Camper Suggestions???

What is the F250’s payload? Isn’t the 855 about 3800 pounds wet?

Lance 815, 820, 845

Thanks, 845 is one I would consider.

Rob

Six Pac....

I got an 815 for sale , but it might be a little drive as I am in Florida and you are in Calif.

A good 8'6" floor camper that is made for a short bed from approx the year 2000 priced under $5K would be, a good 8'6" floor camper made for a short bed from approx the year 2000 priced under $5K.

Seriously, if you try limiting yourself to a specific brand model or year, you will be looking for a long time. Look at anything that comes along in your price range, and be open to possibilities. Don't worry about brand reputation. If it's in good shape, it's in good shape. Once it's out of warranty, who made it doesn't really matter much, and anything in the 10-20 year old range is definitely going to be out of warranty.

We haul a Lance 845 on our 2500HD 4x4 6.0L Chevy easy enough - altho we live on Florida, which is flat, we head to Blue Ridge and Rocky Mountains a couple times a year. It hauls those mountains fine too ...

We anticipated adding extra springs or Timbren, but have not found it necessary at this point. We might add new shocks and maybe a rear anti-sway bar before our next trip, but that's just because it will ride better not because it feels unsafe or wobbly. Truck is 2015 with 48,000 miles, mostly hauling the camper, so not like any issues are bothering us in our travels.

The 845 is a nice, well equipped camper with good sized tanks. Our DRY weight = 2780 lbs, and 8'6 fits our Short Bed just fine. We pack light, and keep our tanks low when traveling, and fill up when we arrive, dump just before we leave camp.

Those other Lance models are the same size, but lighter and a little less equipped, I believe.

Lance has extensive dealerships if you need any parts - altho most RV equipment is the same manufacturer anyway, Fridge, Pumps, Range, etc.

I was going to recommend either an Arctic Fox or Wolf Creek camper, because I have had good luck with them in the past. So I went on RVTrader.com to see if there were any for sale that would fit the OP's requirements. I did a nationwide search for short bed truck campers with air conditioning for less than $5000, and came up with ZERO campers. I changed to any truck camper with air conditioning for less than $5000, and still came up with nothing. I removed the air conditioning requirement and found three campers in the early to mid 1990s for less than $5000, but none were for short bed trucks. When I searched for short bed truck campers with air conditioning from 1995 to 2005, but no price limit, I found eight campers, but the cheapest was twice his price limit, and the rest were three to four times his price limit.

Campers from 20 to 25 years ago did not tend to have air conditioning like they do now. And campers from that long ago tended to be made more for long bed trucks. Short bed trucks have become more popular in recent years.

Anyway, it may be a long search to find one with those requirements, for that price. Good luck.

Thanks all. If needed I can add an AC. I've found some pretty nice 845's and they are a few grand more

Let me just say that we started truck campering with our first kid at 3 months old. Don't wait any long than necessary to get the right camper. Certainly not years.

A $5K camper is a 'throw-away' in my opinion. Not worth fixing up; you just use it up and dump it when it is no longer safe.

I got my 855S from a dealer in Tuscan, AZ and financed. Payments at just over $200 a month. I too live in NorCal and it was worth the 900 mile each-way drive for the price I got it for. If you think about it in monthly payments, that's a couple nights a month in a hotel. Easy to justify.