We spent months finding the right truck to host our camper and act as our home. Ultimately, we think we found a great truck at a reasonable price (by 2020+ standards). Now, it’s time to equip it for the full-time adventure travel ahead.

When it comes to vehicle builds, we have quite a bit of experience. We’ve been outfitting overland-style vehicles for nearly a decade now, and we have developed a bit of a philosophy during that time.

Rule number one when building a vehicle for adventure travel is to start with the foundation–wheels and tires. So, that’s exactly what we did with our Ram 3500. Read on to see exactly what wheels and tires we opted for and our reasoning behind those decisions!

Things to know:

Wheels and tires are among the most important aspects of a vehicle build. They are your point of contact with the earth, making them integral to both performance and safety. That’s why we chose these wheels and tires for our full-time camper.

The best wheels and tires for an overland camper

Choosing wheels and tires for a camper

Before we reveal which wheels and tires we chose and why, we want to take a moment to dive into some of the important considerations when making this critical decision for your truck, camper, or overland rig.

Weight ratings

Safety is paramount when selecting wheels and tires, and one of the key things to note when it comes to safety is the weight of your vehicle and the ratings assigned to your wheels and tires. Simply put, the weight rating of the wheels and tires should exceed the maximum weight of your vehicle.

If you are pushing the limits of your vehicle, you will want to do some research and calculations to determine how much weight you can safely carry and just how heavy your rig will be when fully loaded. This includes passengers, gear, water tanks, fuel, and so on.

With these numbers in mind, make sure that the wheel weight rating exceeds the poundage that will be placed on it at any given time. For example, if you plan to off-road your vehicle in situations where you might lift a tire, the other three wheels should have a combined weight rating that exceeds the weight of your rig!

The same principle applies to tires. When purchasing tires, you should be able to find information regarding the maximum load a tire can handle at maximum air pressure. Using the same logic as your wheel weight ratings, that maximum load should exceed the highest amount of weight that may be placed on that tire at any given time.

Tread type and your intended use

Being realistic about how you intend to use your vehicle should inform the type of wheels and tires you purchase. While there is something to be said for aesthetics, function should always trump looks in this decision-making process.

For those who plan to stick to highways and campgrounds, opting for a high-mileage tire that emphasizes longevity, fuel economy, quietness, and responsive steering is probably your best bet.

If you foresee yourself getting off-road, conquering rougher terrain, and encountering a variety of challenges, selecting tires with more aggressive tread and robust sidewalls is probably in your best interest. You may also benefit from larger tires on smaller wheels, as this increases traction, improves off-road comfort, and contributes to your ability to roll over mild obstacles with ease.

Nowadays, there are so many tire options that it can be overwhelming to sort through them all and find the right one for you. From street tires designed for hauling to hybrid tires that straddle the gap between mud-terrain and all-terrain, we’re truly spoiled for choice. So, do your research and select the tire that will serve you and your intended use best.

Wheels and tire sizing

In a world where bigger is almost always viewed as better, it can be tempting to opt for the biggest wheels and tires possible. After all, those campers on Instagram are rolling around on 42” military tires that look like they could conquer just about anything.

Unfortunately, there’s more to choosing a tire size than slapping the biggest and baddest option onto your rig. There are factors that limit the sizes you can realistically fit on your vehicle, as well as legitimate downsides to going too big.

Some factors to consider when tempted to buy bigger tires include:

• Clearance of suspension components. Larger tires almost always require a larger offset that pushes the tire out from the vehicle to avoid rubbing on suspension components, especially when turning.

• Suspension travel. If your tires are too big, you will undoubtedly experience rubbing (or worse) when making turns, absorbing bumps, or otherwise cycling your suspension.

• Additional wear and tear on your vehicle, including steering, suspension, and driveline components.

• Reduced fuel economy. Larger, more aggressive tires can cause your fuel economy to dip dramatically.

• Incorrect reading for your speedometer and odometer. Larger tires will require changes to your vehicle’s computer in order to accurately discern your speed and your distance covered.

• More rolling mass means worse acceleration, braking, and handling. In other words, it can be a safety hazard if you don’t compensate for these changes.

While there are other downsides of larger tires, the considerations above should be enough to give you pause and think seriously about the pros and cons of bigger sizes. Like most projects, changing one thing about your vehicle can cause a snowball effect, leading to a myriad of other things that need to be changed.

Our wheels and tires of choice for our HD truck and camper

The guide above is not comprehensive, nor was it intended to be. We just wanted to give you a little insight into our thought processes as we selected wheels and tires for our Ram 3500 and future camper.

That being said, let’s dive into the combo we chose, and what pushed us toward these particular wheels and tires.

Method Race Wheels 701-HD - Classic styling with great performance

The wheels we chose for this build are the Method Race Wheels 701-HD. Sized at 18x9 with an 18mm offset, these wheels are a gorgeous matte black color and what we think is a timeless design.

While the appearance of these wheels is top-notch (we’ve always loved the look of Method Wheels), it is the specifications that compelled us to purchase this particular model.

First, they are the HD model, meaning that they are designed specifically for heavy-duty applications. Numerically, this means that they have a weight rating of 4500 lbs per wheel while checking in at only 37.59 lbs a piece. That’s pretty darn impressive.

Secondly, they feature Method’s patented Bead Grip technology, which uses machined grooves and a large internal ridge to help secure the bead of the tire. In practice, this allows you to air down your tires with confidence, knowing that you aren’t going to blow your bead and lose all of the pressure from your tire.

While we may not push the limits of this truck like we did with our past Jeeps, we will be taking it off-road with a heavy camper on the back. The incredibly high weight rating and useful Bead Grip feature should allow us to conquer challenging conditions safely.

Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T - Third time's the charm

For tires, we opted for the Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T in LT305/70R18 (just over 35” tall). This is our third set of Baja Boss A/T tires, and they have proven to be reliable, relatively quiet, durable, and high-performing regardless of climate or terrain.

In addition to the performance of these tires, we love the aggressive sidewall and the fact that they are made in the USA. With a load range of E and a maximum weight rating of 3,750 lbs at 65 psi, they will be plenty strong enough for our truck and camper.

While not light, the tires check in at a reasonable weight of 75 lbs, so we didn’t add much more rolling mass to the corners of the truck. The combined weight of the tires and wheels is around 113 lbs, making them quite manageable and easy to change in a pinch.

With a 50,000-mile treadwear warranty, the Baja Boss A/T have a long life for such an aggressive tire. They are also Severe Snow Service Rated, so we feel confident that we can handle any weather the winter throws at us.

We have had our new wheels and tires on the truck for nearly three months now, and we are incredibly happy with them so far. While the camper is still in production, we have had opportunities to test the tires in multiple conditions, including slick Tennessee mud, light snow, highways, and so on.

As we put more miles on the combo–especially once the camper is completed–we will be sure to provide you with updates. In the meantime, be sure to check out our YouTube and Instagram, as well as our other blog posts. We would love to have you as a member of our little adventure community!

Feel free to drop a comment below sharing insight into your favorite wheels and tires, advice for full-time RVers, or just a friendly hello. We’d love to hear from you and get to know you!

- Riley + Hanna

PS. We’d like to shout out TrailBuilt Off-Road. While we don’t benefit from you shopping with them, we have a handful of friends who work there, and they have always treated us very well!