Choosing a truck for full-time travel - Sizes and capacities

The bigger the truck, the better, right? This is America, after all!

All jokes aside, the size and capacities of our future home-on-wheels matter quite a bit. From cab size and bed length to towing and payload capabilities, the potential configurations are many, especially if you factor in the differences between the major manufacturers.

Some of these factors–namely the towing and payload ratings–are primarily dictated by how you intend to use the truck. Others–like interior space–are more up to personal preference.

In this post, we dive into our thoughts on truck sizes and capacities as we try to determine the perfect fit for our full-time travel starting in 2025.

Things to know:

With full-time travel on the horizon, we need to choose a truck that can help us thrive on the road. The capacities and size of the truck are integral parts of our decision-making process, as they determine what the vehicle is capable of and how well it can perform the jobs we ask it to do.

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!

Picking a truck for full-time travel

If you are familiar with our history, you know that we have owned exactly one full-size truck–a Ford F-250 Tremor with the 7.3-liter “Godzilla” engine.

A fair question to ask is, “Why didn’t you just keep that truck?”

There are a few answers to that question, and they seem worth mentioning before diving into this facet of our decision-making process.

Our F-250 was a phenomenal truck, and we definitely miss it!

1. We didn’t plan to take the leap into full-time travel. We anticipated settling down this year and slowly building back up to part-time travel. We sold the Ford believing that our path was set, but it changed.

2. Even if we had kept the Ford, we might have needed to swap it for something else. More on that later in this blog and in blogs to come.

3. Because we thought we no longer needed the Ford, we wanted to sell it while the market was still relatively hot. We didn’t want to be stuck with an auto loan we no longer needed.

With that out of the way, let’s dive into our thoughts about truck sizes, capacities, and capabilities as we prepare to purchase a three-quarter or one-ton truck!

Interior space and overall length - comfort versus convenience

Because we like to venture off the beaten path, explore dirt roads, and occasionally tackle tough terrain, a smaller truck has some distinct advantages. The shorter the wheelbase, the better the turning radius (as a general rule), which is ideal for off-road adventures.

On the other hand, we know we will be traveling with all of our belongings and our pup, Chowder. Interior space is incredibly important for both storage and comfort. Unfortunately, larger cabs mean longer wheelbases–you see the dilemma.

Chowder is more than a little spoiled.

There are some ways to compromise. You can opt for an extended cab, which has half-doors and less space in the rear, choose the shortest possible bed length, or some combination of these options.

Given our circumstances and priorities, we decided that a crew cab was the right size for us (despite Riley’s dream of one day owning a single-cab truck). That left us with the bed size to determine the overall length of our truck.

Bed length - do you really need a long bed?

The major manufacturers offer two bed lengths on their HD trucks–standard and long. Standard tends to be around 6.5’ to 6.75’ depending on the brand, while long beds are 8’ or longer.

Many people can get away with a standard bed, especially if they are towing a trailer of reasonable weight. There are even plenty of truck campers that fit a standard bed and offer quite a bit of living space.

Keep in mind, though, that a longer bed equals a longer truck, which translates to more stability. If you are towing something extremely long and heavy, a longer truck has the advantage.

The same goes for larger truck campers–if you want to safely haul a big truck bed camper, you should probably opt for a long bed truck. They also tend to be more useful for work if you intend to use your truck outside of recreation.

Navigating tight trails in a big truck can be quite challenging, but the reward is worth it!

The downsides? Well, a long bed makes a truck much harder to turn and maneuver in tight spaces. From the trail to the parking lot, that extra length sneaks up on you and makes daily life a little more difficult and stressful.

Ultimately, we’re leaning toward a long bed because of the direction we think we’re going with our camper setup. If we were going a different route with the camper, we’d probably stick with a standard bed for the convenience.

Payload and towing capacity - just because you can…

…doesn’t mean you should. While we’re as red-blooded, stick-it-to-the-man as they come, we tend to abide by the payload and towing ratings of our vehicles. So, as we hunt for the perfect truck for our upcoming lifestyle shift, we want to make sure we’re buying one that can handle whatever challenges we throw at it.

If you’re buying a pull-behind or fifth-wheel, you’ll want to pay attention to both your payload and towing capacities.

The towing bit is obvious–you want to be safely under the limit your truck is rated for. The payload part of the equation is often overlooked–after all, you’re towing the camper, not loading it into the bed. However, a portion of the weight of your trailer is transferred to the truck, detracting from your payload. Called the hitch or pin weight, you need to account for this when loading up your truck (or in our case, purchasing one).

For truck bed campers, payload is the primary concern. Your truck is only rated to carry so much weight, and while you can compensate with things like airbags and helper springs, staying within factory limits is a good idea. This means factoring in you, your passengers (dogs included), gear, camper, and so on!

We’ve pushed the payload capacities of our Jeeps, and you can feel the effects.

These numbers can be affected by everything from the engine powering your truck to the trim level you choose. We are opting for a one-ton truck and low trim level to maximize our ratings.

What size truck do you need?

With all these things in mind, we feel relatively confident that the truck we’re searching for is a crew cab with a long bed and single rear wheel configuration. We fully recognize that this will hinder us off-road, but we want to ensure that we are just about maximizing the capabilities of our new truck without going overboard (buying a dually, for example).

What do you think–are we on the right track? Would you opt for a different configuration? Leave a comment below to share your thoughts, opinions, and pieces of advice–we’d love to learn from you and take your feedback into consideration as we make this huge decision.

