which truck for a Pop-up Camper

[MTCK]

Good debate. From my own experience I've run an overloaded 1/2 ton domestic truck, overloaded first gen Tacoma with airbags, and a one ton under gvw. For me it all comes down to comfort and piece of mind. I did not enjoy driving the overloaded rigs extended distances over poor roads and in bad weather. I would have to slow down, the trucks would sway in the wind and bounce and bottom out on large potholes and frost heaves. I also hate being underpowered and having to crawl up passes loaded so that was a consideration with my current truck.

I think you are spot on with your cab and a half full size with a six foot bed. Check out a FWC Hawk, Hallmark Milner (sp?), ATC, Phoenix etc and see how much insulation and storage you think you need. For trucks you should be able to get that cab/bed configuration in all of the following and I would go test drive some:

GM 2500hd, gas or diesel will have 10.5 or 11.5 full floating rear. 6.0 gas is totally adequate for most missions.

Ford F-250 super duty and Ram 2500 I would consider too as you can get gas or diesel and a solid front axle and full floating rear.

Ford, GM or Ram 1/2 tons with the 3.5 ecoboost, 6.2 LS V8, 5.7 hemi or little ram diesel that I know nothing about. All semifloating rear ends and smaller drive trains / lighter suspensions but worth test driving.

Last but certainly not least, Toyota Tundra with a 5.7 or Nissan Titan with a 5.6. Semi floating rears again, but the tundra has a pretty beefy 10.5" ring gear in it.

If it was me I would probably pick up the GM 2500hd gasser if I liked having more truck than load or the tundra if I thought I could live with the 1/2 ton. Good luck.

 

[ETAV8R]

Checkout wanderthewest.com nearly all are pop up folks. They run everything from Ford rangers to big Dodges. One long timer former Tacoma owner is doing a huge Alaska trip in his new Colorado 2.8 that he's done some suspension stuff too. 20-25mpg seems to be range of mileage with the little diesel. I'm following his blog very curious about that truck. Plus he's a Toyota guy gone rogue so his take on the truck will be pretty informative. I think he's running a fwc pop up.

Do you have a link to this specific blog?

 

[Umnak]

Good debate. From my own experience I've run an overloaded 1/2 ton domestic truck, overloaded first gen Tacoma with airbags, and a one ton under gvw. For me it all comes down to comfort and piece of mind. I did not enjoy driving the overloaded rigs extended distances over poor roads and in bad weather. I would have to slow down, the trucks would sway in the wind and bounce and bottom out on large potholes and frost heaves. I also hate being underpowered and having to crawl up passes loaded so that was a consideration with my current truck.

I think you are spot on with your cab and a half full size with a six foot bed. Check out a FWC Hawk, Hallmark Milner (sp?), ATC, Phoenix etc and see how much insulation and storage you think you need. For trucks you should be able to get that cab/bed configuration in all of the following and I would go test drive some:

GM 2500hd, gas or diesel will have 10.5 or 11.5 full floating rear. 6.0 gas is totally adequate for most missions.

Ford F-250 super duty and Ram 2500 I would consider too as you can get gas or diesel and a solid front axle and full floating rear.

Ford, GM or Ram 1/2 tons with the 3.5 ecoboost, 6.2 LS V8, 5.7 hemi or little ram diesel that I know nothing about. All semifloating rear ends and smaller drive trains / lighter suspensions but worth test driving.

Last but certainly not least, Toyota Tundra with a 5.7 or Nissan Titan with a 5.6. Semi floating rears again, but the tundra has a pretty beefy 10.5" ring gear in it.

If it was me I would probably pick up the GM 2500hd gasser if I liked having more truck than load or the tundra if I thought I could live with the 1/2 ton. Good luck.

Thanks for the list of trucks. I'd go with a diesel if I got a Ram or CMC/Chevy and that would mean a 2500, and the Tundra is high on the list as well. Too bad it doesn't have the diesel Toyota puts in its trucks everywhere else in the world.