Hesitant owner of 1/2 ton, need 3/4 ton?
I have that other thread going about sleeping under a camper shell topper and how practical it might be. I have 2008 Nissan Titan, which seems to have plenty of power but maybe the frame of a 1/2 ton ...
Forum Discussion
Here's what I did when I wanted a truck camper. FIRST, I looked for the lightest TC with the features I wanted. SECOND, I looked for a smaller truck with a gasoline engine that was capable of hauling the chosen TC.
My logic? I did not want to take all the amenities I have in my home with me on a camping trip. I wanted a serious step up from a camper shell or tent but not the TV, not the microwave, not the king size bed, not the sound system, not the (you name it). I wanted a TC that wasn't huge and bloated and required a dually to haul it.
I also wanted the TC to fit on either a Toyota Tundra Doublecab or a Nissan Titan. We drove both the Tundra and Nissan and liked the Tundra far far better than the Titan.
I wanted a gasoline engine rather than a diesel because of less costly maintenance, lighter overall truck weight, and easier starting in very cold weather since I lived in Fairbanks, AK at the time of purchase.
I also knew that many TC owners beefed up their trucks with airbag suspensions and other mods such as E-range tires. I did both of these to my Tundra.
What I ended up with is exactly what I wanted. And for 11 years since purchasing both new in 2004, my Toyota Tundra and Outfitter Apex 8 have performed above and beyond.
You will get flooded with comments on how a "half-ton" pickup like the Tundra or Titan won't carry a camper. You will hear that the frame and axle and bearings won't stand the weight. You will hear a lot of negative things about what many perceive as a "half-ton" pickup.
I encourage you to talk to TC owners and camper dealers who have put campers on Tundra and Titan pickups. Talk to Outfitter and Hallmark, for example. See the pictures on their websites of Tundras and Titans set up with their campers.
Or....you can listen to the armchair pilots who swear up and down that putting any TC on anything less than a one-ton dually is folly.
I'll help you if you want. PM me.
My logic? I did not want to take all the amenities I have in my home with me on a camping trip. I wanted a serious step up from a camper shell or tent but not the TV, not the microwave, not the king size bed, not the sound system, not the (you name it). I wanted a TC that wasn't huge and bloated and required a dually to haul it.
I also wanted the TC to fit on either a Toyota Tundra Doublecab or a Nissan Titan. We drove both the Tundra and Nissan and liked the Tundra far far better than the Titan.
I wanted a gasoline engine rather than a diesel because of less costly maintenance, lighter overall truck weight, and easier starting in very cold weather since I lived in Fairbanks, AK at the time of purchase.
I also knew that many TC owners beefed up their trucks with airbag suspensions and other mods such as E-range tires. I did both of these to my Tundra.
What I ended up with is exactly what I wanted. And for 11 years since purchasing both new in 2004, my Toyota Tundra and Outfitter Apex 8 have performed above and beyond.
You will get flooded with comments on how a "half-ton" pickup like the Tundra or Titan won't carry a camper. You will hear that the frame and axle and bearings won't stand the weight. You will hear a lot of negative things about what many perceive as a "half-ton" pickup.
I encourage you to talk to TC owners and camper dealers who have put campers on Tundra and Titan pickups. Talk to Outfitter and Hallmark, for example. See the pictures on their websites of Tundras and Titans set up with their campers.
Or....you can listen to the armchair pilots who swear up and down that putting any TC on anything less than a one-ton dually is folly.
I'll help you if you want. PM me.
