Change Two To Plan "B"

My Dad was a Wizard.
"Jack of all trades"... I've written before about how he could do MANY things, and do them well.

In 1963 he bought a new Chevrolet "Corvair Greenbriar" Van, bought a bunch of plywood, and turned the thing into a really neat travel camper. In it, our family of four took many camping trips, including an unforgettable trip West from Indianapolis. We headed West via a Northern Route... Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, and into L.A. to visit kin.
Returning home we passed through Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, and Painted Desert. As a 16-yr old with a freshly printed driver's license, I drove most of the miles on that trip.
My folks then later graduated to a pickup camper mounted on a 3/4 ton Ford Pickup, then a 27-foot Winnebago motor home. My memories of those camping trips are some of the fondest of my life, and I thank my departed parents for them.

About ten years ago, after much study of the market, I bought a Dodge Ram pickup with the 5.9 liter Cummins diesel engine. My intent in buying the truck was to eventually mount a camper in the bed and set off with my wife to check things from our "bucket list".
It's likely now that I am slowly losing my bride to dementia. So the idea of buying a camper and starting our Nation-roving trek has been accelerated. I've been perusing YouTube videos to get an idea of what's out there and how to proceed.
And HOLY COW... are there a bunch of things to be considered!
But maybe the biggest thing to be concerned about is something I never heard my Dad consider, although I know he probably did:
WEIGHT.

Many of the newer model campers are aluminum framed, (as opposed to wood, which rots when it is continuously wet), so they are lighter by design and better maintenance-wise than in days of yore. But then on top of building them lighter they add "options"-
Microwave ovens. Awnings, (or two or three of 'em). Pop-out sliding rooms. Queen sized beds. The list goes on and on.
And if you add a bunch of these "accessories" you can easily increase the weight of the camper to a figure that will eventually break the back of the truck. In addition, I'm now finding out my beautiful Cummins diesel engine weighs approximately 700 pounds(!) more than it's gasoline-eating brother.
I've always dreamed of the luxury of being able to go, at a moment's notice, to sights we want to see with our home (and STUFF) on our back.
I like the idea of not having to make hotel reservations, (though I know staying in a dedicated campground is likely to be about as expensive as a motel room.)
But this venture has sure turned out to be more complicated that I thought it would be.
And of course, $$$$$ will be flowing outta my pockets.

But that's what retirement is for....
Isn't it?