Camping Setup

Camping used to mean so much to me. For two or three years, I made it a goal to camp at least once a month, and for the most part, I met that goal. Eventually, I camped in my hammock for a month straight, thunderstorms and all, during my summer at Mulberry Gap. I loved the challenge of camping, the independence, the simplicity. As Thoreau put it, I was "living deliberately".

Now that I have that freedom and independence in everyday life, the meaning of camping has changed. It's no longer an end but a means to an end. I camp so that I can explore new places and ride new trails. The allure of "roughing it" has faded. I'm sure I'll still go backpacking from time to time, but most places I want to go are accessible by driving, IF you have high clearance and/or four wheel drive. So, in preparation for a two week road trip starting next weekend and for future camping excursions, I did a little work in my truck bed.

About $175.00 and half a day's work, and I've got a comfortable, functional setup. I started with a cheap 5'x7' area rug and cut it to fit the bottom of the truck bed for comfort, hopefully a little insulation, and to keep things from sliding around so much. A lot of sleeping platforms I've seen go all the way across, and are designed for two people. And, if/when I ever have another girlfriend, I'll happily add another section. For one person, however, this setup is more flexible. This way I have room for coolers, boots, bike gear, and most importantly, a place to sit. The small platform for Lucy's bed towards the front of the truck is removable, so I can sit and read when it rains. For lighting, I just used a small led flashlight with a lanyard looped around the topper frame.

The platform itself is constructed from three 1"x10"s and a sheet of 3/8" plywood cut to 30" wide. For some cushion, I folded a 1.5" queen size mattress topper in half, which comes to 29" in width, and stuffed it in a zippered fleece blanket that I already had. It was the cheapest option at Walmart.

Under the platform, is plenty more storage space. There's room for three of those plastic containers with quite a bit left over that I can't access at the moment. Maybe when I'm back on the coast with access to a jig saw, I'll cut out a front hatch and store seldom used items up there. The plastic containers will hold food, cooking equipment, clothes, and general camping gear. The furthest one has a line tied to it for easy access. The plywood seen on top of the bin is my tailgate countertop.

The only thing it lacks is insulation, which is in the works, but not a high priority. I'd also like to find a way to install a small wood stove without catching the topper on fire...probably just a dream. There's a company in Virginia that makes tiny wood stoves out of ammo cans that would be perfect though.

The downside to all this is that I'm in the market for a new four wheel drive vehicle. I'm leaning towards another Tacoma, which would be an easy swap, but 4runners and FJs are also a consideration. The sleeping platform could be adapted easily enough though.