HELP! Did I buy the wrong truck? GVWR Concerns (02 Frontier CC LB V6)

[Taylor Swift]

It's easy to minimize sanding if you aren't trying to make a perfectly smooth finish, and there is no reason why you need to. I sure as hell am not going to worry about it!

Only reason I'm building a camper is because I don't like any of the commercial offerings. None. Too heavy, too much stuff I don't need, no storage, too expensive, etc. And building one isn't that hard. I like to know who to blame if something breaks, too...

Nah, I like your truck size. If I wasn't accommodating 2 people fulltime I would have bought the cheap 2wd Frontier (new) and added a mild lift, bigger tires, and 5.13 gearing with a locker and it would have been fine. Even the 1/2ton fullsize trucks are ridiculously huge IMO. And if you have a 1ton and big Lance (or whatever) camper it gets silly offroad. It can be done reasonably well if you are slow and careful all the time, but...

I'll be camping in the desert for a couple weeks. Good luck figuring this out!

Thats what it’s all about!

I don’t like any of the commercial offerings either. Actually, i did the Bel Air and especially the Callen campers. I could see myself getting a Callen. Not sure if they are still doing business though... will call them next week.

For now, I’m gonna enjoy my truck and put together a basic camping setup (which I already have).

Enjoy the desert!

 

[760surfer]

I personally met Callen a few years ago. Back then, he was not "in business", but was still building campers, all custom work. My uncle referred me because he's had a Callen on his f250 for 20 years now and swears by it. The main benefit of a Callen is it's steal frame. Steal is heavier than aluminum, but stronger (better for off-roading) and generally less expensive. Plus, there are more steal welders than aluminum, so doing repairs / making changes should be easier. The other benefit of a Callen is he'll do custom work.

I also went to Bel-Air in the OC and their units are generally mass produced (I don't recall if they do custom work), in stock, ready to go and very affordable, at least half the price of a Callen. They look exactly like Callen campers, except they are wood framed. Wood is the heaviest material. It is also the cheapest and easiest to repair, which is good because wood rots, molds and unfastens itself from staples, nails and screws, especially when taken off-road.

When I looked into both Callen and Bel-Air a few years ago, I owned a 2016 Tacoma Xtra Cab V6 4X4. I bought the truck new from the dealership with plans of mounting either a FWC, ATC, Callen, Bel-Air, etc and building my dream surfing rig that would primarily serve as a daily driver with side trips up and down the California and Baja California coastlines.

What have I done since then? I've sold the Tacoma and bought a Dodge Ram 2500 Diesel 4x4.
Why did I make that change? Because I was afraid to overload my Tacoma. It was also a new truck and I was afraid to breathe on it.

But don't let that discourage you. Just keep weight in mind because driving a heavy and overloaded rig is stressful. It's tough to get any lighter than Callen and Bel-Air. Maybe there are some aluminum framed campers out there that are lighter, but generally aluminum is expensive so you better be sure it's what you want. Water will be the heaviest thing. And make sure to keep the majority of your weight low and between the axles, which is always difficult in quad cabs. A lot of people store their heaviest stuff (like water) in the back seat because it sits directly between the axles.

If you've got the money, I'd go with the new FWC topper https://fourwheelcampers.com/model/project-m/
If you've got the weight, I'd go with an ATC shell (search the want ads).
You can't go wrong with Callen, except the cab-over compartment can't sleep anyone, which is a major disadvantage in my opinion.
Bel-Air has the same problem as Callen, but for the price and the availability, you can be up and running in no time.

Sorry if I repeated anything and I hope this helps.

 

[paulforeman]

Hey man, honestly, didn't read every post in this thread. I read a lot of them though. You're going to be totally fine. I have steel bumpers front and rear, sliders, winch, camper, and always carrying tools, recovery gear, etc. in my 2000 Frontier. You can check out my build thread on here or on ClubFrontier if you're interested.

Can you tell me what the part number on your leaf springs is? It's a CS### format. Like CS031 or something. Couldn't see the whole stamp behind the brake drum in your picture.

Thanks!