thinking about truck camper

I think it depends on how you plan to use the TC. If it is for sleeping and traveling, it could work. There are people here who do it. You might be a little crazy sitting inside for extended periods of time, but it would be better than a tent by a long shot. And, even the largest TCs are still small.

As far as what your camper will haul, you said 6.0 which is relatively light weight and gasoline, so you have some room to work with for weight. Putting it another way, they rent Lance 650s on F150s. Your truck is way more capable.

One slide would be helpful for floor space to give you more floor room, or a tent fold out would help as well. Both are available although you have have to look around. You can add a bunk yourself or buy one with a bunk to go over your dinette.

At the end of the day, if everybody fits in the front of the truck, they'll fit in the back.

We use our AF off the truck sometimes. If in the same spot for more than a night or 2, especially up in the back country where it's much slower of a drive to take the truck somewhere with the white whale on the back. It does fine, but it's definately more labor intensive to load / unload than unhooking a trailer.
The 2 biggest things to look at are, IMO, space (go see if you think it would be cool with 5-7 warm bodies in a camper that fits on your truck) and amenities (does your wife have the same expectations as when you had bigger trailers (not climbing up in to bed, can't get dressed standing up, have to leave the bathroom to change your mind, s ucky seating arrangement, having to crawl up into the overhead to get that extra ingredient for dinner that's stashed up front, etc).
Also, in general, it takes a bigger heavier camper that is likely not suitable for your current truck to have a large fridge and decent size water and waste tanks.

All considerations not meant to discourage. Like I said, we love it, but there's a reason that there are about 1000x more TTs and 5vers than TCs.

Fast forward another 10 years or so when the kids are grown up, if we are doing extensive traveling. (I see us doing it via RV for the most part vs hotel ing it on long trips)
I will either have a dually with a mongo TC or pull a trailer. But ideally would have a smallish TC for some of the time.

Without entering the truck/weight police discussion....
Space in a TC is at a premium. Dogs? May be able to live with 3 ankle biters in a small TC, but I wouldn't even consider it with one large dog.
Room for more than 2 people semi comfortably leads me towards a longer/slide out model which either isn't do able with a short box truck or very heavy for the truck you have.
Fuel mileage, with my truck I get about the same with the TC on the back as I do pulling a high profile trailer. I'd expect less than 10mpg with any hard side camper on a gasser.

Space and amenities are all in the eye of the beholder. Only you can decide if it's enough room for you guys and the dogs + kids once in a while. Wet bath that you can literally sh t, shower and shave at the the same time without moving could be a drawback.
We, family of 4, came from tent camping, so a TC seems luxurious, but pets don't come with and we don't use it much. It is comfortable for extended trips, we've done up to 3 weeks in it and it's super fun and the TC configuration fits our style. Back country camping a lot, a trailer would be a limitation, but we have the option of towing toys. Don't do that often or far though as the truck is pretty maxed out.

I agree. If you're starting with a clean sheet and already own a 3/4 ton shortbed, I'd look at trailers rather than truck campers. The campers that fit a shortbed are awfully small.
The 2500/3500 difference gets over-dramatized on here, the physical difference is usually almost nothing. Some overload springs and a sway bar and you can haul just fine with a 2500, but the short bed limits you to very short campers. I mean, you put the key in the door and you break the front window.
It can be done and there are lots of shortbed camper owners on here. I don't know how happy they would be with three dogs and a few grand kids in there.
You do have a fine trailer puller though!

Two fundamental questions:
1) more about your truck - year, any upgrades?
2) your intended use.

Not my intent to discourage you.
My truck is a 2006 GMC 2500hd shortbed, extended cab. I could (and did) carry my 'relatively' small popup camper OK, but with noticeable sag, and some sway. Not good for my far off-road use. So I did some some extensive rear suspension upgrades and added a front locker. I personally would still not want a heavier camper on my truck.
BTW, I usually travel alone, and off road as stated.
For a camper big enough for your family, you 'might' be able to make your truck work - especially if it's a very late model. But it probably wouldn't be worth it.

You mentioned campgrounds. If your camping is going to be at campgrounds, I don't really see an advantage for a TC. You could get a lot more room in a TT or 5th wheel, and your truck could handle it as it (probably).

mayorb wrote:
... snipped ... Would you ever go back to a tag along? Rv parks welcome you the same as other RVs? Is fuel mileage the same or better? Do you use your TC off the truck? What brand you recommend? Any other benefits or disappointments?

A Little about us, me,DW, 2 grandbabies now(maybe more in future) but they only go for one night or so, 3 dogs. Oh we have a chevy 2500 6.0 short bed.

I believe the specific concern is with the length of your truck and its carrying capacity. Too short (for the number of people & canines) and the right size TC will be too heavy for your 2500 (unless seriously modded and even then ... ).

To answer your questions: Never had a TT but did have a 29' Class C. Would not go back. Like you, didn't want another engine/tranny to maintain and we now love the TC & ability to cargo trailer our maxi-scooters behind us.

Personally we've never had an issue with RV Campgrounds or state/provincial/national parks hosting us. Even though our setup is older, is well maintained and looks great.

We're apples and oranges regarding mileage. Our lass C had the Ford 460 gasser and we got about 6-10 mpg depending on the terrain (i.e. mountains vs. flatlands). Current Ford 7.3 diesel has never delivered less than 10 mpg (hard driving through mountains pulling trailer) and has gone as high as 15 mpg with TC and trailer (both hand calculated). Again, depends on terrain and speed (we never exceed 62.5 mph/100 kph). The diesel pulls like a train and doesn't know the word quit.

Our TC is stored off the truck and used as a spare "bedroom" if we are in an overflow situation. We have never unloaded the TC while camping ... never have had the need or urge to.

Regarding brands and pro's & con's of TC'ing etc. there are trade-offs with every type of brand and RV class. I'd start searching and reading as there are lots of threads expressing varying opinions and experiences. It really depends on your needs, wants and available resources.

For us, we found a combination that works really well for us, we love our TC and our setup, and for now, can't see doing anything else in the foreseeable future.

Hope this helps mayorb.

A travel trailer would fit your needs much better. Truck campers are small, especially the ones that will fit on your truck.

My girl summed up our TC experience in one line.
"A camper is too much trouble to put on for a short trip,
And too small for a long trip."

I'm no expert, but it sounds like you have the wrong truck to handle a camper big enough for your needs.

4 people and 3 dogs in a TC that your truck can handle? Good luck. Not something I would consider.