My first overlanding trip was more of a glorified truck camping trip. But, as a recon mission, it did just the trick. I learned a whole bunch about what I need and what I don’t need to be able to extend this trip longer in subsequent months. I have divided up my review into four different parts:
- Truck Camping
- Food Prep
- Sleeping
- Showering
Truck Camper Set Up: Review
My first effort for the truck camper did pretty decently as it was August and there weren’t many bugs. Also, the temp at night was pretty high…comfortable for sleeping.
Bug-Proof Camping Unit: I did notice on the first night that the camper wasn’t ‘bug-proofed’. The tailgate window was not sealed and a fair number of pesky mosquitos found their way in. I remedied this after the first night by liberally spraying myself with bug spray before I went to bed. This trick worked primarily because the nights were progressively colder and the mosquitos went back into hibernation.
Up-Facing Cubbies: The cubbies I made for storage were facing forward, not up. This was a problem because any item that I placed in them did not stay. Kind of a mess.
Kneeling Pad: My knees took a beating getting into and out of the truck. I would like to have some sort of pad for my knees when I jump up into the truck bed.
Backpacking Gear: It would have been nice to have a place to put my backpacking gear. As this was a 4-day truck-camping/hiking trip, it would have been nice to have a place to put my backpack at night…instead of at my feet.
Pull-Out Drawer: I was able to wedge some items below my bed but this wasn’t ideal. It would have been nice to have a pull-out drawer to store my cook stove, cooking items, and dried goods.
Phone, Keys, and Reading Lamp: At night I ended up placing my phone, keys, and other items on the floor next to my bed. Need to get a higher surface to place these items at the end of a long day. I also would like to get a lamp so I don’t waste my phone battery and can read a book or plan for the next day after laying down for the night.
Sleeping Arrangement
The Bed was Too High: My bed was set up more like a wooden cot. This provided lots of room under the bed but took up valuable headroom. I pretty much hit my head every time I tried to move or sit up in bed. Also, I had to keep very low getting into and out of the camper.
Storage below the bed: As I said earlier, I had plenty of room under the bed, but no way to prevent it from moving. Also, there was no organization of the items that I kept below my bed.
The Mattress moved around: When I tried to turn it over the mattress would slide a little bit with me. It was tough to keep the mattress under me. This was due to the fact that I had pieced together my foam mattress and just threw a bed sheet over it.
Food Prep for The Trip
Food Preparation: As an FYI. I have never really prepped food for a camping trip. My wife usually does that. So, while we had plenty of food, it wasn’t tied to a real meal plan. I should have prepped before we left so that the food would take up less space.
The Cooler: I had the cooler in my ‘aisle’ between the bed and the shelving so it slid forward and backward all the time. I would like to have the cooler remain at the back of the truck bed so it is easier to access.
The Cook Surface: I placed my Coleman stove on the tailgate. This was tough as the tailgate isn’t a smooth surface. It provided a flat enough surface to work on, however, it was a bit wobbly. I will have to create a better cooking situation.
Showering:
Shower: well, there wasn’t any. Because we hiked each day, it got pretty rancid in my vehicle at night. If I am going to take my vehicle on longer trips I will need to have a shower set up.
Final Thoughts on My First “Overlanding” Experience:
I had a bunch of fun heading up to Northern New Hampshire and sleeping in my truck. We hiked 3 mountains in 3 days and I filled my head with ideas for my truck camping setup.
So, Stay Tuned!
