Brand rivalries are loads of fun to observe (and jokingly participate in), but at the end of the day, we’re not terribly brand loyal. Sure, we’ve had a handful of Jeeps and a couple of Fords, but that’s not because we detest other manufacturers–we’ve simply always purchased the vehicles that appealed to us for one reason or another.

As we began our hunt for the ideal truck for our impending full-time travel, we did so with (relatively) open minds. We have limited experience with heavy-duty trucks (and zero experience with one-ton trucks), so we wanted to be thorough and allow our research and test drives–not any preconceived bias–to shape our path forward.

Things to know:

We’re hitting the road full-time in 2025, and we need to choose a truck to facilitate that adventure. Part of the purchasing process is determining which truck brand and trim level we want to call our home!

Note: By the time you read this, we might already have a truck. Our intent is not to mislead you, we simply wrote these blogs well in advance!

What is the Best Truck for Full-Time Travel?

There are many factors to consider when choosing what vehicle to buy. Throw in the wrinkle of living in said vehicle, and the decision suddenly feels even more potent–you want to make sure you get it right the first time.

Among those many factors are two relatively personal considerations–brand and trim level.

Choosing a Truck Brand for RV Travel

While it seems that brand loyalty is a big deal to a lot of people, especially in the world of trucks, we have never been overly concerned with this brand versus that brand. Based on our vehicle history, we’ve clearly gravitated toward certain brands (Jeep and Ford), but it was always because the vehicles appealed to us, not because we had a sense of loyalty toward those brands.

When we started looking at heavy-duty trucks, we decided to drive one from each of the big three manufacturers–Ford, Ram, and GM. So, we did exactly that, test driving a Ford Super Duty, Ram 3500, and GMC Sierra HD (we did not drive a Chevy since the platform shares so much overlap with the GMC).

In addition to test driving a handful of trucks, we (and by we, I mean Riley) spent hours researching, reading forums, and watching videos about the trucks on our list. Ultimately, we narrowed our shopping list down to two brands–Ford and Ram.

Below, we’ve laid out some of the pros that compelled us to list Ford and Ram as our top two truck brands for full-time travel. Why did we leave the GMC and Chevy off our list? While there were a few other contributors to this decision, the primary factor was based on personal preference–we have always liked solid front axle vehicles, and the GM trucks come with independent front suspension (IFS).

• Off-road capability. Thanks to the solid front axle, the Ford and Ram trucks have a more traditional off-road-worthy design. You can eke a bit more off-road performance out of these trucks than an IFS alternative, especially at the HD level. Note: we are aware of GMC’s amazing partnership with American Expedition Vehicles and the off-road goodies now available from the factory on their HD trucks. However, those models are far outside of our price range.

• Aftermarket modification and support. It seems most aftermarket manufacturers are focused on bringing parts and accessories to the Ram and Ford platforms, giving us more options to modify our truck to our preferences and needs.

• Aesthetics. While we don’t mind the looks of the GMC trucks (especially those AEV varieties), we gravitate toward Ford and Ram from a purely visual perspective.

• Experience. We have hands-on experience with both brands (or brands adjacent to them), giving us a degree of comfort and familiarity. The interior of a Ram echoes that of a Jeep, and we’ve had (and loved) a Super Duty before.

• Observation. While we see our fair share of GMC and Chevy trucks on the road, we noticed a lot more Fords and Rams pulling trailers and working in commercial settings. While anecdotal, this definitely affected our perception of those two brands.

Truck Trims - A Luxury Land Yacht?

If you’ve ever played around with the “truck builder” configurators on manufacturers’ websites, you know that the number of options and level of customization available is astounding. In some ways, this is great–it gives you an opportunity to tailor your truck to your specifications. On the other hand, it can be overwhelming, and prices sure do add up quickly.

Because we got a late start to the truck buying party, we don’t have the luxury of ordering a custom truck to our exact preferences. Instead, we used these online tools to explore the various trim levels available from Ram and Ford, make a list of must-haves and that-would-be-nices, and see how different options might influence the final price.

As a reader of this blog, there’s a good chance you know how ridiculous truck prices have gotten and how excessive many of the trim levels are these days. While it’s amazing that you can get massaging seats and luxury finishes in an HD pickup truck, we have no need or interest in such a bougie rig.

In fact, our previous F-250 was a Lariat, and it was too fancy for us. Some of the features were neat, but we definitely didn’t need them. So, this time around, we would be focusing on lower trim levels–Tradesman and Big Horn for Ram and XL and XLT for Ford.

Here are a few of the features we wanted. Some are what we’d call necessities, while others are more wishlist items.

• Four-wheel drive is an absolute must.

• A decent screen for the backup camera.

• 360-degree cameras would be nice. We had them on the F-250, and they were convenient with the camper.

• A big enough back seat for Chowder.

• Power mirrors would be a huge bonus.

• We don’t want “advanced safety features,” as they may not play nice with modifications.

• Large fuel tank.

That’s about it! If that seems like a pretty simple list, it’s because it is. However, when you throw in other prerequisites–like cab size, bed size, and engine preference–you’d be surprised how few matching trucks are available.

Come One, Come All

Whether we buy a Ford or a Ram or lose our minds and import a Unimog, lovers of all brands are welcome here. Please share your experiences with the different truck brands, leave some recommendations about trim options that are full-time must-haves, and otherwise help us out as we narrow down our list of potential trucks to purchase.

While we have a bit of a reputation for swapping vehicles every two years (a trait Riley inherited from his grandfather), we’re hoping that this truck is reliable and sticks around for a long while. Only time will tell, but that’s the intent!

Tune in next time for the next bit of brainstorming as we continue through our truck-buying thought process. We hope you’ll join us on our journey as we convert into full-time travelers and help us out along the way as we inevitably hit bumps in the road.

In the meantime, don’t be shy–feel free to leave a comment below, send us a message, or otherwise join our little community!

- Riley + Hanna