A couple qs for the expo-experts: bed length, truck choice, etc

[YetAnotherDaveAgain]

Hi all, my partner and I are trying to put together a mtb/ski rig with a popup camper after thinking about vans/rvs, having a usable truck when not camping seems like the way to go.

At the moment we are looking at f150s and lighter campers (caribou lites, phoenixes, FWC hawks). We've been pretty diligent about checking payload capacities and trying to give ourselves some room to work there.

Our main questions are about any little factors we might have overlooked when considering.a truck.

1) how important is it to match the length of the camper to the length of the bed? Is it ok if it hangs out a foot or so? (Like a regular length camper on a short bed truck?)

2) what kind of mpgs are people getting with the camper on the Ecoboost f150s?

3) feel free to shout out better setups! Were a bit overwhelmed given the fact that all the pop up companies clearly disregard payload capacities/the fact GM specifically discouraged slide ins on their trucks.

Thanks!

 

[OverlandNA]

Find the camper that will suit your needs then get a truck that will handle it, all your accessories and gear, your passengers weights etc. Don't be one of them overland guys that overloads a half ton truck.

 

[tacollie]

Figure out what you want out of a camper first. A more basic camper will be lighter and better suited for a F150. Lots of people run 8' campers on 6.5' bed or 6.5 campers on 5.5' beds with the tail gate down. If you want a fully loaded camper it will be a lot of weight for any 1/2 ton truck

With the camper and gear you will most likely be GVWR on trips. Plan on adding LT tires and some kind of helper spring. Drive a little slower and you will be fine. We ran out Tundra over GVWR for 2 flawless years. The only reason we moved up to a 3/4 ton was we wanted a heavier setup?.

Wanderthewest.com has a ton of good info for pop up campers.

Keeping your speeds to 65 and running a more modest tire will help mpgs more than anything. Here's a good thread about modest tire selection. https://expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/perfect-off-highway-tire-ltx-what.206567/

 

[craig333]

I'd be more concerned about the center of gravity than length.

 

[discohead]

Personally, I wouldn't purchase a long bed camper for a short bed truck (or vice-versa). Plenty of good options out there for both, including some that are specifically designed to fit both. A long bed truck will give you more options and more payload though. And unless you're going for the lightest of lightweight campers, I'd forget about 1/2-tons and start looking at 3/4 and 1-tons. There are definitely some awesome 1/2-ton rigs out there, but you'll be at or over GVWR and need to supplement the suspension.

 

[BlueSkyCamper]

There are methods of offsetting the weight of a long camper hanging a foot or so off the back of the 1/2 ton truck. Keep water forward, and heavy things you carry (firewood, gear) forward. Take the tail gate off. Do what you need to do to level the truck. E-rates tires are a must. Don't attach anything heavy to the rear surface of the camper or on the hitch (bikes, etc.). There are front hitch receivers available to put more weight up front. Do it right and no problems. Do it wrong and you'll have a lighter than normal front end, and that is bad. Get a light camper too, FWC or ATC or one of the other lightweights. I've had my 8' camper on my 6.5' Tundra DC bed and never had an issue. Would not do it any other way.