Livin lite 6.8 on a 1 ton Ram

[Shady]

I have a 2016 Ram 3500 short bed, crew cab, 4×4. I am looking for a lightweight, self contained hard sided TC. I’ve been looking at the Livin Lite 6.8 as it checks most of the boxes for me. However, everything I read about this camper says it’s for 1/2 & 3/4 ton trucks. What, if any, are the downsides of putting this on my one ton truck?
I’ve written the manufacturer 2x to ask this question, but have not received a reply…
Thanks

Scott-
2016 Ram 3500 CTD, 4X4, SB, CREW CAB.
Airlift 5000 airbags W/wireless onboard air system.
Will be selling: 2004 Komfort 24' TT
Will be buying a new TC. (Brand/type TBD)

[Mello Mike]

Hi Scott and welcome to TCA. To answer your question, there are no downsides putting this on a one-ton. You’ll have payload (lots of it) to spare, which is what you want when buying a truck camper. The Livin Lite 6.8 is a great truck camper. Love the aluminum build and storage. The only thing I don’t like about it is the small fresh water holding tank, 13 gallons isn’t very much.

[Shady]

Thanks Mike, I really like the form, fit, and finish of this camper too. Small water tanks are unfortunate, but I understand the necessity of this trade off. And this is something I can live with…

I will be driving to and from Puerto Vallarta/Seattle each year, boon docking most of the time along the way. We’ll Only be sleeping in the camper while on the road between our southern and northern homes. Weight and durability are my biggest concerns. Some years I will be towing a small cargo/car trailer too. (This is one reason that weight is important to me).

Scott-
2016 Ram 3500 CTD, 4X4, SB, CREW CAB.
Airlift 5000 airbags W/wireless onboard air system.
Will be selling: 2004 Komfort 24' TT
Will be buying a new TC. (Brand/type TBD)

[Mello Mike]

Then it will be perfect for what you want. No rear overhang will be a bonus.

[Jefe4x4]

Shady, there are lots of ways to get around small tanks. Our Lance lite has only 18 gal. fresh and we’ve never run out or even used all of it when boondocking. We can now go 6 or 7 days without tanking up or dumping the black. It’s a paradigm shift. We take very ‘GI’ showers, sitting on the pot with a dishpan on the floor and quick everything. We can get by with less than a gallon at shower time. I then dump the semi-grey water outside. Same with any silverware or dishes we use: Little water and throw the grey water outside. Although now, since water is more valuable than paper we use paper plates as much as possible. We carry up to 48, 16 oz. bottles of water for drinking. I have 5-one gallon sturdy water bottles in a floor cabinet for coffee and cooking water. No milk cartons for water: too flimsy. Really the biggest obstacle to extending your ‘off grid’ time in the T.C. is the capacity of your black tank. You can get by, but it requires rethinking how you do business. We also have an outdoor shower for remote camping and a great little gizmo: a pop up shower enclosure. Wonderful in warm climes and boondocks. None of the grey water goes into the black tank. I do much of my elimination outside. Jeanie prefers the privacy of the white box. I think having a solar array is more important when off grid. One last thing: if you plan on going south of the border for any length of time, consider the availability of ultra low sulfur diesel fuel. I think 2006 or 07 was the last CTD to not require a pee canister (DEF tank) and other smog related measures. The internet has a plethora of info on beating the DEF tank in Mexico.

2020 Ford F-350 XLT FX4 4WD SRW SB SC 7.3L Godzilla Gas TorqShift 10R140 397 amps dual Alt dual batts Frnt Dana 60; Rr Dana M275 E-locker 4.30's 4580/4320/4066# payload 7243# curb wt. 11,300# GVWR 5-er prepped. 2020 Northstar Laredo SC, 12v compressor fridge, cassette, 320w Solar sub zero insulation.

[Jefe4x4]

I’m amazed my post stuck to the wall this time.
Since you live in Seattle, an all aluminum camper is a splendid idea. Be sure to get an all season package in whatever you wind up with. My choice would be the Lance 650 as it has the 4 season package that works to reflect heat and and retain heat in cold weather and works on a shortbed truck. It’s also the least expensive camper with all those weather features you will find.

2020 Ford F-350 XLT FX4 4WD SRW SB SC 7.3L Godzilla Gas TorqShift 10R140 397 amps dual Alt dual batts Frnt Dana 60; Rr Dana M275 E-locker 4.30's 4580/4320/4066# payload 7243# curb wt. 11,300# GVWR 5-er prepped. 2020 Northstar Laredo SC, 12v compressor fridge, cassette, 320w Solar sub zero insulation.

[Anonymous]

We have a Lance 650 on our Ram 3500 4×4 crew cab diesel and find it a good… no… a great(!) fit. If we had to grouse about anything, we’d ask for a 2nd battery but with our Zamp 160 portable panel we have yet to run out of power. We also had seriously considered the Livin Lite 6.8 but the one thing that really decided things for us was the availability of dealers/service. There are simply a lot more Lance service centers in the West than there are for the CampLite brand.

As an aside, whether you go with the LivinLite or the Lance, with the Ram 3500 you will really enjoy the power to weight ratio! What hill!?

[Author]

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