Truck Length constraints?

[Canyon]

I do like the idea of the longer camper since I will be out for long periods. An 8 1/2 foot Alaskan is looking pretty good to me but I could also make it with a 7 footer if I had to. Decisions decisions.....

I went back and forth on the size of the truck just like you are doing. I finally decided I wanted the room in the camper, and I went with the supercab 8'bed. So far so good -- with just the truck. My parking experiences have been "interesting" although with practice my judgement is getting better. If I ever get to the Going to the Sun road, I decided I wanted to ride a tour bus and look at the scenery anyway.

 

[Happyjax]

Looking forward to seeing your rig! We may end up with very similar setups though I am still vacillating a lot...lol

 

[PackRat]

Happijax....unless four or five of you will be travelling, why get a four-door pickup? If LENGTH is an issue, pass on that option and go with an extended cab. My F25,0 an older '88 has a rather less-than-comfortable rear cab seat that folds down to use for storage. Access is via the pass seat folding up and forward.

My old F150 had a std cab and while I had an 8 ft. AK in there, I found the rig lacked "space for stuff" and you seem to want to haul stuff and expensive stuff at that!

Anyway, my '88 F250 extended cab has a wheelbase of 155" and THIS is what you need to know in terms of a turning radius. Frankly, it is as posted above....lousy. It does have power steering and an 18 and 17 gallon tank which it needs for the 460 gasser that gets only 9MPG but then again that is over 300 miles on a fillup....call it 250. Who goes more than 125 miles out and back without an extra 5 gallon jerry can or two which give you another 45-90 miles anyway....as they say...PLAN AHEAD.

I'm still looking for an 8 Ft. AK Cab Over...I plan on putting two plastic bins in the area in the cab back seat; one His and one Hers. They are for clean/dirty clothes, spare jackets, boots, whatever. If I parked at a motel for a night (Why?) I'd move 'em into the AK and leave nothing in sight for the smash 'n grabbers.

Then I have the cab over feature for comfortable sleeping for both of us. The 8' NCO has a bed that is 49" wide and that ain't cutting it for two adults any more. I want the one with a dinette/bed forward. Pending on how it was ordered, there will/wont be over head storage compartments. I REALLY don't want a ten footer, but the trade-off is a built in cassette type toilet but I will forgo that and use the "closet" to store a porta-potti. (really for over night #1 usage for the Mrs.).

In this configuration, my truck with AK mounted and tailgate UP is 20' long and should be OK in that department. As far as cab height goes, forget about most parking lots!

I looked at it this way....I won't spend much time in parking lots, zero time in multi-level parking lots and with 4x4 I'm good to go most places.

It's a compromise for all of us...you plan to LIVE in your rig so a 6.5 foot may be OK but let me tel ya, the difference between that and the 8 footer is about 63 cubic feet! Look at it that way.

A 10 foot camper means an 8 foot bed and the tailgate down where you can back into trees or poles and now you ARE at about 22 OAL unless you have a std cab truck.

Hey, you need a 3/4 ton truck...now just decide how much space you can do without and go from there. If you are going on a long trip, do you want to unload the camper to shove stuff in the cab when you make camp in the rain?

I have an "Idiot List" of everything to take with us and it comes in at about 84 items....that is for a three day trip. I suggest you start to get that list together, check out campers and trucks and see what you REALLY will need based on that, not on a rare ferry that is too small or the ability to park in the parking structure at the casino in 'Vegas. Getting a truck/camper into your garage at home is another whole ball of wax!

You don't want to be doing this again next fall when you realize you don't have enough camper for your needs or enough truck for your camper...or both.

If its just YOU...you don't need four doors on the truck and you can get by with an 8 foot camper....a 6.5 is tight and you have "stuff" you don't want to unload all the time. You can leave the bed set instead of the dinette, put a couple bins on it and squeeze in there I guess but...WHY?

 

[Happyjax]

I can easily put a 7ft in the 6 3/4 bed and I am only losing a foot over the 8. At this point it is only me and I do not plan to stay in the camper all the time. That is what the great outdoors is for but I do want storage and basic amenities.

