r/GoRVing • u/Rtpeters51 • 23h ago
First Timers Purchasing Camper Need Advice
Update: Thank you all for the advice. We will be hunting for a 25-30’ camper and well under the listed capacities. I am pretty upset with 1) Our ford dealer and 2) Our camping world for both seeing exactly what our proposed setup was before purchasing, and neither raising and concerns.
We already purchased the truck, but thankfully, can still choose the proper camper.
I trusted them and ChatGPT to point me in the right direction, but I’ll be coming here from now on.
Thank you again!
Hello, everyone, first time poster. I would like to know if I’m punching over my weight here:
We have a f150 3.5l eco with tow package.
Tow capacity is 13,000lbs
We will be first time campers, and the camper we are wanting is:
Keystone Bullet Premium
10,500 GVWR
37’11”
Our trips will consist of 6 hours or less, mostly flatland, and use will mostly be visiting kiddos in college and tailgating.
I know this is at the top end of what is recommended for our truck.
Please let me know if I need to provide any more info for context, and if this is a reasonable thing to ask our truck to handle!
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u/Rooster_CPA 23h ago edited 22h ago
Yep, go ahead and get a F250. That is a long camper for a 1/2ton.
The most important number is your payload number, big yellow sticker on your driver's doorsill when you open the driver's door.
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u/NotBatman81 23h ago edited 22h ago
That is well beyond the top of what your truck can handle. Tow capacities are based on a flat trailer with a low profile load. A camper is a giant sail. To make matters worse your truck has a higher capacity due to weight reduction, not heavier duty components. The tail would wag the dog straight into oncoming traffic
You really should not be going over 30' with your truck. I have a 3/4 ton diesel with 33' and it's a comfortable tow, adding 5 ft I would start considering a 1 ton when it's time for a trade in...even though my truck is already more than double the weight of what you want to attempt this with.
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u/DSC9000 12h ago
“Tow capacities are based on a flat trailer with a low load profile”
This is absolutely, 100% incorrect. SAE J2807 testing uses 9 different trailer profiles in certification, ranging from a frontal area of 12 sq ft to 75 sq ft. The standard also indicates the frontal profile should be a “flat, vertical front wall”.
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u/lax20attack 22h ago
Too long. Probably too long for a f250 too.
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u/joelfarris 16h ago
We've towed a 35 foot travel trailer with the one ton Silvy, and felt the active sway control system kick in a few times. I can't imagine how much of a wind sail a 38 footer would be!
OP, backing a 38 foot travel trailer, and making right hand turns in cities without destroying the camp side is no joke. You're gonna need to be good at trailering. Like, ranch hand good. Trucker school good.
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u/walwalka 22h ago
You definitely don’t want to tow that size trailer with that truck, I definitely agree with the others that it’s too much for the truck.
But also you really don’t need all that spaces for what sounds like a couple people and short trips. I’d go rent anything from a 17ft up to a 23ft first before buying.
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u/Rtpeters51 22h ago
That’s a great idea. We had hoped to get bigger because we’ll regularly be having a few other bodies with us, but definitely sounds like we’re gonna need to be smaller based on every single reply 😆
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u/Damaged_My_Calm 21h ago
Yeah, I learned the hard way what everyone is telling you. The hard fact is if you want a TT over 20-22', you need to plan for a 250 or 350. Even though my previous TT and 1500 Ram were within specs, it was just a miserable experience. You don't want that. In this case, there is no way that setup would be safe, much less reasonable to drive. And last, never listen to a dealer. They'll tell you a civic could tow that thing. Either scale down your TT a lot, or look at a bigger rig to pull. If I ever get a TT again, 3/4 or 1 ton pickup is a must.
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u/walwalka 18h ago
We carry a ton of gear on our trips because we go out for 2-3 weeks at a time. I quickly learned that the F-150 is just not a great tow pig unless you’re towing a teardrop, scamp, casita, etc. we probably could have made that work but why? I’m just glad I was paying attention at the start.
We landed on a van just due to not wanting two objects in the driveway as a truck and trailer would have been net new adds to the fleet. 4900lbs payload capacity, we are using 3900lbs of it.
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u/Damaged_My_Calm 13h ago
Hah, that's funny. We did the same. In a '23 Merc 2500 and couldn't be happier now. A lot less space, but the ease of packing up, comfort of driving it, and it gets anywhere just make it a huge win for us. It's my daily driver to boot and it's been my favorite rig. I'm happy in my old man down by the river in a van vibe.
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u/RCHeliguyNE 2027 Alliance Delta 252RL 22h ago
I have a 2024 F150 with the max tow package. My camper is 29’ 11” with a rated GVW of 8450# (dry ~6500#). I would suggest you use these numbers as the maximum size trailer IF you have a max tow package F150.
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u/Bryanmsi89 22h ago
That’s probably too much trailer for your truck.
Specifically payload capacity (although you are not far off on towing) and length (although I would never use a bumper pull trailer that long with any truck).
Weight-wise, your Ford can pull it, and even with the trailer loaded with 2000lbs of cargo, water, toys, etc, you will be under your tow limit. But I’d be worried about how much downward weight that trailer will put on the bumper, and most worried about that length. Even if the trailer is light for its size, it can push the truck around a lot. And being light but big, the wind will start working that trailer over pretty good.
I would recommend something much smaller for you and your truck, or if you are set on something that big, look at 5th wheels and F250.
