Tacoma and camping....

I'm 6'2" and can fit - diagonally.

 

He mentioned Yosemite. I have camped and backpacked there many times. It is definitely bear country and they have very specific rules for storing food and other such items and they are strict about enforcing them. An unattended ice chest will get you a ticket (even backpacking, we have to carry certified bear proof containers and keep all food in it):
https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/bears.htm

Another thing to note, if you plan on camping in the park, you will need to make your reservations 5 months in advance on the 15th of the month at exactly 7:00 am. These reservations are very hard to get and you have to be quick on the trigger.
https://www.tripsavvy.com/yosemite-camping-reservations-and-tips-1476784

Good luck and it sounds like you will have a blast. Spring in Yosemite will often still have snow on the ground. The best times are early and late summer.

 

There are some great remote dispersed and primitive camping areas within a hour or so drive of Yosemite NP on forest roads surrounding the park in Stanislaus and Inyo Kern National Forests... some of my favorites are near the Tuolumne and Clavey Rivers (with great trout fishing!), but there are many others in the area too offering some of the best types of camping for our Tacoma’s!

https://www.fs.usda.gov/activity/stanislaus/recreation/camping-cabins/?recid=14833&actid=34

 

You and your son may have been exposed to valley fever, a very common fungus infection of the lungs that people get in our deserts after the winds have been blowing dust. Glad you got over it, now you may be less likely to get it again. Nasty stuff, some people are laid up for months by it.

 

https://topperezlift.com/index.php/product/the-nomad-camper-package/
Anyone here have any experience with these?

 

Reviews of the bigger system are here: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/topperezlift.559203/



There are a few people here that are running this one and gave good reviews:

https://www.softopper.com/accessories-parts/camper-tent

It isn't as pretty, but it seems to be a little faster on setup/takedown, and folds away more compact.

The topperlifts look like they use thick canvas. Which is awesome, its durable and insulates a lot better than tent grade nylon. But the trade offs are that it consumes a crap ton of room when stowed, it takes longer to dry out after a dewey/rainiy night, and also it insulates well compared to nylon (hello, summer sauna). Check out the photogallery of one folded up, it looks like it straps up to the topper ceiling. If you have the room to spare for that giant roll, go for it. It looks nice.

 

Just found this.... and pre-ordered. Looks like an essential piece of gear to keep in the truck at all times... and will likely pack it in my kayak when doing remote whitewater as well!

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-est-shovel-a-packable-18-in-1-multi-tool#/

 

Thanks Boo Boo

 

I must have missed how that one stores. The topperezlift rolls up and straps in the top of the campershell when not in use. The only thing you have to do to set it back up is roll it down and put the straps around the tailgate. Initial set up takes a bit longer though. The summer sauna deal doesnt concern me too much since if its that warm out i aint camping anyway.
This is a much cheaper alternative though especially the soft top vs camper shell

 

How is set up on that? Does it scratch your truck at all? I've heard mixed reviews.

 

It works for you which is great, but OP is taking his wife and no way are 2 people ever sleeping comfortably in the back of a 5 foot bed under a canopy. 6 foot bed for the win in this dept. unless your using a truck tent setup

 

Honestly, my vote is for a RTT. As others have mentioned, you can get bed bars and a RTT for under $1k. You won't be losing any bed storage, you won't have to clear out your bed every time you want to sleep in it and setup time is near instant. I got a RTT in December and used it for the first time last weekend and it was awesome. Keeps you up off the cold ground and has a nice built-in mattress. If you plan on doing a decent amount of camping, I think they are worth it.

 

Look in your areas for RTT rentals. I did this before purchasing my own RTT and was able to rent a 2+ tent with bed rack for 180$/week. Keep it simple, there's no need to drop thousands on a camper shell setup for sleeping outside, get a good cooler, shovel, axe and you should be good to go.

 

Your setup is really clean, I like the simplicity of it!

 

OP, just a thought from my camping experiences:

Me and my wife have a custom built camper we haul around. Her dad likes to join us on trips to CO and such, so he just rents a small tear drop each time. The tear drops are super easy to tow and they are absolutely amazing. They have small kitchen setups and usually come with heat and A/C.

Typically, he's paid $70-$100 per night for the rental. It just depends on how long you rent it out. Anyway, if you're still contemplating on trying out the camper approach, do this. It's cheaper than buying something for thousands of dollars and then realizing you don't love camping.

The only downsides is it may or may not accommodate your great Dane.

 

Me and my buddy went down to Big Sur and camped, views were insane. I definitely would love to get a rooftop tent one of these days. Sleeping on the ground sucks ass.

 

RTT are nice, but breaking it down/putting it back up when you want to do any driving is something I didn't want to deal with especially if it's raining or snowing. I went softopper so I can just crawl in the bed and pass out, but if I'm going for any extended lengths where I need to haul a lot then I just use a tent.

 

What set up is that?

 

@newguy915 [OP] Love that you're talking about doing this trip! And as a fellow-hoosier (I'm up in the "almost Chicago" area), I'm going to live vicariously through you.

If you're open to dreaming, thinking about towing a trailer and have some extra cash to burn, I've been drooling over the Taxa Outdoors ultralight pull-behind campers for the past few years. Definitely check them out...https://taxaoutdoors.com/

As one who does a little bit of car-camping with my wife (who's not nearly as hard-core as yours), we stick to the "it's gotta fit in the back seat or a tote in the bed of the truck" philosophy. No cap or tonneau cover for us. Here's a few of our typicals...

1. We stick with a 3 person ground tent. It gives us a little extra room and we can set it up in 5 minutes.
2. We made an investment in an Exped MegaMat Duo 10 self-inflating air mattress. (Not cheap, but occasionally you can find a sale at REI and save a few bucks) Honestly...it's as comfortable as our regular bed and rolls up into a medium sized duffel. https://www.rei.com/product/113720/exped-megamat-duo-10-sleeping-pad. Zip together sleeping bags make for a comfy night's sleep!
3. We carry a two-burner Coleman stove for cooking meals, but I also tote along my JetBoil backpacking stove for quickly heating up water for a cup of coffee or tea.
4. We also bought nicer/more expensive folding chairs. Nothing like kicking back by the campfire and not feeling like you're sitting on a pile of sticks.
5. Right now, we're waffling on buying a nicer cooler (Rctic, Yeti, etc). Despite having sunk some coin into above said mattress and chairs, I find I'm balking at the current "cool kid" factor associated with these things. Curious if you have an opinion?​

Looking forward to continuing to track with this thread!

 

For a little I was thinking about the softopper, I don’t know if it’s for me. I would really like a camper shell but I’m not down to dish out 2 or 3k on that