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
When we went to a truck camper, I already had a short bed 3/4t truck. I was not ready replace that truck, so I found a camper that fit the truck and was still able to tow my toys. Last year we decided we like this TC setup but want a bigger camper. I upgraded the truck so I can carry the camper we want to buy in the next couple of years yet still haul the smaller camper on it until our finances are in place to make a purchase.
We have followed both lines of advise in this thread. The first time, we sized the camper to our current truck. The second time, we have sized the truck to our desired future camper.
The 1/2t trucks are limited by their semi floating rear axle capacity. Once you get to next larger class of truck, the full floating axles give you more payload which results in more camper choices.
Look at your rating and get some actual weights of your current truck give you an idea of what you have left for payload. Now you can look at campers with dry weights that are 500 lbs or less under your payload and see if any appeal to you. If the larger ones (that are too heavy) are what you want, get an appropriate sized truck before trying to overload your current one.
We have followed both lines of advise in this thread. The first time, we sized the camper to our current truck. The second time, we have sized the truck to our desired future camper.
The 1/2t trucks are limited by their semi floating rear axle capacity. Once you get to next larger class of truck, the full floating axles give you more payload which results in more camper choices.
Look at your rating and get some actual weights of your current truck give you an idea of what you have left for payload. Now you can look at campers with dry weights that are 500 lbs or less under your payload and see if any appeal to you. If the larger ones (that are too heavy) are what you want, get an appropriate sized truck before trying to overload your current one.