I guess I will decide what trucks I like and then figure out what camper will fit. I can't imagine needing the crew cab so an extra cab by any other name should be fine. Just gotta see which bed I want and then find the matching camper..... easy peasy.....lol

It's a lot of money so I will take my time and try to get it right the first time out

Thanks for all the great responses!

It really has been a big learning experience following this very cool web site

 

[ntsqd]

FWIW I recently had this added to our CTD: http://www.aerotanks.com/inventory/d60.html While we rarely will use the range it provides, it is nice to be able to buy fuel where we want to buy it rather than where we need to buy it.

And FWIW part II, I have been on trips where my old Yota's ~300 mile range meant that I needed to carry a couple jerry cans. One to make it, and one for an emergency.

 

[Missing Link]

A 36 gallon tank is a $445.00 option on F150s, so I assume the same would hold true on the 3/4 and 1 ton models.

 

[rotti]

A 36 gallon tank is a $445.00 option on F150s, so I assume the same would hold true on the 3/4 and 1 ton models.

Nope, GM heavy duties are 36 gallons standard regardless of bed length.

 

[PackRat]

Great...the hunt begins!

Think of it like this....there was a big reason that for over 50-75 years no American Navy ship had a length of over 100' or a beam of over 100'....and we built some BIG battleships in the Iowa Class and BIG carriers in the Essex Class in WWII....it was because the size of the locks in the Panama Canal limited the "Two-Ocean Navy Principal". To swiftly move from Atlantic to Pacific battles rather than go around South America at the speed a task force would be limited to (probably the oilers), they built 'em to fit the locks.

Your search is a chicken-or-the-egg search....once you are either committed to a 3/4 ton 8' bed (ext bed or not) you can then look for a camper. If you searched for a smaller truck then ended up with a bigger, heavier camper you'd regret that.

Since you need to haul what ever you need to haul...figure that out then go find "enough" truck to get 'er done. The length of the truck is not an issue really if you come in at 20' which can be done with extended cab, 8 ft camper and 8' truck bed.

Good luck!

 

[rotti]

Never been on a battleship but built some models:
Iowa class:
Length 861.25'
Beam 108'

 

[smlobx]

.......
I have an "Idiot List" of everything to take with us and it comes in at about 84 items....that is for a three day trip. I suggest you start to get that list together.....

I have been thinking about developing a "list" as well...Any possibility of you sharing it so I/we can get a handle on it?
Thanks!

 

[smlobx]

Never been on a battleship but built some models:
Iowa class:
Length 861.25'
Beam 108'

I think he left a 0 off on the length...

 

[Vic Harder]

I have an "Idiot List" of everything to take with us and it comes in at about 84 items....that is for a three day trip. I suggest you start to get that list together, check out campers and trucks and see what you REALLY will need based on that, not on a rare ferry that is too small or the ability to park in the parking structure at the casino in 'Vegas. Getting a truck/camper into your garage at home is another whole ball of wax!

As a better, new and improved self proclaimed Idiot, I'd like to see that list too!

 

[PackRat]

We also employ the well-known "Idiot Check" of our camp prior to departure which includes running boards, roof, locked doors, cables, lines, BBQ area (is that fire REALLY OUT?) and everything else. It includes making sure everything that needs to be secured, turned off or on, drained or otherwise disposed of (take only pictures, leave garbage in proper disposal sites or take it home...this does not extend to trout as long as you have your license...).

 

[smlobx]

PackRat-
Thanks for sharing your list.
Other than beer etc. being at the bottom of your provisions list I think it's a great start for each of us to develop our own lists.

Thanks again!

