Can a Ford F-150 handle a truck camper?

[Lalyly]

I've been reading a lot about living on the road and I have so many questions to ask. I tried some RV forums but they are more about comfort and size, not about mpg, maneuverability, parking anywhere, etc.
I would love to own and travel in a van, but I took into account the fact that we already own a truck. So I looked up some truck campers and even camper shells. 
The truck is a F-150, long bed, supercrew cab, with the maximum payload of 1250 lbs. I laughed and laughed when I read in the car's manual that I can take 4 friends and their golfing gear along, but not some cement bags... Is this a truck or a Prius? :huh:
My question is, can this truck handle a truck camper?
I found some pop-up campers like this one, for 1k or 1,5k a few hours away and was wondering. One owner did not knew the weight but it was on a 3/4 ton truck.

 

[ArtW]

knowing the wight of the camper would be helpful
There are slide in's a 1/2 ton can handle, the six pack and the smaller Capri Campers for example, but most do recomend a 3/4 ton
I might be comfortable with a truck camper even on my ranger although I might also beef up the suspension
If he know the make and model of the camper, the manufacturer's website should give you the weight of it as it was built, I'd want to see 1/2 to 3/4 of my truck's carrying capacity, no more, so 600-700 lb
there are others here who know more about that than me though, I'm sure they'll chime in

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

The truck will be overloaded with almost any camper.  Subtract your weight and anyone else's weight from that 1250 payload.....say two people at an avg of 150lbs per person is 300 lbs...your payload is now 950 lbs.  Add a few hundred lbs of gear, a few hundred lbs of water, propane, a battery and you just lost another 500lbs.  So you can now have 450 lbs available for a truck camper.  1/2 ton trucks like the F150 and my Silverado 1500 just aren't good for most truck campers unfortunately.  They do make some pretty lightweight ones that you could probably get away with, but for all intensive purposes, the answer is no they just aren't great for them.  

I did use a pop up truck camper on mine for the season and with the camper itself, it was fine. But with a few weeks worth of gear, propane, water, kayaks, etc the truck handled like crap.


Here's a pic of my truck and pop up camper.  Sold the camper a few summers back because it wasn't an enjoyable ride with it on.

 

[ArtW]

http://capricamper.com/models/cowboy/ 600lb for the shortbed version, don't pack a ton of gear and it'll work for one person, not super roomy yhough

 

[poprouge]

http://capricamper.com/models/cowboy/ 600lb for the shortbed version, don't pack a ton of gear and it'll work for one person, not super roomy yhough

That's actually quite cute.

 

[ArtW]

I know, I so want one for my Ranger, but not too sure it'd fit between the wheel houses
plus i don't have the $$$
Maybe I could build one, like Bob did

 

[poprouge]

Have you looked at a trailer that you can diy or even the runaway camper? I know the runaway would be in your price range, but like the truck campers not super stealthy.

 

[VanForNow]

My question is, can this truck handle a truck camper?
I found some pop-up campers like this one, for 1k or 1,5k a few hours away and was wondering. One owner did not knew the weight but it was on a 3/4 ton truck.

The popup truck camper in the photo looks like a Four Wheel Camper. If you know the model of the FWC, you can check out its weight on the FWC website, which also has recommendations for which size truck to use for each model.

 

[SUV_RVing]

Also check out Bel-Air Camper Shells. They're bigger and more spacious than the Leer-type shells but not as big and heavy as the full-on campers. You could get one and then build out your own interior, and my guess is that it would be much lighter.

 

[Gary68]

sure it can,i have loaded my 1/2 ton way past capacity,if it sags there are plenty of ways to level it off from air shock,overload springs or airbags
with that said would i recommend it,no,a 3/4 or 1 ton has larger axles and brakes and stopping is much more important then going

 

[jimindenver]

I know mine can't handle the lightest pop up camper, it's a wimp.

