Campin'

I usually sleep in a tent when I'm camping at a campground. When I am overlanding, sometimes I bring a small tent, but I usually sleep in the bed of the truck.

On my truck, I have a Leer fiberglass low-rise top. I built a two-tier system that allows me to sleep above the wheel wells and have about 8" of storage space below. The cap has windows with screens, so I have plenty of ventilation. I then sleep on a 3" thick Thermarest self-inflating pad. This setup allows two [married] adults to sleep comfortably. When I'm travelling solo, I have more room to stretch out.

Steve

This is the only picture that I have of the setup. You can see a deflated air mattress sitting on the platform. The air mattress in the picture is pretty tall (put the sleeping surface about level with the windows). The Thermarest pad gives a lot more space. You can see the platform a little by the right side tail light. It's about level with the top of the Mt Dew bottle in the picture.

I'll apologize in advance to those captured in the image. This was taken pretty darn early in the mornin'.

Aaaah. Camping.

Well I am very new to the whole overlanding scene, but have loved camping for a long time. Now I am used to a more sedimentary camping style as my family for years has had either a pop-up camper or large travel trailers. We used to go camping up in Eustis at the cathedral pines campground and venture during the day for fishing, wood, exploring, and so on. I look forward to some trips and setting up a tent were ever, or maybe someday purchasing a roof top tent, as they seem very practical for this type of adventure taking. I am however not new tenting as I have done that as well, but again at a static location not packing up the next morning and moving on to a new location.

I picked up another cap tonight, but it's for a Ranger (not an S10) so it's 1" too short and 1" too wide. It's a Leer fiberglass mid-rise cap. The width could be okay as it will still shed rain, but the length is a problem.

Option 1: Sell it and recoupe my costs (and maybe then some).

Option 2: Trade it in on one for an S10.

Option 3: Mount it on my ZR2 trailer with the front flush/fitted, Remove the tailgate and make a custom door out of wood/fiberglass for the full height (like some ARE caps)

Were you not aware of the dimensions before you bought it? What if you set a tarp up or some sort in the back to shield from water, to solve for the cap being too short.

I ended up going with option one. I bought it at dusk on Friday with the hopes that it would be "close enough". The next day, daylight revealed that it wasn't going to work.

I sold it the next Monday for twice what I paid for it.

Steve

We;ve done just about every conceivable set-up in our travels…
Tents…



Offroad Pop-up…



Worked great for the family and as a base camp, but you have to be very aware of what it will handle and that turning down the wrong unexplored road could lead to problems. We sold it after the kids got older and don’t travel with us like they use to. It was just too big for a travelling couple.

Sleeping platform…



This one works very nicely in the back of my LJ, but it can mean a lot of shifty of gear when there’s two people sleeping in the back

And now we’re trying out an RTT…

In vagabond mode…



And set up in base camp mode…



We’ve been pretty happy with it but having to put in up and down each time you need to move the truck can be a pain. But there is no one winner, winner, chicken dinner solution and each kind of camping set-up has its ups and downs.

Those Maggiolina hard shell tents are so awesome. I've thought about one of those on the roof of Boomer (yeah...I know, a little silly) to hide away from the kids in.

I really like the way the hard top popup tent looks. How is the space inside?

Barrows wrote:I really like the way the hard top popup tent looks. How is the space inside?

Our tent is the Maggliolina Extreme in the small size, for two people there is plenty of room, as the matteress is slightly wider than a twin bed. If your over 6' tall it might be a little short, but there are models that are built longer.

Very very cool setups. I'm definitely leaning more towards the RTT tenting system, although the classified "taj mahal" coleman tent that I am using right now is really nice and spacious. I would want the abilities to have a changing room setup off of the side for more usable space to be inside and out of the weather. The Magglialina's are an incredible looking and functioning tenting system that really take the cake for outdoor living. Maybe someday.....

A few years ago @ RMTP





View from the tent.

Diehards II great setup.

JeepnMP wrote:Diehards II great setup.

That's a good idea and a great way to get up off the ground.

He towed his quad up there on the trailer, then used the trailer as a platform.

I agree thats a great set up...... Yeah. that dam 4 wheeler tried to kill me last year

Welcome! How are your projects coming?

Barrows wrote:Welcome! How are your projects coming?

Getting the Rubi ready to sell so I can pay off a few bills....
Going to pick up a 88 yoda next week so I can get that ready for Die Hard 3..wont have the cash for the SAS yet so we'll see how the independant front end hold up. Would love to lift the Land Cruiser so I can use that for camping this summer but that take cash I dont have. Dam I need a second job...

Just have wifey pitch in.....

Yeah ... Don't think that will happen

How many rigs do you have right now? Last I knew you had the 84 yota, the landcruiser, the Rubi, the quad, a dual sport and a cheerocar. Did you sell the 84?

The 84 has a crap frame and cab so I'm gonna just part it out and use the front end and other parts to build up the 88. The 88 has a great frame and cab plus its fuel injected and comes with 33's. Also gonna try and get the wife something new so I will have a 99 4 runner to play with also....Yup I need a bigger driveway

wntrcmpr, feel free to start some build threads or maybe even an introductory thread in the New Members area