Are "all-bed" campers length safe? Most compatible all bed?

I would never recommend a mismatched TC....length, weight etc.

I'm not sure what an "all bed" camper is. The manufacturer will state if the camper is designed for a short bed (6.5') or a long bed (8'). A very few models are designed to fit either one. If the manufacture state a camper fits a 6.5' bed and that's what your truck has then it will fit fine as far as the bed. As you note, you likely need a 3500 series truck for most any hard side truck camper.
My last TC was an 11' model that I carried on an 8' bed. It was actually a bit longer than 11' as many of them are. I had a 48" hitch extension to pull the boat and the ball was barely behind the camper bumper.
Any truck will "sag" when loaded because the springs compress. Just the spring compression isn't necessarily bad. It depends on how much weight you're hauling versus how much the truck's tires, springs, axles, etc. can handle.
As for fit, Ford cabs are often too high for older campers and the camper needs to be lifted on foam insulation or plywood to clear the cab. In 2007.5 GM narrowed their tailgate openings a little so older campers are tricky to load because of that. If you have a small, narrow camper that is only 7' wide and want to put it on a dually it will be difficult, even with dually brackets, to get the jacks far enough apart.

What I would be concerned with is that Lance says the 850 is designed for a long bed truck and it's going into a short bed. Does the short bed truck have the payload capacity for the 850? The floor length is about 9' so about 3 feet would be hanging off the bed. will that bother the structural integrity of the camper. Specs say the wet weight is 2760 pounds. Most campers have much more weight added with food, camping equipment, etc. How would the center of gravity of the camper affect handling in a 6' bed? Just some thoughts.

Thanks @KD4uPL for the general trends. That is very useful. For max compatibility, do you think narrow campers are worse off than wider campers because of the dually? Big wheel wells give the advantage to narrow campers right? So I guess what is more common in the pickup truck field: large wheel wells or duallys?

So @azdryheat, yeah you need a 1 ton truck for sure. And ya those are my concerns too.

Most campers have a COG Center of Gravity Sticker on them.
That COG should be on the axle or forward of it I believe.
If the COG of the camper is behind the axle this will cause your front end to be lighter thus possibly losing effectiveness of the steering which would be a bad thing.

Campers are designed for the bed they are going to fit in, I would think if you put a long bed camper in short be truck that is could cause structural issues eventually

I am no engineer but did spend a lot of time in aircraft and there is a reason we calculate the COG.....

Not judging but people who put campers in vehicles that are not sized correctly are asking for trouble. IE short bed camper in Long bed truck Long bed campers in Short Bed Trucks.. IMO

Also, I think the weights are vastly understated. I had an AF 811 that was designed and supposed to work in a 3/4 Ton Truck..

Yeah, I never really felt comfortable driving it for the 10 years I had it. I upgraded tires and suspension which helped a bit but still was always concerned. Get more truck than you need would be my advice.

https://www.truckcampermagazine.com/newbie-articles/match-truck-truck-camper/

@camper8251. I agree on the weight. That's why I will buy a 1 ton truck for a 3/4 ton camper.

And I'm starting to understand about putting a short bed camper in a long bed. The COG will be off if you have to set it back past the COG potentially. I would hope the all-bed models like the Lance 350 set their COG to be good for a long bed first. And so if you do need to fit it for a short bed, the COG is already designed as forward as it can be.

I probably would not use a trailer hitch loaded with kayaks and bikes if I use an all-bed camper on a short bed.

Thanks, everyone has opinions and experiences. I just choose to go on the side of caution as I get older. I live in the North West lots of two lane roads and big cliffs to go off of. My biggest fear (probably unfounded) was having a blow out and losing control and taking the family and myself off the side of a cliff.. LOL. But hey I had tork lift tiedowns so the camper would have probably stayed attached to the truck in any case.

However I dont regret owning a truck camper IMO they are the greatest thing out there. I was able to get to many places I wont be able to get to with my new TT.. If I had to do it again, I would buy a one ton dually and a nice camper but not the biggest thing I could put in the bed. Check out host campers! Dang would love one of them. But Cripes the weight of them makes me wonder how those would handle in a 3500 dually

@camper8251 :) thanks for the encouragement! Im definitely excited to go on adventures in my van. I'm a young guy but Im getting too old to sleep in my SUV anymore. My biggest fear is if my car breaks down I'd like to be able to pretty much buy any used 1 ton pickup truck in whatever town I am in and be able to carry my camper. I only want to put in big money to either a camper or a car but not both.

I think you’re mistaken on how the Lance 850 and Adventurer 89RB sit in a long bed pickup.

The Lance 850 is designed for both long and short (6 ft min) bed pickups. I see that Lance is now calling that an “All Bed Camper”, where they used to just say they were made for both long and short beds. Regardless of which brand we’re talking about, if it’s designed for both long and short beds, the camper sits all the way against the front of the pickup bed on either truck. There is no “empty space in the middle”. I presume the Adventurer TC is the same, but their website is horrible and I got tired of trying to find some exterior pictures on it.

The only time you will see “empty space in the middle” is when a TC that’s made only for a short bed truck is put on a long bed. I know it’s done occasionally, and some even say they like it that way, but I’ve NEVER heard a TC manufacturer recommend doing that.

I wouldn’t worry too much about the safety of how much is hanging off the rear. They’re designed to do that, and they’ve been that way for a long time.

:):)

iwanttoretireearly wrote:
Thanks @KD4uPL for the general trends. That is very useful. For max compatibility, do you think narrow campers are worse off than wider campers because of the dually? Big wheel wells give the advantage to narrow campers right? So I guess what is more common in the pickup truck field: large wheel wells or duallys?

So @azdryheat, yeah you need a 1 ton truck for sure. And ya those are my concerns too.

Huh?
Take a breather and step away from the puter for a minute.
Large wheel wells?? Gonna have to explain.

But to your original question, any camper length that is marketed for a particlar truck bed is safe with respect to the length overhang. Don’t over think everything.