Looking for the best full size for my family.

[Martinjmpr]

Hello all! Long time lurker. I have a wife, and a son who is 6 and we are looking for the perfect do it all rig. We are planning to do many road trips/camping/exploring etc.. Terrain will likely not be anything crazy, service roads/dirt roads, maybe some trails but no hardcore stuff. Size wise I am about 6ft 215 lbs, everyone else is smaller.
Mostly will be exploring New England area.

So I have a list of recommendations (demands) from the wife.
A vehicle can we all can sleep in, either a truck with a cap or full size SUV. Something comfortable for long road trips. Reliability is important. A small lift/level 2-3" likely. Enough storage space for 2 to 3 nights of food/clothes/etc..


So with that in mind, looking under 30,000 usd closer to 25,000 the better!
Which leads me to a list we have come up with.
Suburban for obvious reasons.
Expedition El
Sequoia (enough room?)
Tahoe (again, sleeping room?)
F250 quad cab with 6.5 bed and a cap with storage /sleeping platform.
???
Profit!

Thanks all

Sleeping 3 people INSIDE a vehicle is a tough requirement to make work. A truck camper, travel trailer or ground tent might be easier to live with.

The only option I can think of that might work for all your requirements would be a crew cab pickup with at least a 6.5' bed with a topper (cap) on it. You could build a sleeping platform with storage underneath. You and the wife sleep in the bed of the truck and the kid sleeps on the back seat.

That would meet your requirements, barely, but it would mean rearranging all your gear every time you set up camp for the night. Also a rig like that is likely to have a wheelbase of 155"+ at minimum, which means it will have the turning radius of an aircraft carrier. In the wide-open deserts of the West that's not a big issue but in the Northeast it could be (especially if you ever have to go into town and park somewhere.)

An SUV might also work with a rooftop tent. Again the tough part would be your gear: If your stuff (food, clothing, a cooler of some kind, cooking gear, etc) is riding in the back of the vehicle when you travel, where does it go when you set up for sleep?

I'm not saying it can't be done, but any approach you take is going to require some pretty serious compromises.

EDITED TO ADD: If you will be sleeping inside, a lot of your gear will likely have to go on the roof.

 

[Regcabguy]

The 6.2 still gets better mileage than what a lot of people with smaller V8s claim to get.

Until you put a shell with rack,315's and Carli and an RTT on top. The shop I use had one in for the Carli suspension(fantastic). We went on a test drive and the mpg average read 8.5 mpg.

 

[ExplorerTom]

The kid will be able to sleep on the backseat for another year or 2. Kids have a nasty habit of growing.

Someone is going to be in a tent of some kind at some point.

Honestly, any of those vehicles will be fine. There is no “perfect” vehicle. Start with what you have and figure out what you like and don’t like about it. Go from there. Experience is the best gauge of need.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

I don't think I will ever underatand people's desire to cram everyone into a small space and try to sleep. Do you really want to smell, hear, and feel every member of your family all night long? Lol.

Out of all the options people have given, a ground tent is by far the most comfortable and practical option. You have plenty of room to sleep and move around. You can stand up to put your pants on, and if the weather is bad you have room to hang out. Plus, they are quite a bit cheaper than the other options.

 

[Martinjmpr]

I don't think I will ever underatand people's desire to cram everyone into a small space and try to sleep. Do you really want to smell, hear, and feel every member of your family all night long? Lol.

You mentioned "smell" and that's a good point. Courtesy of 23 years of sleeping in poorly ventilated barracks, GP medium and small or ARFAB tents, and being exposed to diesel fumes and MRE farts I'm fairly tolerant of smells but my wife definitely is NOT. I also noticed that the sleeping area of my old pickups and SUVs would get pretty rank after just a few days of primitive camping and that's with only one person.

OP might either want to reconsider his plan or invest heavily in Febreze.

 

[badm0t0rfinger]

Until you put a shell with rack,315's and Carli and an RTT on top. The shop I use had one in for the Carli suspension(fantastic). We went on a test drive and the mpg average read 8.5 mpg.

I have a rack, 35s and have had RTT on it and I still get mid 12s.

If its in a F250, sure its gonna struggle more, but in the 09-14 F150 its the best engine you can buy IMO.

 

[Tjbell]

Well what will likely happen is I will get a plow to do some driveways and such on the winter months, make a little back. After more consideration we are looking into a f250 and gm 2500hd. I've had a 1500 Chevy before, and driven a few f250s, and I know the ride is night and day. I really like the idea of the super d60 in the f250. Also wouldn't really need a lift on it resurgence, looking at stock size or maybe a little taller tire. It's crazy how an extended cab is so much cheaper than a full crew. Might think about that too but I'm now sure how my kid will like the lack of space


I hadn't thought about how big of a PITA it will be to sleep all of us. I wonder if a rtt would be a better solution. We just want the ability to stealth mode of we need too. Or a small, pop up slide in may be the best option. I do not plan on going for more than a few days without a hotel refresh or something to the like.
If we got the slide in route, truck price would go lower to offset one

Thank you all for the help!

 

[Deleted member 9101]

Well what will likely happen is I will get a plow to do some driveways and such on the winter months, make a little back. After more consideration we are looking into a f250 and gm 2500hd. I've had a 1500 Chevy before, and driven a few f250s, and I know the ride is night and day. I really like the idea of the super d60 in the f250. Also wouldn't really need a lift on it resurgence, looking at stock size or maybe a little taller tire. It's crazy how an extended cab is so much cheaper than a full crew. Might think about that too but I'm now sure how my kid will like the lack of space


I hadn't thought about how big of a PITA it will be to sleep all of us. I wonder if a rtt would be a better solution. We just want the ability to stealth mode of we need too. Or a small, pop up slide in may be the best option. I do not plan on going for more than a few days without a hotel refresh or something to the like.
If we got the slide in route, truck price would go lower to offset one

Thank you all for the help!

I'd go for the crew cab all day every day. There is easily 12" more space in the rear seat. I can comfortably haul adults in the back seat my truck from FL to NM... Not gunna happen in an extended cab.

I'd also do a pop up camper. An RTT is nice, amd they look cool on line...but even a huge one will be cramped with three people on a rainy day.

First though, get an inexpensive family sized tent. Start slow and see what your family likes... Might save you some cash and headaches down the road.

 

[Explorerinil]

I would go a 3/4 ton before a tundra. Same MPG and 2x the capability.

@Tjbell - if you’re going to haul or tow on a regular basis, I’d go 3/4 ton. If not, 1/2 ton makes sense.

I agree, I won’t own a half ton, I was referring to, if I were to get a half ton, I would look very hard at the tundra.

 

[Tjbell]

Well thanks to everyone's help, research, and input from friends, we have decided our best fit will likely be a slide in camper on a 3/4 crew cab. Will be sticking with gas and 6.5 bed. Looking into the pop top sliders and we think being able to go for more than 2 days will be a huge benifit. I also like the idea of having a albiet small, toilet