I'm shopping for my first truck camper. In 2018 I bought a new truck for my new RV trailer that I assumed would be great for towing the trailer and could easily be made as capable as a 1-ton SRW which had to be good enough for a modest-sized truck camper. Boy does it seem like I was wrong. Please tell me what I have found is wrong in some way.

2018 Chevy Silverado 2500HD Crew Cab Short Bed 4x4 Duramax High Country.

Disappointment #1. Truck Camper Loading Information Sticker in the glove box indicates a maximum camper weight of 1263lbs. Seriously? For a 2500HD diesel?

Disappointment #2. Capacity sticker on the driver door frame indicates a maximum payload of all people and cargo is 2,013lbs. Seriously? For a 2500HD diesel?

Disappointment #3. Truck Camper Loading Information Sticker in the glove box along with the owner's manual indicates that the center of gravity of the camper should be between 26" from the rear of the truck bed floor and the truck bed floor. Seriously? Behind the rear axle?

Is it possible to find a good truck camper that is suitable for this truck with these specs? I don't really want just any camper. I'm kind of partial to Northern Lite or Bigfoot.

I think disappointments #1 and #2 can be mitigated by beefing up my rear springs and making sure my wheels and tires are up to the task.

But disappointment #3 seems almost insurmountable. I measured a few campers today and the only one whose center of gravity was far enough back was an Adventurer meant for an 8' bed. And its wet weight was around 3,700lbs. Combine that with my wife and me and minimal gear and we are over 2,000lbs over the GVWR of the truck. And we are much bigger than we ever wanted to be. And the camper is hanging off the back of our short bed more than 1 foot further than in a long bed.

Am I off base? This truck requires the center of gravity of the camper be behind the axle? Is there any such camper? Is this because the Duramax all by itself is already maxing our my front GAWR and we can't have the camper (or any other payload for that matter) ahead of the rear axle or it will add too much weight to the front axle? I think it is pretty easy to increase the capability of the rear with stiffer springs and better shocks. Is it easy to enhance the load carrying capability of the front axle? Maybe beefing up the front would help me handle a COG that is farther forward, but I don't know if that is easy.

It seems to me like an F-150 long bed with a gas motor would be a much better truck for a pickup camper than a 2500HD Duramax. I didn't put much thought into my purchase in 2018. I just thought a 3/4 ton diesel that could be easily transformed into a 1-ton diesel would leave me wanting for nothing.

Boy was I wrong?