6 foot or 8 foot bed in Mexico

...also, consider that there exists 8 foot tub popup truck campers designed to fit short bed trucks; so, you get several advantages: the shorter wheelbase turning capability, and a roomy well equiped bathroom w/ shower, and all the amenities of the larger camper. One popup truck camper maker offers a 45 gallon fw tank.

Just pay attention to camper width. Popups are narrow; most (but not all) hardside truck campers are as wide as a bus :p

Having driven through Mexico from brownsville to Central America (in the '90s) several times, i can't see where such a combo would hinder your progress...if in doubt, follow a passenger bus through small towns :D

I have a short bed with the GM double cab and did this to get the shortest possible wheelbase for maneuverability. The crew cab adds the most length so a long bed with a double/mega/super cab would be a good compromise.

The advantage of a long bed truck is having more options for a larger aftermarket fuel tank to replace the one installed at the factory and double your driving range.

The advantage of campers for long bed trucks is that there are more models from which to choose and they provide more storage space, larger capacity fridge, larger holding tanks for fresh, gray, and black water, are more likely to have room for two batteries, all of which help when boondocking.

Brochures can be downloaded from most camper manufacturers' websites so you can compare these features and specifications. In your place I would be looking at the Lance 950 and 1050 models (both are available with or without slides), or the Lance 992 if water capacity is important as it has a 45 gallon fresh water tank that is 50% greater than most campers.

Reddog1 wrote:

67avion wrote:
... BTW, I really appreciate your waving off the "Mexico is Dangerous" meme. I want very much to travel there but have a hard time getting supportive information because of the perceived threat of harm. Perhaps you can tell us of your trips at some point.

We have a Forum for those trips, RVing in Mexico and South America .

Wayne
Moderator

Thanks Wayne. I assume your F350 is long bed? My understanding is the F250 and F350 as well as the other brands 2500 and 3500 differ only in an extra leaf spring in the rear. That is odd becasue bigger brakes would certainly seem to be called for if you can haul more stuff.

Was directed to another subform with driving in Mexico stuff in the following post. I will be glad to participate. I just wanted to make sure I was not perceived as trolling for business. Safety is such a volatile topic and I don't want to start any fights.

Thanks Rottidawg! Good point. Yeah I am thinking the double cab rather than crew for the less length. That you are happy and do 4WD makes me feel better.

rottidawg wrote:
I assume you want a crew or extended cab truck as you can't get a regular cab with the standard (6 1/2') bed in a 2500.

I wanted the crew cab so my choice was the 6 1/2' bed as the longer bed wouldn't fit in my driveway let alone my garage. I'm happy with my choice as, like you, my use is geared to 4wd use, back roads and camping.

The longer wheelbase the more "interesting" the back roads become:

67avion wrote:
... BTW, I really appreciate your waving off the "Mexico is Dangerous" meme. I want very much to travel there but have a hard time getting supportive information because of the perceived threat of harm. Perhaps you can tell us of your trips at some point.

We have a Forum for those trips, RVing in Mexico and South America .

Wayne
Moderator

You're certainly correct about turning radius, at least in regards my F350. I feel its like turning an ocean liner. So, something that can navigate tight corners in a place like Mexico is a wise move.

BTW, I really appreciate your waving off the "Mexico is Dangerous" meme. I want very much to travel there but have a hard time getting supportive information because of the perceived threat of harm. Perhaps you can tell us of your trips at some point.

On edit: I just looked at your informative web pages. Its exactly what I have been looking for....

I assume you want a crew or extended cab truck as you can't get a regular cab with the standard (6 1/2') bed in a 2500.

I wanted the crew cab so my choice was the 6 1/2' bed as the longer bed wouldn't fit in my driveway let alone my garage. I'm happy with my choice as, like you, my use is geared to 4wd use, back roads and camping.

The longer wheelbase the more "interesting" the back roads become:

Just watch the CG (Center of gravity), it should be in front of the rear axel!