Update:
we have sold the Lance 992 truck camper and purchased a used 2016 Host Mammoth Camper.
After our last trip for four months to the east coats in 2017-2018 we decided that we needed a larger camper for these extended trips. The Lance 992 is a great camper for our 2-3 week trips before we stopped working but for extended months long trips we wanted more space.
A little history on our journey with truck campers that started with a used Lance camper in 1999 which was wood frame with aluminum siding and no slides which I will refer to as Gen-1.
To get extra room in the newer campers that have proceeded to get taller over the years as the floor has been raised in truck bed to increase floor space. For example the original 1996 Lance was 11″ tall on the truck, the Lance 992 was 12’3″ and the new Host is 12’6″. The higher center of gravity is not good for off road use but greatly increases interior room.
Generation-1 Campers (Lowest Center of Gravity)
Gen-1 campers had generally no slide outs and the floor of the camper is on top of the floor of the truck bed between the wheel wells so is restricted to only four feet wide.
Generation-2 Campers (Higher Center of Gravity, Lance 992)
Gen-2 campers start having slides and the floor of the camper is on top of the wheel wells of the truck. This increase floor width from four feet to almost six feet. This allows larger water and sewer tanks to be placed in the space between the wheel wells like the Lance 992.
Generation-3 Campers (Highest Center of Gravity, Host Mammoth)
In Gen-3 camper like the Host the floor has moved to above the side rails of the truck allowing the floor space to move out to cove the entire space under the camper. The slide outs can now increase floor space also past the sides of the truck since the floor of the slide outs are now at same level as floor in camper. This also allows a huge amount of room for tanks and a large roll out tray in the back for storage.
Mammoth 11’ 6”
The lance 992 was 9’10” so the truck with camper has gone from 22′ to a little under 24′ in length. since the camper now hangs out further past the rear of the truck our entry/exit angles have decreased a lot so off-roading will have to be extra careful crossing ditches etc.
The Mammoth has three slides and a large dry bath/shower which is a nice upgrade over the Lance 992 wet bath.
we have found that storage for long trips is one major shortcoming for truck campers. The large roll out tray at the back and the increased storage inside has 4-5 times the storage area as the Lance 992.
We purchased our 2013 992 Lance camper new in early 2014.
Liked the 992 since it only added 1’6″ length, total 22′, to truck so we retain good entry/exit angles for forest roads etc when we boon dock. Also the 992 has larger black/grey/fresh water tanks than the other Lance camper’s. The dual slides provide a lot of room but they do reduce storage space which does make storage a bit of a problem.
