picking a truck camper

[maxum1989]

I am doing my research and need the assistance of the truck camper forum specialists. I have been an RVer for quite sometime but truck campers are a new animal for me. This camper would be in addition to the fifth wheel I currently own and would be used for trips where just my son (12) and I would be going. I am looking for any suggestions I could add to my list of possible truck campers.

Current list of possible campers (all short box models)
Lance 825, 830, 865
Bigfoot 15c8.2, 15c9.5, 15c9.3
And maybe Adventurer 86fb, 89rb-both these getting a little heavy.

My truck is a 2008 2500hd Silverado crew cab 4x4 short box duramax.

Some concerns I have all relate to weight (which I assume is common). I would be pushing the numbers on any of these campers but I am willing to take the shot and give it a try. I know at least one on the list isn't made any more but used is fine so discontinued models are fine to suggest.
So, any models that anyone can suggest that are similar in size and weight to the above list would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

One thing I should add. I already have Nitto terra grappler tires with a 3750 weight rating already. Lucky break. I put those on last year just because I liked the look. Seems they are a popular tire for the truck camper crowd.

[hedge]

There is a Fraserway in Abbotsford that sells Adventurer, maybe you should talk to them. They should know ways to stay legal in BC. It seems to me that most of the brands suggested in this thread are not all that readily available in Canada. I've never seen most of them up here. From the weights I've seen I don't think the Adventurer 86 or 89 will be any heavier than the Lance's.

[ejfranz]

In BC you have to have your basic insurance through ICBC.
ICBC will look for any type of loop hole to not pay out in a claim.
They go by the GVW listed on the door jam.
If you are over weight then you are liable.
The only reason I bring this up as that I was talking with my mechanic and he has a number on horror stories of ICBC not paying out do to the GVW. We both own campers and are over our GVWs and in our opinions have perfectly safe unit, but ICBC will do anything to save a buck.

[Redsky]

The Canadian inspectors are only going to be able to go by the gross rear weight rating for your truck and the weight indicated on the sticker on the back of the camper. My 845 has a sticker weight of 2400 lbs. and an actual dry weight of 3000 lbs.

Something to look at is the size of the fridge and the size of the holding tanks. The Lance 865 that was mentioned has a 3 cu ft. fridge whereas the other Lance short bed campers have a 5 cu ft. fridge. The 865 has roughly half the gray and black water holding capacity of a 855 which means more stops at dump stations.

There are lightweight hard side campers that do not cost you in storage space the way popup ones will. Start with a target dry weight and that will make for a short list to evaluate.

I don't know about trucks sold in Canada but in the USA the truck's payload rating will change based on the rims and tires that are put on the truck at the factory with everything else the same.

Suggest you go to local campgrounds and talk to the truck campers you find and see what they are driving and if they have any problems. Then you can have a better perspective as to how real the risk. In the USA we have a tendency to be extremely paranoid as you probably already know.

[noteven]

maxum1989 wrote:
Well this sucks. I thought this was going to be easy. Get a smallish truck camper and don't push the numbers too much. Seems that if I want to be legal in B.C. I need a different truck. The only way to have a smaller RV for my quicker/easier trips with just my son and me would be a smaller trailer. I was kind of looking forward to something totally different. Oh well.

Getting plates in a different Province (Alberta) doesn't sound legal to me. Seems like it would just be better to run overweight.

But, the Washington thing may be something to look into. I don't LIVE there but I do own recreational property there which may make a difference. I have an address, house, pay property taxes, etc. I will have to look into that.

You don't want Alberta plates even if it were legal (which it isn't if you or your company is not resident here)...

With BC plates and overloaded a bit you should be ok.

It i$ vi$itor$ to Bring Cash that are the $source of revenue$. 🙂

All joking aside a nice light pop up or Alaskan type camper would be a great offset to the 5th wheel...

Example of one for sale in the lower mainland

[maxum1989]

Well this sucks. I thought this was going to be easy. Get a smallish truck camper and don't push the numbers too much. Seems that if I want to be legal in B.C. I need a different truck. The only way to have a smaller RV for my quicker/easier trips with just my son and me would be a smaller trailer. I was kind of looking forward to something totally different. Oh well.

Getting plates in a different Province (Alberta) doesn't sound legal to me. Seems like it would just be better to run overweight.

But, the Washington thing may be something to look into. I don't LIVE there but I do own recreational property there which may make a difference. I have an address, house, pay property taxes, etc. I will have to look into that.

[Prominion]

06Fargo wrote:

ejfranz wrote:
...
The highway safety inspectors will not bother you unless you have commercial plates or appear unsafe...

