campers for 5'5" full size 1/2 ton trucks?

boxcar1

boxcar1
Geez . That's going to be fun to haul with.
I suppose any of the short bed campers will work . ( To a degree )...
 

IdaSHO

IDACAMPER
I'm not aware of any.

If you want something that actually fits, you'll probably have to go custom.




What he's referring to are units that are designed to be hauled in a 6' bed

Which is certainly an option. Many people run 8' campers in 6' beds with no problems afterall.

A little more weight behind the back wheels and a bit of an overhang is the drawback.
 

kris

Observe
If you want fully self contained hard side the only one currently offered is the Lance 650. There is a thread here in this forum about them. If pop-up is an option then you have lots of choices. Look at FWC, ATC, Phoenix, Hallmark, and a few others in the pop up forum.

I would not put an 8ft self contained camper in a 5.5" 1/2 ton bed. Center of gravity will be way too far back.


k.
 

Gunslinger1

Observer
Eureka Campers in Columbia Tenn. has a size for all trucks and will custom build to your truck and no they are not overly expensive. Having one custom built for my Frontier with six foot bed now.
 

L57

Member
Just purchased a 5.5 Alaskan Camper to fit my short bed Silverado. This is a custom.
 

kojackJKU

Autism Family Travellers!
I am jonsing for the lance 650. Its quite spendy but WOW what a rig for us...me, my wife and our 9 year old son. Has all the options you could want like ac/full bathroom/ 2 awnings/ sat tv and what not. Perfect!
 

Mundo4x4Casa

West slope, N. Ser. Nev.
Kojack,
The Ford, 1 series pickup associated with the almost 2 yr. old Lance 650 is the absolute highest rated payload version. This means 2WD; single cab; anemic, high revving gas engine; stripped down; not a lot of extras. Your earlier Ford is not even in the ballpark. In my time on Truck Camper Forums I have seen the subtle and sometimes abrupt paradigm shift of many thinking that one's coveted old F-150 will carry a loaded, 2800 pound camper with stuff with ease. A trip to your GVW and CGVW stamp on the door pillar will solve a lot of woe later. I've seen hundreds of people hoping, just hoping that they can stuff that 6 quarts of RV joy into a 4 quart pickup bed.
Yes, there are a few 5.5 bed TC's available, but let me say this: My Lance 165-s is the lightest, least tall, and least wide of the widely available, wet bath, heater, stove, fantastic fan, queen bed, 3 cu. ft. fridge, 3 gallon hot water tank, small tanks: 18/14/12 gallons, TC's of its time, advertised for a one series, 6.5' bed truck. It has exactly the same advertised 1742 pound wet weight as the L-650. The guy i bought it from added air bags and a bunch of other things to his Dodge 1500 to make it work, and even then it was iffy and close to the edge. The only thing that saved him was it was just he (about 150 pounds) and his 8 yr. old son (about 60 pounds) and no pets on his 2wd, single cab 1 series. We bought it and put it on our new Dodge 2500/4WD/Cummins/camper package overloads truck thinking this was way over kill and it was still too much for the stock suspension even with the factory 3 series overloads. So, I've spent a dozen or more years getting the suspension beefed up without air bags. Now, here's the point: There are only two consenting adults in this small Lance and we have learned to do the Pas du truck camper ballet and sense the moves of the other. Recently we found out again how close to the edge we really are with our 10 yr. old grandson sleeping on the dinette for a week during our annual Oregon Coast kids and g. kids Camping Romp. Just this little waif added to our mature bods made any movement almost impossible. With just two, we have learned to live with it, but it's still tight. I cannot imagine going any smaller. Narrow:

jefe
 

UHAULER

Explorer
I have an 03 f150 supercrew 4wd,5.4 and I cant imagine putting a hardside cabover on it. I also have an 02 f350 that I just put a northstar 650 on, its heavy for a popup, i've seen 'em on 1/2 tons but I would rather have more truck than not enough.
 

kojackJKU

Autism Family Travellers!
Well, sometimes you gotta run what cha brung. The lance in the back will work, Just add some stiffer swaybars, airbags etc to compensate for the extra weight. I am not going to break speed records etc. Just want to cruise at 100kph and have the comforts of the lance when we stop.
 

Mundo4x4Casa

West slope, N. Ser. Nev.
Kojack,
Good enough. The wild cards in RV-ing near the edge is how good a driver you are and how far off the beaten path you find yourself. Give a trip report and a summary of your findings after your initial long trip.
jefe
 

kojackJKU

Autism Family Travellers!
Will do, Like everything you have to know the limits. I have to find a decent used 650. They are rare as hens' teeth around these parts. There are a couple of pop up versions that will fit too but not many of them of bathrooms which is a requirement. The lance is the first choice. We are going to add the hellwig swaybars and air bags to compensate for the weight of the camper. I dont think we will be hammering 60mph off road with it, I just want to get off the beaten path a bit when camping, which I know i can do easily with this setup.
 

zb39

Adventurer
Lets hope you never have to stop quickly. Your going to be way over loaded and the handling is going to suck. Your not going to enjoy driving it at all. Been there done that. Just do it right from the start and get a bigger truck. You will thank me.
 

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