Real world weight sticky?

JimK-NY wrote:
Wouldn't it be nice if we could go from the manufacturer's specs to a reasonable estimate of "real world weight"? It seems that is never going to happen. The obvious issue is that each of us carries different amounts of stuff. That "stuff" includes kitchen gear, food, bottled drinks, cleaning supplies, tools, maps/guidebooks, hobby gear, clothing, mattress toppers or an upgraded mattress, etc, etc.

There is also typically a huge difference between the built out weight of an individual camper and the manufacturer's specs. Specs are often based on a stripped down model and the spec weight typically does not include accessories and upgrades such as a microwave, TV, A/C unit, oven, generator, solar panels, extra battery, awnings, skylight, etc. For my camper an extended cabover area with a queen sized mattress was also considered an upgrade and the weight was not in the spec weight for the camper model.

Some manufacturers do make this easy, sort of. They will give you the dry spec weight, and the weight for each accessory and upgrade. You can then add weight for propane and water. The 1000# estimate for personal items may sound high but prospective buyers often overlook many items such as truck suspension upgrades, a bed mat, fastguns and tiedowns. (I did the tiedown addition for my last truck and was amazed at the shipping weight for all the necessary parts.)