New to the forum and want to thank everyone for the help in advance. Have a 2018 f150 screw, 3.5 eco with max duty tow package (12,800 pd tow capacity). Payload is a measly 1500 because I loaded up on options (hindsight 20/20 I would drop 2 of them that probably account for 400 pounds of lost payload). GCWR 18400, 4050 gawr rear, 3600 gawr front. weighed the truck today with all occupants and gear that will be riding when towing and I have 1060 pounds left of payload to handle the camper we buy. (Note my steer axle was 3400- that seems REALLY close to the max already and I have a stock truck- what’s the deal with that and should I be concerned once I load up a camper?)
Here are three campers we have looked at:
jayco jay feather 25bh- 5200 pounds dry, 650 tongue weight (per manufacturer) under 30’ tip to tip
Highlander ultra light open range ut2802bh- 6200 dry, 510 tongue (per manufacturer) 32’ tip to tip
Jayco white hawk 29bh- 7100 dry, 730 tongue (per manufacturer) 34’ tip to tip

Any advice on what I can comfortably tow? Even if weight wise I am ok, I don’t want to get a camper that is going to push the truck around if that makes sense. We have been very cautious when buying gear for the camper as to weight, but to be conservative I am thinking 1000 pounds for gear stored in the camper. I don’t know what the rule of thumb is for how much tongue weight that adds? I will be using a WDH, either blue ox or 4-point equalizer. Thanks in advance for your advice.

Sounds like your proceeding cautiously which is good. I’m not going to tell you that one of the bigger trailers will work. You’ve done a lot of math and can figure that out. I will say the Jayco BH is probably a good bet. I own a 2018 f150 3.5 with Max Tow and pull a Rockwood 2304DS which weighs in at about 5650 dry, a bit over 7000 lbs loaded. That combined with another 850 lbs between myself, wife, dogs, fuel, and gear in the truck bed I don’t see any significant issues. I have a slightly higher max truck carry capacity whereas you have a HDDP payload package and lower weight carry. I still think you would be within limits. Going to a larger 6200 dry likely means up to 7500 loaded. You definitely need to watch the truck loaded weights.
Hope this info helps a bit.

You’re asking the right questions but the answer is not so easy to determine. Staying within manufactures limits is a good start but try to stay away from the very edge. You may want to consider using the trailer GVWR as a reference instead of dry weight and then assume at least 13% of tongue weight based on GVWR. Which one will tow comfortably is going to depend on the individual characteristics of each trailer not just GVW. It’s weight distribution by design (floorplan) is important as is how you load additional items. Watch out for no name, poor quality tires on the trailer and negotiate a change if needed. You didn’t mention the wheelbase of the truck but the longer the better, the trend here seems to be the shorter 145 in. WB trucks are a bit more sensitive. Based on weight and dimensions, the 25BH would be my choice.

I have the 145” WB. GVWR on the open range is 7450, so following your math this would provide a 970 pound tongue weight leaving me 100 pounds in unused payload. I agree with your comments on weight distribution and tire quality but am not smart enough to evaluate the former on these campers. Tires are easy to change which is the nice part, but until I get a camper hooked to the truck, is there a way to tell whether they will pull well and are designed for optimal weight distribution?

The jay feather is certainly the lightest, but it is also the smallest and almost completely void of any “extras” so we really like the open range compared to it. I have already struck the white hawk as too heavy and too long, so we are down to the jay feather and open range at this point...

Weight distribution from a design perspective is about the location of the heavier items such as slide outs , kitchen, water tank if traveling with water. These should more centralized around and or slightly in front of the axles. Both of your choices seem relatively good with the Jayco maybe a bit better. The Open range dry hitch weight is a bit low for a trailer this size which suggests more weight rearward which can but not always increase the possibility of sway(increases yaw inertia).
One thing to consider with both trailers is the front storage bin and the front underbed storage. Using these as the main storage locations for the trailer can lead to a much heavier tongue weight than anticipated. It’s real easy to end up 15%+ on tongue weight so be careful. You are correct in that you won’t really know exactly how well either will tow until you hitch up and drive away.