Hey Elabut, my first truck camper was a FWC Hawk shell which we had for a few years, then switched to a hardsided Scout camper. I had either owned or had full-time use of a couple fully kitted out RVs beforehand. I don't feel equipped to tell you what would be best for you, but for me, the benefit of this general type of camper is 1) a warm sheltered place to be out of the elements, 2) light and nimble enough that it's easy to bring it almost anywhere my truck could get to by itself, and 3) simple and reliable - when I finally get there I don't want to have to fiddle with anything on my rig if it can be avoided. With consideration of those priorities, a reliable heater was a must-have. I also wanted an always-available counter or tabletop space to work, eat, etc. Dinette seating area is a strong preference for this. For cooking, I also prefer to cook and clean up outside with a 2-burner propane cooktop etc. Cooking outside keeps the camper cleaner, dryer, cooler in summer, less smelly, and preserves more inside counter space. It is very nice to be able to cook inside when the weather is bad, but my 2-burner stove can be brought inside too in a pinch. For toilet needs I like portable setups, either a bucket toilet or a cassette-style. One can build in a storage area for one of these if wanted, but if they are comletely portable they can also be relocated outside the camper where appropriate, or left home if they won't be needed, which leaves more storage space. Same approach to water/plumbing too - you can build in a sweet sink and water tanks and pump and everything else, but then you have to winterize it, and it's always taking up that space, and it's more to maintain and deal with. For me, I like the fully self-contained water jug that I can just completely remove from the camper any time it doesn't need to be in there. I've seen some truck campers beautifully built up and outfitted and if they work for some people that's great, but personally I want my truck camper to be pretty spartan and minimalist, and as light as possible. There are other styles of camper which are much better suited to being fully built out with all the amenities of home, in my humble opinion. If you go the route I'm describing, you may end up feeling the same and keeping it that way, but if you don't, I think it would generally be easier to build up whatever you do want from there, as opposed to tearing out functional stuff which you might not like. Quite likely also cheaper in the long run to get the shell and then add exactly what you want, compared to buying something with all the amenities and removing things. FWIW my hawk shell with propane cooktop and propane furnace and nothing else was 900lbs.
, but I don't know what will work best as this will be my first camper. I am concerned about weight v space. I will usually bring 2 dogs (70# each), so it will be tight.
