Musings

I get asked a lot of questions about the truck, so I figured it might make sense to write them down.

I built this truck over the period of years, and it has been a slow progression.

I like this truck a lot better than either an RV or a pop-up tent on the back, and certainly more than a trailer.
Except for the possible width issue (which isn't that big a deal, because I have done the Rubicon and the Dusy Ershim and a bunch of other "SWB" trails in my fullsize K30 with the same width as the burban), this truck will go any place you want it to. It doesn't get great mileage (I need a gear vendors), but it will tow the gates off of hell, and I can sleep equally well in a truck stop parking lot, the middle of nowhere, a campground, or a WalMart parking lot.
I realized a long time ago that I love camping, but I HATE setting up and breaking down. I also hate planning in advance for a place to sleep. So the requirement for sleeping in this thing had to be ZERO break down in the morning.
And there is ZERO setup and breakdown time. Here's how morning work.
1.) Alarm goes off. (5 seconds to turn it off)
2.) I sit up. It is "too early"
3.) I pull the reflector from the rear window, and crawl into the front seat, still in my underwear. (about 30 seconds has passed, because I am usually slow).
4.) I take down the front reflector, and fire up the truck. (another 10 seconds)
5.) I drive away and head to where I want. Maybe it is to make time in the morning, see the sunrise, or maybe it is just to get my butt in gear. But I am headed where I want in no time.

So when I said ZERO, I guess I really mean "If I can't break camp in less time than I can hold my breath, it takes too long"...

This also helps with bears (nothing ever left out), bugs (no bugs, sealed up), and cold (no need to get out of the truck if it is cold... just start sleeping!)

I thought about something with a rooftop tent, but I said "Why? Tents, and how lame they are to set up is one of the main reasons I don't camp as much as I want already. And you want to bolt one to the ROOF? Riiight."

Just my .02, of course. Oh, and this truck basically is just used for roadtrips and weekend stuff. I don't commute in it, and it is always, 100% of the time, ready to go. The preparation to leave for a trip involves:

1.) Put in a bag of clothes (we keep some in the truck too, but it is nice to bring stuff you like)
2.) Drive away and stop at the grocery store for perishables on the way.

That's pretty much it.