In this video, we share some of the reasons why we switched from a camper van to a truck camper kzfaq.info/get/bejne/d9ljodqLtaisd3k.html

For me, a senior woman, I prefer my van. All-in-one, easy to get from "house" to "car", and I'm not interested in doing rough back-country, though I do like getting away and boondocking rather than campgrounds. I also chose an older e150, keeping the cost low. As you said, everyone must decide what works best for them, and this works great for me.

I started camping in a camper van about 15 years ago. I discovered how much I loved camping and moved up to a small travel trailer, and then a big travel trailer spending time at many different campgrounds up and down the east coast as a Thousand Trails member. I then discovered how much I enjoyed boondocking on the beaches of Long Island and getting off the beaten path upstate NY. The natural progression was to a truck camper. I now have a Lance truck camper and would never go back to any of the previous campers. Less tolls, more maneuverability, versatility, and the ability to go just about anywhere with true 4WD and ground clearance put truck campers in a league of their own. Plus, as you mentioned, I drop the camper wherever I want and run all sorts of errands in the truck while leaving all the hookups and leveling intact. When I get back home after several months away, I then have a truck to do 'truck things' with. Simply, truck campers ROCK!

I’ve owned camper vans and truck campers. One truck camper was hard side and the other one was a popup. Camper vans are easy. They are “motorhomes” and fit the benefits and requirements of any motorhome, but on a smaller scale. Licensing and insurance are basically the same, whatever the size. Yes, DIYs have added complications, but at the end of the day, whichever documents you must complete at your department of licensing to certify it’s “motorhome” designation or if your are required to go through a broker to insure it, it is still a motorhome when all the signatures are done and the fees have been paid. You pay your registration yearly and insurance premium annually or semiannually, which is what you do for all motorhomes. However, there is one omission you’ve made concerning truck campers (well, two, but I’ll get to that shortly). In many states, truck campers are “RVs”. And, your pickup truck is NOT. So, that is TWO titles to pay for at your department of licensing. As for insurance, even if your truck camper is simply “cargo” in your state, there will be two policies for the truck-camper combination, if you choose to insure the camper. From an expense and maintenance perspective, I think this is a negative. You have shown hard side truck campers and popups as if they are the same thing. I am a full timer. I spend several months in a year in the desert southwest. I see very few popups at the boondocking spots. I see hard sides all the time (in fact, I’m looking at two as it type this). Most of us here are very experienced. We have gotten the popup nonsense figured out, either by experience or by the experience of others. The desert is a windy place. The popup truck camper is a TENT. Tent flapping is debilitating, nerve racking. But this doesn’t stop the young popup camperers from going to Baja. It’s just so logical: Small truck, lightweight camper, good fuel economy…. Baja is windy. On the Sea of Cortez air pours down from the States. It’s not horrendous. There’s just enough consecutive days of it to deprive some of adequate sleep. Oh, that constant flapping. It leads to other problems. Just use your imagination. This is why you find popups parked out of the wind, off the beach. It’s grueling. (I park right on the beach in my camper van. The wind just rocks me to sleep.) But, for a weekender, they are golden. Well, for the most part. If your weekend includes sideways rain, your Monday back at work may find you looking at the clock, longing for quitting time. But yeah, cheaper, good fuel economy; it’s practical for a weekender. Hard sides have problems, too: Suck gas, ride quality and handling come to mind. But, there are other downsides. Of those, I think that moisture is a big issue. One advantage of a popup is air circulation. You’re not likely to find mold in the cab over. But given that the hard side cab over is a box surrounded by air on 5 of 6 sides, there is condensation on cold days. Some of the more expensive hard sides have heater ducts in the cab over. It seems like that would prevent moisture buildup. But, that’s more weight and more height. I lived in a hard side for a year. It finally wore me out. I didn’t mind having to exit the vehicle to enter the camper. In fact, l liked it. I had windows on all sides. I was up high, so I could see well…. I was just everything else. My camper van handles great. It’s got everything I need. Moisture is not a problem (but could be if you’re not careful). Camper vans have their problems but nothing like I’ve experienced in my truck campers.

