Nature 015
Camping in a pickup truck bed can be very fun, and sometimes safer than traditional tent camping, especially in colder weather. Here are some tips to make camping in a pickup truck bed more fun, and safer as well! When choosing the right way to go camping in a pickup truck bed, pay attention to and ask yourself these 4 main things.
- 1). Do I need A hard Camper Or A Pop-up Camper?
- 2). What Will I Be Using This Camper For?
- 3). Is This Camper Of Good Quality Or Better?
- 4). Should I Camp In A Tent In My Pickup Truck?
1). Do You Need A Hard Camper Or A Pop-Up Camper?
To figure out whether or not you need a hard or pop-up camper, you need to start by measuring your truck bed. Measuring your truck bed is the first vital step, this way you can easily decide what size camper you need. There are a lot of campers out there, and you want to choose the right one. Then, you can start to think about whether you need a hard camper or a pop-up style camper. Here is some detail on both.
A Hard Camper :
A hard camper presents an easy set-up option and better protection. Although the hard camper offers more protection, that also means more weight. The extra weight can make it less stable and can damage your truck suspension more than a pop-up.
A Pop-Up Camper:
A pop-up camper offers a little more difficult set-up. They are not going to be better protection than traditional hard campers, but most can offer similar protection in comparison to a hard camper. The biggest advantage for a pop-up camper is that they tend to weigh much less than a hard camper.
This is excellent when it comes to driving your truck with a pop-up camper. It can be advantageous especially for rainy days because they weigh less, and your truck won’t have to struggle nearly as much to get up to speed. Therefore, it also saves you gas in comparison.
2). What will You be using this camper for?
Depending on whether you are a winter camper or summer camper, or both, you will want to figure this out immediately. If you are camping year-round, then you want a camper that will be able to handle any weather. If not, then find one that fits what you will be putting it through. For example: (extreme heat or cold).
3). Is this camper of good Quality Or Better?
Finding a quality camper is no joke, there are really bad companies out there that say their camper is The Best. The truth is that with most companies, they’re lying. Do your due diligence on the camper you choose.
Look for things like the company’s ratings, and what materials the camper is made up of. This step is not only crucial because you want to get your money’s worth, but you also need to worry about your safety and the safety of anyone that will step foot in the camper.
4). Should You Camp In A Tent In Your Pickup Truck?
This is probably the easiest option for truck camping, To save quite a bit of money and to be able to do it all the time if you’d like. The two biggest things to think about with this option are:
- 1). A tent will not weigh your vehicle down at all in comparison to just putting a small trailer on your truck bed, which can cost you more money in the long run. At Outdoor Camping Advice, we love anything D.I.Y., and we know stuff like this destroys your suspension.
- 2). Setting up a tent in your truck bed is as easy as setting one up on the ground if not easier.
If you need some advice on setting up your tent in your truck bed, then have no fear, we are here to steer you in the right direction!
How To Set Up A Tent In Your Pickup Truck Bed:
- 1). – Begin by taking your tent out of its protective casing and put down a tarp or a large waterproof blanket. (If applicable)
- 2). – Grab your tent and begin unrolling and positioning it.
- 3). – Begin connecting your tent rod/poles
- 4). – Begin putting your tent rods/poles into the slots in your tent and raise your tent up.
- 5). – Take the stakes that came with your tent and insert them into the slots on each corner, then connect a piece of rope or thick string and wrap it around the bottom of your truck bed. You can tie them together or put your stakes in the tent holes and weigh them down with something like large rocks or cinder blocks/bricks. Sometimes you won’t even have to do this step and you can weigh your tent down from the inside via heavy materials and/or equipment.
- 6). – Double-check your work to ensure that it is properly set up and secured to your vehicle. Also, add your tent’s rain cover if applicable.
- 7). – Pat yourself on the back! You’re all done, congrats!
Conclusion:
Whichever you choose, make sure you are thinking about these things, and you will be in a great position to go truck camping! Trucksresource.com also has some great truck camping tips here. For more on the outdoors tips, check out the rest of our site. Did you find this article helpful? If you did, why not share It!
About Post Author
