I bought a used Starcraft (tent-type) pop-up camper
for my short-bed truck. It is perfect for just me, fine for me and my
husband, and way too small when our now 5 & 7 year old kids
are along. Having a tent pop-up keeps the weight lower (lower to the
ground and less weight), and it is very easy to put up and down by
myself.
Dually's aren't popular here where we have alot of
snow in the winter. They are a real pain - those outside rear wheels don't
track into the tracks of the fronts and they tend to get stuck before you can
even get out to the highway.
We did consider getting a larger truck and camper
to accomodate the whole family, but I love my current set up when its just me at
a ride, which is about 1/2 the time. What we finally settled on
and are very happy with is getting a 2nd trailer (its also a Starcraft
tent-type pop-up) to pull behind our 2nd vehicle, a Toyota 4Runner. The
trailer weighs under 3k and is easy to pull with our SUV (which has a
tow package). Yes, we spend a ton on gas when we drive both vehicles to a
ride (along with all 14 tires, alot of tires to maintain!), but it is so nice to
have a camper for the family (my husband is also allergic to horses (this rules
out the option of a LQ trailer) and this way I keep all my horsey clothes in my
camper). They can also easily drop the trailer and have a car to go
sight-seeing while I ride. I figure its still alot cheaper than if we'd
bought a bigger truck and camper. And when we just want to go family
camping, we pull the trailer behind the truck (leaving my camper at
home).
This set-up has given us flexibility and
room - goes along way toward keeping everyone happy!