As a single retired male, I built out a Ford transit connect. I don't live in it full time, but, have had it on the road for 2-3 months many times. Has water, cassette toilet, single bed, and lithium. Great thing is pretty good gas mileage, not too expensive to build, and don't feel bad when I want to pull over and get a hotel for a few days. Works for me.

We’ve had two travel trailers, a popup tent camper, a Class C motor home, and now a Campervan. What works best for us is to be nimble and quick. It took a while to figure that out but we are so happy with our van. We don’t need to plug-in power but if we do it takes us less than 5 minutes to break camp and be on the road. That was what is important to us. To cover a lot of ground in a fast amount of time.

You can have a pass through with a truck camper. You remove the back window and remove the window in the camper. There are several types of...gasket would be the best word I guess. But the one we have is inflatable and it makes a seal and cushion.

After selling my van during the pandemic, I purchased a 2023 FWC hawk model. After only 2 months of use, I have put it up for sale. The popup is definitely not a good fit for me due to the noise from outside, no air conditioner and an indoor shower that is a pain to use. Also, I just don't feel safe without hard walls around me.. When its windy you feel like you're in a tent. I'm in the process of looking at another B class van and the prices are finally dropping drastically.

I went from a 24' class c to a 2012 F-250 (gasser) with a 2003 Lance truck camper. Wanted to be able to go off road, camp on the beach, etc. The camper was in near perfect condition, the truck was high mileage (223K). Total cost was $17,500.😊 As a 6'4" dude, the queen bed over the cab, and the 6'8" interior were key.

Don't forget the ability of a camper van to be more stealthy as compared to a truck camper. I think a converted cargo van can be made to look like a normal cargo van but add a camper on top of a truck and everyone knows that there could be someone sleeping in it. If you want to be able to stealth camp on the streets of a city a converted cargo van is probably the better option in my opinion.

I had a lance 650 on a ram 2500 that I could take any where. My family outgrew it. I trip out on the trendy popularity of the Sprinter van craze. Every time I look inside one I always think a truck camper is such a better option. More room can be less expensive and more versatile

You did a great job explaining the pros and cons of each type of setup. I thought about these too when deciding what to buy. My own orientation is I have little interest in being able to go on 4WD roads, as I really dislike rough roads and "bumpy" driving, and certainly am averse to any type of "technical" routes which not only require a 4WD but also skill at navigating these rougher roads. I do realize that the ability to travel on 4WD routes would greatly expand the number of areas I could access, as well as open up more possibilities of greater solitude. But I so dislike driving on these roads that I am content with not having access to those areas, at least via driving (I do hike or bike in on 4WD roads). That decided, I also felt much more attracted to the larger interior space a van offered. It's not just that you don't have to exit the vehicle to get to the camper, but also that the cab area becomes part of the camper space in a van. I ended up with a Ford Transit medium roof, long wheelbase, and when I turned the passenger seat around and positioned it to face rearward to the cargo/camper area, it's now a comfy armchair in my living area, and I also have a folding table I can put in front of it to use this as a dining area. The living area feels bigger when it includes the cab, and also is illuminated by light coming through the windshield, important when you have a van with no windows in the cargo area. I pass between the cab and the cargo or living area quite a lot. On rainy or windy days in particular, I don't open the sliding side door of the van, and just enter and exit thru the cab. Also, I'm able to use the passenger seat and driver seat to store some items when I'm occupying the living area -- eg a backpack, a bag of clothes -- and this helps keep the living area less cluttered. It would be really annoying to not have access between the cab and camper when wanting to move things back and forth a lot like this. So in many ways, the cab IS part of the camper living space, in a camper van, in a way that you can't do in a truck camper setup. People may not realize the importance of this until spending time camping in the vehicle. There are other benefits too...the camper van has the large side sliding door, when when opened up, makes you feel part of the landscape, with that much of nature right next to your living area. A truck camper lacks this. Even if you have double back doors on the truck camper, it's not likely you can leave the whole space open in front of those, to achieve a big spacious view space, the way you can in a camper van, particularly if you don't block the side door by putting a kitchen counter or sink there as many do. So, I feel that the whole van interior space design is more appealing, particularly when considered in combination with nature outside, than can be accomplished in a truck camper setup.