Or have Alberta or Washington plates :):)

In which case changing your "2500" badges for "3500" badges usually does the trick ... :B

No more calls please, we have a winner!
Been there done that with an overloaded F250 (had BC plates before the "blood on the snow" plates) Cheapest. Upgrade. Ever. :W

[noteven]

ejfranz wrote:
...
The highway safety inspectors will not bother you unless you have commercial plates or appear unsafe...

Or have Alberta or Washington plates :):)

In which case changing your "2500" badges for "3500" badges usually does the trick ... :B

[KD4UPL]

For a small SB camper I would have to add Northstar to your list.

[kohldad]

Will add 815 also as it is designed for both short and long bed trucks. For short bed, you just add the removable pods. Wet and loaded is only about 2,400#. Can only by used, but because the pods are plastic, no worries on rot, plus are usually pretty bare on options so price is usually on the low side.

[maxum1989]

All good responses, so thanks to you all. The ICBC comment has me concerned though. I guess I will have to look into that one. Everything else sounded great.

[ejfranz]

I would suggest a pop up. Hallmark would be my choice.
Also you should know that ICBC will not honour your insurance if you are over the GVW.
The highway safety inspectors will not bother you unless you have commercial plates or appear unsafe.
I am over my GVW and looking into downsizing.

[americanrascal]

maxum1989 wrote:
... This camper would be in addition to the fifth wheel I currently own and would be used for trips where just my son (12) and I would be going. I am looking for any suggestions I could add to my list of possible truck campers.

Current list of possible campers (all short box models)
Lance 825, 830, 865
...
My truck is a 2008 2500hd Silverado crew cab 4x4 short box duramax.

Just went through the exact same drill you are now doing except I am running a 2013 F250 SRW. We wanted something else to move more easily than the slow plodding pace of the fiver. After tons of research we opted for the 865 from Lance . Weighs out at about 2080 fully tricked out (no water). We've been running the wheel off it since we picked it up about 3 months ago all over the eastern US mountains and Florida. En-route to Central FL (about 500 miles one way) Thursday for a few days. We love the 865 and found that dealers were readily willing to negotiate well below sticker. It easily holds Momma, me, Shiloh the Red Bone Coon Hound and Sugar the Yorkie.(Shiloh is a bit of a seat hog but we still love her!) We've fallen in love with it. Had to make the usual 5th wheel hitch modification with a small pad to get the camper sitting smoothly and evenly over the 5th wheel hitch cross frame member in the bed. Works great.

I did add a set of Stable Loads quick disconnects to the rear leafs to engage the overload, Made a huge difference.

Ford curve control kicked in 3 times on the climb up and down the road to Clingmans Dome in the Smokey's but it was brief and worked well.

[jefe_4x4]

Do you have secondary springs on the rear axle?
Either way, maybe stable loads are in order. But, as always, get the TC on before finding you need any suspension upgrades.
Since you have a large RV already, it would be good to have a small TC on the other end of the spectrum, especially for just two people. Since you are used to 'semi-luxury' in the big-mo, and if I were going out and buying a truck camper right now, from what I've seen, it would be the Lance 865. Be sure to look that one over to see if you could live with it. Here's our same-size camper on the Mojave Road in March: 86" Wide; 10' 3" High; 8 foot 6 inch floor:

regards, as always, jefe

[Redsky]

I would add to your list the Lance 845 and Lance 855 models. Your truck can handle the weight IF you add Supersprings to the rear.

Check your tires as well as if the stock ones are rated at 3200 lbs. each then the two at the rear drive can handle a maximum of 6400 lbs. less the 3,000 lb. weight of the truck leaving 3400 lbs. for the fully loaded camper - which is cutting it close. I switched out the stock tires for Nitto 285's rated at 3750 each. Toyo and BFG also make 17" tires with the higher load rating.

You may or may not need an anti-sway bar. Get the camper and verify before doing anything other than the Supersprings addition to the truck.

I spend $445 for the Supersprings and $500 for the new tires (sold the stock tires on my new truck on craigslist) to get the added load capacity for a Lance 845 camper on my 2500HD. I went with the 2500 as the 3500 is not available with an extended cab (now the double cab) and short bed configuration.

Don't go with air bags. They can break. They need adjustment and can have a negative effect on the truck's handling. Cost is the same as the Supersprings that need no adjustment and will never fail and do not wear out and cost far less to install (my set took less than an hour to install).

Lance is made in southern California. A good lightweight camper is the Wolf Creek which is manufactured in eastern Oregon and closer to your location so less shipping expense. They have a western Canada rep, Brad Clark (cell 250.549.8818).

[sue_t]

The Adventurer 80W (2013 was the last model year) fits our shortbox 3/4 ton well.

For a small camper, it has some good features: 5 cu ft fridge, toilet, north-south queen bed, good floor space (we have two dogs), good counter space, decent storage inside.