Many of us have to address that balance of mobility vs. including the family in our adventures, and to be honest, in my 50s, I kind of like the convenience of a toilet and shower. I have gravitated toward a long box with a 1 foot to 1 1/2 foot overhang. With some minor modifications, you can tow pretty well with that length, and the balance of the camper front to rear is easier to maintain. I am struggling with a choice between a regular cab or extended cab truck for my 9 1/2 foot camper. I find the regular cab with the longer camper quite manuverable, but as my daughter gets older, we may have travel issues without the longer cab. As for weight, most of the newer campers, especially those made by Coyote Rv, Hallmark, Outfitter, FWC and ATC are pretty light, when modestly equiped. It's the stuff that drives the weight up. If you pack your camper like a backpacker rather than a moving company, you can keep the weight down. That concept is frequently reinforced on this forum, and was driven home for me during a visit with Rob at Coyote RV. To help with water management, I'm planning to replace the factory fresh water flush toilet with a porta potty. My camper is a bit old to invest in a cassette. Water is heavy, so are air conditioners, fuel and diesel engines. Everything is a trade off, my solution is to try out some options with my older, less expensive equipment before buying something new(er) or custom built.