My Sportsmobile 4x4 van with Atlas transfer case will go just about anywhere a truck will go. And it's much more functional in my opinion. My 21' 4x4 Chinook is a pleasure to travel in.

When I decided I was going to travel after retirement and not maintain a home, I looked at several options. I decided Class A motorhomes were to large to go to most places I wanted and cost to operate were high including at least $75 a night to park in an RV park. So then it came down to three options: Class B, Class C, or Trailer. From a cost perspective, if you already have a tow vehicle, a trailer is going to be cheaper and more manageable depending on size of the trailer. I didn't consider truck camper because they had limited features and you have to exit the truck to get into the camper. I know you have to do the same with a trailer but you get more features like a real bathroom and larger water tanks. I ended up selecting a 22 foot airstream because I wanted the space if this was going to be my only home and figured it would maintain a greater resale value. However, after being on the road for a few months, I realized I needed a larger truck to two it so ended up spending more money. Then after towing for about 8 months, I realized that I was staying less than three days in a particular spot and I was spending a lot of time in tear down, drive, and setup and less in exploring. I have now gone back to purchasing a house as home base, so I don't need a large camping vehicle. I sold my trailer and now building a Class B van. One other factor to consider which isn't my case (being single) is the number of people traveling. Even in a 22 foot airstream, it can be tight fit for two people trying to move around in. My recommendation before looking at any sort of solution is to determine some needs: 1) Number of people traveling 2) Distance you want to travel per day and the type of roads you are going to be on 3) Number of days you want to spend in any particular location and cost to "park" your solution. 4) Number of days your solution will be stored per month and possible cost of storage If you are retired and only moving your motorhome twice a year, a Class A might be the solution If you are only going to use it for two-three weeks out of the year, you might find renting a vehicle is better. If you are like me and want the option to go "off road" and get away from it all then a Class B or truck camper might be the best. There is no single answer for everyone. Explore the total cost of operations for all solutions. It turned out costing me about $4000 a month to be on the road including truck and trailer payments.

You never beat the T3 Syncro camper van, gets you everywhere and with the visco cuppling you can switch from 2 to 4 wheel any time. If you get stuck - use the diff lock !

I'm planning to purchase either a truck camper or a class b when I retire in a few years. I was dead set on a custom built van for a while because I like the idea of being able to pass between the cab and camper without exiting. However, then I thought about the off-road limitations and the high cost of a custom van and that got me to look at truck campers. Now I'm leaning toward a lightly used 3/4 ton truck and a new popup camper. It's a tough choice because there are clear advantages and disadvantages to both, so you have to be willing to compromise either way.

After 4 years full time, I still love my Ford F350 and Capri truck camper.

Which camper might be BEST FOR YOU…a key point that you raised. I would also add that a lot also depends on your floor plan. A truck camper floor plan will often have more volume and feel much larger than an equivalent van. Some vans have more focus on sleeping and room under the bed….others more like a small home with an enclosed bathroom and small eating area; the latter is pretty much the way truck campers are set up. Agree that truck campers are typically better off road, but remember than they are tall and so not quite nimble off road given higher center of gravity plus tree branches can be an issue (much less so if a pop up truck camper, but not the most common). Most vans will go on minor forest roads easily enough and of course are great on roads. If you want that off road capability most of the time a truck camper likely the best choice. Great video…no perfect choice. We went with a Promaster based van (extended version) and love it…but mostly stay in parks (paved or gravel roads)….still love the thought of a truck camper for a bit more room and a bit more off road chops but in truth that need would be rarely used by us. Always a hard call as you said!

After a couple of travel trailers (towed by a truck) and then a 37' class A we now roll in a B van. Joe hit all the key points. It's a second "car" (daily driver), we can bring friends and family along, if it's just a trip to watch the grandkids at the ball park or a days drive on a family vacation. The front seats rotate to make for a nice living area with air conditioning and heat as needed. We park anywhere and get back on the road without ever going outside. etc etc.. it just works, like having your bedroom, living room and kitchen at your finger tips. That's just us.. not a lot of running room.. my significant other has on occasion mentioned hell's kitchen.

