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Looking for some wisdom on camping setups

Discussion in 'Outdoors' started by doglb, May 7, 2021.

  1. May 12, 2021 at 10:20 AM
    #21
    roundrocktom

    roundrocktom Well-Known Member

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    Less is more!

    Keep it simple. Walmart tent and sleeping bags, Coleman propane stove, basic cookware. Just get out and go. Over time you will adapt and think of better/faster/comfort as time goes on.

    The hardest part about sleeping on the ground is finding a flat spot with no rocks. Ya, that little rock you miss ends up in the middle of your back. Bring a patch kit for your air mattress.

    This is my usual setup:

    upload_2021-5-12_12-18-15.jpg
     
    MadDaddy likes this.
  2. May 12, 2021 at 10:27 AM
    #22
    Spare Parts

    Spare Parts Well-Known Member

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    I agree keep it simple, but this does not include a cheap tent. Get a tent that can handle rain and wind, not usually going to get one of them at Walmart. I am cheap, my in laws are wise with their money, I have bought 2 LL bean tents in 25 years, they have bought about 5 Walmart tents in 10 years. Oh, and my 2nd LLbean tent cost me about 50 bucks as I exchanged the first due poles bending.

    tent is your shelter. A few years ago, we camped in bad rain and wind storm, destroyed our easy up and blew shit all over. I got up in the morning, told the wife to stay in her cot in the tent, while I went to get an easy up. If we had shitty tent, that camping trip would have been over.
     
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  3. May 12, 2021 at 10:49 AM
    #23
    Rock Lobster

    Rock Lobster Thread Derailer

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    Truth.

    Cheap tents are a crapshoot- I have had some that lasted years, and I had others that didn't last a night.

    My last tent was a decent Kelty- the difference between that and even the Academy brand was night and day. That one stayed in pristine shape right up until the day I sold it.

    The trick about tents is that you have to be religious about cleanliness and maintenance. I was anal about sweeping them clean inside and out before rolling. A sandy tent is a ruined tent. Learned that one the hard way. :anonymous:



    That's the plus/minus to RTTs and tent trailers. Sure, you aren't rolling them as tight and (usually) you aren't tracking as much dirt inside, but they still need to be reasonably clean and dry. It's just a little harder to wipe tree sap off the canvas when the roof is 9 feet up. :D
     
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  4. May 12, 2021 at 10:51 AM
    #24
    Scottyskywalker

    Scottyskywalker Well-Known Member

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    I have the Nemo Tensor insulated in wide version, love it. I backpack and the tensor is my luxury item. Heavier than most backpacking pads but very comfy. I didn't skimp on tents over the years, had two Sierra designs clip flashlights and use a zpack duplex today.
     
  5. May 12, 2021 at 10:59 AM
    #25
    0xDEADBEEF

    0xDEADBEEF Trash Aficionado

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    I've had a $100 Eureka and a $150 Eureka in the past 20 years. The second one is starting to get brittle and the zippers need new slides, but I'd have a hard time forking over more money than that.

    Main things I look for are full coverage rain flys, at least one good size vestibule, and the ability to hang a mosquito trampoline inside.
     
  6. May 17, 2021 at 8:40 AM
    #26
    MadDaddy

    MadDaddy Pork Rind Extraordinaire

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    An important first step is to decide if you'll be sleeping in/on your Taco or want detached sleeping accommodations. This will possibly knock a ton of pricey gear off your list real fast.
    Will you be driving during the day and returning to camp? Tent or trailer options are best.
    Moving spots daily? Consider attachments to your truck.

    We attached an awning with a tent room to our roof rack, keep gear stowed in the bed, and use the tailgate for our kitchen prep area. We're working on a 6x12 cargo trailer for multiple uses including possibly moving the awning from the truck and converting the trailer into a standalone mini-camper with removable bunks and a rear deck, and using the awning and tent as a side porch/bonus room.

     
    doglb[OP] likes this.
  7. May 17, 2021 at 9:32 AM
    #27
    Rock Lobster

    Rock Lobster Thread Derailer

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    One minor consideration to think about tent-on-truck vs. sleeping away from truck: Whichever version you choose, make sure your emergency preparedness plan reflects your style of camp.

    Lets say you have a minor to moderate medical. Example, you suffered a laceration, a fractured arm, strained back, heat exhaustion, whatever. First aid has been performed, but now you need to get yourself to the clinic for a proper evaluation. Can your partner ready the truck for highway use by themselves? If you camp solo, can you self rescue far enough to at least reach a cellular signal?

