Lance 650 vs Lance 1172

Lance · Truck Camper

Lance 650

$30,000

4.3★ (2,400)

Lance · Truck Camper

$55,000

4.4★ (1,600)

Quick take: The Lance 650 costs $25,000 less; the Lance 1172 sleeps more (4 vs 2); the Lance 650 is 7 ft shorter and easier to maneuver.

✓Genuinely one of the few hard-side truck campers light enough for a half-ton short-bed truck — dry weight starts around 1,640-1,800 lbs depending on options
✓Lance's modern build (Azdel composite, LitePly plywood, CNC/CAD construction) gives it premium fit and finish for a tiny camper
✓Non-slide design means fewer leak points and less to break than slide-out campers — owners value the simplicity
✓Surprisingly good storage for the size — owners report more room than they expected with smart packing
✓Wet bath packs a toilet and shower into a footprint where most small campers skip the shower entirely
✓Holds resale value well — Lance campers consistently command strong used prices

✗Payload is the whole ballgame, and it's tight — a loaded 650 with people, gear, food, and water can hit ~3,000 lbs, which can put even an F-150 over its rear-axle/payload limit
✗Many owners conclude a 3/4-ton is the safer host truck despite the half-ton marketing, just to have payload headroom
✗Wet bath means the toilet, sink, and shower share one wet space — everything gets damp when you shower
✗Small footprint feels cramped for two people stuck inside on a rainy day
✗No slide and a compact floorplan limit interior living and storage versus larger truck campers
✗Hard-side, non-pop-up design means more wind drag and a higher profile than a pop-up like the Four Wheel Hawk
✗At around $30K it's pricey for its size — you're paying the Lance premium for build quality

✓The slide-out creates a genuinely residential living room — owners say it feels like a small travel trailer once you're parked and popped out
✓Dry bath with a separate enclosed shower is a rare luxury in the truck camper world — no soaking the toilet paper every time you rinse off
✓Goes anywhere a one-ton truck can go, with nothing to unhitch — owners love pulling into a trailhead or boondocking spot a trailer could never reach
✓Lance's aluminum-framed, laminated construction holds up better than most, and the brand's truck campers are widely regarded as the build-quality benchmark
✓Big interior windows and the slide make it one of the most livable, least claustrophobic campers in the segment for full-time couples

✗Payload is the dealbreaker — wet and loaded it pushes past 5,000 lbs, so owners say you realistically need a one-ton dually with 6,000+ lbs of payload, not just any 3500
✗Moisture and condensation complaints recur — some owners found wet carpet and mattress mold, saying Lance hasn't fully solved interior moisture management
✗Quality-control misses on delivery show up in reviews — at least one owner's unit was unusable on pickup and spent a month back at the dealer
✗Discontinued components bite later — owners report Dometic skylights and Atwood jacks that are no longer available, making repairs costly and slow
✗The high center of gravity plus the camper's weight demands airbags, upgraded suspension, and a careful driver in crosswinds and emergency braking
✗At $55K it's priced like a small travel trailer, but you still need a $70K+ dually under it to carry it legally