Selecting a truck camper-help please

[pirlbeck]

My wife and I are long time campers and have owned a number of travel trailers and 5th wheels, so we are not new to the camping experience, but have never been around any truck campers. Most all of our outings are within 125 miles from home, so we don't have a lot of experience with longer distance travel with any type of RV. As we get older ( I just turned 62) we would like to do some longer trips, one of which is driving to Alaska. I have been looking for a truck camper to use with our 2006 Dodge 2500 Quad Cab Diesel short box (6.5ft) but am starting to wonder if it is going to be possible to find a truck camper equipped like we would want it without way exceeding the GVWR of our truck. The GVWR of the truck is 9000lb and I drove it across the local scale to today and with only me in it and full of fuel it weights 7600. It did have the BW companion hitch in it and a few other things that would come out, but I was very surprised at how much it weighed. I bought this truck new and it has less then 50,000 miles and I really don't want to replace it with a heavier truck. I am not opposed to beefing the suspension up with air bags, sway bar, better shocks and tires, but I wonder if that will be enough.

We would like this truck camper to have a kitchen with range and fridge, AC, toilet, shower and possibly a generator.

We really don't want a pop-up style truck camper either..........we wonder about the safety on them in bear country when you are cooking and storing food inside, but maybe this is not a valid concern.

Anyway, are there any truck campers out there that would have the features we want and not grossly exceed our weight limits. We would like to stay in the $10,000 range if possible, so we are talking used.

Make and model recommendations would be a big help.

Thanks!!

[Vinsil]

pirlbeck wrote:
Hey, cut me some slack, we don't have bears here in Iowa. So now that I know we don't have to worry about bears in Alaska, maybe I can talk my wife into just pitching a tent. 🙂

I do have a copy of the "milepost" and I am very aware of the distance to AK, I figure it will be around 10,000 miles or more round trip. I know I am just a hick from Iowa and all, but we have traveled a fair amount, just never was wild about pulling a camper very far, so we either drove a car or took a flight.

Thanks for the helpful replies!

Don't worry about, but just keep in mind a pop up really won't be any lighter so unless your after the low profile, a hard side will be just fine.

[pirlbeck]

Hey, cut me some slack, we don't have bears here in Iowa. So now that I know we don't have to worry about bears in Alaska, maybe I can talk my wife into just pitching a tent. 🙂

I do have a copy of the "milepost" and I am very aware of the distance to AK, I figure it will be around 10,000 miles or more round trip. I know I am just a hick from Iowa and all, but we have traveled a fair amount, just never was wild about pulling a camper very far, so we either drove a car or took a flight.

Thanks for the helpful replies!

[hotrodfords]

If you want a hard-sided camper with no pop-up I'll suggest the Lance Lite 815. Dry weight is around 1850#s (so you'll exceed your MGVW), but I'll wager you'll squeeze under your load range E tire and rear axle rating. There may be other's out there, but the 815 is pretty darned light.

Here's some for reference:

Used lance 815s

And here is a brochure for a 2006 model:

Lance Brochure

In full disclosure, I have a Lance Lite 835 which is 200# heavier than the 815, as it's a little wider and taller.

Good luck and keep us posted! Welcome to truck camping!

[realter]

Good luck in your search. Not a lot of truck campers in Western Iowa, but there is a good manufacturer in Waterloo, Northstar.

[jmtandem]

I bought this truck new and it has less then 50,000 miles and I really don't want to replace it with a heavier truck. I am not opposed to beefing the suspension up with air bags, sway bar, better shocks and tires, but I wonder if that will be enough.

We would like this truck camper to have a kitchen with range and fridge, AC, toilet, shower and possibly a generator.

We really don't want a pop-up style truck camper either..........we wonder about the safety on them in bear country when you are cooking and storing food inside, but maybe this is not a valid concern.

Anyway, are there any truck campers out there that would have the features we want and not grossly exceed our weight limits. We would like to stay in the $10,000 range if possible, so we are talking used.

Wow! Tall order. $10,000 budget, 1400 +/- payload, pre owned with gen, toilet, shower, kitchen, fridge and bear resistant. Good luck!

I can assure you that a Ram is an excellent candidate for air bags and overload suspension bumpers. Your short bed makes the 'hunt' for a camper much slimmer. If you are willing to beef up the wheels and tires and exceed your gross weight you could probably find a good used pop up camper that is under 2000 pounds and in your price range. You can't be serious about the bear issue. Also, there are pop up campers that do not use fabric. Check out the Alaskan. Hard side pop up.



If you don't want to upgrade trucks you might be better saving the $10,000 and all the money you would spend on suspension upgrades and just go to Alaska with your fifth wheel or a travel trailer. Just a suggestion get a copy of the Milepost Good Luck.

