Truck campers -- awesome, right for a family of 4?

Good afternoon, everyone. So we had a popup for 2 years and are on our second season of our 40ft 5th wheel. She's loaded -- bath and a half, 50Amp, two A/Cs, outdoor kitchen. Has it all. Also has too much of a good thing. 6 fluid tanks, lots of time to empty/clean two black tanks, lots of time to clean 40 feet of camper and roof, so much interior storage we have to pad with paper towels, towels, etc. so stuff doesn't shift. Kids are 10 and 12. We are weekend warriors that score 8-10 trips per year for 4 days, on average, per trip. We also found that we spend very little time in the camper except to sleep. We go places we want to explore...and even on rainy weekends we find things to do. I'm just sort'a tired of dealing with 40 feet of camper, having a difficult time shoe-horning myself into some spots at campgrounds, etc.

I find truck campers so incredibly cool. The newer multi-slide ones are particularly interesting -- especially those with a dry bath. I live with 3 girls (including wife) so I have to pay attention to what will keep them happy.

Part of the deal will be to get a new truck -- likely a 2014 Diesel DRW. Seems like the going rate for payload in these trucks with a 14K GVWR and a 9600 lb GRAWR is roughly 5,300 lbs. I'd have to drop to a gasser and have less options to bump that up. Some of the biggest truck campers will certainly push the limits of these numbers.

We will still visit commercial campgrounds. But I'd like to do some boondocking, plan some multi-week or month-long trips to explore the big national parks, etc. I don't have much interest in getting a Class C -- but some have suggested that would be the way to go. I don't have anything to tow (boat, Sea Doos, etc.) right now...but I like having the option to put something out back should that ever materialize.

I'm curious if others have stuffed a family of 4 into a truck camper and how successful that has been. Coming out of a 40-foot fiver will be a bit of a shock for everyone. Looking at couch models of Lance, Host, Chalet, and Eagle Cap. I know the biggest truck campers will limit my ability to do any real off-roading...but there are plenty of options off the beaten path that won't require us to carry a small/lightweight shell to get there.

Can someone give me an idea of what kind of fuel mileage I can expect out of a late model DRW with 5,000 lbs of camper sitting on its back?

All options are on the table for us right now. Entertaining a smaller fiver, possibly a 28-foot air stream, a truck camper, etc. My current truck and camper will keep us camping this season if nothing else solidifies...so I have time to research. Just looking for some opinions. Unforutunatley central NC isn't a big area with lots of dealers carrying truck campers -- so seeing them first-hand will be challenging...and I worry about dealer/repair support.

Thanks in advance,

DNC

Truck Campers

39 Replies

wintersun
Explorer II
Jul 30, 2014
For what you are proposing I would give some thought to getting a Class C motorhome with a slideout instead. You will have a more versatile RV that has more interior space, more storage space, and is easier to drive and it will cost half as much as a 11 foot camper on a DRW 1-ton pickup.

The camper will be $45K or more. The DRW truck will be $40K or more. For $45K you can buy a 2 year old Class C motorhome where all you need to do is adjust the sideview mirrors and drive off.

I have a SRW truck and a camper and 80% of the time the camper is off the truck and then I have a short wheelbase SRW pickup for use as a truck. I can maneuver it and park it without the problems that accompany a two to three foot longer wheelbase and 2 foot wider overall DRW truck.

Whichever way you go the sleeping accommodations will be most important and many campers that sleep 4 will not sleep 4 full size adults and or teenager.
H2oSprt
Explorer
Jul 30, 2014
We camp as a family of 5 in our truck camper. It can be tight, but we only sleep in it and that works out well for us. We too have the tent option and it has only stoped us at one site in yellowstone, fishing bridge. In that case we didn't deploy the tent for our stay there
2Gordons
Explorer
Jul 30, 2014
We went from our TC and a bumper-pull horse trailer, to a 3-horse, gooseneck with a 12' short-wall and a 6' dinette slide-out. We kept the Lance for the couple of non-horse related camping trips we take.

Our LQ camper seems HUGE to us, with just my wife and our two dogs. Definitely an upgrade over the Lance. The Lance just seems so cramped after having a slide-out camper of any kind... they really add to the floor space.

Now we just laugh when we camp in the Lance... We still love it, but it is tight. I can't imagine 4, 5 or 6 people in a TC.

I like the idea of towing a small camper for the kids. I'll bet they would love that setup a lot more than just the TC.
billtex
Explorer II
Jul 30, 2014
DazedNConfused wrote:
Thank you for everyone's input....it is really very helpful. Had we come out of a popup and headed toward a truck camper, this would be far easier than trying to move form a 40-foot fiver to a truck camper. The reality is that I'm really the one that has to deal with such a big rig. My wife won't drive the truck when we're towing...so I have to pull, back in, maintenance it, wash it, etc. So for them...all the space you could want, dedicated bunk house, two bathrooms, etc. -- it's a sweet deal. So we'll have to see how this pans out.

You raise an interesting point here. My Wife would never tow the Airstream...she will however, drive the TC. Which is great on long road trips. She will even take off with her Friends for Girls weekends with the TC.
Towing...never...but the TC...yeah she loves that!

B
DazedNConfused
Explorer
Jul 30, 2014
Bedlam wrote:
Even a teardrop or Scamp style trailer would make a good girls room behind a TC.

That would be a pretty groovy setup.
Bedlam
Moderator
Jul 29, 2014
Even a teardrop or Scamp style trailer would make a good girls room behind a TC.
PRodacy
Explorer
Jul 29, 2014
Your girls are getting old enough to begin wanting more privacy and maybe bringing friends along. I'd consider a smaller 5'er. Or even better, a single slide TC and tow a small popup. The girls and friends could stay in the popup, or even in the TC. The truck will cost less and you'll have a wider choice of campers. In a few years the girls may not want to go every time, and you'll have more options to get off road with a smaller camper. If you decide the TC isn't the RV for you, you could sell the smaller one easier since more people have trucks that can handle a single or even double slide. One of our friends has a hard dude TC and tows a small popup. It works out really well for their family of 5.
Bedlam
Moderator
Jul 29, 2014
The Class 3's are about 14K lb GVWR, Class 4 at 16K lb GVWR, and Class 5 at 19K lb GVWR. The F450 pickup was really a F350HD last few years but is coming back to its roots in the new models.

The reason I am looking Class 5's is that these triple slide TC's when loaded will approach 6000 lbs, I plan on at least 1000 lbs in additional batteries, towing heavy on a long extension may add another 1000 lbs, plus I may add additional water and fuel tanks later. This is getting too close to the capacities of the Class 4's.
jimh406
Explorer III
Jul 29, 2014
Just fyi, the Chassis and Pickup bed F450s payload capacity is quite a bit different.
DazedNConfused
Explorer
Jul 29, 2014
Bedlam wrote:
The chassis cabs can be outfitted with a bed, utility body or flat bed. I plan on adding a flatbed with utility boxes above and bellow. The lower boxes will eventually get built out as battery boxes which will power an inverter for the TC. Initially the charging will come from the truck or an on board plug in charger, but solar will play a larger role as funds build. I see this battery setup adding 1000 lbs to the truck.

Sounds like a fun and interesting project. Please post updates/pics as this progresses.