What size camper?????????

[Zuli]

I have a 05 2500HD GMC with Duramax crewcab short bed. What size is good for my truck? I've been looking at Lance 821 and 881 both slides. Also have seen Alpenlite 935 Saratogo w/slide. I'm concerned about weight. Also what is best camper tie down system. Have seen happijack and torgue lift. Thanks Zuli

[Zuli]

I have a 05 2500HD GMC with Duramax crewcab short bed. What size is good for my truck? I've been looking at Lance 821 and 881 both slides. Also have seen Alpenlite 935 Saratogo w/slide. I'm concerned about weight. Also what is best camper tie down system. Have seen happijack and torgue lift. Thanks Zuli

[CyberVet65]

First of all....Welcome to the site!
You have to know what your truck weighs. Go to the local gravel pit or find a Cat scale or hit a Flying J. Weigh the truck with a full load of fuel. Then get on the Chevy web site and look for the Gross Vehicle Weight of your truck. Subtract the weight of your truck from the GVW and will give you a "ballpark" figure for the size of your camper.
When you look at campers always add about 1000 pounds to the sticker on the camper. This will compensate for the food, clothes, camping gear,etc that will be added.
If the two (the truck and the camper) add up to the GVW , you are good to go.
If you are like most of us....you will find that you are overweight. Then you can add some suspension components, dual tires, Load Range E tires, sway bars, etc. This will help the truck deal with the load. It will NOT change the GVW of the truck.
Ex.
Ford says I have a GVW of 11,200 pounds.
My truck scaled at 7850.
This leaves me a camper of weight of 3350.
Let's say my Lance 1130 is a bit more than that.
Have fun
Chet

[Zuli]

Thanks for your imput! It's looks like everyone is a little overweight. I'm still looking.
Tks Zuli

[TJ Camper]

I guarantee a slide style camper is WAY too heavy for your 3/4 ton. My guess is your true payload is approx. 2500-3000 lbs. With a truck that weighs about 6800 lbs, that door jamb minus your truck's weight is all you got!
Lord help you when you take corners and cross the center line, a too eavy payload is VERY DANGEROUS!!!
You need to do REAL research BEFORE you over buy! That's why most of us went to dually's.

Just remember this, safety is priceless, when it comes to your family.

Tom

[Don and Sarah]

I won't go quite as far as TJ Camper did. He does make a good point. Weight is the issue. Most campers are heavier than the manufacturer says they are. All the bigger hard side camper are to heavy for a 3/4 ton. Some are even to heavy for a 1 ton dually. There are some soft side (pop up models) that can be used with a 3/4 ton. You still must make sure they are for your short bed as well. If these meet your needs you may like them and be quite happy. Other wise you will most likely need more truck than what you have currently.

[Ron in Colorado]

The short bed is a limiting factor. You should get a camper that is designed for a shortbed. The center of gravity is designed so it is slightly ahead of the rear axle. Several manufacturers have 8 ft to 8.5 ft campers for that application.

[Rei]

When I bought my '02 2500HD, Chevy sold a 2500 and the 2500HD. I believe the 2500 is the 3/4 ton. The 2500HD specs out closer to a 1 ton. It's payload capacity is less than a couple hundred pounds from what the Ford F350 (single rear wheel)will carry when you subtract the weight of the truck.

[RRUGG]

Since you have a shortbox, probably an 8.5 is the longest you should consider. That's what we have. In the past we had an 11.5 on a dually and found that there was a lot more storage space but no more living space except for a dry bath. I think (my opinion) that there are many people who get campers, trailers, etc that are really larger than people need. My philosophy is to get the smallest unit that will do what we want it to do.

[garyoNC]

Although the Lances are nice, they are heavy. My wife and are looking for a light weight solution also. These two truck camper companies offer light weight, quality construction, and I have not seen any negative comments about them on the forums that I belong to.

http://northstarcampers.com/default.asp

http://www.northern-lite.com/

We have a Northstar dealer close by and really like the camper and dealer.
Good luck!

[AllenF]

As all here have said weight is your real concern. Another TC to look at is Eagle Cap by Intermountain RV. They are a bit lighter and if you go without the slide will be much lighter. Take your time look at as many units as you can and have fun. Read about and search for folks opinions of the brand you are leaning towards. You then will make fewer mistakes which will yeild far greater camping enjoyment.

Allen

[Hemi]

Hello,
I echo everthing said by the others....

We have the F350 dually which I consider minimal for our Bigfoot 3000 camper...in other words I believe we should have bought the F450 or even the F550.

Back to your specific question. My wife has the same Sierra truck 2500...a 2003. A factor in buying the truck was the size of the frame in case we want to use a truck camper in the future or even two a 5th...The 2500 frame is very large...even larger than the F350. So, I think it would accommodate a truck camper...but again as others say get a light weight camper....good luck, IWD

[Diesel Don]

Use the GVW sticker on your driver's door to determine how much camper you can haul. The Chev
frame is wider than the Fords but the Ford frame is much thicker. Use a Micrometer on them to prove this out. I am not trashing the Chev, just giving the facts.