Official 2017 NorCal Camping/Wheeling Thread!

^^^ and that too!

 

Anyone here have any experience with snow camping in the back of a truck with a shell? The wife and I are thinking about heading up to oregon after christmas, and would like to know what we need vs what would be a creature comfort...

 

Good sleeping bag.
Hope the shells insulated to prevent condensation from dripping on you
i use about 5-7" of padding between me and the bed
(I highly advise against using an air mattress in the winter as it will leech heat away from your body)
a MR Buddy heater will help a lot. (i turn mine on for 10-15 min before i go to bed and if i wake up cold in the night, just turn it back on for another few minutes)
That's pretty much it
If you're around my area, i can show you how i set myself up and how quick a little heater will heat up the bed



Sorry about the crappy pic, but you can get an idea of how much padding there is and see the heater in the lower right corner

 

The shell has the carpeted interior,
I have a 4 in memory foam on top of plywood
when you say Mr Buddy, do you mean this?

 

sounds like a good set-up. I picked up some of insulation I cut out for the windows as well which helped a lot. maybe a tarp to throw over the top at night.

 

Also, BFF is the only one that offers a dual swingout still...

Great advice. I would also like to add using dense foam on the bottom as an insulator. Remember, you are elevated off of the ground and have nothing for your body heat to reflect back upon.

Seconded on the buddy heater. I run mine off of a 5gallon tank on a long line that lets me keep the tank wherever I want it.

 

That's probably plenty of foam and since you're on plywood and not the bed, that will help. I have this smaller heater and like it since its a little more elevated than that one. Fits nicely in a corner.

$66 Mr. Heater F215100 MH4B Little Buddy 3800-BTU, Indoor Safe Propane Heater With ODS & Tip-Over Protection, Heating Area Up to 95 Sq. Ft - Lightweight, Medium - Black/Red

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001...ddy+heater&dpPl=1&dpID=41JFSop2E0L&ref=plSrch

And @Dan8906 is absolutely right, a tarp over the top of the shell will keep you more insulated and dry if you have any leak points

The only other recommendation I have is two large dogs that love to cuddle

Here's a better pic of that heater in action

 

Ah ok I see the heater now, thanks for the feedback.
Hey @Dan8906 would you say the insulation is a nice to have or a need to have?

 

x2 This could take my winter camping to a new comfort level. Any tips for making these?

And more tips: Take a large mouthed water bottle to bed with you so you can pee in it instead of getting out into the weather. And take a water bottle for drinkable water. Don't confuse the 2.

 

LOL! "If it bleeds, we can kill it"

It was great meeting everyone. Thank you Don for taking us (half way) up to Signal Peak. Sorry about the rear bumper, let us know when it comes in, we can have a mini mod day installing it, as long as I'm not cutting the fender.

 

If you do this, make the pee bottle easily recognizable in the dark. Do this by turning some duct tape into rope and wrapping it around the bottle then tape the rope on the bottle. You will not regret this.

If you're gonna take water to bed, boil it first and use the heat to warm your bag. If you are going to put liquid in the tent, make absolutely certain the container does not leak...

When cold weather camping, anything you can do to keep the cold from under you helps. I sleep on an inflatable mattress (when not in the RTT)-it's pretty comfy and has some insulation and works pretty well in the cold (Exped). And oddly enough, do not wear a lot of clothing to bed. Socks keep your feet warm and a poly hat keeps your head warm.

 

So is there a trip to Gold lakes in the works? Went last summer had a blast. Drove from Gold lake to Poker Flat. Lot of spots out there to camp lakeside and riverside.Should have my weekends free some time in December.

 

Its nice, plus keeps the light out in the morning, but its not a necessity. but for the price and how long it takes to cut it, id say do it. i just Velcro it in.

 

Id join!

 

Departing “The Spot” for the fateful run up Signal Peak.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=g8QMqfIMYV0&feature=youtu.be

 

WTF is this... Taliban training camp??

 

Sub’d been looking for a thread with people planning trips. New to the forum and off roading in northern cali, i did most of mine in baja years ago. Only been out in the new truck 3 times so looking to rack that number up. No armor yet but its done great with the lift. Hopefully i am welcome to your guys group haha.

Idea of when the next trip is?

 

Armor up. High clearance front and rear bumpers. Skid plates. Rock sliders. Trust me.

 

Don, you have scared me into figuring out my rear bumper. high clearance with a wrap around. lol I kept putting it off.

 

Don’t learn the hard way, like me. Get one. I bought a lot of nice things for my truck that I’m now going to replace. Nobody spends your money better than other TW members. They give the Federal Government real competition.