    Admittedly, this is one of the reasons why I chose a trailer - because with the exception of a few critical seconds of hitching/unhitching, the truck is always in a ready state for travel. That makes my evac plan easy for my partner and I - if something happens, stabilize it, pile in the car, and hopefully the trailer is still where we left it when the emergency is dealt with. Obviously the plans would need to be different for different styles of camping.

    It might be worth discussing a medical readiness plan with your partner, making sure that they are capable and willing of getting the truck packed enough to travel and then driving out of wherever you are unassisted.

    Just stuff to mull over. :thumbsup:
     
  8. May 18, 2021 at 7:34 AM
    #28
    MadDaddy

    MadDaddy Pork Rind Extraordinaire

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    THIS^. This is why we are converting a trailer for camping. Now that we're camping more with the kids, we have to consider emergency evac situations. We get pretty deep into WMA territory and typically carry decent emergency & first aid supplies (I'm a former aquatics director, lifeguard & first aid instructor trainer). But if something happens to me, we're pretty SOL on transportation. I'm currently busted up from a motorcycle accident and we've had to adapt our camping plans due to my recovery.
     
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  9. May 18, 2021 at 7:42 AM
    #29
    GarlicFarts

    GarlicFarts Bang Ding Ow

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    Check my build thread in my signature. You're screwed with the access cab to copy me, but I ripped out seats and put a platform in the cab.

    - I pull up to camp, done. No tent unfolding, needing to be perfectly level, etc.
    - It's water tight. That's a HUGE bonus
    - It's comfy - I can sleep fully extended (5'10", this isn't usually a selling point for tenting but for cab sleeping, that's a big selling point)
    - It's water tight...from the seat to the bed, so I don't need to get out in the evening/morning if I pull up to camp/spot for an overnight on a road trip and it's pouring rain. This has been used a few times, it's great.
    - Cheap. My setup was about 100 bucks in PVC and fittings + the ratcheting cutting tool, 10 bucks in carpeting to cover it, and I got a donated piece of ply, but typically plywood or planks for this would be ~30 bucks. A RTT is basically minimum a grand new, 750 used.


    Storage: I have a soft topper, and a bed mad. With that, strong rains don't get the bed too wet at speed on the highway etc. I can keep a backpack, an extra sleeping bag, etc back there and not worry about them. Otherwise, there's plenty of room behind my seat if I want to keep my stuff in the cab. However, that's usually the dog's bed behind me, so that space is typically occupied. But there's also all the room under the platform in the boxes, there's plenty of space in there.



    I talk it up, but there are 2 major cons:

    1. The passenger seat is gone. Doesn't lend itself to driving other people around. It's "easy" to put the seat back in. It's about the same effort to put the seat in/out as it is to put a RTT on/off bed racks. That was my intent/goal with my setup.
    2. There's an airbag light. It won't pass inspection this way. To reset the airbag light, you need tech stream (it's easy, haven't done it yet, but it is easy. Just cumbersome).
     
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  10. May 18, 2021 at 7:46 AM
    #30
    GarlicFarts

    GarlicFarts Bang Ding Ow

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    On this same topic....

    I always park facing toward the exit if possible. I sleep in the cab, but there have been some morning I wake up and there's some critters sniffing around the truck. So far it has been raccoons and foxes, small bits. But I have camped in places where bears were spotted, coyotes have been heard, etc. So, it's nice to know I can scramble into the driver seat, and boogy the F out of there.

    Experience has taught me - at night, the tailgate is up and closed and everything is pretty much packed away. I camp relatively lightweight so it doesn't add a lot of effort to have to break down and reset for the mornings if I need to. Things I've learned (that road trip to LA helped me learn some of 'em too :D. Waking up rain on lake mead and my tailgate was down and the chairs not put away etc .... balls. Now I pack up every night and am ready so that if I wake up and it's raining, I can maneuver myself to the driver seat and drive off without needing to get out, but that also becomes a nice feature re: if there's a coyote sniffing at my door when I wake up.
     
  11. May 22, 2021 at 5:18 AM
    #31
    Chris(NJ)

    Chris(NJ) Well-Known Member

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    Mods are currently being changed .....
    This.
    Without reading every reply in the thread, I was going to say that it takes time to develop what you want/need when you camp. I buy one or two things each year to add to my camp equipment or gear.
    You dont need to do these month long instagram trips to find out what works for you either. Do a night or two a few times and you'll start to quickly figure out how to pack up the truck, what you need and what you dont.
     
