Old Post - Why Buy a TC

I replied to a post that had not been replied on for 120 days, and it suggested I start a new topic. Quote below and my question from the older post.

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17 Oaks said:

The more we looked and researched the better the TC looked.  Several years ago we bought a Arctic Fox 1150, 4 season camper and loaded it onto a F 350 crew cab, long bed, dually...that has been going on 4 years again and we are as happy with it today as the day we bought it.  We (me and wife) and our 4 dogs, 3 weigh less than 14 lbs and one weighs 80 lbs and they love it as much as we do.  We lived in it for 3 months when we moved from Az to Texas (while we were having work done on the place we were buying).

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This makes me wonder if I as a solo traveler can travel many months in a TC with a Bloodhound and Basset hound...with a ramp for them to get in and out of the camper, instead of the steps.

A TC is my first choice to travel in throughout the western states. My hounds are definitely going with me. It's either a TC or a trailer ... I'd prefer a TC. Most of our time will be spent outside and I do understand I could be staying inside for days with these hounds when I'm caught in bad weather.

Opinions?

I use a truck camper for several reasons. Probably the main reason is that I can still tow a trailer (boat, car, whatever) and I can't afford a big diesel pusher. My crew cab dually is a far better tow vehicle than a smaller motorhome. I know, I tried a few, with weight-ditributing hitches and all? plus I generally hate Class A RVs because I do all my own work.

Other truck camper advantages; huge king size bed (if you get an extended-cabover model) that is always a bed, you don't have to fold it back into a couch during the day.
You can park in any parking spot your truck would fit in.
If you have a 4-wheel-drive truck, you also have a 4-wheel-drive RV!

Cons; it's a lot easier to hitch and unhitch a trailer than it is to load and unload a camper.
Campers offer the least space. (However, that means it's easier to heat or air-condition!)
Campers tend to be expensive. You can buy a trailer about twice the size for the same money, new or used.
You need a stout truck either way, camper or trailer, but after years of all different combinations, I'll never put a camper on less than a one-ton dually pickup again.

The space issue isn't much of a problem if you're mostly using the camper as life support while doing things outside the rig. When I'm in my camper I'm usually eating, sleeping, or washing.

I think if you're going to be traveling a lot and not setting up and staying in one place much, you'll like the ease of getting around with a truck camper. It's kind of a pain in the @$$ to drag a trailer around all the time.

JoeMonstermaker said:

but after years of all different combinations, I'll never put a camper on less than a one-ton dually pickup again.

I think if you're going to be traveling a lot and not setting up and staying in one place much, you'll like the ease of getting around with a truck camper. It's kind of a pain in the @$$ to drag a trailer around all the time.

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"One ton" ... that one thing I keep wondering about. I have a 3/4 ton short bed. From the photos I have seen of the size of campers that fit that truck style, they look to big for the truck. So what would be the wear and tear on the truck, say after a year of full-time use?

I plan on setting up and staying in one places (boondocking) as much as possible. When I think trailer, I see using my covered truck bed for storage, water, extra dry food, spare generator (will have solar panels) etc. Yet, I like the mobility of the truck camper. Even at this moment I keep going back and forth between trailer and camper with the ones I am looking at buying are the same price.

Oh - with that situation I'll completely change my tune and suggest looking a lot more at trailers.
Campers get really small when you stay in them very long, especially the ones that fit a short bed truck.
Your truck is the other big factor. It would be a great trailer puller but not so great a camper hauler.
It's not an issue of wear on your truck, it's plenty stout. It's that being a short bed severely limits how big a camper you can put on without having it drive terribly.

If money isn't a problem there are some pretty impressive new short bed campers that have slide-outs. Storage is still pretty tight though. With a trailer you'd have your truck bed for storage and a whole lot more living space.  Plus if you're going to be planted in one spot for a while it's nice to be able to use your truck to get around.