The only people who "need" a diesel IMO are professional hot shot drivers or those towing huge, huge trailers on a regular basis. For the rest of us, it's a matter of 'want.' You'll not likely be able to financially justify it, and the gas engines out there work just fine for recreational towing w/in their limits.
That said, it is a lot of fun towing with a diesel; I loved mine ('06 Duramax). I vastly prefer how they perform, and loved driving it. If my needs ever put me back in 3/4 or 1 ton range, I'll almost certainly go with a diesel again.
FWIW, many weeks mine didn't do anything but drive the 9 miles to my office and 9 miles back, 5 days a week. It was pre-DEF and regeneration and all of that, but I didn't have any problems at all.
