rjspillane said:
Thanks to everyone for the feedback. I guess there is no way around it. We are now considering a truck bed camper. Can someone point me to a place on the forum where I can get input on weight restrictions and upgrading the suspension of a 2014 Chevy Silverado 1500?
Unfortunately, upgrading the suspension on a truck does nothing to increase how much weight it can safely carry. Other factors including braking ability, frame strength, axle, wheel and tire weight capacities determine how much weight you can safely move down the road.
All of these, not just the suspension, are upgraded when you change to a higher rated truck.
And to add insult to injury, a full height truck camper mounted on a pickup truck has about the same frontal area as towing a full sized trailer behind the truck. You won't gain much in fuel mileage compared to towing a trailer.
If you're really concerned about fuel costs, look at the
TrailManor hard sided fold up travel trailers. They fold down for travel, reducing the wind resistance behind the tow vehicle. TrailManor claims a car or truck will use 1 extra gallon per 100 miles towing them.
Or take another look at how much you'll actually spend on fuel versus your overall budget. People on a limited time, one or two week vacation tend to travel vast distances to accomplish everything they want inside the limited time available to them. People who spend significant amounts of time touring the country usually settle into a much more relaxed routine. In reality, most experienced RVers put about 6000 miles per year on their RVs after the initial rush is over, settling into a pattern of staying in one place for longer periods of time instead of constantly moving from place to place.
The real fun is what you do between the times you're moving the RV from place to place. Explore the local sights on your own schedule without worrying about how much you can accomplish before heading out to your next destination. This includes seeing places like national parks where it's easier to set up the RV as a base camp and use the tow vehicle by itself to go sightseeing, which not only makes it easier to find parking spots but uses less fuel than moving the whole rig from place to place.
Stay for a week at a time instead of moving every couple of days and you'll not only save a significant amount of money on fuel and campground costs, but you'll have time to pursue your other life activities. Even things like food shopping or doing laundry is easier when you don't have to rush through it to get it done before it's time to pack up and move again.
