I was recently in a similar situation to yours... Through work we have an allowance to have a 1/2 ton 4x4 truck with the 5.3 V8, so I ordered mine with Chevy's "Heavy Duty" towing package with maximum tow rating of 9600 lbs. My wife had to have a front-sleeper toy hauler, so I bought the smallest Forest River I could find with a FS (Shockwave 23FS). The trailer dry is 6000 lbs. and when loaded for camping with water, fuel and 3 bikes sits at 8500 lbs.
I bought a tongue scale to make sure I was loading properly and I usually keep the tongue weight right at 900 lbs. The "Heavy Duty" towing package is kind of a joke, because the suspension is the same as any other Chevy 1/2 ton, and the trailer was still a load for the truck. I took it in to the dealership and had an add-a-leaf and leveling kit put on it, and now the truck tows this 23' just fine, but I definitely would not go any bigger with a 1/2 ton and in fact would not even go this big without spending some coin on beefing up the suspension.
Good luck!
