truck camper 101

Cajun Bill wrote:

Buzzcut1 wrote:
my.02 if you are going to go hunting get a pop up on a 4x4. It will get you in to remote spots to hunt and camp where a trailer would be a royal pain in the patooee to drag behind or else you have to drive back out to where you left the trailer each day. I would also go with a newer 250/2500 ( or 350/350 which a lot of folks will suggest) for the better axles and capacity and way better ride than the older trucks.

Perhaps I should reveal a little more info about my hunting techniques. It consists of parking my camper next to a buddy's barn which has a full bath and power that I plug into. I don't, at least not right now, go into the nether regions and boondock. We do go into the boonies, but in our trucks and then walk from there to our stands. I could see doing that on some of my fishing trips, but not for hunting. But maybe in the future, I don't know. The more I read responses and think out loud, I'm leaning back to my original thoughts, i.e. get a bumper pull and on those few occasions when I would need one of my boats, have whoever is accompanying me pull it for me.

Decisions, decisions, decisions. Everyone's responses have been very helpful.

understood. I have two trucks a dually which now carries the Lance and my SRW F350 that used to carry it. Trying to convince the wife to let me get a used pop up for bow hunting and fishing trips:B

Buzzcut1 wrote:
my.02 if you are going to go hunting get a pop up on a 4x4. It will get you in to remote spots to hunt and camp where a trailer would be a royal pain in the patooee to drag behind or else you have to drive back out to where you left the trailer each day. I would also go with a newer 250/2500 ( or 350/350 which a lot of folks will suggest) for the better axles and capacity and way better ride than the older trucks.

Perhaps I should reveal a little more info about my hunting techniques. It consists of parking my camper next to a buddy's barn which has a full bath and power that I plug into. I don't, at least not right now, go into the nether regions and boondock. We do go into the boonies, but in our trucks and then walk from there to our stands. I could see doing that on some of my fishing trips, but not for hunting. But maybe in the future, I don't know. The more I read responses and think out loud, I'm leaning back to my original thoughts, i.e. get a bumper pull and on those few occasions when I would need one of my boats, have whoever is accompanying me pull it for me.

Decisions, decisions, decisions. Everyone's responses have been very helpful.

my.02 if you are going to go hunting get a pop up on a 4x4. It will get you in to remote spots to hunt and camp where a trailer would be a royal pain in the patooee to drag behind or else you have to drive back out to where you left the trailer each day. I would also go with a newer 250/2500 ( or 350/350 which a lot of folks will suggest) for the better axles and capacity and way better ride than the older trucks.

Jim, until I started researching TC's, my thoughts were exactly what you stated, i.e. get a small bumper pull, but then it occurred to me that if I use a TC, I could bring either one of my boats on any trips. I guess what I need to decide is if I am only going to pull a boat 2-3 times a year while camping, is it realistic to put up with the limitations of a TC versus the extra room of a small trailer that will satisfy my needs even better?

Decisions, decisions.

With your description, I think you would be better off with a 1/2t that has a boat rack and a small trailer. It will be more convenient, less money and without the need for a heavy payload truck so you can get one of those softer sprung models.

I'm not seeing specifics on how you want to use the TC. Many of us recommend this approach, but it's really true, pick a TC and then find the truck you need. Repeat until you find a good tradeoff you can stand.

I'm not seeing why you'd go to a TC if you aren't going to tow. A small trailer would probably make more sense especially if you want a lighter truck for the rest of the time. TCs are by far the most expensive RVs per sq ft and need a heavy truck for most of the more comfortable models.

Another approach is a small utility trailer or small toy hauler for hunting. The advantage is that it has way more space for supplies "dead animals" etc. The biggest advantage of any trailer hunting is that you can drop it off at your base camp and be unencumbered the rest of the time.

Grit dog wrote:
Idk how big a boat you are towing, but coming from someone who is not one of the weight cops on here, any TC and a trailer behind does not scream 1/2 ton to me. Unless you want to do a bunch of suspension work and worry about the light duty rear axle.
Plus you said you're getting old. Do you really want to deal with every ting that comes with a pop up vs a hard side?
Now I have a heavy camper and the trailers I pull (boat or snowmachines) are 6klb plus.
I wouldn't dream of torturing a gasser with that load. My F250 6.2 gassers struggle in the mpg and hp department with 1/3 the load in the bed, 1/2 the trailer load and less wind resistance.
Unless there's a compelling reason to ditch your diesel, you already have a free truck that is more capable than a gasser.
At least get a 2500/3500 gasser. Do you want your last truck/camper setup to be comfortable or barely adequate? Sounds like you have the means to be comfortable...

Based on your previous post, how do you propose to reduce your footprint? The same configuration 1/2 ton vs hd pickup has essentially the same dimensions save for being a bit shorter in height. Cc, ec, sb, lb whatever. Trucks are the same size. Just the 1500s are wimpier.