I'm looking at getting a bigger truck and a truck camper and living in it full time. To pay off bills and save up money. I don't ask for handouts. So this will work for me. God bless everyone here and keep on living. 🙏👍❤️🇺🇸

As a solo woman, I prefer the van. I need to be able to get to the driver seat in emergency situations.

Great summary video. I used to do consulting for people to help them select a good mobile living solution. The first thing I would say is forget about all the bewildering options of different campers, vans etc. I would have them first pencil out how they want to live, where they want to go, what they plan to be doing. And then fit the vehicle to that. Tidbits - used sprinters are generally a poor choice. It's so hard to get service on them almost anywhere in the country, and they get very expensive to fix when they get older/higher mile. When buying a used vehicle of any sort, it's totally worth getting a good independent mechanic inspection. There is something to the safety, especially for single women of being able to go from the back of a camper van to the driver seat when things go very bump in the night. Very rare that that might happen. Although a wireless button with flashing lights and siren on the outside of a vehicle may suffice. For used truck campers or standard motorhomes always look for water intrusions, water likes to get in around the body panels and cause rot inside the walls and floor and often under the bed area. The only truck campers I will buy are Northern light or Bigfoot, they don't have body seams.

It depends mostly what type of camping your into, after alot of experimentation we got a standard cab, 8' bed 2007 dodge 1500 4x4 with camper shell , put a 4" lift on it and a professional crawl-thru, this setup is perfect for us, the crawl-thru dumps into a pillow top mattress an leaves room for a dc fridge/freezer and room for firewood, we don't camp around others an this truck lets us escape, we camp all over the sierra's (8000' to 10000') also Death Valley an a few beaches in Oregon an Washington. I'm in my mid sixtys an for now this is perfect.

I’m almost 60 and we just started camping with a toy hauler that we use to bring our RXT300 Sea Doo. I really like the versatility of a truck camper, the small size, no pulling a trailer and the ability to disconnect from truck.

Love this comparison video! I currently have a quick bed platform set up in my truck with a hi top Leer canopy. It works great for 3 to 5 day trips with what does not fit in my 2 slider drawers under bed being stored in the back seat area of the cab. Plan to travel more extended and this really gives me a lot to think about.

We've had two truck campers; a Four Wheel and a Hallmark, both pop-ups, and they served us well. As you noted, the camper will go wherever the truck will go, which is very convenient. But as we've gotten older (early 70s), comfort has become more of an issue. And that is why we have on order a Winnebago EKKO. Not exactly a van, but close enough. We enjoy your channel... always interesting and informative. Thanks.

I wanted a campervan but more space and better insulation, so we went with a WGO Ekko! Love the thing. Already 16k miles in.

Great points here Joe. We went with a truck camper (Northstar 850SC pop up and RAM 2500 4x4). Currently full timing and loving the setup.

Great insight! I Have been living out of my Honda Element for 3 years. Its the perfect size for being solo. I love the idea of something bigger then I think of parking/gas and I always talk myself out of it. So far im loving it its a fantastic platform awd and easy to maneuver.

Your points about servicing a camper van (which is close to the restored Roadtrek we currently have) are spot-on. We've had numerous issues getting service where someone didn't have a beefy-enough lift or a tall enough service bay, especially in smaller towns. Ours weighs just under 10k lbs. BTW we do get to our favorite off-road sites after having it lifted and bigger wheels and tires, but it's only 2WD so some situations are just too dicey.

We had a tent, we now have a custom built van from Wilderness Van's, and absolutely love it! It's a 2019 ext159 3500, and just perfect. We don't live it, though I suspect we could if we ever decided to, but it's great for extended travels for sure.

I have had both and I’d much prefer the van.

I figured a GMC 3500HD with an Alaskan pop up 8 footer at about $125,000 brand new for both. I'd put a 55 gallon fuel tank in place of the stock one. They come with air and heat and I think I could outfit a pump system for water near lakes and rivers. A Pleasure way Rekon is around $180,000 and very cool but far more money and not nearly as capable.

Great vid as always! So pro. I've also done both, hard side TC and pop up on a Ford F250 6.0 4x LB, and now a Transit AWD. I've found that the Van being only 8k lbs ish (and having everything we need) is so nice compared to the 10k++ lbs with the TC. Sand, rocky whatever. The truck just felt so much heavier, and did make a huge difference in the sand. With that and not being able to go in the cabin on the road, for us the Van is the way.

