Advice for a Truck Camper novice

Isn't the GVWR the all knowing legal upper limit for hauling?

Put a couple of air bags in the rear.

Or a 2800# camper and 600 pounds of stuff. We had a great 8.5s&s that weighed about that for a load about 3500. S&S's are pretty heavy but you don't HAVE to take a thousand pounds of stuff with.....

If you are very uncertain about what sort of camper you want I would hedge my bet and definitely go used. Someday I might go new but only if I were 100% sure I HAD to have that perfect model. But shopping new is great.

Another option is to take a short trip via plane to somewhere that has a ton of dealers to go look at new. That usually ends of being Denver or the Pacific Northwest or maybe SoCal.. You can do a LOT of shopping in a short time that way.

I took the truck to the local grain mill and weighed it with a full tank of fuel and came in at 8320 lbs. With a GVWR of 11,400 I'm not left with much carrying capacity. I have a step tailgate at 90ish lbs so that will save a few pounds. A little math tells me a 2410lb 855 and the typical 1000lb's of extra stuff puts it over by a couple of hundred lbs.

I only wish I knew exactly what would be perfect for the long haul. Used makes more sense to me for now. I have bought and sold several RV's earlier in my life so I know about changing priorities (and desires). I have done without for a decade so this is why I am seeking advice.

All good advice here. Some very smart and experienced TCers out there.

I have to agree on not necessarily buying new. Don't get me wrong, because buying new is just great if you can afford it and know for sure you want a TC. But we have found two consecutive truck campers that were used, but like new. What we have noticed with the TCs is that people love them or not. So some folks who have always wanted one will buy a new one, find out it is not for them, and then turn around and sell it for quite a bit less than they paid for them. The last two, an '08 Arctic Fox 990 and a '12 Arctic Fox 990, both were only used about 3 times when we bought them, and the price each time was a good $10K or more less than a new one. We sold the '08 for more than what we paid for it and the '12 we bought for only about $4K more than we sold the '08 for. Both times we have a virtually new TC. I think buying new is great if you want that, but we have had pretty good luck carefully buying used. Incidentally, we have never lost a dime buying and selling a used TC. We tried out an older Jayco that we bought for $2500 to see if we really wanted a TC. When we found we loved it, we sold it for $2500 and bought the 08 AF. We also have a 37' Class A motor home which we use as home base when we are campground hosts and we use the AF for all side trips, day trips, and everything else they are so great for including long road trips. If we had to sell one of them, it would be the Class A, and we'd probably lose money if we did that.

there are so many choices so all i will say is BUY NEW if you can. Why, because if some of use do not BUY NEW then the USED ones will dry up and none will be available and the companies will disappear, so don't count out NEW if you can do it.
I have also said this on boat forums when folks say they will never buy new and make jokes of us who do.

More great suggestions. Craiglist is where I have been looking. Not much near me. This must not be the best time of year for people unloading the old unit. I would guess spring would be a hot time for upgrading. That or Fall for those who plan ahead and sell at the end of the season.

You all are really putting some good info out here. It's really helping me build a list of things to consider.

I'd look on Craigslist. Craigslist has served me well over the years.

Been TC-ing since 2009, with extended trips up to 7 months, with rig as in signature.

As I am carefully looking around for something newer, here are some thoughts I have after 5 years of TC camping, and perhaps it will help you with your decision making:
- Heated/insulated tanks & plumbing, if&when I buy a newer TC, this will be a must.
- Absolutely NO U-shaped dinette ever again, never, because: Wobbly small table on a tube (no different than 1970's custom vans, where's the progress?), and the U-bench is inconvenient seating (if you ever have more than 2 adults in the TC it's a major inconvenience; it might work for little children). A booth dinette with separate benches and table attached to the wall is the way to go.
- Storage, especially storage for stuff you don't want inside the camper or truck cab (E.g. BBQ grill, dirty boots, folding chairs/table, jerry can w/fuel, shovel, etc). I am considering a flatbed with toolboxes to match to the contours of the TC; I will probably buy a flatbed w/toolboxes before I buy a newer TC. A setup kinda like btggraphix who posted just before me.
- BIG fresh water tank. I found fresh water to be the bottleneck when I am camping. Besides my TC 29 gallon fresh water tank, I now also carry two 7 gallon portable water cans.
- Spare tire accessibility. You really don't want to have to unload the TC off the truck to get to your spare tire...

Good Luck making the best choice for you & your family.

Wishing you happy & safe travels!

Go to that rally! No better way to look, especially used, than one of these rare gatherings with dozens and dozens of campers. Owners not interested in selling will tell you exactly what they love about their camper and what they hate about their camper. Tons of types and sizes to choose one. Find something that fits your camping style and identify the several makes and models that seem like good choices for you AND THEN look for these models on the used market around the country. You will find an amazing number of people here that have traveled across the country to buy. Our first 500$ camper we bought in Denver, next was 11500 in Boise and the final one was a truck and camper combo we are in now from Connecticut!