If you enjoy the outdoors lifestyle and spend more summer weekends around a roaring bonfire than you do in the air conditioning, you may be eagerly eyeing end-of-season sales on 5th wheel campers. While these campers can pack a great deal of interior space into an easy-to-tow package, you may worry about your ability to tow a 5th wheel if your only truck is a short bed model. What are your options? Read on to learn more about the logistics of towing a 5th wheel camper in a short bed truck.

Is it possible to tow a 5th wheel camper with a short bed truck?

In short, yes -- and if your particular camper model is a bit too large for your truck, you may be able to purchase and install bed extenders that allow you to tow it more comfortably. Unless you've chosen a 5th wheel camper specifically designed to be towed behind long bed trucks, you shouldn't have much of a problem towing your camper behind your shorter truck as long as you adhere to some simple guidelines.

You will want to keep towing weight in mind when selecting and setting up your camper -- while many short bed trucks are designed to tow just as much weight as their long bed brethren, some may have a lower towing limit, and underestimating the weight of your hitch, camper, and any supplies could cause damage to your truck's drivetrain or even cause an accident. If you don't have any idea how much your camper weighs, you may be able to take it to the local dump or a gravel supply yard to see if you can take advantage of their multi-ton scales. 

Where should you begin when equipping your truck for a 5th wheel camper? 

Your first step is to install a 5th wheel hitch in the bed of your truck. As this hitch will require you to drill some holes in your truck's bed, it will become a relatively permanent fixture -- so take this step only if you're certain about your commitment to your new camper. In most cases, the hitch installation kit should come with everything you need but a drill and screwdriver, including stencils that will show you exactly where to drill the screw holes and individually labeled and numbered parts that make following the written instructions much easier. 

Once you've installed the hitch, you should be ready to take your camper out for a (very slow) test spin around the block or a mile or so down the road. This process is useful in giving you some experience handling the different balance of weight, and by staying close to home, you'll be able to avoid an expensive towing bill if something goes wrong and you need to limp back to your driveway. For more help, contact a company like Major Tire & Hitch Inc.