small/midsize camper in full size truck
My current tow rig is a '05 Ram 1500 Quad cab, 2WD, Hemi 5.7, 3.92 gear running on stock 33" tires and factory tow package with class IV hitch. At the time of buying it, it was largely an impulse buy...
Forum Discussion
As you've discovered, even the smallest of the smallest compact truck campers is going to be too heavy for your truck no matter what numbers you go by, and that's if you like to camp alone, naked, cold, and hungry.
I have been in your shoes, and it kept me out of a truck camper for about 3 years, until I finally decided to buy a bigger truck. There was no way it was going to work without major modifications to my current truck at the time, and then it would all be a compromise.
People have done exactly what you're proposing and have been successful. It's entirely up to you if you want to take on the challenge and work through modifying the truck with a better axle and stiffer springs.
Others have gotten in over their heads. Those are the people you're likely to be buying your first used camper from, because they were so unhappy with how things worked on the first few trips that they unloaded the camper and it's been sitting in the back yard ever since.
Right truck for the load gives you best chance for success, and the best chance to be happy with your first camping experiences, so you keep going.
I have been in your shoes, and it kept me out of a truck camper for about 3 years, until I finally decided to buy a bigger truck. There was no way it was going to work without major modifications to my current truck at the time, and then it would all be a compromise.
People have done exactly what you're proposing and have been successful. It's entirely up to you if you want to take on the challenge and work through modifying the truck with a better axle and stiffer springs.
Others have gotten in over their heads. Those are the people you're likely to be buying your first used camper from, because they were so unhappy with how things worked on the first few trips that they unloaded the camper and it's been sitting in the back yard ever since.
Right truck for the load gives you best chance for success, and the best chance to be happy with your first camping experiences, so you keep going.
