which truck for a Pop-up Camper

[GoinBoardin]

Perhaps some misinformation has come up. I do not know of any one ton pickup in the last 30 years that didn't have a full floating rear axle. Nor have I ever heard of a half ton with a full floater. Big difference in weight bearing ability. There are some light duty 3/4 ton trucks out there, that are basically "heavy half's" with thin frames and semi float rear ends. But I don't think any one ton in north america has had corners cut like that. So, no, you're not bagging a half ton and suddenly having a 1 ton, maybe a LD 3/4 ton.

 

[mkish]

So, for what it's worth (and it's worth very little), I got a Ford because I like the combination door lock. :wings:

It's cool at the beach!

 

[FordGuy1]

Perhaps some misinformation has come up. I do not know of any one ton pickup in the last 30 years that didn't have a full floating rear axle. Nor have I ever heard of a half ton with a full floater. Big difference in weight bearing ability. There are some light duty 3/4 ton trucks out there, that are basically "heavy half's" with thin frames and semi float rear ends. But I don't think any one ton in north america has had corners cut like that. So, no, you're not bagging a half ton and suddenly having a 1 ton, maybe a LD 3/4 ton.

You are correct. And I believe the only late model semi-full floater is the E series Ford van.

 

[Umnak]

So, for what it's worth (and it's worth very little), I got a Ford because I like the combination door lock. :wings:

It's cool at the beach!

Ha! I appreciate a person who knows what they like. But, do you have a pop-top camper on it?

 

[mkish]

I have a Northstar tc800 on it (sometimes), which is probably bigger than what you want but I have to cram 4 people and a dog in it...

 

[Tatted]

I'm not going to get into all the weight issue stuff, it makes me laugh just like when people say a full size truck cant wheel because they are too big......all I will say is that I have had truck campers since I was 18 to now on everything from a 1 ton ford to a 3/4 ton dodge to my Tundra...they all felt the same on road and off road....I love my Tundra and would never consider another truck and feel very comfortable with my TC650 on it.

 

[Umnak]

I'm not going to get into all the weight issue stuff, it makes me laugh just like when people say a full size truck cant wheel because they are too big......all I will say is that I have had truck campers since I was 18 to now on everything from a 1 ton ford to a 3/4 ton dodge to my Tundra...they all felt the same on road and off road....I love my Tundra and would never consider another truck and feel very comfortable with my TC650 on it.

I like Toyotas, our 4Runner has been a great vehicle.

I have a Northstar tc800 on it (sometimes), which is probably bigger than what you want but I have to cram 4 people and a dog in it...

that's a lot of room. Thanks

 

[zimm]

i didnt read the extent of offroading you intended to do, and if the truck was to be used for other "load" uses.

it kind of matters, because a pickup, is a beast of burden, first, and offroad a secondary function, unless its a raptor.

the difference is articulation. the 2nd most important attribute in off roading to a proper contact patch (tires) is articulation. articulation, and beast of burden, are like liberty and freedom, in that they are both great ideas, but are diametrically opposed to one another. Some companies go so far as to make off road beast of burden trucks, that have frames that are intended to flex. that expense is not designed into any typical pickup, so its one or the other.

so my question would be...

do you intend to use the truck to haul gravel etc. for work or home use? do you intend on using this as a car and driving mostly empty? or, will this be a permanent install?

if its a permanent install, i would be setting up a custom suspension to articulate the rear and ride nice at the right static height, specific to a particular weight range.

if youre going to be empty most of the time, i would shy away from the HD trucks and use airbags to supplement a stock 1/2 ton suspension if needed.

if youre going to use it to build a house while not carrying a camper, i'd go with a HD truck and get a heavier camper so it would ride decent. an f350 dually isnt going to know a 4wc is even in the back, and NVH will just suck, for instance.

no shoe is a one size fits all proposition, but you can buy a shoe that fits YOUR foot. its a matter of taking measure of your foot.

and, i'm completely unaware of any truck line ever that had the same frame in a 1/2 ton as a 1 ton. you go from SRW to DRW in a 1 ton, and you get a different axle nowadays.

