Newb here and will be getting a truck first then a camper. I’ve got my eyes on an Arctic Fox 811 and will be looking at 3500/350 non-dually (sp?). One (of many) questions is how a truck with a fairly heavy camper drives with a short bed vs standard bed. It seems intuitive that a standard/long bed would be smoother and more balanced, but want to ask this group to get folk’s thoughts. I will get air bags and a sway bar. Thoughts?

You need to match the truck to the camper. You need enough gross vehicle carrying weight so the camper is not overloading the truck. The weight in the bed needs to be balanced correctly from front to back. Pick the camper first and then match the truck to the camper. A long bed would give you more options in camper choice. Look carefully at the truck manufacturers. Some of them have camper packages that you can buy as an option for the truck.

As an example, the Ford camper package includes a rear sway bar, and a relay in the power wiring so the truck battery is isolated from the camper when the ignition is off. My trucks are ordered with the camper package and the last one I ordered from Ford included the snow plow prep package that had a heavier front suspension and a front sway bar.

I added rear airbags because they provide a way to help level the camper when parked. My system has individually controlled airbags so I can compensate front to back or side to side when parked. The airbags also give the ability to level the truck with the camper and that makes it ride better.

What you will find out is that the trucks are bouncy when unloaded and the suspension smooths out under load. The long bed would give a bit better ride. But, you need to find out if a short bed would limit the choice of upgraded suspension packages and camper options from the manufacturer.

Personally, my choice is always a long bed. I carry lumber, metal, etc. in my truck without the camper and I like having an 8-foot bed.