Something I learnt the other day about the RAM 2500,3500 (and the similarly rated models in Ford and Chevy) is that they're imported into Australia (converted to right hand drive) with a lower GVM so they can be driven with a standard car license. Once you upgrade their GVM to a normal 2500,etc GVM, you then need a truck licence to drive them, which means 0% alcohol in your system and 100 kph speed limit! We have some spectacularly dumb policy makers here and we're definitely over governed 🙄🇦🇺

To test the water, I purchased a used mini-van and converted it myself. Very affordable, easy to maneuver, easy to find parking spot, good gas mileage, can make it stealthy in urban areas. But can only accommodate 1 person comfortably. Added a diesel heater then allowed me to spend the winter in CO/WY. Haven't try hot weather yet, but I recently purchased a WAVE2 and plan to use it in hot summer. The mini-van work so well for me. Like Russos said, it really depends on the way you plan to use it.

I bought a Four wheel camper project M, I am now building out the inside, I absolutely LOVE it!!

Outstanding video. I've been researching this stuff for over a year, but you've made some great comparisons/comments about things that I hadn't considered . And the viewer comments themselves are great additional data as well. Thanks!

A lot of great information. For now we have a Class A and tow a pop up truck camper and live full time on the road We also know we are going to downsize eventually and are trying to decide if we want a pop up TC, a hard top TC or a Van. Thank you for such a helpful video. BTW we love your mom and aunt. Have a wonderful week. Mary 💕 Fred

Very good comparison. I have been leaning towards truck camper and this clenched it. So many benefits to have a truck and camper that can be separated

Thank you for posting this. I've been wanting a van for a very long time. I've lived full time in my old blazer and I still have a small cargo trailer I converted years ago. My trailer is stealthy and I've gotten away with parking all over in cities but, one downside is rv parks not accepting a non traditional big name brand camper. My biggest problem is needing a place to store it and a location to store it when I decide to take a break from living in it full time every so often. It's really nice to be able to detach from my truck easily but the stress of somewhere to store it has taken a toll. Even using apps like neighborly are fairly expensive still. When you add that to the cost of rent that has skyrocketed. I've been contemplating selling it and either going with the slide on or a van. All of your talking points are things I've been weighing the pro's and cons to...but the struggle is still real lol. I've never had a slide on before. My other two thoughts are the wear on your trucks suspension, which is one reason why I went with a trailer instead. The other one is bathing abilities and water storage on a slide on?

Grrrrreat info, thanks!

I think I would want direct access from the living quarters to the driving seat….. great all round info, Joe and Kait!

We are trying to decide between a truck and a van camper. Great information. Thanks for posting.

I HAVE BEEN LIVING AS A FULL-TIME NOMAD IN A TENT AND SMALL CAR FOR ABOUT 10 YEARS. I HAVE HAD CONFRONTATIONS WITH RATTLESNAKES, SCORPIONS, AND GRIZZLY BEARS FROM MONTANA TO ARIZONA. IF I HAD THE MONEY, I WOULD CHOOSE A 2023 AWD MERCEDES SPRINTER VAN.

I do wish that there were more of the campers that have a pass through to trucks, but if I had to choose one, it would probably be the van for more comfort and flexibility(and for a family of three or more).I hope that you guys have a nice St. Patrick's Day!🤗🍀

Just love you guys! Been watching for years! Trust your observations and suggestions when comparing platforms- thank you for the excellent work!

We bought a used 2014 LTV Serenity 24CB. We love it. It fit our budget and the way we camp. It can sleep 4 when we need and the 2 of us no problem. Sierra Maple interior and gray seats. Love, Love, Love it! thanks!

Thank you so much for this video! You've answered so many questions!!

Thank you for such a thorough and unbiased comparison! It really is helping me in my decision process!

Great video, Joe. So clear as to the choices. I've not bought one, yet, and my goals are to travel extensively, live out of it for most of the year, be able to be in all climates comfortably (Alaska to Florida Keys), and have it be maneuverable on most roads (no, I don't want to rock-crawl off road!, but I want to go down the Forest Service roads to get pretty far in a forest or up a mountain). I've leaned towards the Ford Transit Trail but have little experience driving either truck+camper or a camper van. That being so -- whaddya think?? Thanks!

