Looking for better payload truck (getting rid of Ram Rebel)

[jbaucom]

Wow, that is a big difference in payload on the F150 over the RAM. My payload is only 1439 pounds on my 1500 Rebel Quad Cab

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Even my very average F150 CC 5.5’ 4x4 has 1937 lbs on the payload sticker. The GMC that it replaced was the same configuration and had a payload of nearly 1800 lbs.

 

[VentureDad]

And yet, despite our shared experience of "failed" hunts -- "A bad day in the bush beats a good day most other places", doesn't it?


All hunting talk aside, for your truck situation, I will play devils advocate to the recommendations for a bigger truck and suggest that thinking critically about your desired outcome, and what build will get you there, might give you other options. For example, what does "4-season camper" mean to you? Would you consider an Alucab/GFC-style Canopy Camper with a wood stove or fuel-fired heater in it be adequate for winter, enough to take the edge off of a below zero night, or are you wanting the typical Elkhart, Indiana-style white plastic box with poor quality finishings and an overreliance on spray foam to "winterize" it? For an occasional weekend or two-party hunting trip you might find the wedge campers to be a solid option especially considering they are sometimes 1/5th the price of the Elkhart campers and far, far lighter so that they would work on a 1/2 ton truck.

And the reason I'm bringing all this up, is that as you chase higher payload, you almost inevitably also catch higher vehicle weight, and heavy vehicles are always at a disadvantage off road. Even a "mild" HD truck will be a couple thousand pounds heavier than a half ton (Just the weight of the empty vehicle is a thousand pounds difference, plus all the extra stuff you can bring). You may find that the hassle of that extra weight takes away from your experience more than a more minimalist build on a lighter vehicle would, depending on the types of places you like to go.

You will not fit a family of 5 with a typical 4-season Elkhart-style camper in anything less than a large HD truck in my opinion, but if you are wanting to hit up some trails on occasional weekends, your family might have more fun in something like an F-150 with a high payload package -- giving you F-150 weight (and durability, which is good but not as good as an HD-level truck) but with 3,000 lbs payload -- and a lightweight wedge camper build, and most wedge campers are very versatile on the interior so you can easily outfit them differently for hunting versus family trips. Depending on the size of your kids though not everyone will fit inside the wedge, but you can do an awning and room combo or a ground tent for the 'overflow'.


Whatever you go with - build it all on paper, every component - and make sure you are getting the right rig for the job. But being honest with your needs could save you a lot of money and result in a better product at the end of the day for what you love to do most.

Not trying to fit a family a five in the camper. Will mainly use it during hunting season so on average 2 adults. As far as 4 season camper the possibilities are endless but not looking for a heavy “Elkhart” plastic POS. Maybe a fiberglass shelled slide in, Scout, or an Alaskan pop up. Only reason I’m avoiding the wedge soft sided pop ups is they are hard to keep warm in sub-freezing temps, but if you are saying they should handle well in sub-zero I’ll defiantly reconsider. Even with a lighter wedge style I’ll still desire a longer than 5 1/2 foot bed. I very much appreciate your insight and has the wheels in my head turning a bit more.



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[Todd n Natalie]

FYI, the F150 with the HDPP is not very easy to find. And they only come in the longer wheel base (super crew with 6.5' bed). It's not available in the super crew with 5.5' bed or the super cab with 6.5' bed. It would probably be easier to go with an F250 at that point unless you happened upon a good deal on an F150 with HDPP.

I believe it also comes in 8' box configuration with either a regular or SuperCab.

I was really on the fence with a F250 as I was already looking at a F150 SuperCrew w/ 6.5" bed. So thinking footprint would be close to the same. Ended up staying with an F150 as it was cheaper and as my daily driver for a 60 mile daily commute, gas mileage was a factor.

Ended up with a payload of 1,777 lbs on a decently equipped XLT 302a.

Will this truck do double duty as a commuter? How far is your commute? All things to factor in.

 

[ChasingOurTrunks]

FYI, the F150 with the HDPP is not very easy to find. And they only come in the longer wheel base (super crew with 6.5' bed). It's not available in the super crew with 5.5' bed or the super cab with 6.5' bed. It would probably be easier to go with an F250 at that point unless you happened upon a good deal on an F150 with HDPP.

