I think this hits on the points made quite well. What I get out of the discussion is on the camping/ overland side, they both have small pluses and minuses. The big difference is for those other days not in the forest- it's Hauling people? Suburban- Hauling stuff? Pickup.
I must say though the suburban has more than enough head room to sleep. I have a ~20 inch tall drawer setup we are on top of , and we sleep and live inside fine. I'm sure a pickup has more headroom with the high toppers. RTT gives a whole other world, but when traveling with two, not having to put up a tent or deal with anything outside of the truck is nice (same could be said of the pickup).
Wow, so much excellent info. I've been discussing with my wife and I think we're both leaning suburban because if I'm being honest I'll probably be hauling people and dogs more than I'll be hauling anything else. I'm setting up some alerts for the 02-06 2500s. Thanks!
Upcruiser, your rig and build thread are great. Looks extremely functional and a great example of what I hope my trips will look like (road trip + remote destination for exploring the outdoors and camping).
Dont fool around find a 2500 Burb they are out there. https://sacramento.craigslist.org/cto/6077689984.html
Everything is over engineered to handle heavy towing but also helps when dealing with the rigors being off road. I am glad I pulled the trigger on the 2500 beefier suspension, transmission and rear axles oh and a 38.5 gallon tank! I can get to most of the places I can fit a Suburban. Still paying off 14 years later...lol she is a keeper.
If you settle for a half ton go for one with the Z71 package.
Love the GMT800 stance with the BFGs no worries up in Tahoe!
Fully loaded with 8 passengers and all our snow gear!
Old Coast Road Big Sur - nice views not enough to challenge the beast...
HD running gear is why you want a 2500 Burb. still on the OE disc and pads!
Up front with the Cognito UCA Fox 2.0 shocks and Sumo bump stops she rides very nice!