 

[SeatoSea]

I'm packing now and my spouse hands me a 2.2lb bottle of "Snake Away"...really! I put it next to the Box wine[emoji485]

 

[PackRat]

"God does not subtract from men's lives the days spent fishing" - Assyrian Proverb

"Beer is God's way of telling us He loves us"

The point of my posting the "Idiot List" is in a way, a subtle hint about how much "stuff" one may need/want/require to take with them to accomodate their level of comfort out there in camperland. It is usually a LOT more than you think and in the first year of having your camper you discover more "stuff" you simply MUST have so insuring you have room in the camper or in the truck to carry all this stuff before committing to the length/size of either one a good assessment of what you will be taking out there needs to be done.

Note I left off, canoes or other roof top boats, mountain bikes, dirt bikes, winches, chain-saws or other items that not only take up SPACE, but add to the weight of your rig when you roll down the road. All this needs to be addressed before opening your wallet!

PS...the idiot list has saved me grief on more than one occasion..."for want of a corkscrew, a Kingdom was lost"...ya know what I mean?

 

[Vic Harder]

here is my list...
Dropbox - File Deleted - Simplify your life

 

[Pax2525]

I currently have a F150 Crew Cab with 6.5' and have been looking for a F250 8' bed to upgrade to. In a camper that 18" makes a huge deal!

We've used a grandby with the tailgate down which works but isn't ideal. I didn't have problems driving around the "larger truck" for the camper. But if I'm doing it everyday I'm a little hesitant just due to overall ease of use. I also am cramming 3 kids in the camper so that is part of the more space also.

 

[Bigfoot]

Vehicle size is another one of those tradeoffs. The Going to the Sun Road restrictions above eliminate many truck campers although no one was checking when we were there last year. Bertha, our Ram 2500 Crew Cab with 8-ft box, is 21.5 ft long and 8.5 ft wide including the mirrors (7'8" mirrors folded with jacks on). At least she is only 8'3" tall with the Hallmark popup.

My wife wanted a roomy camper so we went with the 8 ft box because I don't like campers that hang over the rear. The Ram 2500 comes in only a crew cab so no choice there. We enjoy the added storage space of the crew cab and the ability to carry passengers in comfort. The downside of such a large truck is that it is a challenge to maneuver on double tracks and in the city--I have learned the 7-point turn by necessity. A backup camera is essential. My wife will drive Bertha only on highways. I have not had a problem with wheelbase and breakover angle yet but they are a consideration on some trails. Also, the long box adds about 150 lbs which reduces payload. One last factor is the location of the roof antenna which is on the front with the Ram so that the camper does not completely block it. The downside is that the front of the camper is over the front doors so that water (rain, snow, frost) from the roof drips on us.

 

[klahanie]

Hello All ! Occasional lurker here; first time posting. Enjoy the site, thank you.


We are long time, original FWC owners (almost 20 yrs) currently driving a full size ext cab with an extra long box, putting the OAL atleast as long as a CC/LB.


Haven't really had a problem with the length although currently we mostly do long distance cruising (it's well suited per an earlier post). Never encountered a road with length restriction (knew about Glacier but have never been). Yes, coastal ferries here charge extra over 20' length. For us that's say $13 added to $102. Never seen anyone turned away anywhere for length - but might have to wait for the next sailing, yes.


Small towns I've actually found to be better than cities for driving and parking. Lot's of light trucks in the country (the west) it seems and I guess there may be more room for roads and parking because real estate is cheaper. Mind you an old, pre auto, small "down town" on the east coast would likely be altogether different. I have no experience in that regard. I do know that I dislike driving our rig in the city. Diesel and the size make it the wrong vehicle for me.


What this truck has given us over the our previous, shorter RC/LB is the ability to carry more "stuff" - this dovetails with the "minamilist" thread. Some of that "stuff" is recovery gear - sometimes overlooked when calculating space requirements. To us a hauling a camper demands payload and capacity. Length just comes with it. So far it's been a good trade off. Besides, I do like a bumper past the camper ..
.
Of course length does limit where we drive off highway. But when assessing the prospects of exploring a narrow side road the "fear" of a difficult turn around - because of length - is usually acompanied by the fear of pin stripping or getting stuck. Any one of that triumvirite can trigger a pass, but happily, not always ...

Hope that is of some help.


oh, I almost forgot, the price of admission


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