All good points Grit Dog: Here is my reasoning: Since my DW is not in the picture concerning camping, 90% of my present truck usage is pulling either my fiberglass boat (less than 4K) or my smaller aluminum hull (less than 2K) or just making runs to hardware/home improvement stores/landscaping stuff. I don't need a 3/4 ton diesel for that and frankly, here in SW Louisiana, our roads are really crappy and the rough ride of a 3/4 ton is getting old. My 2007 Sierra has over 100,000 miles and while that ain't that much for a diesel, the rest of the truck is getting long in the tooth and I want to upgrade to one with all the bells and whistles before I start wetting my pants and slobbering all over myself. When I say "footprint", I also mean weight/bulk/hard suspension/cost of diesel/DEF/etc. I know the garage space will be almost identical. Does any of that make sense?

Now, regarding pulling my boat along with a TC, I'm guessing that might happen 2-3 times a year at the most and the distances will all be less that 200 miles each time (and there aren't many mountains in Louisiana). Any long run camping trips in the future would be without pulling any trailer.

Regarding your comment "Do you really want to deal with every thing that comes with a pop up vs a hard side?" intrigues me. The only thing I can think of that would be a downer would be the mechanism of the popup and the possible rot and or leakage of the canvas. What else should I be concerned about with a popup if you don't mind me asking? I was thinking popup because of the reduced weight and low profile, but maybe that is not as much of an issue as I think.

Now, regarding TV, it appears that the F150, with the Heavy Duty Payload Package has a payload of 2,650 and from what I've seen online, there are many TC's that will fit that bill even when "wet". Worse case scenario, I could put some air bags, extra suspension, etc. to enhance that (although that would be as a last resort). I'm guessing that GM will catch up to Ford in that department soon, hopefully by the time I'm ready to buy will be in 2017, because that is probably when I would be buying a new TV. Regarding a TC, while I am looking online to see what is available in new TC's, I will, more than likely, buy used for the TC. I'm just using the online specs as a guide.

Now, after my diatribe, I would still welcome any suggestions and thoughts as I refine my thinking. I am taking all advice and learning from each post, especially from those that are into truck camping.

Idk how big a boat you are towing, but coming from someone who is not one of the weight cops on here, any TC and a trailer behind does not scream 1/2 ton to me. Unless you want to do a bunch of suspension work and worry about the light duty rear axle.
Plus you said you're getting old. Do you really want to deal with every ting that comes with a pop up vs a hard side?
Now I have a heavy camper and the trailers I pull (boat or snowmachines) are 6klb plus.
I wouldn't dream of torturing a gasser with that load. My F250 6.2 gassers struggle in the mpg and hp department with 1/3 the load in the bed, 1/2 the trailer load and less wind resistance.
Unless there's a compelling reason to ditch your diesel, you already have a free truck that is more capable than a gasser.
At least get a 2500/3500 gasser. Do you want your last truck/camper setup to be comfortable or barely adequate? Sounds like you have the means to be comfortable...

Based on your previous post, how do you propose to reduce your footprint? The same configuration 1/2 ton vs hd pickup has essentially the same dimensions save for being a bit shorter in height. Cc, ec, sb, lb whatever. Trucks are the same size. Just the 1500s are wimpier.

Check out the Torklift site for equipment, and some of the prices associated with outfitting your TC, like glo steps, and tie down etc, etc

NEOK wrote:
As another poster stated you will need tie downs and possibly a hitch extension to tow your boat and this can be a substantial investment, especially if you are going to change trucks in another year. I would suggest you might want to spend that year looking at truck campers and once you decide on one pick a truck that is appropriately sized for the TC. Having made those two decisions could also help you make a decision on the tie downs and hitch extension to match your needs.

As far as a long bed vs short bed trucks and campers, either one can work depending on your wants and needs. As previously mentioned you do give up storage space and holding tank capacity with a short bed TC. My wife and I get by fine with a short bed truck and camper. A couple of advantages for us are the truck easily fits in the garage and less length enables us to fit in smaller compsites and less overall length when towing a boat.

I think this response more closely approximates my own thoughts. As I stated, my DW has no interest in camping anymore so any camping, other than camping for hunting which I do annually at the same place, will be limited to either me going solo or with my son or a bud who likes to see the country as I do. I, too, want the smaller footprint as compared to my present 3/4 ton Sierra even if it means I'll be restricted in some ways. Remember, I'll be coming from a fiver to this so while it is a big change, I'll be doing it with my eyes wide open (if I pull the trigger).

Thanks to all for your comments. As I stated before, I'm researching the practicality of doing this with a 1/2 ton because, for 90% of the time, that is all I need and am willing to put up with the limitations (I think).

Along those same lines, as suggested by GeoBoy, I'm presently exploring the Northstar line of popups. Just wondering what y'all think of that as a choice for a TC (if I can get the weights right.)