This is just my opinion. I Lived out of a camper for 13 years. 454 Suburban and a 19 foot travel trailer. Got pretty much the same MPG, no matter what I did with it. There is nothing like a big motor for towing. Also no comparison to having big tires, brakes, etc. The safety factor can't be ignored.
The feeling when driving, that you have all that power when you need it, is reassuring. And yes it can save your ass. I have a Chevy Colorado 2.8L and it hauled my inboard Chevy powered boat from Florida OK. I was extra cautious though. I'm guessing it was just under a ton. I have a 07 Chevy 2500HD and a 1984 454 dually too. I maintain all these vehicles myself. I also have a project 1984 SRW 1 ton Chevy 454 project truck.
So I have a little experience in towing and maintaining light trucks. Now I live in a house, and the camper just sits.
So after reading your situation and requirements, I would get a full size truck. 3/4 ton minimum. A low mileage older well maintained truck highly discounted due to age. Heavy emphasis on well maintained, fluid changes etc. They can be found and it is a pain looking at all the offerings. I personally feel all these claims of a small high performance engine doing all these heavy towing in extreme conditions are a disservice to buyers. Is a two piece engine block really necessary? Twin turbos that get insanely hot? All this shit sound like a Formula 1 racing engine. Get a big engine and a big truck. The little truck is for towing your motorcycle. Below is an example of a truck I would consider...

https://pueblo.craigslist.org/cto/d/...939368518.html