If you enjoy camping on a regular basis, you know how much work goes into packing and setting up camp. It can take a lot of time out of your quick trips, and you never know what kind of ground you are going to find for your tent. To make your trips quicker, easier, and more mobile, a great option is truck bed camping.
The thought of camping in a pickup truck bed might not sound appealing if you think about stretching out on the hard bottom of the bed. But there are a lot of great (and easy) things you can do to make the experience your go-to camping routine. Just make sure that if you're hauling a lot of heavy equipment to install a tailgate cap on the back of your truck. Check out these creative truck bed camping ideas.
Get it Covered
The first thing you need is shelter. After all, it’s one of our most primal needs. To get things started right, choose a truck bed cap (if you don’t already have one) that will give you good clearance inside, fit your truck securely, and give you some decent light, if possible. If you get sticker shock, just compare the cost to that of an RV, and you should recover quickly.
The Softer Side
You will definitely feel it if you sleep in a sleeping bag right on the surface of the truck bed. A sleeping pad also might not cut it. Consider an inflatable mattress that will give you enough padding for some good rest. Do some measuring to make sure you get the right size.Lighten up
Bring along good battery-powered lamps for your sleeping quarters. With the right lighting, you can make it feel more comfortable, especially if you spend time back there for the unexpected, like waiting out a storm.
Mobile Kitchen
Cooking over a fire outside is always great, but to help with speedy cooking, bring along a propane stove. It helps make meals quicker when they need to be. Just make sure you always use it outside your truck.
Expand Your Shelter
Speaking of which, you can rig a tarp on the back of your truck bed to cover the area behind your truck. Just attach the tarp to the open door of your truck bed cap and stake in some lines behind. That way, you can use the open gate as a table or counter for preparing food or sorting through your gear.
Rack It
On the topic of gear, you can also get a rack for your bikes, kayaks, or whatever else you want to do on your trip. There are a lot of racks that can fit into your hitch, since the bed now holds you.
Storage
Organized storage is always helpful. Clear boxes for food and other essentials will help keep your truck bed neat so you don’t have things all over your sleeping area.
Stack It
To get even more out of your truck, you can build a platform in the bed that will give you space to sleep on top along with plenty of room to store boxes of supplies below.
Enjoy your new mobile palace and get outdoors as often as you like. You can get more great truck ideas to make the most of your vehicle from Wade Automotive’s blog.