Poptop camper and weight in a Tacoma

[hibernation]

Looking at a Super Pacific camper for my Tacoma, but worried it'll eat up all my capacity and an elk will bottom me out. I was pretty maxed out already with my fiberglass topper, camp, and a big bull last year. For anybody who's got a similar setup, can you still handle an elk with it? How much did you have to mod or upgrade?

I've seen a lot of suggestions but kind of out of my depth here: new leaf springs vs add a leaf, sumo springs, bed stiffeners, etc. I know it's not going to change my GVWR but if it handles just a little better for the occasional heavy trip home, that would be great. The camper would stay on year-round but I'm not looking to haul big payloads constantly - just one elk in the fall. Hopefully. The truck is paid off, new trucks are expensive, so I'm weighing all this against having to buy a full size pickup.

 

[M1SF1T]

Not much available payload on a Tacoma, especially with a camper already on it.

It would be weird to have air bags in that truck and for "occasional heavy trip" I'm not sure how much you're willing to do to the suspension. I guess the camper on full time it can't hurt to upgrade suspension and won't screw up the ride too much. Maybe a stiffer sway bar. Probably lots of opinions on aftermarket on a Tacoma forum.

 

[hoooogan]

Not financial advice, but GVWR/payload is a rating for a "safe" max load under "normal" operating conditions. It's the CYA rating for vehicles. Just like hand carrying a heavy load, you are not gonna try to run, jump or be super agile with a heavy load. You are gonna take your time and be more careful. Same for your truck. Use your judgement if you exceed GVWR and don't drive like you have no weight.

The three you mentioned (springs, bumps, bed stiffeners) are exactly what you need. The SP is not particularly heavy, so a leafpack/AAL with ~500# extra weight capacity would be plenty for a fully loaded ride out. (the extra rated capacity would mean you could throw an additional 500# to get into the same max load situation you were in last year).

On my ZR2, I run the OME (old man emu) HD leafpack with extra leaf. ~900lbs extra capacity while I'm probably a bit over GVWR. While i've never had bull elk loaded in the back, I have had a ton of weight without the extra leaf. Drove just fine. And I don't run a swaybar, so my setup is a bit more sketchy. I would not think twice about loading an elk in the back.

 

[hibernation]

Not financial advice, but GVWR/payload is a rating for a "safe" max load under "normal" operating conditions. It's the CYA rating for vehicles. Just like hand carrying a heavy load, you are not gonna try to run, jump or be super agile with a heavy load. You are gonna take your time and be more careful. Same for your truck. Use your judgement if you exceed GVWR and don't drive like you have no weight.

The three you mentioned (springs, bumps, bed stiffeners) are exactly what you need. The SP is not particularly heavy, so a leafpack/AAL with ~500# extra weight capacity would be plenty for a fully loaded ride out. (the extra rated capacity would mean you could throw an additional 500# to get into the same max load situation you were in last year).

On my ZR2, I run the OME (old man emu) HD leafpack with extra leaf. ~900lbs extra capacity while I'm probably a bit over GVWR. While i've never had bull elk loaded in the back, I have had a ton of weight without the extra leaf. Drove just fine. And I don't run a swaybar, so my setup is a bit more sketchy. I would not think twice about loading an elk in the back.

Thanks, replacing the leafpack with something like the OME is what I've been leaning towards. Did that change your ride height at all, did you need to change the shocks out for the extra weight / travel?