Full-time travel is rapidly approaching, and we can’t wait to share every step of the journey with you. From choosing a truck and picking a camper to actually hitting the road and adjusting to our new lifestyle, we hope you’ll follow along and join our thriving little community of adventurers!

- Riley + Hanna

Choosing a truck for full-time travel - Gas vs diesel

One of the biggest decisions you’ll face when choosing a truck for hard work–like handling a camper full-time–is whether to opt for a gas engine or a diesel engine. It’s a hotly debated topic, and we fully understand why. Both sides have pros and cons, advantages and disadvantages, and compelling traits that could sway the average buyer in either direction.

We grappled with this dilemma for a long while as we tried to determine which truck to buy for our full-time travel needs. As the foundation of any RVer’s or overlander’s rig, the truck needs to check several boxes–from tow rating to reliability. With so many options on the market and arguably no “perfect” solution, much of this decision comes down to preference, willingness to compromise, and a touch of hopefulness.

Our previous HD truck was a gas Ford F-250.

Things to know:

We’re going on the road full-time in 2025, so we need a truck to facilitate our new lifestyle. Among the many factors influencing our decision, the age-old debate of gas vs diesel is at the forefront.

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!

Choosing a gas or diesel truck

As our experience with building Jeeps for off-roading and overland travel grew, so did our intentionality. Instead of opting for modifications that looked cool or tires that were absurdly oversized (just because we could), we started to make decisions based on realistic use-case scenarios, what we had learned from building previous Jeeps, and what made sense rather than getting carried away.

While the full-size, heavy-duty truck platform is relatively new to us–especially for full-time travel–those same principles applied to our approach for this build. I’m sure we’ll make some mistakes and adjustments along the way, but the goal is to be intentional and build the truck to facilitate our lifestyle and travel. It doesn’t need to be over the top; it just needs to fit the factors we’re basing our purchase on.

Cost of diesel versus gas

As badly as we’re hoping to follow a rainbow to a bucket of gold, it hasn’t happened yet. So, we’re operating on a decent but far-from-endless budget, making cost an incredibly influential factor in our truck-buying decision. There are a few ways in which the cost debate between gas and diesel trucks plays out, and we tried to consider it from all angles.

Fuel prices fluctuate, so we were determined not to let this particular consideration play too large a role in our decision. That said, gas prices are substantially lower than diesel in some areas of the country, and that can make a difference in your wallet (even if the diesel gets better fuel economy).

Price was a factor in our last truck purchase - we opted to save money upfront by getting a gas engine.

The real price difference between the two options comes in other forms. The upfront cost, for example, is substantially more when you opt for a diesel engine. Most manufacturers in the HD segment charge between $8,000 and $10,000 more for a diesel engine than they do for their gas models. That’s a huge chunk of change that takes years to potentially recoup in the form of resale value or vehicle lifetime (diesel has a reputation for longevity, though there is a debate now that the EPA has neutered them).

Additionally, maintaining and repairing diesel trucks is notoriously more expensive. From routine oil changes to replacing components as they wear out, you pay a price to enjoy the advantages diesel trucks boast.

If all of that sounds like gas has a slight cost advantage these days, you’re spot on. However, the fuel efficiency, longevity, and resale value of diesel engines can offset a lot of that difference if you don’t run into any substantial maintenance and repair bills.

Slight edge to gas

Diesel vs gas - engine complexity

Gas engines, especially simplified options like Ford’s 7.3L Godzilla, tend to be simpler than their diesel counterparts. If you want proof, just pop the hood on gas and diesel models and compare them. The gas engine looks quite tame and manageable comparatively.

In theory, this translates to easier maintenance and repairs, especially if you plan to do any of the work yourself. Given our intention to travel full-time, this does not factor heavily into our decision. While I am perfectly capable of doing routine maintenance and repairs–and actually enjoy doing some of these projects myself–it is unlikely that we will have the time, workspace, and tools to perform such tasks when on the road. As such, we will undoubtedly rely on professionals should the necessity ever arise.

Draw

The driving experience of gas and diesel trucks

Through the years (and our shopping process), we have driven quite a few gas and diesel trucks. While it is impossible to get an accurate feel for how they will handle a load without replicating such a scenario, the driving experience between the two fuel options is noticeably different. If you’re going to be living out of your truck and camper, that experience takes a little more precedence than it might otherwise.

Our 7.3L Godzilla F-250 was a blast to drive off-road.

While the gas engines we’ve experienced felt more nimble and easy to maneuver–a definite advantage in tight city streets and when off-road–the diesel models made up for their heavy-footedness with undeniable low-end torque and impressive passing ability.

We have enough experiential knowledge with adding weight to vehicles to know that low-end power matters a lot. This is especially true when driving some of the steep mountain passes out West. Diesel definitely wins here, and since we won’t be tackling as many off-road trails as we have in the past, we feel inclined to give diesel the end here.

Edge to diesel

Is Gas or Diesel Better?

We wish it was as clear-cut as one fuel type being superior to the other–that would make this process much easier for us–but in the modern age of trucks, it’s hard to say with certainty that one has a distinct edge. At the end of the day, it depends on your needs, preferences, and how you intend to use the truck. Thankfully, we’re spoiled for choice, and I hope that continues for decades to come despite politically motivated wars against this fuel type or that combustion engine.

What do you think? Is gas better than diesel in 2024? Or do the inherent advantages of diesel engines still make them the better choice?

We’re hitting the road full-time in 2025, and we’d love for you to come along for the ride. In the meantime, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions, and hard-earned knowledge. We value your input and experience in making these and other travel-related decisions!

- Riley + Hanna