
by Lance Campers · 2025
Lance's single-slide hard-side camper with room for six. Full bathroom, generator-ready, and designed for long-bed three-quarter and one-ton trucks.
The Lance 850 is a popular mid-size slide-out camper that delivers genuine livability with a spacious dinette, real bathroom, and well-equipped kitchen. At 2,835 lbs dry it demands a 3/4-ton truck minimum, but owners consistently praise the residential feel and 4-season capability.
Based on 14 reviews and 5 owner submissions
Couples and small families who want comfortable multi-day to multi-week camping with real cooking and bathroom facilities. 3/4-ton or 1-ton truck owners looking for the best balance of livability and reasonable size.
The slide-out dinette transforms the interior from cramped to genuinely comfortable. The bathroom is usable by real humans, not just a token checkbox feature. The kitchen has enough counter space to actually prepare meals, and the 4-season insulation package means owners use these campers year-round in serious cold. Lance's dealer network makes service accessible.
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Strongly not recommended. The 850's dry weight of 2,835 lbs plus your real-world loaded weight of 3,500+ lbs will exceed virtually every F-150's payload capacity. Even the highest-payload F-150s top out around 3,300 lbs, and that's before you add passengers or any cargo. You need an F-250 or equivalent 3/4-ton minimum. Running overweight isn't just unsafe - it voids warranties and creates serious liability issues.
Lance uses Schwintek in-wall slide mechanisms which are generally reliable but not bulletproof. Most owners report years of trouble-free operation. The main maintenance item is keeping the slide seals clean and conditioned. Some owners have experienced motor failures after 5-7 years, which runs $300-500 to repair at a dealer. The consensus is that the livability gained from the slide far outweighs the added maintenance concern.
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Half-ton truck owners - the 850 will exceed payload on virtually every half-ton. Overlanders who prioritize trail access, as the slide-out adds weight, complexity, and width. Budget-conscious buyers, since the slide-out mechanism and additional features push the price into mid-$40s territory.
At 2,835 lbs dry, the Lance 850 is firmly in 3/4-ton territory. Real-world loaded weight with full water tank, propane, and gear easily reaches 3,500-3,800 lbs. The slide-out mechanism adds both weight and a higher center of gravity. Most owners run these on F-250/F-350, Ram 2500/3500, or GM 2500/3500 trucks. Some diesel half-ton owners claim it works but the math is almost always tight.
The slide-out dinette is the game-changer for the 850. With the slide extended, the interior feels dramatically more spacious than non-slide campers in the same class. Two adults can move around without constantly bumping into each other, and the dinette converts to a second sleeping area. The floor plan is thoughtfully designed with clear zones for cooking, eating, and sleeping. Extended-stay owners report being comfortable for weeks at a time.
The Lance 850's bathroom is one of its strongest selling points. It features a real toilet, a separate shower area with a solid door, and enough room to actually use both without gymnastics. The shower has decent water pressure and the toilet uses a cassette system that owners find manageable. Compared to wet baths in smaller campers, the 850's dry bath layout is a significant upgrade that makes extended camping much more comfortable.
The kitchen in the 850 is well-equipped with a 3-burner stove, oven, decent-size sink, and meaningful counter space. The refrigerator is large enough for a week's worth of groceries for two people. Owners regularly cook full meals inside the camper, which isn't something you can say about most truck campers. Storage for pots, pans, and dry goods is adequate though not abundant. The layout puts everything within arm's reach while cooking.
Yes, the 850 is one of the better 4-season truck campers available. The insulation package, dual-pane windows, and enclosed heated underbelly keep the interior comfortable in sub-freezing temperatures. The furnace is powerful enough for temps into the teens. Owners in Colorado, Montana, and other cold-weather states regularly camp through winter. The main limitation is water system freeze protection - the heated underbelly helps but extremely cold temps can still challenge exposed plumbing.
The Lance 960 typically runs about $8,000-10,000 more than the 850. For that premium you get a longer floor plan, full dry bath, more kitchen space, and additional storage. The trade-off is about 300 lbs more weight, which pushes the 960 more firmly into 1-ton truck territory. If your truck can handle either, the choice usually comes down to whether you need the extra bathroom and kitchen space of the 960 or prefer the slightly lighter and more compact 850.