We picked the Pleasureway Ontour 2.2 because it is built on the Transit 350 Chasis. I am 6’5* and need its 6’6” ceiling and 79” big bed. I can also fit in the bathroom which I could not in our previous 2 RVs without taking the door off. Duallys give us great CCC too.

Thanks for the new video! I’m looking forward to seeing what other content you post! Always good to learn as much as you can!

Great points. I’m full-time In a 2006 Ford E350. I converted it myself and love the fact that I can get in the back without going outside. It’s not a 4X4 but I’ve taken it in some remote places! Love the truck camper idea as well, maybe in the future!

Terrific, well-thought-out points. As with most things, it depends on one's specific purpose/use case. For me the choice was easy. Some of the newer models of campers have amazing amounts of space, more onboard water storage capacity and seem to have more inside and outside storage than the camper vans we viewed. I ended up with the Arctic Fox 1140. We often tow a horse trailer or ATV trailer, and the suspension on our F350 handles the camper and trailer well. However, the tipping point in favour of truck and camper is that during non-holiday times, the F350 is serving our hobby farm. Hauling hay, transporting equipment, and pulling a flat deck with logs for my little hobbyist sawmill.

I love this video you really talked about every single thing. I’m not really concerned by this since I’m going for an old school Land Rover defender camper conversion but it was really informative

I had kicked around multiple options and ultimately decided to go with a Four Wheel Camper, for the same reasons you went with the camper option. I have it on an F250 Tremor, so it is pretty capable offroad.

I think this is the best video I have seen on the topic. Well articulated and straight to the point no bluff. Well done

Thank you for this video. I have been wondering this for awhile now.

We have a 2018 Bundutec USA “Free” model on a 2008 F350 4x4. We have just enough room for our family of 5 to sleep but forces us outside during the day. We love it.

Great info. Lots to think about. We're currently in an Airstream Basecamp 20X. I think eventually I'd love for us to try a truck camper. I want to go deep into BLM and national forest land to photograph. While the Basecamp has great clearance, I'd love to be more mobile and mobile more quickly.

Thanks for the informational video. Very helpful for my decision making process.

You are 100% right whatever works best for you. After much back and forth my wife and I decided on a Supertramp slide in truck bed camper. For it go anywhere capability. We have absolutely zero regrets. Works great for us.

We had a 30 foot trailer with a slide. We traveled the United States, Canada and Baja Mexico. To much to pull around tight places. We have the same truck 2002 F350 7.3 Dually with a 2008 Lance 1181 with a slude. Love it

you answered all the questions i had fantastic video.

Thats by far the best and most helpful video about differences, pros and cons about Truck Campers and Camper Vans. Thanks a lot 👍

We have a Coleman 17b. Our travel trailer will sleep 6. There are 5 in our family, but usually it’s just 3 of us. We are weekend warriors. We love the length! Mom and dad can drive it.

Another great video Joe. I’m currently traveling in a Nissan 2500 high top. A bit smaller than some of the others due to the front end, good reliability and warranty. Built it out to fit my needs when traveling, I have noticed that selling a DIY van is tricky compared to a factory built.

Great video! I agree with everything you said. There is not one do it all vehicle/platform. I love the idea of travel, so I optimized by having three completely different platforms: I bought and customized an ex military 6x6 Pinzgauer 718 for our extreme off road adventure travel (it will go absolutely anywhere), for all highway/urban travel with only limited off road use, I bought a Sprinter Westfalia, and for my families global travel a Mercedes Benz SK 1929 all wheel drive Semi-Truck with 3 differential locks and 6m by 2.5m self contained living cabin. That is a true family around the world expedition truck. I think another key to consider is who and how many people you will have traveling with you. A single person or couple can probably work with one of those solutions. However, traveling with a family of 4 or more, will make that most likely not a functional solution. Budget of course is also a key consideration.

This was a super useful video! I had never really considered a truck camper until you layed out the benefits like you did. I really like the versatility need for service, and registration/taxing on the camper.

This was so helpful. Thank you. I learned a lot.

