Just my two cents.-- I'm a middle aged family man with a flat bed camper and this is why.
Initially I owned a Tiger, which is basically a truck with an attached camper making it a motorhome.
I really enjoyed my Tiger when I was using it. When I wasn't, it became an impractical toy that just sat around.
As a "motorhome" I paid higher taxes and insurance. And did I mention it sits around when not camping. To me that
was too much in a single designated vehicle.
Enter the flat bed. It gives me just as much interior space if not more and is detachable so my truck can be a truck.
I pay no taxes on the camper since its not a motorhome and insurance is considerably less. I figure the flat bed gives me
the best of both worlds.
The only additional costs for my build was the aluminum flatbed and boxes which I had custom made and the pass through from
camper to truck. The pop up slide out design gives minimum footprint for traveling and spacious interior for camping.
I have found the truck to be very versatile with a flat bed. If I need it to be more "bed like", I can add sides. If I need more storage,
I can add a cargo carrier. With nothing back there the truck is actually lighter and gets better mpg's. While its a diesel and not a "coal roller"
I average around 19 to 24mpg without the camper. With the camper it drops to around 12 to 14. She's not broke in yet so I'm hoping those
numbers will go up.
Prices for trucks will no doubt vary. From what I've seen, flatbed campers start around 20K.
We "my family of 4" recently returned from a 12 day camping trip. Over 6000 miles and 19 states. We saw PLENTY of campers, so I don't think
vacation time plays into this equation. To me, I think its more education and of course preference.
One of the coolest things I like about our flat bed camper aside from its practical truck usage is the transformation from truck to overland vehicle.
It truly is two vehicles in one.
Some pics;
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