I still have plans to redesign the tailgate base to make it more cooking friendly. Such as a cutting board and pot and cup holder molds in it.

By far the best thing I purchased with camping in mind was my cargo basket. Look at all the crap up there!

 

That's one thing I love about the 2nd generation 'Runners -- the fold down tail gate. It's a perfect staging platform for all sorts of stuff that you can't do with the lift gate.

As for that Aztec someone mentioned earlier, they better be good for camping 'cause that's about all you're going to be able to do in one. Good luck keeping it running! You always have to leave the house prepared to camp for a few days, whether you intended to, or not.

Ed

 

One of these would be cool, does anyone have one??

http://www.loftyshelters.com/IndexFrame.htm

 

we sell this at my work its pretty cool. the fiberglass cover lifts on hydraulics and the tent pops out.

www.gotopup.com

 

The Flip Pak's are AWESOME. My dad and I go to Baja every year, and we have found this to be the best way to go. Lightweight, easy to setup and tons of room for both of us.

HEre are some pics of my dad's Tundra with the Flip Pak. I think he got it in Temecula, CA.

 

Oh and I didnt get a pic of the sleeping area up top, but, it comes with a super comfortable matress That sleeps two.

 

Explorer 2


I've been using this tent for several years now and don't have any complaints. It's very fast to set-up, the fit isn't perfect, but it was designed to be universal. I did a few modifications to mine, to snug it up better and eventually plan on fabricating a shelf that will attach to the trailer hitch, so I can extend the floor space inside.

Because of the rules on the Rubicon about packing out everything, I assembled the stuff needed for a portable out house.

Stansport Cabana Camp Privacy Shelter


Got a portable toilet and just recently picked up all the parts needed to build my hot water shower system.

 

I want one of those, but it's out of my price range for now. I contacted the company that sells them and they wanted $3300 US for it. That's more than double what I paid for my truck.

Troy

 

I did make a few modifications to the tent, so it fit my rig better and will eventually build a platform to extend the bed space

 

not my truck, but that's what it'll look like in 2 months!

 

that poor tacoma looks like it's rear end is gonna be squished from all that weight

 

Here is a link to a thread I started on mine. It has a link to pictures. It has worked out quite well so far. I've since added a changing/ shower/rain protection "room" made from tarps at the back of the Runner. The room is approx 6' x 7'.

 

Anyone know what brand camper that is? I have been looking for a pop-up that doesn't weigh a ton but still has all the amenities of a tow-behind.

 

It's a Fourwheel Pop-up Camper. I had one up until recently:

 

I got one of these to carry all my junk, eventually it will have a hard top on it with either a fold out tent or pop up. Also the basket on top helps alot.


This is the military model so it doesn't have a tailgate, so I made a table that can hang off of any side. The reason for no tailgate is that it they are watertight and will float with up to 500 lbs.

 

Thanks for the mentions guys

BTW, you can spot Vince's Tacoma w/Flippac in the Sept 06 issue of Off-Road magazine.


I have a setup like you describe, but it's in a Tacoma. However, it's a very compact camper/storage setup, which I like because I can still get decent fuel mileage, it is "stealthy", and I can do a fairly technical trail or two with it.







And what would I do without my beloved fridge?



Here is a pretty cool article on Truck camping 101.

I think that a really great addition to a 4Runner for camping would be to add on an Adventure Trailer. They aren't exactly as affordable as an SUV tent, but what you get for the price is phenomenal. I have used them and done a bunch of trips with them and they are incredible. Extremely fast setup and you have a deluxe camp. Huge bed to sleep in with a matress, a shade canopy, fridge, stove, water faucet... the works. They are now available with a trailing-arm suspension which is uber-cool and makes a huge difference in trail performance. Expeditions West has a great article on one of their "Chaser" models equipped with the new suspension. Here's a pic I took of two of them on a trip earlier this year...



I think alot of the guys like Darren and Paul and many others I have seen here, have really got it down pat for the 4runner. It's a little more of a challenge to make it work with the space provided, but it can be done.

Another good option is a rooftop tent.

 

I plan on eventually making my trailer into something similar to those adventure trailers. What I need to find is a good fab guy who needs a lot of tile work done.

 

well... I've been camping for the from the beginning of February until the end of June out of my 4runner. I drove to Guatemala and back (13,000 miles) and slept in my 4runner, on my roofrack, underneath it, and beside it in my MSR one-man tent, (waterproof was a plus come rainy season). I was on a low-budget, no frills included adventure trip to see central america. 'Everything from cities to jungles. Here are some tips for making it comfy... screens sewn with velcro to put over the rear windows to keep the mosquitos out... a 1,500 watt inverter for charging batteries and watching movies on the laptop... a goodsize cooler/refrig combo between the front seats... two internal rollbars to hang stuff on... some nice speakers and a sub to chill with on all those long evenings... 5% window tint to keep all those pesky onlookers from seeing you at night. I used well fitting plastic boxes (from Walmart) to sleep on top of, storing all my stuff underneath my 4in. foam bed.

Just some ideas for ya!

Josiah

 

YEA!! That's what it's all about

 

Dang, and I thought my month long road trip to Guatemala in 1995 was fun. I will have to plan on one of these when my children get a little bit older.

Kevin