I didn't know that about the HDPP - thanks Stevo!

Not trying to fit a family a five in the camper. Will mainly use it during hunting season so on average 2 adults. As far as 4 season camper the possibilities are endless but not looking for a heavy “Elkhart” plastic POS. Maybe a fiberglass shelled slide in, Scout, or an Alaskan pop up. Only reason I’m avoiding the wedge soft sided pop ups is they are hard to keep warm in sub-freezing temps, but if you are saying they should handle well in sub-zero I’ll defiantly reconsider. Even with a lighter wedge style I’ll still desire a longer than 5 1/2 foot bed. I very much appreciate your insight and has the wheels in my head turning a bit more.



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So a caveat - I'm a roof-tent guy, and can do a tent in -30 celcius. My full time living situation is one of the Elkharts towables right now, and my vacations are in the tent. My definition of "good enough for at rip" might be a lot different than yours. For me, It's less about the wedge camper handling the sub zero weather, and more about "are you used to existing in cold weather such that the temperatures don't bother you much".

A small wood stove or a Mr. Buddy will get the inside of a wedge camper warmer than the outside environment, but I've found that different people have different definitions of what is simply "warm". I would suggest you shoulder-tap folks who have wedge campers and see about their sub-zero experiences to see if that reality matches your needs.

 

[VentureDad]

I believe it also comes in 8' box configuration with either a regular or SuperCab.

I was really on the fence with a F250 as I was already looking at a F150 SuperCrew w/ 6.5" bed. So thinking footprint would be close to the same. Ended up staying with an F150 as it was cheaper and as my daily driver for a 60 mile daily commute, gas mileage was a factor.

Ended up with a payload of 1,777 lbs on a decently equipped XLT 302a.

Will this truck do double duty as a commuter? How far is your commute? All things to factor in.

Not going to do double duty as a commuter. Currently semi retired and I have an XJ if I needed to commute. Really want to get a bigger truck for bigger truck stuff and having the camper on back a couple months out of the year. Ocasional road trip pulling my travel trailer and some summer forest road and desert overlanding.


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[VentureDad]

Why not look for an f250-f350 SRW with the 6.2 or 7.3? Easy to work on, reliable, cheap to maintain, parts are everywhere and the high pinion dana 60 axle is about as bulletproof as you can get. Get one with a locker and 4:30 gears and your set.

After going down a rabbit hole I’m starting to lean this way. I’m one of those certified YouTube mechanics that can wrench a bit. Then again I think most people in this group are “certified” too as it comes with the territory.


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[Todd n Natalie]

Not going to do double duty as a commuter. Currently semi retired and I have an XJ if I needed to commute. Really want to get a bigger truck for bigger truck stuff and having the camper on back a couple months out of the year. Ocasional road trip pulling my travel trailer and some summer forest road and desert overlanding.


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If that's the case, I would def go 3/4 or 1 ton.

 

[AbleGuy]

If that's the case, I would def go 3/4 or 1 ton.

X2 that ⬆

I have both…a 6.0 K2500 HD and an 6.2 4wd F350. Love driving them both…neither is too “bucky,” mpgs might be nothing to brag about but both have tons of power and hauling capability.

One thing about your quest stands out to me. You’re considering the new rig for retirement use and are concerned about cold weather camp comfort. Dunno about you, but I’ve found camping in super cold weather was much more tolerable (and fun even) when I was lots younger. Seems the older one gets, the less fun it is to freeze one’s butt off.

But anyway…maybe you might try renting a truck/camper rig and taking it off on a multi day winter outing first. See how much you truly enjoy being out in the frigid weather, before basing an important purchase decision too much on cold camping use? Just an idea.

 

[VentureDad]

X2 that

I have both…a 6.0 K2500 HD and an 6.2 4wd F350. Love driving them both…neither is too “bucky,” mpgs might be nothing to brag about but both have tons of power and hauling capability.

