Interesting article, however...

 12 Reasons Why A Truck Camper Is Superior To Any Other RV and 4 Reasons they're not!

I love these articles, however, every once in a while I have to take a minute and address the flaws. Sadly the wife is done listening to me, so I get to share it with all of you! Let's dive in.

1. YOU FIT IN A REGULAR PARKING SPOT
When we traveled for five and a half months with our three kids in a 27 1/2 foot Jayco travel trailer, we soon realized that a significant drawback of such an extended trailer is that it limits where you can park. For instance, on travel days, you can’t just swing through a drive-thru and order lunch for the family like you can on a road trip in the family van. You also don’t fit in the average fast-food parking lot.

With a truck camper, you might be too high for some drive-thrus with an overhang, but you still fit in their parking lots. You might not be able to park in the multi-level parking complexes, but you still fit in street parking spots.

Well, not completely true. There are a few slide-in campers that pop up, that would allow you to use most drive-thrus. Mutli-level parking complexes are still a no-go! Max height on most of those are 8'.

2. YOU CAN COOK A MEAL WHEREVER YOU ARE

In our DIY minivan camper, we had to cook our meals outdoors. We felt okay opening up the back and assembling a sandwich in the parking lot of the hiking trail, but other places it felt weird to make food.

I couldn't agree more! I've been that person who sits in a parking lot, opened the back, and starts making lunch... it's just weird to do so!

3. YOU CAN GRAB WARMER OR COOLER CLOTHES WHENEVER YOU NEED TO

When you drop your travel trailer off at the campground and then take off in your tow vehicle to explore the local area for the day, you have access only to what you pack in the tow vehicle for the day. 

I don't get this one. I can do that without a camper. but then again I wouldn't do that till I got to where I was going, and that is private enough I don't need the added privacy. 

4. TIRED? TAKE A NAP PRETTY MUCH ANYWHERE

On our date weekends, my hubby has one request–he wants a nap. On the other hand, I am not much of a napper, but knowing that our date weekend is a rare full weekend off work for my husband, I happily let the hardworking guy take a nap.

I don't know about you, I don't need to spend $35K to take a nap... and yes most slide-ins cost that much!

5. MUCH EASIER TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF FREE CAMPSITES

We are glampers! We like to be warm when it is cold and cool when it is hot. We want access to a flushing toilet and a hot shower so we pay for campsites more than we take advantage of free ones.

But we both agree that when we leave town on a Friday night past dinner time with 6 hours or so to our destination, it makes more sense to camp somewhere for free whenever we get tired than to arrive at our destination at an hour where we would disturb others while we try to set up.

It is so much easier to do this with a truck camper as it takes seconds to set up and it fits in a regular parking spot. Plus, with it being on the back of our truck, we don’t have to worry about the conditions of the roads that go to free wilderness campsites like we did with a travel trailer.

This is my number one reason that a slide-in intrigues me. Another reason, a few states like California require different speeds and lane restrictions for autos and trucks towing. A slide-in would allow you to drive a little faster and utilize all the lanes on the interstate. This is an important one since we still have family in California. 

6. YOU GET BETTER GAS MILEAGE

When we pulled our travel trailer, we got 8 miles to the gallon with a 1500 GMC. We now own a Ford F250 and get 12 miles to a gallon when the truck camper is on the back. Yep, a bigger truck and we still get better gas mileage. Over time and miles traveled, the fuel savings will be significant.

I can't confirm or deny this claim. The author of the article comes to this conclusion but does not address that it's based on different trucks.  Could the F250 have a bigger motor or different final gearing? That may explain the difference more.

7. UNPLANNED STOPS ARE MORE DOABLE

Spontaneity is especially tough with a trailer in tow. You can’t see something on a road sign and just turn off the highway and go for it. You have to check if they have parking for your tow vehicle and trailer and a place to turn around.

I had family up in Alaska that ran into this full speed. Ended up down a road that had a bridge that their rig (Truck and 5th wheel) was overweight and length to traverse. Ended up having to back up the road, jacked knife their rig, and cause some slight damage. 

