yep i believe that to be true. camped free on BLM land a lot off forest service roads where many others can't get to

I'd like to hear someone explain why one shouldn't use ratchet straps when the weight rating / strength rating of the strap is better or as good as some specialized tie down turnbuckle / bracket assembly. I've heard the argument that the turnbuckles have the springs and will flex but the ratchet straps will too!! Why not use a heavy duty tow ratchet strap? That's what I'm using, tied directly to the frame (seems to me intuitively safer than the steel turnbuckle attached to the bed) and have driven it so far 800 miles highway no problems and gone off road with it.

I think the straps are great and perfectly safe, just keep checking them in the side view mirror and when you stop for gas etc.

as you can see size of camper and can't even tell if the rear is sagging (camper is off the end of truck haha but there is plenty of room still in the wheel well!!)

also no where along the way did i have to really lay on the brakes. mostly by the time you get up the hills to the time to get to the next hill you're not going to get past 70mph anyway while in fourth gear so brakes actually used very little.

I just drove my 93 F350 7.5 crew cab long bed to Jackson WY from Casper WY and back (tough mountain pass before Jackson) with no problems. I have all stock standard stuff. Its 4x4 and the brakes are actually pretty thin, probably original pads etc! I am budgeting to do all new brakes all around real soon but I didn't get to it.

I have the biggest camper you could buy back in 82 or so. I haven't weighed the rig yet but the rear barely sags at all with the camper and all my gear in there.

Basically I kept it in fourth gear the whole way, 63 mph (limit was 65, people were going 70-80) and around 2300rpm cruise control no sweat. Except when I had to go though that togetee pass, no cruise was possible and most of the bigger hills I was nearly flooring it and going 45mph, not too bad. There was one hill on the way back, 7% or so, long climb, that near the top I had to downshift to third gear and 40mph or less at 2700rpm or so.

I think you should have no problem. Also I don't have turnbuckles etc. I just use heavy duty tow strap and some other 3,000 straps to hold it down and again no problem. My tires are rated for 1550 pounds only and they held up great even doing some off roading for remote camping. I am going to buy new ones that are rated for like twice that weight here soon though.

I went up some really steep gravel, rocky mountain roads up to Curtis canyon campground and a good part of that climb I was going 5-10mph in first gear, but given the sharp rocks and turns that was right. truck handled excellent with the weight.

Hope that helps!