My profile says "Truck Camper", that is my goal, not what I own. My wife and I want to camp on the beach with a truck camper. We have been to Freeman park (Carolina Beach, NC) a lot in a tent but now we want to upgrade to a TC.So we have nothing, no camper, no truck, nothing. I am seeking advise from campers like you that could steer me in the right directioun. We also want to take the rig to the Blue Ridge Parkway and stay in some of the Federal campgrounds too.My plan is to get the truck and then the camper. Should I consider F150 or F250? Depends on the rig weight right? Ok so I thinking I should start small (1/2 ton) and work up from there. So a question that I have is how does a F150 with a 1/2 ton rated camper do in the sand? I am not really partial to Ford, so you could say 1500 vs 2500.Also, Diesel or gas is another question (I realize that F150 does not come in diesel).Anyone out there done this before. Do you air down before getting on the beach in a F150?Thanks in advance for the advise.

I dont know about the beach - but you are going to be very limited on your campers if you get a 150. Upgrading your truck is an expensive proposition.I would strongly suggest you go to a 1 ton (350/3500) truck and with you doing the beach, you probably will want 4WD. Then you would be able to carry most of the campers out there. Unless you are looking toward some of the huge campers out there (see my sig) then you will probably need to go DWR.My $0.02 - before you spend the first $0.10 - go to RV shows and truck camper dealers and check out the campers out there. Check the weights. And do NOT believe the sales man when he says "oh yes, you can haul this in your ford ranger" There are honest salesmen out there - but there are too many out there that are just salesmen looking for their commission. They dont care if your truck breaks down 1/4 mile from the dealership because you are overloaded. Do your home work. After you find the camper you think you like, come on back here and tell us. There are many knowledgable people here that can point you in the correct direction.Let me know when you get one - I might just swing up there an join you on the beach!

I would recommend going straight to a 4wd 3500. The 2500 will work if you choose your campers weight wisely but my advice is to just go straight to the 1 ton. A truck camper is pure payload. It's not like pulling a trailer which a 1/2 ton could do just fine.YES, always air down before you get on the sand. Unless you are doing a lot of travel in the mountains, a gas engine will do a great job.

I second going straight to the 350/3500 4WD. If you are going to air down make sure you consider that in the truck camper size. Mostly, that means DRW is out and 19.5s are out.

We camp on Texas beaches all the time, sand is different so I can’t say what you would need to do for your “sand”. Use the widest tires you can and still have the weight rating suggested for the truck payload. I like using stock rims but others have used aftermarket rims with success. Airing down can be done on the beach but make sure your compressor is up to the task of filling 4 tires to 80 or so psi this is not a job for a tiny emergency type compressor, you will need one of those ones that the FWD (Jeep) guys use. I would start with the biggest truck you can afford and then pick whatever camper you would like to experiment with. No one who has hauled a truck camper will ever look at you and say you have too much truck. You have already driven on the beach and I’m sure you have seen plenty of stuck trucks so you probably have a good idea what techniques work for getting out. Most people are way too afraid of getting stuck than is warranted, a couple 2X10x24” (you will probably be carrying these around to level with anyway) boards a small shovel and a 5 gallon bucket for retrieving water are all I’ve ever needed to unstick myself.

I would pass on 1/2 tons for hauling campers. Limits you to only light weight units and less comforts. At minimum consider a 3/4ton 4WD gas powered. I use a Ford F250 4x4 with the V10 and have an abundance of power. I think any gas powered truck with at least 250hp will do you fine, especialy where you live. Out west with mountians and elevation changes you could use 300hp easily. 3/4tons limit you to campers in the 2500 pound range and 1 tons will cover you till about 3500 or so. I agree, if I was buying a truck today I would buy a 1 ton for the extra margin of capacity.

Truck camping on othe beach | Good Sam Community

billtex
Explorer II
May 13, 2013
Oh boy...you do need a TC!

To answer your question; yes you can get a TC that will work with a 1/2 ton.
It will be a stripped down model, no bath, likely no holding tanks.
That is OK...if that is what you want.

The problem with that approach and beach camping is-at least here in the NorthEast-any beach that allows camping requires that you be self contained (holding tanks).
So that pretty much rules out 1/2 ton sized TC's.

