First timer here but I have been stalking this forum for months now. Looking for a bit of a sanity check from the experts. Here is my situation:Grandpa used to take me in his truck camper when I was young, some of the best memories of my childhood. I currently have a 23 foot toy hauler (bumper pull) but I have the itch to downsize and try out the more flexible world of a truck camper. I have a decent truck for the job but it is SRW and I know that is a limiting factor. My truck details are the following:•2016 Ram 3500•Crew cab•Long bed•GVWR: 12,300 lbs•Payload: 4,160 lbs (per sticker on door – have not taken to scale)•GAWR: Front – 6,000 Back – 7,000 (tire limited I believe)•Details: Cummins, Aisin, 4x4•Upgrades: Tires have been changed to 295/70R18 Cooper S/T Maxx with a load capacity of 4,080 lbs per tire (E with a load index of 129). I have no idea what the stock 18 inch Ram wheels are rated for???•Future upgrades (as needed): Helwig Big Wig rear sway bar, lower Stable Loads & 19.5 wheels and tiresInterested in 8-9 foot truck camper preferably with slide out. Particularly interested in the Adventurer 910FBS and 86SBS. These appear to have dry weights in the 3200-3500 lb range. I plan on traveling light and not carrying more than 10-15 gallons of water until we are at or close to our destination. People payload will be around 400 lbs (wife and I plus two babies/carseats). I know the rule is 500 lbs of gear but I think we can pack what we need/want at around 300 lbs. Add 10 gal of water, 40 lbs propane, 130 lbs batteries & ~100 lbs misc tie downs/bed mat, etc. and I figure I will be going down the road up to ~300 lbs over GVWR (12,600 vs 12,300). Am I missing anything major?Is this doable or am I just asking for problems/taking unnecessary risks? My mind is not made up on what to do so I am extremely open to your input.Thanks in advance…

Actually, you don't need 19.5" tires for the size camper you are looking at. While your truck is a diesel version of mine, the payload is basically the same at ~4,400 pounds. If you keep the options down then you will be right at but still within limit of the truck.I thought the same thing about being a light packer, but I still manage to squeeze 500 pounds worth of stuff between the 8' camper and back seat. The back seat carries my ViAir compressor, two chairs, leveling blocks, small 10# tool bag, and portable gas grill (you know, the necessities). And you will have the baby things to consider.I grew up camping 5 in an 11' camper on a reg cab truck so know the appeal. I had a 30' TT when we had babies with the corner tub made getting them clean and the dinette for good sleeping. We sold it and the truck thinking we were done, moved across town and then decided to we wanted to do a cross country trip so bought a new truck and nice FW with rear bunkhouse. With the kids being older, it was a great choice as they had their room and I could close the door so didn't have to look at their mess. I don't think the kids or marriage would have survived if we had tried to do this in a TC. But now we have a TC for just the two of us and she has fallen in love with the freedom it gives us. I don't think I would change the pattern or choices in the least bit as each fitted us well.

You will always be heavier than the numbers online and on stickers. You also have a very capable truck. Don't get too hung up on numbers until you hit a scale. I hit the scale then knew I needed 19.5's. So I bought them. Now I don't worry about weight, I know I'm good and it is a piece of mind knowing this.A slide will add a significant amount of weight. Your on the right path of progressive mods to handle that. Don't overthink it but also...if you never owned a TC, try to find someone give a ride or better yet...let you drive one a bit so you can feel what it is like. Some people think it should drive like a empty truck and go all overboard with mods and or a new truck chasing that feeling. It really is a comfort thing.FYI....my non-slide out 8.5 foot TC was 4k pounds loaded this weekend. It is 2300 lbs on the factory sticker...again, don't get hung up on the numbers and don't put a Host Mamoth with 3 slides on your truck and you'll be good. I have three boys, we love the flexibility of a TC.

Vinsil wrote:You will always be heavier than the numbers online and on stickers. You also have a very capable truck. Don't get too hung up on numbers until you hit a scale. I hit the scale then knew I needed 19.5's. So I bought them. Now I don't worry about weight, I know I'm good and it is a piece of mind knowing this.A slide will add a significant amount of weight. Your on the right path of progressive mods to handle that. Don't overthink it but also...if you never owned a TC, try to find someone give a ride or better yet...let you drive one a bit so you can feel what it is like. Some people think it should drive like a empty truck and go all overboard with mods and or a new truck chasing that feeling. It really is a comfort thing.FYI....my non-slide out 8.5 foot TC was 4k pounds loaded this weekend. It is 2300 lbs on the factory sticker...again, don't get hung up on the numbers and don't put a Host Mamoth with 3 slides on your truck and you'll be good. I have three boys, we love the flexibility of a TC.I think this post is on target on every count. I would not ignore the weight, but would not get obsessed with the door sticker. I would be comfortable with the rig you have described.Wayne

LOL!! If you have 2 babies, they alone can rack up 300 lbs of "stuff" ;-)I have no technical help for you - just wanted to say that we've had a Class C and a 5er, and LOVE the nimbleness of a truck camper. Ours is a pop-up, and we can go anywhere - including narrow twisty roads with low tree branches; or crowded city streets, that would have kept out larger RVs.

