Help With Figuring Out Which Trucks Will Work For A Camper

My 1700lb camper turned out to be about 2800lbs at the end of the day after a few renos and loaded up for a month long stay. Not including 2 humans and a dog and whatever else was in the cab.

I'm thinking your estimate might be a bit light.

I think that the weight is not so much an issue as might be the higher centre of gravity and how the truck suspension handles the wind and winding roads.

My 3500 handles it nicely, but with the beefier frames/suspensions under newer trucks these days, maybe a 2500 or a "heavy half" might do the job.

The difference between F350 vs F250 (or equivalent) when both are SRW isn't much. However, the F350 is rated for quite a bit more payload. Obviously, the DRW F350 is a lot more truck.

Based on your description, a F350 would be the right choice or 3500 in GM or Ram versions. You should double check the payload for the model you plan to buy. If used, look at the door sticker.

Buying anything less than a 3500 for a TC is poor planning. I started with an 8' pop up on a 1500, it was over GVWR with no people or gear. I moved to an 11' TC on a SRW 3500 this was also over GVWR completely empty but with a full fuel tank. Next was the same camper on a dually but now with a family if five. Still over the GVWR.
Get a 3500 SRW minimum. You'll enjoy the experience more with a dually.
Expense? Bandaids are expensive (upgraded tires, shocks, sway bars, wheels, air bags, etc.)

It is very common to grossly underestimate final camper weights.

First you need to be very careful about the actual specs from the manufacturer. Quite often the specs they provide are for a basic unit which does not include typical accessories such as A/C, awnings, microwave, larger refrigerator, TV, etc. Next be sure to include the wet weight if that is not included by the manufacturer. Even just 30 gallons of water and a couple of propane tanks can add another 300#.

Next you have to add heavy items you might carry such as a generator, fuel, extra battery, and any upgrades such as a foam mattress. Include upgrades you might need for the truck such as a bed mat, brackets, tiedowns, leveling blocks and any suspension upgrades.

Finally you need to add in an estimate for all the items you are not going to count individually. Food and drinks are really heavy. Lots of small items add up. That would include kitchen gear/pots/pans/plates, towels, bedding, clothing, BBQ grill, electronic items, hobby gear, cleaning supplies, extension cords, maps/brochures/travel guides, binoculars, walking stick, etc. It is really easy to have all of this add up to 750-1000# depending partly on the number of people and length of stay. Some people even add a pile of firewood to the cargo.

Quite frankly a 1/2T pickup is only suitable for light "popup" type campers. There are many of this type on the market to choose from as there are WAY more 1/2T pickups on the road then 3/4T and 1T trucks.

As others have mentioned many 3/4T trucks CAN work for many of the smaller/medium sized hard side campers however if you live in a area where "payload" and GVWR is important (generally a few regions in Canada) a 3/4T truck has a max GVWR of 10,000LBS and the addition of even a 'medium' hardside camper can easily push the weight of the truck+camper+gear to 11-12K LBS fairly quickly and easily.

The REAL issue with SRW trucks is not the limited "payload" and GVWR but rear tire weight ratings and the load on them that a camper+gear will place. While many upgrade their tires and/or tires+rims to commercial rated items this will make the tires+rims safe but do nothing for "payload" or GVWR if you live in a area where that is important.

While the common thought is "bigger is better" here a "reality check" is recommended and I'd suggest evaluating how much time you'll actually spend in the camper in the first place. Personally unless the weather goes to heck on us we spend MOST of our time camping OUTSIDE and only sleep, cook meals and sometimes eat in the camper.

When it comes to truck campers unless you want to purchase a VERY big (and expensive) truck: smaller and lighter is better. :)



- Mark0.

rv...ru? wrote:
I'm trying to figure how what kind of truck I need for a camper, and after doing some research I'm still a bit confused.

The lightest campers I've found in my general area/budget are in the range of 1,700 - 1,900 lb. From my understanding, this would be too heavy for a half-ton truck in most cases (in addition to the dry weight of the camper, I've estimated that I'll need another 800 lb for passengers, max fresh/grey/black water, and misc. items, plus I added a 10% buffer... this comes out to a total payload of about 2,900 lb).

So it looks like this might work for some three-quarter ton trucks, but more likely I'll need a full-ton truck? I know it will depend on the particular year/make/model/trim, but I was hoping to avoid full-ton trucks due to the cost. Am I making any mistakes in my approach here? And are most trucks fine for campers as-is as long as the payload capacity fits, or is it also recommended to upgrade stuff like the suspension/tires/etc. regardless?

Any help would be much appreciated.

we used a 1 ton dually, for 4 years, get the biggest truck you can a 450 dually preferable. these bigger campers sway a lot.
We see a few frame mounted campers that an idea too.

jimh406 wrote:
Based on your description, a F350 would be the right choice or 3500 in GM or Ram versions. You should double check the payload for the model you plan to buy. If used, look at the door sticker.

DITTO!

Don't limit yourself on camper models by going with a 3/4 ton truck.

OP, you have no idea how long some of these guys have been waiting to “share their wisdom” about trucks for TCs! You probably made their day by asking.
We’ve had the, right outta the gate, need. F450! Lol
We’ve had the “it weighs sooo much more than the tag and people don’t realize it…”, which is evident you do by the very first post.
Had the requisite 3/4 ton speech.
And the “get a dually” …..right outta the gates! All on page 1!

Presuming you don’t have experience with trucks and hauling heavy stuff, these recommendations may be accurate. But not for the camper you’re asking about.
You can be as conservative as you wish with payload capacity and ratings. And you can also end up with a truck that is impractical for other uses.
Your choice.
Rule of thumb, add 1000lbs to dry weight for any hard side full size camper. Plus your extra passengers and other misc payload you’re carrying.

if I had to do it again I would even have bought a dually instead of my 1 ton. there are a few campers I like and we are looking to upgrade but even with a SRW 1 ton I am limiting myself.

up where I live we have a luxery tax on autos over a spicific price so this makes 1 ton truck actualy cheeper than 3/4 ton as the 1 tons are exempt from the tax.

The challenge with going with a 1 ton srw truck, if buying used, is the lack of availability compared to 3/4 tons.
The good news is (aside from 2014-up Ram 2500, don’t get one of them for a TC) 3/4 ton trucks are virtually identical in build and real world capacity as 1 ton srw trucks, save for greater rear spring capacity. And both generally require similar modifications to the suspension for most hard side TCs.
So if you’re in the used srw pickup market, you’ll have a much better selection of trucks including 3/4 tons. Like orders of magnitude better. And suspension upgrades are relatively cheap in the big picture and you’ll likely need them with either model.