New member here with a bunch of questions.

jefe 4x4 wrote:
Artikos,
Welcome to the forum. It is a wild and crazy bunch here with no shortage of opinion on what you should do. There is consensus on a few things:
1. If you are planning on using your GM 2500HD as a camper carrier, your options are more limited than if you had a 3 or 4 series truck. Another thing: is it a short bed or a long bed? If short, your options are further limited on models that will fit. Don't let that deter you if that is the case. We are stuck with a 2 series truck and a short bed camper that we REALLY enjoy and have gotten used to; especially good for boondocking.
Other even more tangible questions are:
1. How are your knees, back, and general health? That may be a leading question, but you must face it realistically. If either of you have physically limited motation, a camper may not be the right choice. Why? a. The set of wobbly steps you must climb every single time you enter. b. The two big steps to get up to the bed and out of in the middle of the night. This is the built-in limiter for TC-ing.
2. If you are physically large, be sure to try out the 'fit' in the tiny WC they call a bathroom. Go thru all the motions. Lay on the bed. Open all cabinets to see how facile they work. I have an acquaintance who TC's a small hardside and he is 6'7". This is not a marriage made in heaven, but he makes it work. It's still 5 quarts in a 4 quart jar.
3. To set up a camper for boondocking requires some alternate think. Get a TC with large tanks. Solar Power is good for boondocking. 4WD is desirable. If you can swing it, a pop top camper will slink between and under the trees easier than a hardside. A hardside is quieter with nothing to set up. A hardside is easier to 'stealth camp' in cities. We've done that a lot, using Tioga George's and BKA's techniques. Getting a truck camper set up for boondocking has more to do with the truck than the actual camper.
4. One more intangible is: how is your tolerance to small spaces? Claustrophobia? Some people cannot take the 'closed in' feel with a truck camper. Jeanie and I love going into 'the cave', (or love's grotto) with most of the windows blocked out. If i were to recommend a TC for a short bed, 2 series truck, brand new, it would be the Lance 865. They cram a lot of cozy features into that space, and it can be taken off-road. Our's is an earlier version of the 865. But, there are many good brands to peruse. If you decide on something, be sure to make a very complete inspection for leaks, bad finish, poor workmanship, all systems go.
Let us know how it goes.
regards, as always, jefe

Thanks for your reply..
To answer your questions, Our Chevrolet 2500 is new to us, actually we just bought it and haven't yet brought it home. It is a 4x4, 8' box and has 75,000 miles on it. Seems to have good stiff springs and plenty of power, but I do share your concern for camper weight. I would prefer something shorter, even if we forgo the shower or even toilet as a good porta potty works well for us! Besides it is much easier to find an outhouse or outher facility where a porta potty can be dumped and I just know those small tanks in a TC will fill up way too fast.

Health wise we are doing good for our age. We both hike daily and my wife goes to exercise class several times a week while I have my own exercise class with the splitting maul right at the woodpile!
As for the size restrictions, I am fairly big, 6'-2" but think I would be fine. As for claustrophobia I think we will be fine as we sometimes go overnight camping in our 20' boat and that thing has a really tiny cabin and when the wind and waves are hitting it sometimes it feels like sleeping in a washing machine! We have also been doing some tent camping, but I don't really care for sleeping on the ground. Also the bears being around make me get less than a restful nights sleep. The same concerns go for a tent camper or a pop top camper. I like having a more solid wall between us and the wilds!

I like your setup in the photo. Our 2500 doesn't have the ground clearance that your Dodge has, but we are not planning on really getting very far off road with ours. In Alaska you can get far into the wilderness and not be really offroading. The flip side is that it is tougher to get a rig off road here without getting buried up past the axles in muck, something that went out with me in my 20's! Not like the great open deserts that you are probably used to..

We have a little 1000 watt Honda gen that I plan to take on our excursions, and a solar panel or 2 might be in our plans as well. I keep thinking for the boonies having an outside showerhead would make more sense than devoting a good piece of the camper to a bathroom. Not sure if my wife shares this sentiment however! Actually the last camper I owned 25 years ago had a bathroom that I used justfor storage.
Thanks again for your insight!