We have a 2007 FWC Keystone which we carry with our 1993 Dodge W250 extended cab pickup with 8 foot bed. The camper extends past the bed of the truck by around 6".
We have tried using it with tailgate off and tailgate on. We prefer tailgate on for a several reasons.
1) the tailgate serves as a nice ledge to set things on when getting in and out of the camper
2) the tailgate ledge serves as a place to stand and ducking down to get in or out is not a problem for either of us. We are in our late 60's and I am 6 feet tall. If I were much taller then ducking down might be more an issue. We use a Little Giant 3 foot, 3 step folding step ladder (without the hand hold bar) to get up to and down from the camper and it works perfectly. I added a small size Camco fold away grab handle which also works great.
3) The tailgate protects the underside of the camper that extends past the end of the bed.
4) the ledge made by the tailgate makes it easy for either of us to reach the rear camper latches without a ladder or step stool. I have running boards on the truck (I am going to replace them with rock rails) and we use those to stand on to reach the front latches.
5) The camper goes on and off the truck once or twice a year (round trip) and not needing to remove store and then replace the tailgate eliminates that minor hassle.
I have an aftermarket rear view camera mounted to my license plate bracket aimed so I can just barely see the top of the hitch receiver. The wide angle view also allows me to see several feet behind the truck. The backup camera makes lining up the hitch to my 18 foot wells cargo trailer quick and easy to do by myself. The camper goes on and off without having to deal with camera wiring.
I hope this information is helpful
Craig