Minimalist camping setup - pics wanted

My son (7yo) and I want to get into camping this spring/summer for the first time in the Tacoma. What are some of the things we will need to be comfortable for a night or two?

 

More comfortable the more $$. Some setups run in the thousands. I just throw a sleeping bag in the bed and call it good.

 

last time i went camping was at a dirt track race. i brought a nice tent from rei, brought a sleeping bag and a couple blankets, an inflatable sleeping pad, an inflatable pillow, a rain coat, and some spare socks. i was going to set up beside the truck and sleep in the tent and pack up the next day. had too much fun talking to a tech and got caught in a hard rain for most of the night before i could get set up. instead of dealing with a wet tent i decided to sleep in the cab. pulled a cover over and slept like a baby. so if worse comes to worse, sleep in the cab. just don't leave the truck running over night.

 

Not so much pics, but great ideas

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/camping-gear-recommendations.518504/

 

Are you backpacking or just rolling up and kicking it?

If kicking it are you planning to sleep in the tacoma or tent?

 

I use the awning for thunderstorm nights or for the overnight dew. I have a 5 gal water jug from Walmart, 2 cot pads, cooler, stove and cook ware, and winter/summer sleeping bags. I always sleep in the bed unles it's summer time I usually use a hammock for better air flow.

 

No backpacking for us, maybe in the future when he’s old enough to carry gear lol..

There are a ton of sites that offer primitive style camping and glamping within 2 hours of us. I figured we would start slow.

I have a nice 2-person tent, but future plans I would like to setup in the bed of the truck. I found a softopper in for $350 locally. Not sure if those toppers are intended for camping use, but at least it would keep the gear dry.

 

This looks perfect. Any pics of inside the topper? Debating on getting one. Are they easy to take off?

 

This is the only good picture I have. But now I have 2 foam cot pads instead of the thin pads. And then I'll put the awning up if it's supposed to be wet weather.
I've camped through probably 5 good storms and been dry in the topper. I had to caulk the front corners by the cab because the rain would dribble in from there just because there's a small gap. Its pretty easy to remove or fold down. It only takes few minutes.

 

ARB awning and tent

 

Napier truck bed tent. I love this thing! Also have the AirBedz truck bed mattress to go inside.

 

Nice 0* synthetic fill sleeping bag, nice self inflating sleeping pad(cheap thermarest), Coleman 2 burner stove from walmart (trust me, I use these type stoves all summer long cooking meals for groups that range in size from 3-15 people, you do not need to spend much on one of these), pots/pans from your kitchen, decent cooler (think coleman), 5 gallon water jug, an axe. Camp chairs are nice, not essential (use a rock or a log). All in all I would say you could spend around 300$ and you could definitely get a solid set of camping equipment for you and your son.

For truck bed gear/food organization go to the back of grocery store or conveinence store and steal some milk crates. They are killer for keeping things organized/protected.

I can't stress enough how important it is to spend the majority of your money on sleeping bags/pads, a good nights rest goes a long long ways in the backcountry. And if you take good care of the gear it will last forever. I have my dad's thermarest from 1992 and I still use it to this day and I typically spend 100 days a year under the stars(but my old thermarest is one of 4 pads I own haha).

 

I used this same setup on a 5k mile trip to the arctic circle and back. Worked great. Gave me a bug free place to chill and a comfortable place to pit out my cot.

 

the awning is nice. i've looked into getting a roof rack just for an ARB awning or similar. I could see myself using the awning a lot though, kicking it in some shade at a winery in the summer would be nice...not to mention eating under it during baseball tournaments instead of the truck bed or packed picnic shelters.

 

Love that setup!

 

This is dead on.

I have found that one of my most appreciated items (after those listed above) is a tarp. Any will do, but if you camp very much you will find it is worth it to get one made for camping, and not the lower cost blue ones from the hardware store. The secret is to bring a pretty long rope for it so you can reach from tree to tree across the campsite. The awnings in the posts here are ideal for truck camping, way faster to put up. If you branch out into backpacking one day I recommend something more portable.

Don't get distracted by all the gear and options. All that stuff is useful, but in the end humans are actually very well suited to life outdoors straight out of the package without having to kitted out for it. Make sure you sleep comfortably, have a shelter you can stand under, and eat well.

Happy camping!

 

Not a fan of sleeping in the truck bed - buy a decent tent (for 2 people get a 4 person tent), otherwise what do you do with everything in the bed in rainy weather while you sleep? Also agreed on getting a quality tarp.

 

USGI modular sleep system.

A jet boil.

Sawyer mini water filter.

Done.

 

I've used both a truck bed tent and now a Softopper, both with an Airbedz mattress. I like the Softopper better as it has the same amount of clearance from front to back. The dome style tents only have space to sit up near the middle.

Used this setup over Thanksgiving weekend and it was comfortable. One word of caution though...don't try to put the fully inflated Airbedz mattress in while the topper is installed, it's easy to catch the mattress on the Softopper's frame or clips and tear a hole in it. Thankfully I was able to patch mine and it held just fine.