Considering a truck camper - truck advice?

[saenzm]

Hello. We are considering buying a truck camper and truck. I'm going to buy a used truck and was wondering if there was a solid favorite among you guys.

I started looking at 1999 - 2002 diesel duallys thinking that could handle anything we throw on the back. Then I started looking at the picture thread and see that a lot of people don't have duallys.

I will need a crew cab since I have kids. And we will likely buy a bigger truck camper with shower/toilet and maybe a slide to create a little more room for our dogs/kids.

Thoughts?

Thanks,
Mark

[jimh406]

Older DRWs or SRWs for that matter, don't have the same capacity as newer ones. Although you could start with a SRW, you'll be way ahead with a DRW Crew Cab. If you plan to tow or carry extras on the hitch on either front or back, your capacity requirements go even higher. Hence, the recommendations for a DRW.

You don't need a diesel just to haul a TC. Sure, they are nice in the mtns, but you also could just slow down.

If you look into prices, you may find that other RVs better suit you especially if you don't need a truck for any other purpose.

Good luck.

[Hemi_Joel]

With kids, I would get a big camper. Like an Eagle cap 1165 or a host mammoth. Or at least a Arctic Fox 1150.
Get a 4wd dually diesel for you mountain road adventures. No, it will not be a mountain goat on skinny little steep paths, but it will get you into enuff places to be happy. And the space inside will help you from going crazy when it rains.

[Clarryhill]

If you are seriously thinking about one of the bigger campers with shower, toilet, and slide(s), look for the biggest truck you can find and can afford. Think Burningman already beat me to it with this advice. You won't be sorry.

[deltabravo]

Buy a dually. Buy once, and not have to upgrade later.

[burningman]

Well that’s great advice on what truck to look for...

[Travels_with_Yo]

We switched to a TC after owning 4 pull behinds. Would never go back now. Much less maintenance (axles, tires, wheel bearings etc.), no tag or registration fees, much cheaper insurance, cheaper going through toll booths and much less expensive taking ferries anywhere. Subtle advantages include making a U-turn on a normal street and parking in almost any standard parking space. Off-season storage is also a big plus. The TC can be stored almost anywhere (cost & convenience) compared to a big travel trailer. Biggest feature for a videographer / photographer is the ability to pull off almost anywhere along the road to get that critical shot of that waterfall you're zipping past. The only downside is reduced storage which also comes with an upside. Because you don't have as much room to carry as much stuff, you don't have as much stuff to deal with 🙂

[3_tons]

saenzm wrote:
Hello. We are considering buying a truck camper and truck. I'm going to buy a used truck and was wondering if there was a solid favorite among you guys.

I started looking at 1999 - 2002 diesel duallys thinking that could handle anything we throw on the back. Then I started looking at the picture thread and see that a lot of people don't have duallys.

I will need a crew cab since I have kids. And we will likely buy a bigger truck camper with shower/toilet and maybe a slide to create a little more room for our dogs/kids.

Thoughts?

Thanks,
Mark

Get as much truck with as much capacity as you can afford - this will vastky open up your options in the future.... Be advised that GCWR have continued to increase with each model generation - 14k GVWR is the latest norm for Ram 4x4 Diesel dually Crew cab with a GCWR of about 5k...

[wvabeer]

If your getting a big truck camper with your family needing a 4 door truck your going to need a dually 1 ton truck at least.

[burningman]

Advice: buy a STOUT truck. So many people buy light duty pickups then want to haul a camper... and they already own the wimpy truck and don’t want to sell it and buy another. You have the chance to do it right the first time.
Go for the one-ton dually.
Any American one ton dually ever built will haul whatever camper you want, and feel stable and secure doing it
All diesel pickups of all years are NOT created equal.
There are strategic good ones to look for.

If you’re looking at diesel trucks from the era you mentioned, the Ford is a good choice. ‘99 was a particularly good year for Ford diesels.
If you buy an older Ford diesel, don’t buy anything with a 6.0. Get a 7.3, they went up to the middle of 2003.
If you’re a Chevy guy, I’d avoid the earlier Duramax for a few reasons but if you can get your hands on an ‘06, grab it, that’s the Holy Grail Duramax, the “LBZ”. It’s got all the good parts in it, it’s got the better trans than the earlier ones, and it’s the last year of pre-emissions junk.
The ‘07 is second choice. It’s got emissions junk but that can be deleted.
The Dodge with a Cummins is an extremely excellent truck, but unfortunately Dodge had their head up their hiney and didn’t make them in a real crew cab until much later, so if you need a full-size crew cab, the Dodge is out.

[Grit_dog]

stevenal wrote:

saenzm wrote:
Thanks for all the great info. Our main reason for considering the TC is because we would like the ability to take some back mountain roads to remote locations. We feel the TT is probably the best for our space needs; however, we feel it would be a pain to pull in the mountains or winter. We are concerned about being cramped though. Good info here and lots to consider. Thank you thank you thank you.

I ran a crew cab, short bed, single rear wheel, no slide while my kids were growing up. Kids got to set up and sleep in a tent. Took the back mountain roads to remote locations with room enough for all.

Same here. Kids, 11 and almost 15 now got kicked into a tent this past summer. A TC isn't for everyone, it's for people who want to be outdoors and camp with enough amenities to keep the wifey happy!

[Grit_dog]

jmtandem wrote:

donn0128 wrote:
My 07 Ram dually still shows around 35K trade in value.

Wow! Most '07 Rams would have around 150,000 miles on them by now. Yours is either gold plated or very low miles.

donno just got into some of the good Or E gun sticky icky apparently.

Even a 5.9 Laramie, 4wd with sunroof and Nav AND 20,000miles shows a NADA $28k trade in value. No doubt these trucks hold their value well, but some think they're sitting on a proverbial pot of gold...

[jmtandem]

donn0128 wrote:
My 07 Ram dually still shows around 35K trade in value.

Wow! Most '07 Rams would have around 150,000 miles on them by now. Yours is either gold plated or very low miles.

[stevenal]

saenzm wrote:
Thanks for all the great info. Our main reason for considering the TC is because we would like the ability to take some back mountain roads to remote locations. We feel the TT is probably the best for our space needs; however, we feel it would be a pain to pull in the mountains or winter. We are concerned about being cramped though. Good info here and lots to consider. Thank you thank you thank you.

I ran a crew cab, short bed, single rear wheel, no slide while my kids were growing up. Kids got to set up and sleep in a tent. Took the back mountain roads to remote locations with room enough for all.

[thedavidzoo]

We went from a 24' TT to a TC (12', but no slide) on a Ram dually. We are 2 adults, 2 older teens, and spent 4-9 weeks on the road over 2 summers. We had plenty of space! Needing a certain amount of personal space is, well, very personal. Some need a ballroom sized bubble, others don't mind squeezing by someone on the way to the bathroom. We 4 work well together, are low-maintenance, and aren't drama queens.
For us the smaller footprint, off-road ability, maneuverability, convenience, and no more setup time were well worth "downsizing" the floor space. However, it all depends on the dynamics of your own family and how you camp!

As for dually width, remember that most TCs are at least as wide or wider than 8', even without a DRW. Our TC is actually narrower than the dually fenders. So, going DRW doesn't usually add to your total width. As a daily driver without the TC, that is a different story.