  12. May 22, 2021 at 10:29 AM
    #32
    JEEPNIK

    JEEPNIK Well-Known Member

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    Camping setup? Start by throwing away most of what you haul along. If you want luxury stay in a hotel.

    Why this attitude? Two trips ago a group showed up with every accoutrement known to man kind. They were at least a quarter of a mile away. Yet the generator powering their “essential gear” ran all night to keep the refrigerator cold.
     
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  13. May 31, 2021 at 12:20 PM
    #33
    Crobran

    Crobran Well-Known Member

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    What kind of tent is that, and how has it held up?
     
  14. May 31, 2021 at 7:48 PM
    #34
    Scottyskywalker

    Scottyskywalker Well-Known Member

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    It's a Napier Backroadz. We've only spent 3 nights in it but seems well built, had good ratings and reviews. Easy to unhook from the bed and will freestand on the ground if you want or need to drive the truck. Was $165 on Amazon but are around $200 now. Gets you off the ground and out of the mud and bugs.
     
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  15. May 31, 2021 at 8:17 PM
    #35
    MNMLST

    MNMLST Well-Known Member

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    tinfoil lined cab runflat headlights pee-thru seats
    I lived in my purple truck for two years, including winters, between Erie and Buffalo…

    •Leer cap
    •built up stack of carpet padding and chunk of carpet (all free)
    •Old canvas and flannel Coleman sleeping bag
    •Western Mountaineering Bison bag
    •Two regular thermaresters (for rolling around)
    •Headlamp
    •Water bottle
    •Pee bottle

    get a ‘bumped cap’ for a little more headroom and a decent tent. The jetboil does most everything - get the 1” propane to lindal adapter to run it off green Walmart cans.

    light is right, simpler is better.
     
  16. May 31, 2021 at 8:51 PM
    #36
    VTCAL

    VTCAL Well-Known Member

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    Another voice for SIMPLE!

    A ground tent. A soft topper "for when we just need to move inside".

    Bags, pads, cooler, Coleman stove, WATER!

    Camping is a way to get away from all the other stuff

    OH! Don't forget the HUGE expanse of mosquito netting! ;-)
     
  17. Jun 1, 2021 at 2:28 PM
    #37
    donkiluminate

    donkiluminate New Member

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    Another vote for simple. I'd at least advise to start out simple and add what you think you want. I love my tent cot.
     
  18. Jul 3, 2021 at 5:14 AM
    #38
    NW-Taco

    NW-Taco Well-Known Member

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    Keep it simple. Run as light as possible. Buy gear you will actually use. If you know what you need, buy once cry once. Good gear is worth the cost. But the most important advice I could give is to just get out there. With experience you will build your setup the way you need it.

     
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  19. Jul 7, 2021 at 2:00 PM
    #39
    Kerbouchard!

    Kerbouchard! Well-Known Member

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    I always make decisions for camping gear based on cost/benefit. For example, a GFC costs $7300 plus the cost of gas to drive to Montana for install. Can you stand in your campsite with a $200 tent in hand and think, hell yea I'd rather pay another $7100 dollars not to have to set this up for the next 5 minutes? How many times can you ask yourself that before it's worth it?

    For me, the answer was yes. I'm a weekend warrior. I live in Denver and leave after work on Friday probably around 20 weeks a year to head to the mountains. I don't get in until after dark and would rather have a 15 second setup time than hunting around for a perfect place to pitch a tent. If I was only camping a few months a year during the summer, I'd have stuck to a tent.

    Cons for the GFC: peeing in the middle of the night, storing sleeping bags/pillows during the day, daily setup/takedown if you're using your truck to cruise FS roads or whatever. It's a great option if you're changing campsites every day, but if you're staying put at one site for multiple days then then GFC is actually more work than a tent.
     
  20. Jul 7, 2021 at 2:20 PM
    #40
    MDFM31

    MDFM31 Well-Known Member

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    Lots of good advice and experience here. The overlanding (car camping) bug can get very expensive with minimal return unless it is a lifestyle for you. Up until about 4 years ago, I had been camping in wal mart or mil surp tents, or making a shelter or just lying on the ground, and cooking over a fire.

    A RTT is a game changer, but it has to be a worthwhile investment for you. If you camp often enough that a quick set up time is important and you might get stuck in bad weather frequently, a RTT will get you set up and off the ground quickly. The big drawbacks are you have to pack up camp to drive anywhere and packaging/mounting issues that come with a RTT.

    If you have not camped much, I would start with a cheap ground tent and see what you are willing to tolerate and how often. If you are an occasional fair weather camper, I think a RTT does not have much value for you.
     

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