1st question - small Airstream vs slide in cab over truck??

New to this forum and fairly new to RVing in general.  Owned and lived in a Tioga for a summer and enjoyed it except that I was 'tied' to my home on wheels.  I can see the value of being able to park my 'house' and drive a normal truck for simple chores.
Don't want too big of a RV.........sleep 4 or 5 at most and have been leaning towards a small 20ft trailer or a cab over, slide in pick up rig. Ideally, something that is big on the inside and small on the outside............haha, impossible??
Can't afford a new rig, but don't want anything older than 6 or 7 years unless it has been stored under cover and has minimal use.  I do appreciate quality, strength, comfort, design and lite weight so what my best options be??
Best brands of small trailers??
Best brands of slide in, cab overs??

Thanks in advance.............

What kind of truck do you have?  You will have to start with your weight and money limitations!

sleeping 4-5 in a slide in seems tight, although I know they do make them
A friend of mine had a Host slide in that had a tent pop out bed in the back, like one end of a pop-up camper.
Something like that might be an option, but that thing was big.  He had it on an F-350 dually.
upshot was that he could pull his boat behind it and could leave the camper at home or at a camp site and drive away.

4 or 5 in a 20 ft trailer means stacking them like cordwood!  You need to go look at some trailers and get a feel for the layout. Try to imagine spending two rainy days in a row in that space, first by yourself and then again with some friends. Inject some reality into your dream rig.

;D It could be done if the passengers laid back five year olds and what are the chances of that.

Sorry for not being so specific.  I should have mentioned that I'm starting from square 1 and will be shopping for the truck on the west coast in a few months and assume that the truck will depend on what kind of rig I choose to go with.  I am planning a few months on my own exploring and looking for a semi permanent family friendly RV camp and will later bring my Thai wife and 2 teenagers over [that's another story].  If and when they do come over, then I'll consider a larger rig to use as a home base and the small trailer/cab over for exploring.
So, starting at square 1, I need to choose a truck that will comfortably haul a small lite trailer and maybe in the future, a larger 'mother ship' to it's mooring, where it will be mostly parked as our home base.
I'm mostly leaning towards a small lite trailer over the cab over slide in camper for the reasons that you guys have pointed out.............size and storage space.
The Airstream seems to turn me on and besides it's beautiful lines, I appreciate the all aluminum aspect of it.  Being fairly new to hauling a trailer, I think that it would be smart to start small, like 20' before I get the 'mother ship' @ 30'.
a couple of quick questions re:
The hauling truck..............would like a 4 door cab and a fuel efficient, but strong enough motor with an automatic trans about 6 to 7 years old [budget $7k]................suggestions please.
My first trailer: small and lite, 20-22 ft and single or double axel??  again, suggestions please. budget $20k.
actually my budget for truck and trailer would be under $30k to get on the road.................can do??

With all the regulations, hassles and just plain nasty stuff I have heard about California placing on life in general, IF TRUE,   then i would be very inclined to shop for a Truck in AZ.  I saw some really nice P/U for sale in Yuma last winter.  Las Vegas too.  Although like Vegas in general, you really would need to be careful. One RV dealer I did deal with in Vegas and would recommend is Johnny Walker.  Excellent to work with. my issue was body work on my trailer, not an RV purchase.  They have been around 50 years. 

Of course what I am saying I am sure would apply to many cities.  I just have a strong anti California bias. ;D ;D  Oregon and Washington too. ;D

Welcome to the Forum!

You say that you are planning to start with a small trailer or truck camper and then purchase a larger trailer. If you don't want to have to purchase a new truck to tow the larger trailer, you need to know at least the maximum GVWR of the larger trailer to purchase an appropriate tow vehicle for that future rig. Trailers with enough cargo carrying capacity for four people fulltime will be heavy. You will likely be looking at the 250/2500 series trucks. As has been said many truck campers are heavy and you will be looking at the 350/3500 series trucks which would likely give you a lot of choices for the larger trailer.

Since you don't know how big the ultimate trailer will be, don't even consider half ton (F150/1500 series) trucks. A 3/4 ton (F250/2500 diesel) should be your minimum. And if the slide -in camper is still an option, go for the F350/3500 class, cause you will need the extra weight carrying capability.

While a 30 foot trailer may seem huge to you now, it is well short of being a "mother ship". And if it has to provide living space for your wife and two teenagers, it is going to seem quite small!

And if it has to provide living space for your wife and two teenagers, it is going to seem quite small!

Click to expand...

Amen!

Advantage trailer:  You get to RV park, Set up, Find you packed the burgers, but forgot the buns.. Got to run to ye old store..    No need to "Un-set" and re-set up.

Caution there are RV parks, state parks and such that prohibit separating a slide in camper from the pickup truck.  This will leave you with no way to run around town if desired to get groceries and things.  Keep this in mind when making your decision.  You have been warned.

Thanks for the tips and warnings.  I can see the advantages of both in that if I wanted to grab a big mac [uck!] and use their wifi for any length of time, then a trailer would be an elephant in the McD's parking lot, where a cab over would be a little less obvious and easier to park. 
That being the largest advantage of the cab over except for the general ease of maneuvering of a trailer in traffic situations.  Not much experience with trailers, but with a smaller one, I'm sure I could master it before moving up.
As to size, the rig will only be for temporary short time use and if we find a long term place, I would buy an cheaper older, but larger trailer and park that semi permanently to use as a bedroom for the kids and wife and I would use the smaller unit for our bedroom.
Totally agree that it's better to oversize than undersize and will follow that suggestion in choosing the vehicle and the rig.
Thanks all...........