I am starting to look into the truck camper way of camping, I now have 30' travel trailer that is no longer needed. I will be mounting the truck camper on a Dodge 2500 with a long bed, what should I be looking for in a truck camper? I will be the one using the camper.

I use the Arctic fox 990 and it's perfect for me, single... one slide out does make a big difference, 2 slides would be too much for one person. While nice, just not needed.Sort of depends on what you want to do with it, where you plan on going, like RV Parks ( I know, but had to include it, right) Boonie camping, Full time or just occasional trips.. 3 or 4 season insulation etc... Towing something, Stinger hitching length ..Then what will the truck handle comfortably.. It's a process, heheh, to be sure... Good luck..Ps, the smaller the footprint, not towing, the more spaces you'll fit as you undoubtedly know.. with the previous rig..

Yep, it's all about what you want to do with it. There's pop-ups for the ultimate in mobility and ability to fit anywhere, there's huge triple slide out mobile mansions, and everything in between. Tell us more about how long you'll be planted in one spot vs. driving it around, what/if you want to be able to tow, all about your childhood, how you feel about your father... oh wait, never mind I went off the rails again

When we first started looking into campers (the DW's idea and I thank her every time we use it for not letting me buy a trailer ) the sales folks would tell us anything to sell us a camper like "we will store it for you while you run out and buy a truck". We spent over a year researching all aspects of truck camping before making our decision. Pop-ups were not considered as we had owned a tent trailer and had had enough of cold nights and wet canvas although they are all better now. If planning to do off road, a pop-up would be the best but everything is a compromise. Cold weather camping, only yourself, pets, slide vs non-slide all have their tradeoffs. With a 10 year old 3/4 ton truck you will be limited by weight without potentially doing some suspension and tire upgrades. With a newer one ton truck and a small single slide camper we are overweight! What they say they weigh and what they weigh ready to camp is a lot of difference. Read lots of forums and articles and study up on what you really want to do first! Good luck!

Narrow down what features you want or need. TCs are everything from basic pop up with no shower and 20gal of water on board to 2-3 slides with big screens and recliners. Your truck is limited to 2000-5000lbs depending on who you ask and what you're willing to do for load carrying mods to it.Having a longbed helps with stability, weight carrying and the number of options you have. When you say "you" will be using it, if you mean just one person then spatial concerns are less. Climate, frequency of use, etc all factor in. Towing a trailer? Rear overhang a concern? How nimble you are if you're an older gent, etc?My preference for an all around fairly full featured 1 person TC with only forest road type off roading would be a 9' or so hard side, no slide camper. One long enough to have a big enough wet or dry bath to not touch all 4 walls just sitting down on the pot. Large fridge would be a must have and full stove/oven/micro. No built in generator. But carry a generator with. AC if not in the north country. Good heat/3-1/2 season setup if camping below freezeing. And the biggest water tanks I could find.

If I wanted a pop up, I'd likely just get a tent trailer and put a lift and some burly tires on it so I could drag it into the woods.

Looking Into Truck Camper | Good Sam Community

rabcon
Explorer III
Oct 23, 2016
If it was not so fare to get here, I would have a great Camper for Ya.
I have a Lance 1030 I am thinking about selling. I am in NY.
haste_maker
Explorer II
Oct 22, 2016
Toy hauler trailers aren't wide enough to load a Slingshot, I know the truck will haul a total weight load of 18,500 gross, I have done that in the past...I had a Goldwing trike loaded in the pickup bed & pulled a 30' travel trailer.
adamis
Nomad II
Oct 22, 2016
Not to talk you out of buying a camper but if you plan on pulling a trailer anyway is there a reason you are not considering a toy hauler? Your truck may handle one of the smaller campers without much issue but the combination of a camper and trailer is probably going to be a bit much without mods. In contrast, you probably wouldn't have much to do to tow a small toy hauler plus you will likely get more interior space if that counts for anything.

That being said, if your heart is set on a camper go to an RV show and walk through the different models there. I learned a lot doing this and though I never did buy from any of the manufacturers present at the show I went to, it did help me to better understand the quality levels of one brand over another and helped me to better pick my preferred layout.

One last thought, slides are nice and have lots of space but with that comes complexity, additional maintenance and another area of water intrusion. If your only gong to be on the road a few weeks out of the year then it may be worth it but if you are going to be on the road all the time then a simple hard sided camper is practical and gets the job done without the fore mentioned issues.
Bedlam
Moderator
Oct 22, 2016
Look at the long bed version of the Arctic fox 811 or 865 or one of the Wolf Creek models. I would suggest towing your Slingshot in an enclosed trailer to keep it clean and keep it out of sight when traveling and making stops.
dadwolf2
Explorer
Oct 22, 2016
If you can, go into several different manufacturers and floorplans. You will quickly find out if you prefer a mid or rear bathroom layout. You said that you're mostly going to be in a campground so the holding tank sizes aren't that important to you. Since you plan on towing a boat and it's just you and man's best friend in the camper, I'm thinking a 8'6" to 9' would be enough. Do you care if the kitchen has a single or double sink? I see that you have a Dodge 2500, in my opinion the addition of SuperSprings provides a nice suspension aid and helps reduce sway.
pa_traveler
Explorer
Oct 21, 2016
Look at truck camper magazine for new and used.
FrankShore
Explorer
Oct 21, 2016
Look for a good used Lance Cab Over Camper, they've been building them for 51 years. It's no coincidence that 7 out of 10 TC's on the road are Lances!
haste_maker
Explorer II
Oct 21, 2016
burningman wrote:

Tell us more about how long you'll be planted in one spot vs. driving it around, what/if you want to be able to tow, all about your childhood, how you feel about your father... oh wait, never mind I went off the rails again

I will be using it for just me & a Boston Bull dog, I will be pulling a 18 foot flat bed trailer with a Polaris Slingshot loaded on the flatbed, I don't see me staying anywhere but campgrounds, some with & without showers.
Grit_dog
Navigator
Oct 21, 2016
If I wanted a pop up, I'd likely just get a tent trailer and put a lift and some burly tires on it so I could drag it into the woods.
Grit_dog
Navigator
Oct 21, 2016
Narrow down what features you want or need. TCs are everything from basic pop up with no shower and 20gal of water on board to 2-3 slides with big screens and recliners.
Your truck is limited to 2000-5000lbs depending on who you ask and what you're willing to do for load carrying mods to it.
Having a longbed helps with stability, weight carrying and the number of options you have.
When you say "you" will be using it, if you mean just one person then spatial concerns are less. Climate, frequency of use, etc all factor in. Towing a trailer? Rear overhang a concern? How nimble you are if you're an older gent, etc?
My preference for an all around fairly full featured 1 person TC with only forest road type off roading would be a 9' or so hard side, no slide camper. One long enough to have a big enough wet or dry bath to not touch all 4 walls just sitting down on the pot. Large fridge would be a must have and full stove/oven/micro. No built in generator. But carry a generator with. AC if not in the north country. Good heat/3-1/2 season setup if camping below freezeing. And the biggest water tanks I could find.