Welcome TJJRO8 to the forum. And congratulations to you for asking important questions before the purchase. As I am sure you know,most dealers would sell you the heaviest camper they make if you show up with that truck. I would be confident that with a little help from stableloads and the bigwig, a 910 fbs is in your realm. That is where I would start if I had that truck. On the other hand, I personally would limit the weight to that. I ride about 600 lbs. heavier than gvwr, but am comfortable with it as my tires are not maxed and the truck drives and handles my camper well.

New Member - Sanity Check from the Experts | Good Sam Community

nomadictxn
Explorer
Jun 03, 2016
I work with man that is married and has teen and two younger kids. They travel and camp out of a crew cab F350 and single slide TC. Listening to him, the togetherness and experiences outweigh the compactness. He doesn't let them watch TV or play videos. They just camp, relax and have fun. I bring my wife and 3 dogs in my camper and we do the same. Always fun.We sat out The Waldo Canyon Fire 4 years ago and even had our cat with us. One of the happiest weeks of my life. I knew we were safe and there wasn't a thing I could do about my house, while the fire raged.
I think it depends on what you want out of the camper. Pulling a trailer sucks after having a TC. It's just better!
lonegunman
Explorer
Jun 02, 2016
mkirsch wrote:
lonegunman wrote:
Every day I pass a dozen SRW trucks with a camper in the bed, towing a fishing boat and none of them explode, crash or run off the road. I have yet to meet with an owner with a decent sized camper in an SRW truck with factory rims and correct tires who felt as though they cheated death on their last adventure.

Ignorance is bliss.

You can get away with a lot of crazy, dangerous stuff, and not even know you were ever in peril in the first place. Heck you've got a 5 out of 6 chance of winning Russian Roulette!

Does that mean you should throw the technical specifications and common sense out the window and just do... whatever?

The fact that "everyone" is "getting away with it" proves I'm right. It should be obvious that trucks, tires and wheels are overbuilt to a greater degree than most ignorant people realize. A 12,000 GVWR truck is fully capable of carrying its fully loaded weight down the highway safely. That is why it has an approved weight rating.

Absolutely NOTHING that the weight Nazis on this board predicted would happen if I didn't buy a dually with 19.5" tires happened. This summer I'll drive 5,000 plus miles with my truck as set-up, I think I'll live.
mkirsch
Nomad II
Jun 02, 2016
lonegunman wrote:
Every day I pass a dozen SRW trucks with a camper in the bed, towing a fishing boat and none of them explode, crash or run off the road. I have yet to meet with an owner with a decent sized camper in an SRW truck with factory rims and correct tires who felt as though they cheated death on their last adventure.

Ignorance is bliss.

You can get away with a lot of crazy, dangerous stuff, and not even know you were ever in peril in the first place. Heck you've got a 5 out of 6 chance of winning Russian Roulette!

Does that mean you should throw the technical specifications and common sense out the window and just do... whatever?
billtex
Explorer II
Jun 02, 2016
lonegunman wrote:
Every day I pass a dozen SRW trucks with a camper in the bed, towing a fishing boat and none of them explode, crash or run off the road. I have yet to meet with an owner with a decent sized camper in an SRW truck with factory rims and correct tires who felt as though they cheated death on their last adventure. Except on this forum. Everyone has done a few suspension mods to make their truck more drivable.

I have three co-workers with SRW trucks and large TC's from different makers, they have zero issues. One added a Hellwig bar last month and says it is far better than the factory option he replaced. He tows a motorcycle trailer.

I am heading cross country this summer in my properly equipped SRW truck with about 4,000lbs of camper and gear and it will be at my GVWR and I am not in the least bit concerned.

A decent sway bar, tires, shocks and airbags and/or Stableloads and you are in business. I set my truck up and bought my camper (AF 865) and took it on a trip. Based on that experience I added upper Stableloads and upgraded to a nicer tire. I get out once a month or so and the adventure is usually 300-400 miles, zero issues.

My only observation is that with full grey and black water tanks it adds sway and I don't like it. If I am boondocking, I dump at the first handy station back in civilization then head for home dry. The truck rides better and you are not hauling needless ****, literally.

I agree...except. You sway issue on the way home may not be full grey/black...more likely it is the empty fresh tank...
On the way out your fresh (located in front of axle) is full. Then you shift all that weight to the grey/bulk (behind the axle) on the way home.

