How does a new truck camper camper get started?

[tonyclifton]

I'm retiring in 6 to 12 months. I'm an outdoorsman, backpacker and car (truck) camper but never had an RV or truck camper. Once retired I intend to do some moderate travel (not full time) from the mid Atlantic to various national parks and other outdoor destinations out west.

I live in Charlottesville, VA and we don't have any RV dealers nearby and I don't see anything on rvshare or outdoorsy to rent and gain experience. I'm looking for suggestions to gain more knowledge so I can get a better idea of the style/brand/model/features I want (and also things to avoid). Right now the only thing I know to do is travel a couple hours to a bigger city with RV dealers and shop their inventory. I think my smart move is to buy used so kinda don't want to set my expectations by shopping all those shiny new campers.

Any suggestions?

[Grit_dog]

@tonyclifton 

Well you are tracking towards the perfect RV solution based on your original post. Provided you don’t want to tow anything….

Pros:

Maneuverability. Just like driving a pickup truck with a big ass load of firewood in the back.
Avid outdoorsman. Virtually any TC will be pure luxury if you’re an ole backpacker. 
Space. Even a moderate size TC is luxurious for a single person like you. 

Cons:

Your half ton will need to grow up into a bigger truck unless you want to get a little popup or one of those newer overlanding little  jobbers. (Yes he has a half ton for those who didn’t pick up on it.)

Location:  East coast sucks for finding TCs new or used. Figure out what you want and drive out west and buy it. 
Cost:  As mentioned you could keep your 1/2 ton and tow anything from a canned ham style trailer to a solid med size TT and the camper would apples to apples cost less than a comparable TC and no need to upgrade trucks. That said if you go for a HD gasser, cost to go from 1/2 to 3/4 ton is very little. 3/4 ton gassers don’t sell for more than comparable half tons. 
Good luck. 

[jimh406]

You don't say why you want a truck camper.  Some do buy a truck just for truck camper, but keep in mind that a truck/truck camper combination is one of the most expensive RVs for the space you get.

I suggest going to some of the larger RV shows that will show you all of the types of RVs that are out there and demonstrate different floor plans.  If you look at the schedule, there are probably some within a short drive/flight of where you live.

[joerg68]

Do you already own a truck? And do you plan to use it to haul a camper?

Are you set on getting a truck camper, or would you consider a class C or class B, or maybe even a travel trailer?

Renting a truck camper will be difficult to impossible on the East coast.

[tonyclifton]

I do have a 4x4 truck, but it has a relatively short 69" bed so I was giving thought to trading for a longer bed truck. I'll need to look at the difference in roominess inside of campers made for 69" beds and those made for longer beds.

I am open to class C/B - I still have a lot to consider as far as the pros/cons of the different platforms. I don't think I will be happy pulling into a camping spot and sitting under an awning all day. I most likely will be doing a combination of hiking/backpacking where I want the RV to be my basecamp, but also wanting to explore the area by driving to trailheads or other recreation activities. Something with less setup is probably better. Do you have to lower the support stands for a truck camper when you stop for the night or they only used when lifting the camper off the truck?

[Grit_dog]

Only need to drop the jacks to unload, or drop 2 jacks just to stabilize if you’re bouncing around in it and want it to not move. 
A class b/c is no bueno if you want a base camp and a vehicle to travel around in. Get a TC or a TT. 

[StirCrazy]

couple things, you never said what your truck is, is it newer 1/2, 3/4 or 1 ton?   if your trading for a truck with a longer bed, go for  a 1 ton dualy right off the bat if you want a larger camper.  I have a 1 ton single rear wheel and we are upgrading to a newer camper with features we have decided we want.  what we are finding is we are limited in how big we can go, not really in lenght, but in slides and such if you want to be able to open up that main area.  while we have found one with out slides that will work, we passed buy a few other because they were just to heavy.  so you need to look at how much more your truck can carry in payload then look at campers that meat that weight range, and remember you need to add a bunch to the " dry weight"  usaly about 1000lbs for the normal person with full water and camping supplies, less for a lighter packer..  the camper we have kinda decided on (at least untill we see one better) is a 9' 5" floor plan and can go on a shirt box or long box.  

as for the jacks, if you get a older one with hydrualic jacks then no you can not put them down for leveling, any changes in tempratures will force oil through the seals and blow them prematuraly.. thats why you see so many leaky jacks.. if they are mechanical ones then yes you can.  with the electric motors on newer units that is a quick process and you still level by putting blocks under the truck wheels then just stabalize with the jacks.  because we have hydraulic jacks right now we never use them (only for loading and unloading) there is a bit of movment from the truck suspention but it realy isnt that bad

[StirCrazy]

cruise america is a rv rental that is in richmand or manassas.  to me thats the best way to see if you will like a truck camper.  rent one for a week or two and go on a holliday.  truck campers are a little different from trailer or motorhomes in the sence you cant just jump in the truck and run to town, you r taking the camper with you all the time so you have to get it ready for travel before you leave.  But, if your into hiking and such, it is the one that will get you into the most out of the way spots that other trailers just camt make it into.  the right 4x4 truck /camper combanation will go almost anywhere.  

when you do buy, used is always good to save a few bucks, but make sure you take some one who knows about rv's and do a good inspection.. concider even hiring a moble rv repair guy to do the inspection, the few bucks you spend could save you years of repairs..  now buying new is worth it also if you figure out you look it.. you can look to find the exact floor plan you like, not just want for sale in the used market at the time, and if your not worried about total price the options for financing new make the payments realy low.  

[tonyclifton]

Good advice, thanks. I'll check out cruise america. I like the idea of short term renting

[StirCrazy]

ya it is a little more but to me well worth it to find out if yo uwant to spend the money on them or not.