Dirt bag camper.

figuring out the next days hike

For me life happens when then weekend approaches. My passions of pursuit have me always racing off to streams, trails, and mountains 3-6 hours from home. I am always camping in last minute places, and trying to get on some decent water with little notice and no reservations. Over the last few years I have changed setups many times. Racks,toppers, gear and priorities have evolved to enjoy the little amount of time that Friday night to Monday morning has become.

 1. Tent camping; 

Tents must be dried out before being put away: The main reason I built a truck camper is that waiting for the sun to come out and steam the morning dew from my tent took precious time away that I could be fishing or hiking in. Now the only thing I have that gets dew on it is a 6 ft canvas awning that is easy to roll up and unroll in the afternoon to dry back off. as well rolling up air mattresses, rain tarps, etc. it is more time spent not fishing.

2. Ultra-lite gear, when back packing or kayaking smaller is better, but when you have an entire truck to camp out of some nice sturdy cookware is much more comfortable and easy to use than trying to cook everything with the Jet boil. forget the air mattress, or therma-rests you can buy foam direct online in different densities and thicknesses and cut it to fit your area. I have a a twin size, 6 inch thick extra firm in my truck regular sheets and pillows does wonders for a good nights sleep.

3. Power, I have a voltage gauge, USB chargers, and led lights wired into the back the whole project can be done for less than 50 dollars with some amazon parts. I use a small 12 volt fan for air circulation and a Dometic freezer fridge for groceries.thexample fridge is 110 or 12 volt and they can all be run from the back of the truck. I have 2 strips of LED lights one red one white, the red are great as they attract less bugs and are much more comfortable to read by at night.

candle lantern keeping me warm on a cold morning.

4. Camper tops;

 there are many different styles of tops taller ones will obviously give you more headroom, I chose a short one because it was 100 bucks on craigslist, and that fit the budget. I bought some picture hanger d-rings and fiber-glassed them into the topper to hang things from, then covered the topper with indoor outdoor carpeting made from recycled plastic.(this is important as it absorbs moisture from your breath, makes the bed warmer and less damp, but also wont mold or mildew as its made from plastic). I made cabinetry out of cheap wood from home depot and used a waterproof spar varnish to finish it off.

5. Setup;

 The rest is just a matter of setting up as many or little items as you feel you need to camp comfortably. I have a 6ft bag awning off the back, and carpeted the tailgate for my table bench area, but be it a campground or a rest stop, I can be in the back sleeping in 15 minutes, and packed up and on to the next river in about the same, without a bunch of wet items to dry or tents to break down the longest thing in the morning now is making the coffee.

cheap amazon luxuries.