Trying to do my homework :-)

Well, if you really want to get crazy, and want a dry bath with lots of room, in a short bed truck..

Try a Host Aspen triple slide

ohoh, wrong link.. fixed now!

Had a 19' TT for two years and never really felt "comfortable" in it. Probably just me but it just always seemed a bigger PIA than it was worth. The DW REALLY liked the Lance 855S, but I didn't feel comfortable with the reported actual wet weight so we didn't go that way (I love my wife!). We ended up with a Northern Lite that fit our short bed and we both love it. Didn't do any mods to the truck other than a set of Stable Loads that were recommended here.

I enjoy the ease of moving around and parking when in towns. Not being in a hurry to get anywhere the driving and getting used to the feel was easy. The fuel mileage is better by about 2 MPG in my case. It is much easier to find a place to park for the night when I am tired of driving. My wife has actually driven our rig and while it is not her idea of fun I don't have to fight with her to give me a break if we are on a long run. I could not get her to drive with the TT hooked up.

We have literally all of the comforts of home we had in the TT. Our fridge/freezer is larger. The bed is larger and more comfortable. The usable storage has been very adequate for the two of us. The insulation is much better than our TT, we do not hear a thing that is outside unlike our TT where we could usually hear many conversations around the campground (we are early birds). If we are in a CG for more than two or three nights we usually drop the TC so we can run around. I can tow my tin boat now. The dry/wet bath deal is not an issue for either of us.

If money were no object we would still be in a T/C, it would just be one with a slide sitting on a 4500. Good Luck!

rkassl, check your PM's.

Bill

Less is best. The major short coming , for us is that our rig will sleep 3 1/2 people. We have a sofa rather than the stock dinette that that has a smaller sleeping area. We often carry a roof top pod with a tent and air mattress. Your truck will handle the TC. Many here have added air bags to level side to side and raise the bed back to ride height. We found that Rancho adjustable shock absorbers reduced the sway a lot. One addition that I think is mandatory is up graded wheels and tires, if you intend long distance highway travel.

We use 19.5" "H" rated (5000 lbs) delivery truck tires and Rickson wheels. We consider the wheel/tire upgrade insurance with load we haul. Be sure to check the load ratings of the wheels and tires, many of the stock sets are marginal for TC use.

The smaller footprint of the TC makes it much easier in all aspects. We rarely rent space in campgrounds. There are many places we can boon dock at no cost or crowds.

We full time in a 40 foot triaxle toyhauler. Have been to Alaska and many other places, spend our winters in South Texas. Love the life style, that all being said having a 40 foot 5th wheel and a 22 foot truck is a determining factor on where you stop and sight see or spend the night. We bought our first TC last year, a 990 Arctic Fox. We have a F450 Ford so we have plenty of truck. Spent 5 months in the TC last summer and was surprised how much we liked it. Any where a dually pick up can go so can my camper. We will leave the 5th wheel this summer and take the TC on our summer travels, looking forward to a little boondocking and stopping at small out of the way places. We pull a Harley Triglide with us on a 19 foot trailer for excursions so we don't have to break camp if we want to run into town. As said before beware of the small living space and the lack of a sofa, we set out a lot so not bad for us. In the end do what makes you happy. George

To answer the OP's question, we went from a 25' TT and back to a truck camper once our kids were no longer interested (and they had their driver's licenses)

I was amazed at the amount of stuff that we emptied out of all the TT's storage areas, cabinets and closets.

I think we put about 20% of all that into the TC and didn't miss the rest.

We tend to move from place to place, using campgrounds for nighttime stopping places. Even if we are in one campground for several days, we will drive around with the TC so our kitchen and bathroom comes with us.

The mobility that you gain with a TC versus a 5th or TT is really great.

Just two questions:

1. Can you live on top of each other?

2. Can you become a "minimalist" and leave most of that stuff you pack in the FW behind?

If yes to both, then you just may be a candidate.

My wife used to laugh at TC when I pointed one out as we traveled with the kids and FW. Decided I wanted one because she and kids didn't want to go with me all the time and I felt ridiculous hauling the FW just for one person. Plus I grew up camping in a TC and remembered the freedom and quick trips. After a couple trips, she has fallen in love with the TC style of traveling and doesn't really miss all of the things we use to carry.

We have decide we want to go a hair bigger than the 815, mainly because of the shower size (smaller than most) and an oven (love coffee cake on cold mornings), but otherwise, we have plenty of space to carry all we need. Except for a laptop, couple of books, we don't carry any knickknacks (no tv or radio), so the small space works well for us.

We recently sold our 27 foot fifth wheel and replaced with a 2012 Arctic Fox 990.
Kids are gone and it's just us so made we the jump. The first thing you will notice is less storage room it was amazing how much stuff we removed from the fiver before the new owners came to pick it up. And how little of it went back into the camper!
No question there are changes to get used to you know going into this there is simply less room. I make better use of the back seat for tools and such, and we no longer can take our Lafuma chairs along, but it's all about what you want to be doing.
You'll soon enough get use to the wet bath there are some different tricks and tips to it I rather like ours now.
I think you are going to enjoy the places you can get to with your rig now and that is a plus. So is the improvement in fuel consumption and ease of handling in the city and parking etc.
So for us at the moment this is the way we'll roll.
And we simply love the Artic Fox:)

Get a long bed truck and have tons more TC options and more fun, short bed is for people that don't really want a truck. What's another 1.5 ft in length, won't be able to back it? Afraid of 1.5 feet of length? In the end if yopu want a comfortable camper to spend extended time in with 2 people, a longer camper is better

We went from a bumper pull toy hauler to a truck camper with enclosed trailer in tow a couple of years ago. The size and number of our toys increased and we did not want to go to large tow hauler that would also require a bigger truck and limit our access to tight locations. We were able to keep overall length and GCW the same but ended up redistributing living/garage space and weight.

As posted earlier, the hardest part for us the wet bath since there is no place to hang wet gear when we do not take our enclosed trailer along on a trip (have clothes lines strung inside). We live in an area that gets rain almost 300 days out of the year which means you you need a "mud room" whether that is your bathroom or an enclosed trailer.

We also find the lack of a sofa or comfortable seating an issue with the TC over our toyhauler. We have adjusted our lifestyle to fit the booth dinette, but it will be something we will weigh in next RV.

We dry camp for extended periods and find the capacities are fine for three nights, but we want more when away longer. We rectified this by adding fresh and gray tanks to the trailer and hauling extra LPG in there as well. Many of our trips are to off-road locations which will get you dirty by the end of the day and require a daily shower. We also have dogs that stay in the TC while we are away. Depending on the time of year, we may run the AC on the genset or heat the whole time we are gone and when we return.

I also run 19.5" wheels on my truck. This due to the combined TC and trailer tongue weight on the rear axle. If I was not towing 7000 lbs behind me there would be other tire choices on stock rims that would give me 7500 lbs of capacity.