My husband and I are looking to get our first travel trailer and truck, and are finding ourselves OVERWHELMED by all the options, information and advice we're finding (or not finding). We would love to get some straightforward guidance from folks who have done this before.

Our family consists of my husband and I + 3 German Shepherds. That's about 650 pounds in passengers alone. We're looking at the Transcend Xplor 240ML (UVW 6265lbs, Hitch 598lbs, GVWR 7495lbs, length 29'9") or the Transcend Xplor 220RB (UVW 5389lbs, Hitch 510lbs, GVWR 6995lbs, length 26'10"). Those are manufacturer specs, so I understand those weights are give or take a few pounds depending on customizations, add-ons, etc. I figure we'll be traveling with bikes, dog cages/gear, all of our human junk, and potentially a generator/firewood/extra propane if we want to boondock. Also, I overpack everywhere we go For our first few trips, I imagine we'll be staying relatively local (we live in SoCal) but eventually want to travel farther. At this point, almost nothing is out of the question, until we figure out how/where we do and don't like to travel.

We've been looking at RAM trucks to tow either one of these trailers and are debating whether or not we need to get a 1500 or 2500. The 1500's claim they have tow capacity of 10,000lbs no problem, and people I know keep telling me the half ton truck should be plenty. In the tow calculators I've found, we're always over payload in a 1500. Does that matter? What does it mean for tow performance / wear & tear on the truck? Is a 1500 good enough, or do we need to get the 2500? Should we get a gas or diesel truck? Does fuel type matter for towing performance? Do we need any of the extra/upgradeable features like a larger axle ratio, air suspension, engine cooling, anti-spin differential, etc.? What does the weight distribution hitch do (distribute weight, yes, but what does that MEAN?)

Does anyone have opinions on either of the trailers, be it "the models you're looking at are missing XX feature that you MUST have" or "as a newbie, don't get anything over XX feet".

Any advice or words of wisdom you can provide is much appreciated. Thank you <3