THE question ... We opted for a Hawk Four Wheel Pop Up Camper, which by the looks of you video, seems to be the winner in pop up campers. What we didn't know is the issues with the whole 1500, 2500, 3500 classes of trucks... We have a Tundra TRD and thought, yes, a TRD can do it all. Nope. A TRD is rated at 1300 pounds or so. Our fully loaded Hawk with every single option should really be on a 3500 (pick your manufacture). Bigger shocks, leaf springs (Emu) make no difference. It's a system question and every single component that makes up the delta from the ball joints to the drive shaft and on and on. It's the entire system vs select 'upgrades'... Upgrades are a bandaid if you will. So we now need to buy a 3500 (it will be a Dodge it that matters to anyone) at 60-90K. All that said, I'd still want a tow behind super light weight trailer for all of our gear regardless of a van or a truck ... climbing, skis, 2 bikes each for my wife and I, etc. A camper has the same bring along problem if you do a lot of other activities. Also, with all that said, a truck can get you into much more remote places. Which does not answer the question!!

Enjoyed the video. I currently camp in a teardrop camper I built. Am thinking of some day having a van. Happy travels!

Great video. Thank you so much! Wife and I have a two year old FWC Hawk now on a '23 Ram 3500with the Cummins DSL, stock with factory air suspension. We often contemplate buying a Revel or Storyteller, but we both find the sleeping space (which is so important to us as we are both tall) is confining. Our Hawk has a the king bed and plenty of space. We also contemplate the fact that in AZ we'll have to pay taxes, registration and insurance on a van that we use a few to many times a year. The fact that we can store our FWC in the garage and mount and go in an hour or two works for us. That said, we are seriously considering a new flat bed FWC with the Norweld tray. As that model has much more flexibility in living space. We both enjoy the capability the Ram 3500 4X4 gives us in going literally anywhere, the fact that we have to exit the truck and enter the camper in inclement weather is not a big deal. As not full timers, yet part timers, the Ram and FWC is perfect.

Off road capability pushed me to a truck with a pop up camper. It has 35” tires, winch and 1,000 ft/lbs of torque that will get you into some cool spots. If I was sticking to pavement, I would go with a van.

Both are nice. Having had both, there is more room in a full sized truck camper than in a van. You can always take a truck camper off and use the truck (you aren't going to haul twenty bags of manure in your van!) Trucks, as a general rule, have more clearance for going off road. Van's get better mileage, and are typically better appointed. Overall they will probably be cheaper because you are buying one thing rather than two. Van's are easier to drive, more car like.

Excellent! Excellent video and explanation. I've been trying to decide which is best and this helped alot. Thank you!😅

We started out with a Chevy Blazer Chalet and then had Sportsmobile make us a pop up conversion on a full size GMC 2500 cargo van. We like being able to go front to back

I camp in a 88 4x4 GMC Suburban, can’t stand up, but it’s huge inside, I have not built it out yet, but em slowly working on it. I think I would have to go with your Leo set up, but the van life looks really cool. Just wanna be able to go anywhere. Like my burban, thanks for sharing. Love the Russos.

Nice and straight forward w/o bs Well done and Inforrmative

Definitely a "it depends" discussion. I have no intention of being totally full time in a camper and the main reason I want one (and started watching these videos years ago) was to have a vehicle to go on mtn bike trips. While I love trucks (and have owned many), the #1 requirement for me is being able to transport my bikes (more than one) inside. Secure and out of the weather - since my bikes cost more than many of the cars I've bought. Then I want an inside shower and toilet - because where I often go to ride isn't conducive to having a shower outside. And I often ride when it's cold, so the idea of showering outside in near (or below) freezing temperatures doesn't sound like fun either. All of this keeps sending me back to building a van, since so far no RV manufacturer has designed a floorplan that meets my needs (even the Ekko isn't quite what I need, although it's close). Do I want to do a DIY build? Hoenstly, no... I'd rather be out doing rather than building. But so far the DIY route is the only route I've seen that will work for me.

I personally build two different pick ups that I owned that had walk-thru's into the camper... The first coming to look at it when they were up for sale bought them. Planning to do another, in the process of looking for the wright truck with wright diesel motor.

