3 things:
1) Most folks over load their trucks. Hence, all the interest in suspension mods on this forum. You want to stay well under your trucks GVWR WITHOUT suspension mods. You and your truck will be much happier.
2) Most campers stick out past the truck bed. On rough roads, this rear section gets blasted with sand, dirt, mud, water, etc. The rear over hang can contribute to ground clearance issues, and make it difficult or impossible to turn around in a tight space. Buy a camper that fits completely in the truck bed.
3) Folks here love their north-south queen beds. Forget about it. Those long cab overs will flex and fail with extended off road use. Get yourself an east-west bed.
What you want is, small, light, and mobile.
(PS. Since that photo was taken, I've completely removed the four corner hydraulic jacks. This gives better clearance, and, shaved 124 pounds off the payload).
1) Most folks over load their trucks. Hence, all the interest in suspension mods on this forum. You want to stay well under your trucks GVWR WITHOUT suspension mods. You and your truck will be much happier.
2) Most campers stick out past the truck bed. On rough roads, this rear section gets blasted with sand, dirt, mud, water, etc. The rear over hang can contribute to ground clearance issues, and make it difficult or impossible to turn around in a tight space. Buy a camper that fits completely in the truck bed.
3) Folks here love their north-south queen beds. Forget about it. Those long cab overs will flex and fail with extended off road use. Get yourself an east-west bed.
What you want is, small, light, and mobile.
(PS. Since that photo was taken, I've completely removed the four corner hydraulic jacks. This gives better clearance, and, shaved 124 pounds off the payload).
JimH has the idea. The heavier TC you have, the greater chance of something going bad on bad roads. A no frills truck camper with minimum features is best. Whether wood or aluminum is debatable. No air conditioning on roof. Smaller tanks advisable because of the added weight. No basement. No popouts. A pop up is best for overhead clearance of trees and rocks, but my bro John has already pulled his 9.5 OUTFITTER! apart on rough roads. Only a few nails were still in along the lower shear wall. The rest had popped out when his '99 Ford frame got the twists and the tie downs were too tight . It is not a one piece box. It is a shoe box with a detached roof. The potential for racking does not help the rigidity or shear strength.
The technique of the driver, ( like knowing where the speed sweet spot is on certain roads; driving on the reverse side and very edge on washboard where the rivulets are facing the best way; trying as much as possible to keep the axles parallel to each other and thus keeping the frame from twisting); build of the truck, and ability to regulate the tire pressure for differing road conditions and constant adjusting of the tie downs to fit the conditions are the best attributes to look for. Most of that comes by hard (so to speak) experience. Most of my experience came from a lifetime of Jeeping which I transferred to the TC. Picking and choosing the route on the Pinion Mountain Jeep Trail, Anza 2004:
The technique of the driver, ( like knowing where the speed sweet spot is on certain roads; driving on the reverse side and very edge on washboard where the rivulets are facing the best way; trying as much as possible to keep the axles parallel to each other and thus keeping the frame from twisting); build of the truck, and ability to regulate the tire pressure for differing road conditions and constant adjusting of the tie downs to fit the conditions are the best attributes to look for. Most of that comes by hard (so to speak) experience. Most of my experience came from a lifetime of Jeeping which I transferred to the TC. Picking and choosing the route on the Pinion Mountain Jeep Trail, Anza 2004:
