- Truck Camping Gear -
A simple list of all my essential and not so essential truck camping gear that makes living outdoors so much more enjoyable.
This is a pretty dialed collection for my needs and has just the right amount of things to provide the a comfortable living in the off-grid outdoors for extended periods of time.
Provided are affiliate links to products, so if you are in the market for any of the same stuff I use, please consider putting some pesos in your boys pocket.
Sleep
Gear:
– Bed Rug Classic Bedliner
– Lucid 3 Inch Mattress Topper Queen
– Amazon Basics Cooling Gel-Infused Firm Support Mattress Topper 2″ Twin
Notes:
I originally went with a the 3″ Lucid mattress alone, but found it was too thin as I would sink and be resting on the truck bed. I added the Amazon Basics 2″ firm mattress on top and it perfectly keeps me off the truck bed and added some support. I sleep much better now and think that 5″ is the minimum thickness for a foam mattress in a truck bed.
Water
Gear:
– Igloo 2-Gallon Sport Beverage Cooler
– Reliance Products Desert Patrol 6 Gallon Rigid Water Container
– WaterPORT 3.8 Gallon Self-Pressurized Water Tank
– 16 oz spray bottle
– Sawyer Products SP128 Mini Water Filtration System
Notes:
I use the Igloo cooler as my main drinking water dispenser/storage. The Reliance jug is purely for storage and refilling other containers.
I used to use a Waterport mainly for doing dishes, that shit got old real quick, as I didn’t have it mounted and lugging around 4 gallons of water, with that odd shape really fucked up simplicity in my cleaning water supply. Plus I realized that I just dont use that much water for cleaning, unless I shower, which I usually dont. Its a high quality product and if you want a shower and plan to keep it mounted its a solid piece of gear. For me, getting rid of it and replacing it with a common spray bottle drastically improved the simplicity in my setup.
The Sawyer filter is mainly for emergency situations or if I just dont feel like going into town for water and have a nearby source.
Kitchen
Gear:
– ICECO VL45 Portable Refrigerator with SECOP Compressor
– MSR PocketRocket 2 Ultralight Camping and Backpacking Stove
– Coleman Gas Classic Propane Stove 2 Burner
– GSI Outdoors Ultralight Java Drip for Pour Over Drip Coffee
Notes:
For trips longer than 7 days and eating mostly fresh produce a fridge is an absolute must. The Iceco VL45 is what I would consider my only piece of Gucci gear, because at $500+ for a tiny ass fridge, its highway robbery, but then again there are $1000+ versions so for the Secop compressor I swallowed my pride and made the purchase. For shorter trips I still use a cooler, as this thing is a monster in size for my setup and not having to deal with powering it is another added commlexity.
Electrical
Gear:
– PAXCESS 120W Portable Solar Panel
– GOLABS R300 Portable Power Station
– Jackery Portable Power Station Explorer 500
Notes:
The Golabs I keep in the topper with me to power lights and recharge electronics. Absolutely do not buy this to power a fridge. It needs a constant draw to stay on so it will shut off if connected to a fridge. Disastrous if you dont catch it in time. Luckily I discovered this during cooler temps. A terrible design in general, but its one of the cheapest models so there ya go. The Jackery is rock solid. The Paxcess panel works fine, but I’ve never gotten over 60watts from it. Could be my placement/conditions, I dunno but I got it on sale so whatever.
Bathroom
Gear:
– Dog poop bags
– Toilet paper
– Strong glutes for squatting
Notes:
I used to use a dedicated Reliance Camp Toilet with a pop-up privacy tent, and soon realized how ridiculous hauling all that shit is to shit when no one is around. Now I just pick my shit up like I pick up my dogs shit and pack it out with the trash.
DIY