 

[Umnak]

i didnt read the extent of offroading you intended to do, and if the truck was to be used for other "load" uses.

it kind of matters, because a pickup, is a beast of burden, first, and offroad a secondary function, unless its a raptor.

the difference is articulation. the 2nd most important attribute in off roading to a proper contact patch (tires) is articulation. articulation, and beast of burden, are like liberty and freedom, in that they are both great ideas, but are diametrically opposed to one another. Some companies go so far as to make off road beast of burden trucks, that have frames that are intended to flex. that expense is not designed into any typical pickup, so its one or the other.

so my question would be...

do you intend to use the truck to haul gravel etc. for work or home use? do you intend on using this as a car and driving mostly empty? or, will this be a permanent install?

if its a permanent install, i would be setting up a custom suspension to articulate the rear and ride nice at the right static height, specific to a particular weight range.

if youre going to be empty most of the time, i would shy away from the HD trucks and use airbags to supplement a stock 1/2 ton suspension if needed.

if youre going to use it to build a house while not carrying a camper, i'd go with a HD truck and get a heavier camper so it would ride decent. an f350 dually isnt going to know a 4wc is even in the back, and NVH will just suck, for instance.

no shoe is a one size fits all proposition, but you can buy a shoe that fits YOUR foot. its a matter of taking measure of your foot.

and, i'm completely unaware of any truck line ever that had the same frame in a 1/2 ton as a 1 ton. you go from SRW to DRW in a 1 ton, and you get a different axle nowadays.

It will be a second vehicle, used as such around the Olympic Peninsula on highway or Forest Service Roads. The permanence of the installation will depend on what we end up buying. Probably on most of the time. I do not want a huge truck -- again the supersizing of even the Toyota Tundra is perplexing -- which is why whatever camper we get will be as light as possible.

Our two years in the Sprinter -- with at least one more to go -- have shown me how much space we need for short duration trips, and that's not a whole lot unless we are strangely attracted to the far north in winter. And having spent most of my life in those parts of the continent, I'm not likely to do that.

 

[zimm]

for what its worth, I've run firestone helpers with an f350, and internal coil spring bags on an lx470.

the down side? getting the 350 back to level had the affect of ruining whatever progressive rate there was, and it rode like an empty f350. if i ever did it again, i'd put the camper in full wet weight and take it to custom spring shop.

 

[calicamper]

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.

 

[Umnak]

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.

I've been looking at wander the west for a while. Our initial thoughts on the three year road trip was to go with a pop-up camper on a truck, but I just couldn't get over the lack of space for a multi-month trip. That's when we decided on our Sportsmobile. The Sprinter gets 23-25mpg and it weighs 7800lb!

We are heading to back to Alaska and the NWT this summer-early fall, so I'll keep an eye out for the Colorado.

 

[calicamper]

The fwc rigs seem ideal for the quick escape pod short trip stuff. The extended or nearly full time fwc folks seem to add a small gear trailer or mix in some sticks and bricks stays. But the short trip type stuff the fwc seems to be a great combo. One I'd like to have.

 

[UHAULER]

I've been looking at wander the west for a while. Our initial thoughts on the three year road trip was to go with a pop-up camper on a truck, but I just couldn't get over the lack of space for a multi-month trip. That's when we decided on our Sportsmobile. The Sprinter gets 23-25mpg and it weighs 7800lb!

We are heading to back to Alaska and the NWT this summer-early fall, so I'll keep an eye out for the Colorado.

Umnak, why are you going with a truck/popup vs. your sprinter. I just bought an older ford van with a high top that i'm in the process of converting to a camper. In the past I had an 02 f350 with a Northstar tc650 and a couple of things I didn't like were the lack of a pass through to the cab and lots of wasted space between the camper and the bed sides. Again, just curious, you seem to have lots of time on the road to figure out what works and what doesn't.

 

[Umnak]

Umnak, why are you going with a truck/popup vs. your sprinter. I just bought an older ford van with a high top that i'm in the process of converting to a camper. In the past I had an 02 f350 with a Northstar tc650 and a couple of things I didn't like were the lack of a pass through to the cab and lots of wasted space between the camper and the bed sides. Again, just curious, you seem to have lots of time on the road to figure out what works and what doesn't.

We won't sell the Sportsmobile Sprinter for another year when we've finished the road trip. After that we plan on living in Northumberland, UK for six months, then return to Port Townsend, Wa in a house we own, but have not lived in. We need a second vehicle to cover our occasional need to be in two different places at once. The Sprinter isn't that vehicle. So, I asked this question as a way of helping me decide which truck to ponder over for the next 18 months. I like having plans.



We really like the Sportsmobile and if we were to continue in our nomadic life, would keep it. And we also want to get to know the forest service roads of the PNW.