So...you can do it...but you may find a 1/2 ton sized camper doesn't meet your requirements.
Going to a 3/4 or 1 ton presents many more options.

If I were starting from scratch (new truck) I would definitely get the 1 ton.

Bill
vannma
Explorer
May 13, 2013
The weather man said 50% chance of thunderstorms on this July day at Carolina Beach in 2011. Wife and I were needing our saltwater fix so we went. After we set up, a large dark cloud appeared on the horizion. Long (and sad) story short, we retreated to the truck while that 50% chance turned into a 110% chance. A huge thunderstorm with 40+ MPH winds ripped throug out site. What took me about an hour to set up, was demolished in about 10 minutes. I NEED A TC!
vannma
Explorer
May 13, 2013
Here we are tent camping on Carolina Beach. Tired of sleeping (just off) the sand. Please help!!!
vannma
Explorer
May 13, 2013
Thanks for all the wonderful advise and pics. My experience on beach camping is like others have said, 'nothing like camping on the beach'. There is just something about sitting by a fire, watching the sunset over the ocean, hearing the surf crashing, enjoying your favorite beverage (responsibly) and the smell of a 16oz porterhouse and baked potatoes on the grill. Ahhh...
I had a 2500 suburban (when tent camping) buried to the axels on a hot summer day at Carolina beach. God sent me an angel in a F150 and he pulled me out! I paid him $20 because that was all I had on me. The best $20 I ever spent. After that I always air down with the Suburban. I sold the suburban and now have a (city boy) pickup, 2006 Avalanche. No need to air down, floats right over the sand. The only problem is that we are still tent camping.
Yes, time to get rid of the tent and the Avalanche and go for the TC. No TC will fit the Avalanche. Actually I did find some specialty rigs to fit it but they are costly and not around here (NC). As for corrosion, I live near the ocean, so it is just something that you have to watch for. I would not let it stop me from going. If I lived my life protecting every investment that I ever made, well... I would not be living (IMHO).
But in regard to my original post, looks like most favor a 3/4 ton or larger. Most favor gas not diesel. I am still on the fence. A guy at a TC dealership swears that a F150 with a matched TC will do fine on the beach (if you air down). Of course he has motivation to say that. So the question is, does anyone have 1/2 ton, with matched TC that does beach camping? Forgive me if you already posted affirmative to this question. I am still trying to go through all the posts.
Bedlam
Moderator
May 13, 2013
In sand you want a very large footprint with very mild tread. A wide street slick will do better than tall tractor tire in sand.

I was pleased my 19.5's did as well as they had this past weekend. I needed the capacity since I normally haul a TC plus tow a heavy tongue weight. Nitto makes 285 width tires in higher weight ranges but not enough for my load.

http://www.nittotire.com/

* Link added
fredderf
Explorer
May 13, 2013
portscanner wrote:
I have never camped on the beach and I might never, but I was wondering. Would chains (as in chains you put on your tires when it snows) improve your traction on sand?

no , you need to 'float' in the sand ..
hard packed sand is not the norm in the northeast ....
i've been on the beach from cape cod to cape lookout , always had to air down
portscanner
Explorer
May 13, 2013
I have never camped on the beach and I might never, but I was wondering. Would chains (as in chains you put on your tires when it snows) improve your traction on sand?
Crabbypatty
Explorer
May 13, 2013
Eventualy that will be a goal if we trade up to a fiver. I would look for a second hand truck camper for quickies. Love the beach, look at my sig, and Im glad that not all venture down there. As otheres mentioned look at the terrain and judge what you need to do to drive. Not all beaches are the same. In Daytone Fla you can drive a car on the beach, where I live its air down & 4x4's it all depends are where your going.
Bedlam
Moderator
May 13, 2013
We just returned from the Pacific coast with 19.5's. Although I did not venture in to really loose stuff, I did fine with 11.5K lbs riding on 245/70R19.5 tires inflated at 100 PSI. I was expecting that I would need to air down at least little but did not sink as bad as many others warn and did not touch pressures. Bellow are some pictures so you can see how far we "camped" from the surf.
sleepyhead
Explorer
May 13, 2013
I had my TC on that beach. During the summer months the sand is horrible, worse then what you find at hatteras. But as someone posted air down!! So air down with whatever truck you end up with. I had 2500 4x4 truck. I had no issues getting around. I never had any issues at hatteras either.