2013 TRUCK CAMPER BUYERS GUIDE

The 2013 Truck Camper Buyers Guide has been designed to help make your truck camper research and selection process faster and easier.  The truck camper manufacturers have been separated into hard side manufacturers (left) and pop-up manufacturers (right) and listed alphabetically.

Click on a manufacturer's logo to visit their Buyers Guide page.  For more information on choosing a truck camper, please check out our Newbie Corner.

.............	HARD SIDE CAMPERS	.............	POP-UP CAMPERS	.............

Camper Base Dry Weights and Standardized Wet Weights

Truck Camper Dry Weights

The truck camper base dry weights posted in the Buyers Guide have been provided by the truck camper manufacturers.  Please be aware that (a) each manufacturer has different standards and options that are included or excluded from their posted base dry weight measurements and (b) very few truck campers leave the factory without additional options.  Be sure to add the weight of additional options for your calculations.

Truck Camper Wet Weights

The 2013 Truck Camper Magazine Buyers Guide uses a standardized equation to calculate truck camper wet weights.  Starting with the manufacturers base dry weight, the equation adds the full fresh water weight, full hot water heater weight, full propane tank weight, battery weight, and 500 pounds for stuff.  Here is an example wet weight equation:

Travel Lite 1000SLRX Ultra: dry weight, 3,320 pounds + 40 gallons fresh, 333.6 pounds + 6 gallon full hot water heater, 50 pounds + 2x 20-pound full propane tanks, 40 pounds + 1 battery, 65 pounds + stuff, 500 pounds = 4,308.6 pounds

To standardize the wet weight equations for every manufacturer and camper, we used the following standard weights for water, full propane tanks, and batteries:

The weight of one gallon of water: 8.34 pounds

The weight of a 30 pound / 7.5 gallon propane tank: 55 pounds full, 28 pounds empty = 27 pounds of propane

The weight of a 20 pound / 5 gallon propane tank: 38 pounds full, 18 pounds empty = 20 pounds of propane

The weight of a battery: 65 pounds (based on the weight of a Lifeline GPL-27T battery)

Perhaps the most controversial part of the standardized equation is the 500 pounds of stuff.  The 500 pounds is for the owner's cargo: gear, food, and clothing.  That may seem high or low, but it gives you a clear starting point for your own stuff weight.