My camper van is a Chevy Express Quigley 4x4. It works well for me and my dog and it’s a beast off-road.

You're absolutely right. Currently I have a FJ Cruiser with rear boot bed configuration, still loving the FJ. But I think I will likely switch to a truck camper with options like shower and toilet. Cheers. PS: Love your explanation!

I had both, since I am 18 so long time ago, I live van life for years, I need a truck for my Fifthwheel, so own a pickup since then for truck campers. 4 of those, if I didn’t need the 4x4 I go back to van. The best is to have both 😄 Have a nice Summer 🏖

First video of yours I've watched and loved it! Really helped me cement my decision. Thank you!

I started with a small C as my daily driver and loved it. My HOA did not. So I switched to a B, thinking that would be a good compromise. (Didn't appease the HOA...I ended up moving eventually). I learned that even though the B was smaller inside, I still had quite a bit of storage, easier to access, and even larger fresh water holding tank! The B had less road noise, too, and slightly better ride. It was tight for two people's worth of stuff. But it was great for me solo. My current set up is a 3/4 ton truck and truck camper. I have not camped yet. But I love the versatility and better "off road" ability with a truck. Some places I go are down two tracks or just living on the beach through the winter. I feel much better with the truck for this. I have not gotten the camper back onto the truck yet. It is intimidating... and it was not easy to get it off. I hope with practice I will be able to put it on and off readily.

You do a great job with these “educational”videos. Always very informative.

thanks for the info nice vids learned a lot

we LOVE our off-road Tacoma/4wheel camper - bought both in 2010 and have spent all but 3 full summers traveling in northern canada and alaska - that truck goes ANYWHERE - up the dempster twice, the dalton once, haida gwaii, bella coola - always good food and a good bed - all in beautiful places with few/no people - thx for your videos, guys

Reading below indicates some good points. We didn't get into camping until our late 50's so prefer comfort but also mobility. Priorities for us are a large table to work on and sometimes entertain with and a decent size bathroom and kitchen. Since we drive on average an hour or two a day, we like to access the bathroom while driving.... well at least for the passenger. A popup is definitely out for the excellent reasons mentioned by Dusty. I really prefer the big table in back that converts into a bed vs the small one in front where you turn the chairs around. It may take 5 minutes to convert but gives you soooooo much more usable space, especially if the van is wide enough to put the beds sideways. Unfortunately they seem to have gone out of favor.

Clearly these 2 different vehicles have different applications. Thanks for clarifying some of those different applications.

Great topic with no single answer. As you said, depends on how you want to use it. It's important to know your budget, and what you hope to achieve with this mobile home.

Dude, you nailed it. Great job. I'm on my second van (first was a Sprinter, second is a Promaster). I might try a slide in truck camper on the next round, but totally agree with all the downsides you mentioned.

Well done!

Grew up camping in a truck camper with my family. My wife snd I thought about buying a sprinter but found the price to be crazy high. I own a ole 2006 Chevy Silverado crew cab that still runs great. Now we’re thinking about buying a camper to fit our truck bed.

My first camper was a pull behind, I didn’t like pulling anything. Now I have a older truck camper and it’s ok. I’m still considering buying a class b sometime soon.

Love truck camper platform. Have a Ram 4x4 Dually Cummins with an Arctic Fox 1150 with a dry bath. Arctic Fox is super comfortable with a toilet, shower, oven, stove top, fridge, freezer, queen bed. Has large holding tanks, 2 30lb propane tanks, generator, AC, and solar panels. The 2 batteries are full by 10:00 AM. I can drop the camper at the site if I want to get up early to go do stuff while she sleeps in. Can't 4 wheel in a rig this big but it does fine on forest service roads. When at home I have use of the dually.

Informative, helpful, and well balanced.

Excellent video. We had a ram 1500 + Travel Trailer. We wanted more flexibility and to go more nimble. For a family of 4, we could not find a truck camper that would fit all of us comfortably and be light enough for the Ram 1500. We also did not want to get a bigger truck (1500 was more than enough). We ended up with the Winnebago Solis - it has 4 seats and a pop top. Perfect for a family of 4. We love it and won’t even consider going for a pickup or towable again. Does everything great, usable as a daily drive, fits everywhere, easy to drive. Just perfect