[GeoBoy]

Look for a used Northstar TC.

[Vinsil]

See my sig, I have essentially the same truck as you.

Lower stableloads, airbags and wheel/tire upgrade made it work. You have a capable truck that just needs some help to make it solid.

As for camper, short bed models are not as common, so just keep you eyes peeled and something will come along.

[Steve_in_29]

pirlbeck wrote:
My wife and I are long time campers and have owned a number of travel trailers and 5th wheels, so we are not new to the camping experience, but have never been around any truck campers. Most all of our outings are within 125 miles from home, so we don't have a lot of experience with longer distance travel with any type of RV. As we get older ( I just turned 62) we would like to do some longer trips, one of which is driving to Alaska. I have been looking for a truck camper to use with our 2006 Dodge 2500 Quad Cab Diesel short box (6.5ft) but am starting to wonder if it is going to be possible to find a truck camper equipped like we would want it without way exceeding the GVWR of our truck. The GVWR of the truck is 9000lb and I drove it across the local scale to today and with only me in it and full of fuel it weights 7600. It did have the BW companion hitch in it and a few other things that would come out, but I was very surprised at how much it weighed. I bought this truck new and it has less then 50,000 miles and I really don't want to replace it with a heavier truck. I am not opposed to beefing the suspension up with air bags, sway bar, better shocks and tires, but I wonder if that will be enough.

We would like this truck camper to have a kitchen with range and fridge, AC, toilet, shower and possibly a generator.

We really don't want a pop-up style truck camper either..........we wonder about the safety on them in bear country when you are cooking and storing food inside, but maybe this is not a valid concern.

Anyway, are there any truck campers out there that would have the features we want and not grossly exceed our weight limits. We would like to stay in the $10,000 range if possible, so we are talking used.

Make and model recommendations would be a big help.

Thanks!!

I will let others address your lack of load capacity but the highlighted statement is ridiculous. The soft wall of a pop-up TC is usually 6 or more feet in the air when loaded on your truck and consists of an approximately 2 foot tall strip of material, not the entire wall like a pop-up TT has. On a pop-up TC the solid part of the wall also has WINDOWS in it that are lower then the upper softwall portion.

If a bear wants into your camper he isn't going to try to climb in through the softwall he is going to do it the same manner they do for other RVs and vehicles. Which is to rip a door off or claw their way through a window or wall.

[d3500ram]

Essentially, the 2006 2500 has very similar components to the SRW 3500 with respect to drive train, brakes, steering, wheels, etc. You do not have the factory upper overload springs. You can buy components to "simulate" the weight carrying characteristics of a SRW 3500 but you cannot change the "legal" number... the self- appointed weight police will chime in on that.

I am not a fan of air bags, but in full disclosure I have never owned them (just read about some issues.) 2G Dodge truck did not come with a factory sway bar- GET ONE. I have heard good things about the Helwig brand... speaking of Helwig- I have read up on their upper helper spring, it might be a good fit for a 2500 Dodge. Other alternatives are Timbrens, Stable-Loads (I made my own), shock absorbers (I recommend upgrading from stock- I use Rancho's) and tires.

Your weakest link WILL BE wheels. If you run the arithmetic, perhaps stock wheels might work, but it will be tough. I got my numbers to work with stock steel wheels but I am 'prolly in the minority

Folks here often run over the GVWR but not axle ratings nor wheel ratings (the latter is oftern a big mystery.) 17" wheels are not the best for known weight ratings even though some tire brands if you step up into larger sizes will give an increased load rating. Ignore the passe "letter" ratings such as D, E, etc for the moment... you need to know the weight capacity (load index or LI) of the tire and not all "E's" are created equal in the LI category.

A short bed as mentioned will give less choice of TC units out there. Conventional wisdom says to go look for the camper that you like and then find the truck to carry it. You can get a TC for a short bed but you will have to do you homework.

Good luck and have fun on the search.

[KD4UPL]

A 2500 with a diesel just doesn't have much payload. The short bed won't help your selection either. A more important consideration than GVWR is your RAWR (rear axle weight rating). Did you happen to notice how much weight you had on your rear axle alone? I wouldn't be afraid to max out the rear axle rating even though it will put you over the GVWR. You could possible upgrade your wheels and tires to 19.5" and gain some axle capacity.
However, I would either stick to a towable RV or trade the truck for a 3500 (or maybe a dually) longbed.
My own 11' camper with no slides puts my dually at 1,600 pounds over the GVWR when I get the family and all our gear loaded up. I have thousands of trouble free miles with this rig. Previously I carried it on a 3500 SRW truck. I was only 1,200 pounds over the GVWR with that truck. That was before we had kids.