Eagle cap 1160 & Lance 1172 owners....

[JTLance]

I am in my 3rd week of searching for the right camper for our 2.5 family. Daughter is almost 10.

I am trying to stick to needs vs wants and am in need of advice.

Both the EC 1160 and Lance 1172 are dual slides. I really just need either a full couch across the back and a typical dinette, or a typical dinette and a smaller couch across the back. I cannot see spending a ton for either the OLDER Chalet TS116 or the Host Everest....both have FULL couch across the back.

Host is too much money
Chalet is too **** old and not currently produced past 2013

So, that puts me to

Eagle Cap 1160
Lance 1172

I have to admit, I am terrified to end up with problems with a slide mechanism.

Now that we are into 2019/2020, are the Schwintek slide systems better? It seems EVERYONE uses them? If I've read 25 horror stories, I have yet to see some shinning light.

I think the weight on these units will be close enough for me, so I'm out for a system that last for a while!

Do any of the EC 1160 owners on here have any input?
Do any of the Lance 1172 owners have any input?

[Faststreak]

I know you said Hosts are to expensive. We were committed to getting 18% off of retail. That put us in line with the other manufacturers. Our Ram 3500 handles the camper fine. We love our Cascade.

[work2much]

JTLance wrote:
No rear door ever again for me. LOVE the side door, have it now, and won't go back.

OK, then I'll look at the Host's again. Thanks for the wake-up on the weights.

It seems the wet weight on the Lance was like 5000, the Host was more like 5500+ .

I REALLY didn't want to need to buy a bigger dually.....

Being in Salem it isn't that far a drive to the Host factory. They welcome guests, you can see how they are made, discuss any concerns you have. They also have some options that don't appear on their website. They can break down the final weight of the camper based on what options you want.

They don't sell anything at the factory so no sales pressure. Call ahead and ask for Randall the plant manager.

[Boatycall]

JTLance wrote:
No rear door ever again for me. LOVE the side door, have it now, and won't go back.

OK, then I'll look at the Host's again. Thanks for the wake-up on the weights.

It seems the wet weight on the Lance was like 5000, the Host was more like 5500+ .

I REALLY didn't want to need to buy a bigger dually.....

Winner... Check my sig...
That is exactly what you'll need to do if you totally load an 1160 up, and then haul a heavy trailer.

I had an F350 DRW. My EC 1160 now makes camper #5 in my life. Had my F350DRW for over 15 years, a trusty crusty 7.3L. I did EVERYTHING you can do to it to haul a TC - big springs, Rancho 9000's, Roadmaster sway bars... Worked great for my Arctic Fox 1150+trailer.

Then....
I get the Eagle Cap 1160. Right off the bat, first trip..."Holy **** this thing is heavy." I have a DOT scale right down the street I hit frequently. Loaded, my AF1150 was 5400lbs. EC1160--7200. And my toybox trailer is no puny thing either, 24ft 12k, with ~1000lbs tongue weight.

It proved to be too much for 17" tires--I don't care Ford/Dodge/Chevy, that was it... blowouts, delams, and braking was noticeably different.

I got a helluva deal a few years back on a 'real' 2015 F450 w/19.5's and a Dana110 rear end. WOW... what a difference. Awesome handling, MUCH better braking.

I would love to tell you get an 1160 - and if you don't plan on getting a heavy trailer, you'll be fine with a 1-ton class DRW. The combination of a heavy trailer + heavy TC was too much.

Now granted - I do have a lot of batteries, solar, and a bunch of other stuff, so I'm a little heavier than most 1160's, but to offset some of that weight, no factory Moan'in generator ( I say Moan'in because Onan gens are known to suck, just like CrappiJacks).

I've only EVER had one problem, and that was very recently, the Heiki vent over the bunk cracked and caused a leak, and subsequent delam problem that I had to fix. Other than that, it has been a 100% trouble free camper - mine is a 2012, prior to Schwintec slides.

The HUGE plus with EC - All of plumbing and wiring is easily accessible in the basement. Super easy to work on. My Arctic Fox - Forget it! You can not access the basement, no way, no how.... Good luck if you have a plumbing leak or wiring problem.

[JTLance]

No rear door ever again for me. LOVE the side door, have it now, and won't go back.

OK, then I'll look at the Host's again. Thanks for the wake-up on the weights.

