped to the inside of the bunk house window but seems to work fine in other areas. Scanned many times during my 7-day trip and never got one channel. Ughhhhhhh.



It's King Jack RV digital antenna.


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## VA-Apraisr

Thanks for reply. I decided to install DISH satellite in my RV and was the BEST thing ever! Pay per month with no annual membership. Just turn it on in October/November and enjoy football/basketball during low tide  So glad I made the change.


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