8. YOU CAN NAVIGATE THE SMALLEST OF GAS STATIONS

I wish that I had known about the All-Stays app before we left on our journey across North America pulling a 28-foot trailer behind us–it would have made gas station stops a whole lot easier. The app shows you which gas stations are coming up so that you can see if you can last until the next larger gas station that is travel trailer friendly.

With our truck camper, we don’t use the app to pick out our gas stops; instead, we use it to find free places to camp. Why the change? We can now get in and out of any gas station with ease–especially since our truck camper is a pop-up.

Smaller is sometimes better, and while this is an issue with the larger 28-foot trailer, a smaller 22-foot may not have this issue.

9. IT DOESN’T HAVE AN ENGINE OR TIRES & 10. IT DOESN’T REQUIRE EXTRA INSURANCE (AT LEAST NOT WHERE WE LIVE)

For a brief period of time, my husband and I did seriously consider purchasing a van that we can stand up in, gutting it, and then building it into a camper. But we soon realized that would mean we would have another engine to repair.

A truck camper has no engine and no tires. Tires are yet another expense that comes with both travel trailers and camper vans or Class As, Bs, and Cs.

The devil is in the maintenance and state fees! The more complex your set up, the more maintenance and fees are needed. Yes, I consider insurance a fee, you are required to have it.

11. IT CAN BE STORED IN A SMALLER SPACE

We store our truck camper inside my husband’s workshop that has a garage door. Jack backs up the truck and sets down the slide-in camper for the next time we need it.

Unfortunately, many of us will still have to pay for storage even a camper, that is unless you leave it on the truck. :) If the daily commute is a short one, and parking is available, many people just opt to leave it on the truck. think of it as a private breakroom.

12. YOU CAN TOW SOMETHING BEHIND IT

We have not done this, at least not yet, but a truck camper uses your vehicle’s haul weight, which does not affect the towing capacity. What that means is if you own a fishing boat, you can have a truck camper on the back of your truck and tow the boat on a trailer behind you (you do need to check the haul and towing capacity of your truck before you do this). 

This is a big draw to a lot of people, especially outdoor sportspeople. Boats, jeeps, motorcycles, etc can all be towed behind a camper... if your truck is large enough. 

Now the four cons

1. MOST DON’T SLEEP MORE THAN THREE PEOPLE COMFORTABLY

Except for the biggest models, most truck campers have a queen bed in the loft area and a dinette that makes into a twin bed or a Jackknife couch that is just wider than a twin. If you are a family of larger than three, a truck camper probably isn’t for you.

Is this a con?  Leave the family behind, two people can live comfortably in a truck camper.

2. YOU HAVE TO HAVE A BIGGER TRUCK

We first started looking at slide-in truck campers when we had a GMC 1500 Sierra and were shocked that even the lightweight truck camper models were over the hauling capacity of the truck. This is why we made our own truck topper camper in the GMC, which we used until the truck died.

Yes for the larger models that is true, but there are a few half-ton suitable units out there, but be cautious on the truck you purchase. Not all half-tons are created equal. Different trim models can have different payload capacities. In just Rams, there is a thousand-pound payload difference between a Tradesmen and the higher Rebel trim models, regardless of engine type and size.

3. ONLY THE BIGGEST MODELS HAVE INDOOR SHOWERS AND TRADITIONAL FLUSH STYLE TOILETS

This, to me, is the biggest drawback of getting a smaller pop-up style slide-in truck camper. My husband’s brother and sister-in-law just bought a larger truck camper with a traditional style roof and they have a wet bath that I am envious of. However, to safely haul such a trailer, we would have had to go with an F350 and we decided it just wasn’t worth the extra purchase cost and fuel cost for the one weekend a month of camping we average.

Not at all true. The Palomino Backpacker SS-1250 is a half-ton suitable that has a full wetbath. 

4. IT DOES TAKE PRACTICE TO GET THEM ON AN OFF YOUR TRUCK SAFELY

Truck campers have a post on each corner that can be cranked up and down to allow the camper to be put on your truck with ease. Well, not ease, the clearance between the exterior of your truck bed and the posts is extremely minimal, meaning you have to be a pro at backing up straight into tight spaces to get a truck camper on and off.

Like anything new, yes there is a learning curve. I've seen my fair share of first-time trailer towers unable to back up their new trailers! 

So that's my take on this article... am I right or wrong? Let me know what you think.