It seems the wet weight on the Lance was like 5000, the Host was more like 5500+ .

I REALLY didn't want to need to buy a bigger dually.....

[Bedlam]

My Mammoth loaded and filled is about 6000 lbs and I have an additional 1000 lbs of tongue weight.

[RobG]

The Cascade is my favorite of the "huge" campers. I love the theatre seating option there opposite the big TV, and the L-shaped sofa/dinette. But I imagine all the Host campers are so heavy that you would HAVE to have a 4500/5500 series truck to carry it and still be able to tow.

As it is, the new Arctic Fox 992 I'm getting actually weighs about 5200# wet and that's before putting my own stuff in it. Add 500-800 lbs for that and you're at 9600 lbs on the rear axle. Add a trailer with a 36" extension and you're in the 1000-1800 lb tongue weight range (due to the lever effect of the extension) and you're at or above the ratings for the tires -- Load Range E's are good for 11,340 all together.

My old 2000 Lance 1030 (that I bought new) came in around 4500 lbs wet and full of my own stuff, based on before/after scale tickets without a trailer.

If you Google "2017 Arctic Fox 992 Review" you'll find a Truck Camper Magazine review of it, and at the end, there's a detailed breakdown of the weights.

I would not be surprised if these big Host campers would end up weighing upwards of 7000 lbs wet with personal belongings added.

[work2much]

JTLance wrote:
The Host units definitely weigh more.

I'm looking at the dry weights on the Lance site. 4174#. That's more than our Mammoth and I believe the Everest weights less still. The eagle cap 1160 is the heaviest of the bunch at 4659.

Of course the end weight may be higher due to larger fresh tank and it's easy to get carried away with bringing things along with so much storage space.

Have you seen the Host Cascade? It has a dinette sleeper and you can get a recliner or short couch to relax in the morning. It also has a large pantry and 8cf fridge. It weighs less than any of the campers you have mentioned at 3500 pounds.

[JTLance]

Thanks for the pics!

We do 2-3 week vacations and find food as a big issue. The 8cu’ refer is a huge thing too and extra space is paramount.

We currently have a Lance 09’ 1191 and it’s huge, but no extra bed is now making it a must to upgrade. I get up super early and have no where to sit and relax before the girls get up. 2-3 hours of sitting on the floor is silly.

The Lance aft sofa MAY be all I need. The Host units definitely weigh more.

The Host has the better slides, but Lance has the Azdel (no moisture rotting wood inside).

[work2much]

You could also use this for pantry space if needed.

[work2much]

JTLance wrote:


I wasn't impressed with the Everest...NO room for food anywhere. I didn't like the lack of exhaust fan for the kitchen.

Although not as large as the mammoth the pantry on the Everest is still way more than most truck campers and especially Lance. This is the pantry on the Everest now.

[JTLance]

What procedure did you use to keep the smoke and grease out?

[mike_kellie]

I just completed a pretty detailed cleaning of our Mammoth last week. The biggest meals are probably breakfasts as we tend to cook for the kids and friends when together. When my kids through-hiked the PCT last year, we fed their trail friends (7-8 total) 3 meals a day probably 5 different times.
I took a wipe and simple green to the underside of the microwave cabinet and expected to see a lot of gunk and surprised how clean it was.
I did notice some units are coming with the flip-up counter extension that matches the light weight material used in the countertops. That is my wife's biggest "must have".

[JTLance]

I just can’t figure out why someone cannot/won’t just make a couch that folds out to a twin style bed. All I need is a couch that turns into an bed.

I toured a Host unit (2018) with the full size couch and side door. It seemed extremely inadequate for food storage. The lack of a stove vent was really really odd.

I wouldn’t be afraid to get my own bed/couch if someone made one. At that rate the Mammoth would work.

Is the lack of stove vent as lousy, for real cooking, as it would seem?

[Bedlam]

The Mammoth jack knife loveseat is a little over 5’ wide and flips down to make a bed for a pre-teen but is too small for anyone larger. We have the U-shaped dinette and it coverts to a twin sized residential bed quickly. There is also room on the floor in front of the fireplace for a twin size inflatable mattress. The Everest rear couch is better for additional sleeping arrangements.

The Hosts do not come with stove vents. You turn on the living room fan to blow in and open the kitchen window. There is not much counter space for kitchen preparation - We use the dinette table for prep when not cooking outside.