Just an observation...

B
Reddog1
Explorer II
Jun 02, 2016
realter wrote:
TJJR08

There are few things more irritating on these forums than typing out a PM and finding the recipient doesn't accept PM's. I always wonder why.
I can think of several reasons. The first (in my opinion) is there are those that are full of BS, and cannot accept there are other opinions on a given subject so they use PMs to state theirs is the only opinion worth considering. I think the PMs are great, but not when they are used as a method of ignoring the opinions of others.

Wayne
Reddog1
Explorer II
Jun 02, 2016
lonegunman wrote:
Every day I pass a dozen SRW trucks with a camper in the bed, towing a fishing boat and none of them explode, crash or run off the road. I have yet to meet with an owner with a decent sized camper in an SRW truck with factory rims and correct tires who felt as though they cheated death on their last adventure. Except on this forum. Everyone has done a few suspension mods to make their truck more drivable.

I have three co-workers with SRW trucks and large TC's from different makers, they have zero issues. One added a Hellwig bar last month and says it is far better than the factory option he replaced. He tows a motorcycle trailer.

I am heading cross country this summer in my properly equipped SRW truck with about 4,000lbs of camper and gear and it will be at my GVWR and I am not in the least bit concerned.

A decent sway bar, tires, shocks and airbags and/or Stableloads and you are in business. I set my truck up and bought my camper (AF 865) and took it on a trip. Based on that experience I added upper Stableloads and upgraded to a nicer tire. I get out once a month or so and the adventure is usually 300-400 miles, zero issues.

My only observation is that with full grey and black water tanks it adds sway and I don't like it. If I am boondocking, I dump at the first handy station back in civilization then head for home dry. The truck rides better and you are not hauling needless ****, literally.
Exceptionally well stated in my opinion.

Wayne
realter
Explorer
Jun 02, 2016
TJJR08

There are few things more irritating on these forums than typing out a PM and finding the recipient doesn't accept PM's. I always wonder why.
3_tons
Explorer III
Jun 02, 2016
Having had two LB QC diesel Rams with TC's (04 SRW 2500 & 07 DRW 3500), I think you'll be within a reasonable window with only some minor upgrades like stable-loads to engage the OEM overloads....

First off, the 4000~ Loaded Citation on the 2500 did fine with only tembrens added atop the rear axle.... For comfort of ride, dodge installed longer, less capable leaf springs on the 2500 than on the 3500, but the tembrens (about $225 with lifetime guarantee) did the job - a 3500 with OEM overloads should be even better....there were no overloads on a 2500...

On my dually I had a spring shop add two extra leafs per rear side ($800), and would definitely go this route again as the ride is superior....

I'm not a fan of airbags (except possibly for leveling the headlights...) since they won't help with side sway around corners - tembrens will...JMO

I can say that a dually will improve side sway for two reasons (my experience):

A). The outboard tires tend to preform like outriggers making cornering almost sway-less

B). The 17" tire sidewalls are narrower so produce less sidewall flex than SRW 18"

Hope this helps,

3 tons
smooth1
Explorer
Jun 01, 2016
Adventure made/makes a camper where the slide out is a set of bunk beds. I think it is the 950B model. You have the bunk beds in the slide out and you can still use the dinette for sitting. Same length as the one you are looking at, so should be similar weight.

A Lance 1040 would be a lighter alternative too with a rear tent bed and side entry door. I think the dry weight is 2500-2600lbs & it sleeps 5.
lonegunman
Explorer
Jun 01, 2016
Every day I pass a dozen SRW trucks with a camper in the bed, towing a fishing boat and none of them explode, crash or run off the road. I have yet to meet with an owner with a decent sized camper in an SRW truck with factory rims and correct tires who felt as though they cheated death on their last adventure. Except on this forum. Everyone has done a few suspension mods to make their truck more drivable.

I have three co-workers with SRW trucks and large TC's from different makers, they have zero issues. One added a Hellwig bar last month and says it is far better than the factory option he replaced. He tows a motorcycle trailer.

I am heading cross country this summer in my properly equipped SRW truck with about 4,000lbs of camper and gear and it will be at my GVWR and I am not in the least bit concerned.

A decent sway bar, tires, shocks and airbags and/or Stableloads and you are in business. I set my truck up and bought my camper (AF 865) and took it on a trip. Based on that experience I added upper Stableloads and upgraded to a nicer tire. I get out once a month or so and the adventure is usually 300-400 miles, zero issues.

My only observation is that with full grey and black water tanks it adds sway and I don't like it. If I am boondocking, I dump at the first handy station back in civilization then head for home dry. The truck rides better and you are not hauling needless ****, literally.