 

[Lalyly]

We tried a 27 ft TT but I can't go by myself driving such a long rig for longer trips. And the hitch, towing bars, leveling jacks, wheels bearings... are a pain in the neck. I can drive the truck, not my favorite car but it's the max I would go, sizewise.
The campers I could find now are StarCraft and Valor, older models. I can't buy new, I'm searching CL and some of the ones I found had no specs on Nada and could not find other sites.
Thanks for the suggestions, will check them out later tonight.

 

[highdesertranger]

"Is this a truck or a Prius?" and there lies the crux of the problem. truth be told a F-150 has more in common with a T-Bird then it does with a F-250. for a slide in camper I would recommend a 3/4 ton at least. highdesertranger

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

I have a Four Wheel Campers Grandby shell that I built out myself; 120 lbs of batteries, solar, refrigerator, 80 lbs water, 180 lb me, 30 lb beagle.  Weighs in at 1260 lbs wet (2 weeks supplies).  I have it on a 2012 Ram 2500 4 X 4, on a 1/2 ton truck it would be iffy; 2WD better than 4WD.   You will be at the design limit of your brakes, axles, shocks, wheels.  You will have to be careful of how you pack, as you have a lower weight limit on the rear axle (GRWR).  I would strongly recommend a 3/4 ton.  Lots of guys put these light campers on 1/2 ton trucks but by the time they are done with upgrades and mods, they have as much money in their truck as I have in mine.

 -- Spiff

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

  Lots of guys put these light campers on 1/2 ton trucks but by the time they are done with upgrades and mods, they have as much money in their truck as I have in mine.

 -- Spiff

3/4 tons are almost the exact same price as 1/2 tons.  For about 2k more I could have had a 2500 regretting not buying it now. At the time I was going for the better MPG of the 5.3 over the 6.0  But seriously regretting my decision.  It does exactly what I need it to 90% of the time, but being limited the other 10% is more aggravating than I would have ever expected.

 

[jimindenver]

Those Bel-air shells look nice for a self build out. I can't say I've seen a shell with the cab over before, I wonder if you can sleep up there.

 

[akrvbob]

I'm very likely to sell my van this fall/winter and buy a 4x4 pickup with a BelAir shell on it.

No, i'm almost certain the cabover is just for light storage. I'd put clothes, off-season clothes, and bedding up there. Maybe paper products (paper towels and toilet paper). Anything light but bulky.
Bob

 

[jimindenver]

Still it's valuable storage as well as space up top for solar. They may not have the rigidity but it would be nice as a pop up too. My F 150 is a short bed so it would need all the room it could get.

 

[wagoneer]

having done my homework and searched a long time waiting to push the button I could not be happier with my 1995 Dodge 3/4 ton cummins and the attached 96R six pac camper. 1300 wet not a whole lotta storage. been using 2 x 5 gallon water stock propane setup and thinking about removing the energy hog refrigerator with a compressor based unit, that should save another 75 pounds. get a slide in that needs work and gut all the outdated stuff
i digress about the cabover's usefulness I love it and can lay, take a nap frolic with friends whatever anyone would do in a bed.

 

[Lalyly]

The BelAir shell is really neat and the price is good. A folding Tonneau cover is 1k new so 2k for a cabover shell is OK.
I tested the army cots don't fit in the truck's bed w/ the tailgate closed so I would need to build some storage/ bed unit. I'm not handy w/ the saw and drill, but could work something out.
To be honest I can sleep in the back seat area w/ the seats folded or buying an air mattress like this one: http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTIwMFgxMjAw/z/5x4AAOSwd0BV1E9r/$_58.JPG
I got a 100w solar panel and 2 golf cart batteries but they would be to heavy to move around so a portable solar would be better. 
It's not my dream van, but could be fine, just to get my feet wet. 

p.s. DH does not approve the truck topper  (it would be permanently on the truck => fuel consumption, it wouldn't fit in the garage, w/ the camping gear inside he wouldn't be able to use it for hauling other stuff around)