Started camping in the 50's boy scouts with pup tents camping in the mountains.
Our family had an umbrellaa tent that most of us stayed in and the car was a nash with fold down seats for others , I was young and we had 5 kids , I don't remember who slept where, but I was in the tent.
The 1st Rv experience was with my friends family and they took me with them all the time. They had a new 56 chevy station wagon wherte my freind and I slept and his parents stayed in a small home made trailer, about 16ft?
On my own I started with sleeping in the back of the pick up and tents,a borrowed camp triler, sleeping in the horse trailer and moved up to truck campers.
Yes We started out grosly overloading what ever vehicle we were pulling with and I would do every trick I could to build up the vehicle.
It is better now with the wonderful tow vehicles available today.