Your truck camper experience is ?

jaycocreek wrote:
I bought my first truck camper in the early 60's and was with my family in them prior to that.

With the internet weight police and all of the this or that.I wonder what the actual experience of some posting is.

So,what is your experience with a truck camper/pickup combo?

I made my own from plywood coated with epoxy,,
mainly bc I couldnt find anything insulated enough for our winters,,
weighs maybe 800 lbs
Made it aerodynamic rounded as to get good mileage..
feels just right on my half ton..

1978 Chevy Cheyenne 3/4 4x4 wth a 9.5 foot Beaver camper. Right at weight limit. Wish it hadn’t worn out.

It's like driving, some who have been driving a long time aren’t very good at it, or are doing it wrong.

Any way, I’ve had a 2006 F350 SRW and my current 2010 F450 DRW with the same TC in my signature. I bought my 2006 Host in March 2006. I read up here before buying the Host and the F350. At the time, a DRW was impossible to drive to work, so SRW it was.

I also believe you can learn a lot from this forum over a decade or so. It doesn’t take long to figure out who is making things up here.

My first was a late 60's Red Dale which I carried on an 82 Chev. 3/4T 6.2L diesel.
It was a pig to drive but it had good brakes and the TC was beautifully made inside. Real wood paneling that was obviously selected to put the best grain patterns where they would be seen most.
Sadly, I just could not keep up with the leaks and eventually there was so much rot at the corners that I just had to take it to the dump.

Love our camper/pickup combo. 2011 F250 4x4 / 8ft Corsair.. That being said I also love our TT, but they both serve different purposes. The camper is a lot easier to get into the smaller out of the way places and gives us the advantage of bringing the boat with us.
The weight police are really not an issue, they are just not afraid to point out the extremely overloaded and dangerous rigs that some people think are completely safe because nothing has ever happened to them... YET..... Common sense and being realistic with your trucks limitations may mean you don't get the massive camper you really want. That being said, a bigger over weight camper doesn't provide you with more good times than the one that is suited for your rig.. The idea isn't to get the biggest monstrosity that you can, it is to get out there and have fun.

First one was an old Palamino 8' pop-up on a Dodge 1500. I was over the GVWR with that one with no people in the cab. Next was an 11' non-basement, non-slide camper on a Chevy 3500 SRW. I was over the GVWR with that one too and really close on the rear axle and tire weight. I then put that camper on a Chevy dually. I was still over the GVWR but had more room on the rear axle and tire rating.
I had that rig, with a family of 4, in about 20 states. It drove very well and never gave any problems. Many of those miles were also pulling a 21' boat on a tandem trailer.
I sold the TC after the third child was born. It was just too small.