Truck campers

Dodge Ram 3500 king cab 8' bed with Hallmark Cuchara XL popup camper insulated to 20 below. Only diesel truck with manual transmission option available. Single rears - better snow-covered forest service road traction. They installed an overhead ski carry system on the inside for me for 5 pair of skis. The bomb.

I run an F-150 with helper springs, a '66 8 foot non-cabover Alaskan pop-up camper, gutted the fridge and closet, installed an olympian heater, boat rack, 4 titan jacks. I love this setup. I oughta sell it since I don't use it much, but it is just so nice when I do use it, I can't seem to part with it. Feels better w/ camper on than off in bad winter driving. I got the camper for $300 and then put about $500 into it. The side panels will hold 4 pairs of skis.

An old Alaskan is a cheap way to go, but I can understand that some remodeling might not be what you have in mind.

The titan jacks are fast, but they're not 10 minutes fast. More like 20 minutes using a drill rather than hand crank.

My lightweight rig:  Four Wheel Hawk pop-up on X-cab F-150 4x4.  I've had it 8 years.  Love it.  Camper weighs <1000 lbs., handles like a car.  Camper is 2000 model, truck 1998.  FWC are fine winter rigs if you get a furnace and the arctic liner.

If you are sleeping 1 or 2 90% of the time, take a look at Four Wheel Campers.

I have a Lance 8 footer, on a 3/4 t Dodge 4x4 it was collected over the years. Put bags under it and it works great. I would not go for a dually, better traction in the snow. Love the set up, but if I had time and money to shop I would look at the Fiberglass shell types, they are lite, and the roof is more durable. As others have said, keep in mind where you are going to store skies, I use the bathroom in my camper,(I never use it for the intended purpose) but it's a pain. I don't use mind enough, but have had so many great trips, using it I just keep it around.

It seems I'm at the other end of the spectrum.  For 17 years, I had a Ultralight cabover camper (700 #, with heater) mostly on my 4cyl Nissan PU.  With helper springs, it worked great.  Then I got a 6cyl Tacoma Xtra cab, and it worked fine, but put on some Firestone airbags.  Now I have a FG popup camper, which is a lot heavier (1400#), but still works fine.  In the winter, I turn off the heat and sleep in bags or a comforter, then warm it up before I get up. 

Of course, larger campers will have more room, but you'd have to get a new truck to go with it.  I wouldn't hesitate to use a cabover on your Tundra, you'll just have to do some add ons (e.g. 6-10 ply tires (higher psi makes a big difference), perhaps air bags or adjustable shocks.  Just depends on how much room you need.  With my cabover, I could stash several pairs of skis between the camper and the bed along the sides.  Haven't tried it with the popup, but think they'll fit.

Oh yeah, transferring the camper on/off is a cinch. I put mine on sawhorses.

how to folks handle drying out their pop-up campers after a wet weekend in the mountains?  Do you just wait for a stretch of dry weather to air it out or do you store it under a carport or an oversized garage so that the vinyl sides can dry after you get it back home?   
Just curious....I'm hesitant to get a soft-sided camper as I don't have anywhere covered to store it and it seems like it could be a big hassle trying to get it dry during typical winter weather.