One thing about your quest stands out to me. You’re considering the new rig for retirement use and are concerned about cold weather camp comfort. Dunno about you, but I’ve found camping in super cold weather was much more tolerable (and fun even) when I was lots younger. Seems the older one gets, the less fun it is to freeze one’s butt off.

But anyway…maybe you might try renting a truck/camper rig and taking it off on a multi day winter outing first. See how much you truly enjoy being out in the frigid weather, before basing an important purchase decision too much on cold camping use? Just an idea.

Even though I’m semi retired I’m only 40 and have some “young” years left in me. Not looking for a retirement rig. I have plenty of sub freezing nights in a rooftop tent. I have a travel trailer and motor home as well so I’m very familiar with that style of “camping”. Just trying to find a median between rooftop tent camping and rv camping, hence the slide in. Unfortunately rifle season in the Colorado mountains is almost always going to be cold.


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[grindmonkey]

I have "retired" at 42. Mostly a stay at home dad who does some carpool duty/ kid sport transportation.

We are a family of 5 who camps in all 4 seasons. We actually prefer to winter camp where there is no one else. We "dry camp" in the winter to avoid broken pipes, but keep it about 70 degrees for comfort. Yes, all 5 of us in a truck camper. There are compromises for space but we make it work. It has the dinette and bunk bed for the kids and a queen up top for me and the Mrs.. My wife and I snuck out without the kids (so just the 2 of us) for camping in Leadville CO last weekend. It was downright luxurious.

I have a 2022 F350 7.3l gas crew cab with 8 ft bed and a Hallmark Cuchara. The camper remains on the truck all year (except when I have to get oil change). It makes it a little more challenging to find parking but it is super convenient all other times.

My neighbor just picked up an older F350 with the 7.3l diesel and an outfitter (similar to hallmark) camper under 30k for the package for his family of 4. He has more truck maintenance than I do but his package was 1/2 the price of mine.

 

[grindmonkey]

Oh, the nice thing is I dont worry about payload. I have about 4k available and the camper is only about 1700. For our extended summer trips I can put a bike rack on a hitch extender behind the camper and a cargo rack on the front hitch with boxes for summer goodies (inflatable paddleboards, snorkel gear x5, bike helmets, etc) or anything we don't want taking up space in the camper. It looks a bit of a rolling gypsy camp but it's not a 32ft camper. It can park in pretty much any parking lot and be ready to chill in about 2-3 minutes.

It is our self contained moving apartment. One that goes everywhere with us. If we are out of town and go to a restaurant which is packed and has a wait we can just order to go and eat in the camper. OR just make food in the camper. It is amazing to minimize that stress with 3 kids. No more "when are we gonna get a table?"

 

[stevo_pct]

I have a 2022 F350 7.3l gas crew cab with 8 ft bed and a Hallmark Cuchara. The camper remains on the truck all year (except when I have to get oil change). It makes it a little more challenging to find parking but it is super convenient all other times.

My neighbor just picked up an older F350 with the 7.3l diesel and an outfitter (similar to hallmark) camper under 30k for the package for his family of 4. He has more truck maintenance than I do but his package was 1/2 the price of mine.

That's a nice setup! Any pics?

 

[grindmonkey]

That's a nice setup! Any pics?

 

[Regcabguy]

The camper would be used mainly for hunting season with on average 2 people. Luckily my family is on the smaller scale weight wise. I’m not trying to fit my whole family in the camper so that’s why I was thinking an Alaskan. Mainly need to tow with some occasional overloading and need to fit 5 in the cab for snowboarding and camping activities.

Alaskan's are good for 2 people max. Sturdy and well built but not much storage unless you go with a flatbed and cabinets. If you get a hardsided camper get a 1 ton.

 

[Todd n Natalie]

Alaskan's are good for 2 people max. Sturdy and well built but not much storage unless you go with a flatbed and cabinets. If you get a hardsided camper get a 1 ton.

Reminds me of this build here:

Alaskan Camper Build Up

Hi folks, I'm a refugee from the Expedition Camper forum who has been forcibly transferred over to this forum...Just joking! I had a thread going on over there that was about the build up of my new camper. I will bring over pertinent parts of the thread to bring you up to date and look forward...

expeditionportal.com