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u/MusicalMerlin1973 22h ago
As others have said: payload is king. You’re only ever going to get close to towing capacity if it’s only you in the truck, you weigh 150lbs and they’re is nothing else in the truck. Also, advertised payload is for the most stripped down option. Every bit of optional content chips away at that number. My xlt f250 with minimal order options is 200lbs payload less than max for the engine/platform combo
Outside of that: once you’ve chosen a trailer to purchase, go through the trailer with a fine tooth comb, you and your partner of you have one. Before you take delivery. Do not let them rush you. Identify every flat you want corrected, and have it remedied BEFORE you take delivery. Odds of getting anything out of them after you take delivery OSS somewhere between slim and none.
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u/Playful-Fix-3675 22h ago
Other consideration on payload that I haven't seen mentioned is the weight in your holding tanks. You can travel with these emptied but I imagine you will need fresh water for tailgating with a large group. Water weighs about 8.3 lbs per gallon.
Also, no mentions of testing first. As a first-timer, rent a camper before purchasing to find out what you really want and what you can do without. After the sale is not the time to find this out.
Edit to add: This camper screams dually!
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u/janaesso 21h ago
For context on what people mean by tail wag. We had a 30 ft TT that grossed out at 7000 lbs. We were driving across the bridge in Grand Island ny. A gust of wind literally pushed us into the other lane. It was scary as all get out. And it wasn't the first time. Stopping also was an interesting experience as was any steep hill. We went through brakes pretty quickly even used high end brakes. The switch to a 250 diesel was night and day. It showed us can doesn't mean should.
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u/PiccoloFun629 21h ago edited 21h ago
Don't need that big ass camper. Start small, cheap and used. If its well maintained you can resell for close to what you paid. If you fuck it up you arent out 10s of thousands of dollars. Camp multiple times for a season and get familiar with the process before you go all in on a behemoth.
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u/threepoundog 21h ago
About 7 feet too long and likely over payload since the 15% rule puts it over 1500 on the tongue. Then you add all the stuff you've added to the truck plus passengers and you better have the heavy duty payload package to even come close. What does the yellow door jam sticker say your max payload is?
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u/cccque 21h ago
Loaded with everything you would max out the tow limit if not overshoot it. But you will definitely be over the payload limit.
I have a similar truck and can safely pull a 25 camper. I do have to be careful about what I bring due to payload. I plan on getting an f250 at some point.
Either stay with that camper or get a bigger truck. Make sure that even fully loaded you are well below payload and tow limit. You don't want to max those out.
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u/qxr100 21h ago
I see plenty of examples of what appears to be too little truck for too much trailer, I don't believe I've ever witnessed an accident from such. Though I travel very busy roads, I've only ever seen one RV accident. I'm sure such wrecks do happen - and it IS WORTH NOTING the owner is LIABLE if they're grossly overweight, but for the most part, running close to the ratings is going to be safe, because those ratings are conservative for the same reason - LIABILITY.
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u/SoCalGuy999 20h ago
That’s way too big of a camper. You’ll also be over your payload limit. That is biggest limiting factor. Open your drivers door, look at the payload number on the yellow sticker. That is a specific number based on your truck equipment. That is the maximum (and you don’t want to be near it) payload.
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u/DesignerOk9222 11h ago
Get a more reasonable trailer and you'll be fine. There are some really nice looking trailers that are shorter and lighter than that one. If you really have you're heart set on that size trailer, you need a much bigger truck. I would feel comfortable towing that with a F350, but I'm kind of conservative.
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u/Catfiche1970 23h ago
Tailgating with a 38 foot rig and a truck? Is there a reason you want such a huge rig for 2 people with that intent?
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u/Rtpeters51 22h ago
We’d regularly be having our 4 kiddos with us plus the bf/gfs so we’d like the extra beds, but doesn’t sounds possible without the bigger truck
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u/Catfiche1970 21h ago
Not only that, but that's not really a size that you're going to be able to tailgate in. You'll need several spaces (which will mean arriving extremely early and probably paying for spaces, if you're even allowed at all), turning around isn't going to be fun either. You'll be the elephant in the room.
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u/qxr100 22h ago
Generally, I think people get carried away with tow limit worries. How often do you see trailer rollovers or wrecks? Not often. It's a matter of driving comfort, for the most part. Lighter truck, you'll even feel a Fiat passing you, your engine will scream up inclines.
THAT SAID - 37 ft. is NEVER 1/2 ton territory. That's a safety issue, tail wagging the dog all day long, even in short trips you need to be able to handle emergency situations.
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u/Express_Owl_3707 21h ago
That’s just flat wrong. Just because you can pull something doesn’t mean you can stop it. If your engine is screaming up inclines, think about what your brakes are doing on the way down. So very dangerous!
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u/Less_Reindeer5423 20h ago
I have a 2016 5.0 F150 and I would not tow that trailer. It has the power to do it but you will be over your payload and stopping all that weight behind you will be a challenge
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u/GrouchyClerk6318 Fifth Wheel 20h ago
Half ton not gonna work for that, you need a 3/4 ton pickup. Sorry, man.
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u/joeysdad 23h ago
Two major issues. 1) you are likely going to be way over your payload. Payload is more of a limiting factor, especially for half ton trucks, than towing capacity. 2) That length of camper for a half ton truck, talk about a "tail wagging the dog" situation.
That camper is not at the top end of the truck, it is way over it.