Chevy 1500 Truck. Can I get a camper?

Two pepple is the maximum amount for a truck camper.
A tent trailer, hybrid trailer or a light TT would serve your group much better, and be easier on your truck.

Good for you for considering everything before buying. You have discovered the bane of all 1/2 tons, they can haul a lot more than they can carry. 1650lbs is not enough for 5 people, camper, water, propane, dishes, food, and all that you will bring. Been there done that once before I knew any better. My dad has a old six lug light duty K2500. 8.5ft camper with 6 of us went on vacation. Truck wallowed down the road, springs almost flat, would not drive straight, had to almost stop for corners, baaaaad!

Travel trailers also fall victim to weight thing too. Your owners manual may state you can tow 8900lbs like mine does, but not all kinds of trailers are the same. A boat or flat deck is not the same as a travel trailer. Travel trailers have much heavier tongue weights. For example, my Expy has a 890lbs tongue weight limit and a 8900lbs towing capacity. The tongue weight limit is 10 percent of the max towing capacity, which is fine for boats, but TT have tongue weights in the 13-15 percent or more range. A 8900lbs TT will have a tongue weight around 1300lbs!! I wish RV dealers would explain this to customers, but they don't.

Look for trailers in the 25ft range which will be in general around 4500-5000lbs empty. This is general rule of thumb for 1/2ton and numbers will almost always work out. Your situation is very similar to mine, max cargo and people of my Expy is 1672lbs and I have a growing family of 5, we sometimes take a 6th. You want to keep the tongue weight of the trailer 900lbs or less, and most travel trailers have 12-15 percent tongue weight. So 900lbs tongue weight equates to a loaded trailer around 6500lbs. When you subtract weight of your stuff, food, full water tank, propane, batteries, etc you end up with a dry weight between 4700 and 5000lbs.

My TT is a great match, it is 22ft long ball to bumper, weighs 4000lbs empty about 5200lbs loaded and has a great layout for the 5 of us with 4 separate sleeping locations (double bed with single bunk over, dinette and jackknife sofa). We do have to drop the table and couch but that takes 1 minute to drop and lay out a sleeping bag.

Welcome to the forum and good luck in your endeavors!

For 5 people I think I would start searching for a Travel trailer. In my opinion it would be a little to tight on those rainy days in a Truck camper. Plus storage for 5 would be a nightmare in a truck camper. JMO

Thanks all for the help. That's what I thought and just needed the confirmation. I'll explore a small trailer.

With 5 people, find a nice lightweight tent trailer or a hardside Trailmanor, your family will be happy campers and your truck will thank you.

Don't rule out pop-ups and hybrids. Hard to beat the space per lb for a 1/2 truck.

If you have 5 people, and some are going to get bigger, I assume you have a backseat in your truck and that likely gives you a short bed. That's perfect for extras, like bikes, toys, and chairs.

I think a fair priced travel trailer (I'd go lesser length for those national park campgrounds). The right choice gives mama a dry bath, and room for family growth. And much lighter tongue weight than camper cargo weight.

In future you could trade up both truck or trailer. If you have need to tow another trailer (and that's why you want a camper) I'd suggest a Class C.

If you are considering a TC because you already have a truck, I think you'll not find something light enough even for two, let alone 5.

I too compliment you in thinking of weight and other logistical issues.

I took a look and the max sticker on the car says the weight

I think you answered you own question when you called it a car.

I give you lots of credit for taking the people in the vehicle as part of your weight. You have done the calculations right to determine the camper weight. Unfortunately, as you have determined, you aren't going to find a camper that will fit your vehicle with the passenger load.

So it looks like either a trailer or heavier duty truck. If you do go with a heavier duty truck, recommend you skip the 3/4 ton and go for a 1 ton to maximize your payload. They cost about the same and ride about the same empty.

Good luck in your camping adventures.

There are popup camper shells that are very basic like Four Wheel Campers, but even those weight around 1000. If you want to stay under GVWR, you are probably going to have to get a different truck.

Good for you to look at the numbers.