Go Camping in Your Pickup Truck! A Beginner’s Guide
There’s nothing like collapsing by the crackling campfire after a long day of hiking, climbing, fishing, or hunting. Camping is the best way to escape from the routine of everyday life and appreciate nature in the company of your family and friends.
If you drive a pickup truck, you probably use it to haul all your gear up to the woods or the mountains for your camping trip. But camping in the bed of your truck is a fun, unique experience to add a new dimension to a traditional camping trip!
Choosing a Canopy
Sleeping under the stars in the woods is an awesome night everyone should experience at least once. But when you want a bit of shelter on your camping trip, you’ve got plenty of options to keep the rain and the bugs out.
– Truck Tents: If you love a traditional camping experience, there are a variety of truck tents out there designed to fit in the bed of your truck. You’ll be raised off the ground and comfortable in the bed of your truck, but you’ll still have the classic outdoor feel in your tent. Plus, they’re easy to store.
– Camper Shells: If you want something more sturdy and cozy for your camping trip, look into a camper shell. Also called caps or canopies, camper shells are like an extension of the cab of your truck. Most trucks have a camper shell designed specifically for your make and model for a perfect fit.
– Convertible Tops: These canopies are a halfway point between a truck tent and a camper shell. Think of the material on a soft top Jeep but made for your pickup truck bed. You get a bit more protection than you would with a tent but more of an outdoorsy feeling. Plus you can easily remove it and fold it up for storage, unlike a camper shell, which is bulkier to store in your garage.
Storage
A drawback to truck canopies is they do technically limit the amount of gear you can store in your truck bed. But if you get creative with your storage, you can make space for your gear and still have enough room to get a good night’s sleep.
For the most serious pickup truck campers, raised sleeping platforms are a great investment. If you’re handy, you can even make one yourself. The best benefit of a raised sleeping platform, aside from a comfortable night’s rest, is the storage you can add underneath. Keep your food, water, fishing rods, hiking gear, and anything else you need on your camping trip right underneath the sleeping platform. Save on space so you don’t have to leave anything outside when you turn in for the night.
A great benefit to a hard camper shell is you can mount your bikes, canoes, and other oversized gear on top for added storage.
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