Make me Smart about Truck Campers Please

Since he is looking to sneak into places he couldn't get to with the trailer, I'm thinking the opposite.

The OP never said anything about sneaking into places. But, if the OP wants to do a lot of sneaking around then a pop up camper would be better especially for off road use. Otherwise the places he can take a full size camper are considerably more than a 32 foot fifth wheel and a full size truck that has a combined length of around 50 feet. What the OP may realize is that it is much easier to unhitch the fifth and just take the truck to explore than to unload the truck camper or take the truck camper exploring. There are trade-offs. It all depends on where the OP wants to go and how much less living space his family wants for the next trip. Truck campers have all the amenities of a nice fifth wheel except interior space and storage.

I can't imagine any significant difference in maneuverability on pavement or on nice gravel roads between an 11 foot camper on a dually and a 8 foot camper or shorter on a short bed truck. Maybe in serious off road 4x4 stuff that difference might be evident. After owning three truck campers, one an Alaskan pop up, an 11 foot truck camper is lots bigger inside than one eight feet long. In a truck camper each added foot is huge for interior space and storage while what is lost in manueverability is trivial for most folks staying on pavement or well graded roads.

On many levels I think truck campers are the best RV for exploring, perhaps followed closely by something like a Sportsmobile. There is a lot of truck camper info contained in the on-line Truck Camper Magazine.

jmtandem wrote:

2011 3500 D/A, SRW

If you are willing to purchase a long bed dually the camper options are considerably more favorable for weight and size considerations. In fact, a 450/4500 is not overkill in the truck camper world. Truck campers are all about maneuverability. For long trips coming from a large fifth wheel I think you would want to start looking at the largest truck campers available and they are heavy. Most have slide outs, many are basement models, and dry or wet baths are available. Tank sizes vary. Otherwise most amenities found on a fifth are found in a truck camper.

Since he is looking to sneak into places he couldn't get to with the trailer, I'm thinking the opposite.

2011 3500 D/A, SRW

If you are willing to purchase a long bed dually the camper options are considerably more favorable for weight and size considerations. In fact, a 450/4500 is not overkill in the truck camper world. Truck campers are all about maneuverability. For long trips coming from a large fifth wheel I think you would want to start looking at the largest truck campers available and they are heavy. Most have slide outs, many are basement models, and dry or wet baths are available. Tank sizes vary. Otherwise most amenities found on a fifth are found in a truck camper.

OK first you need to go to Truck Camper University and then learn to do a lot more with a lot less.
Good Luck

Any truck camper the size you would need should have a frame mounted tiedown system such as Torklift and the appropriate Fastgun or Happijac tiedowns from your camper to the frame mounted system. The camper does sit on the truck bed usually on top of a rubber pad of some type to keep it from sliding. The electrical hook can use your 7 pin adapter or there are other installations.

The short bed will be a size limitation but everything else is very straight forward. Since you have 5th wheel rails, you'll simply need to add some plywood with cutouts at the rails to raise the bottom of the bed to flush or above the rails. The bottom of the camper does sit on that surface. The camper is secured to the truck by chain and turnbuckle connections to tiedown points that will be added to your truck.