国产吃瓜黑料

GET MORE WITH OUTSIDE+

Enjoy 35% off GOES, your essential outdoor guide

UPGRADE TODAY

If you buy through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission. This supports our mission to get more people active and outside. Learn more

truck camping truck topper outside magazine gear
The priciest thing you'll need to obtain is a truck bed shell for a pickup. Most everything you can buy used. (Photo: iStock)
Gear Guy

How Do I Turn My Truck into a Mobile 国产吃瓜黑料 Home?

Now we can all (basically) have the car of our dreams

Published: 
truck camping truck topper outside magazine gear
(Photo: iStock)

New perk: Easily find new routes and hidden gems, upcoming running events, and more near you. Your weekly Local Running Newsletter has everything you need to lace up! .

It鈥檚 easy鈥攁nd relatively inexpensive. But before you rush out and start converting your truck into the ultimate adventure vehicle, step back and think carefully about the design, because the same rules you鈥檇 follow when buying a nonmobile home apply here: be patient and detail-oriented and begin with the right foundation.

$1,500: Truck Bed Cap

This will be by far your largest expense, but it鈥檚 worth it鈥攖hese are the walls to your house. I suggest budgeting $1,500. When hunting for a cap, broaden your search beyond the name brands. While and offer some of the best caps on the market, I got a screaming deal on a new , and the sub-$1,000 shell worked perfectly for years.

$370: Rack

(Courtesy Yakima)

What鈥檚 the use of pimping out your truck if you can鈥檛 bring your toys? The will cost you around $400鈥攁nd it鈥檒l be one of your best, safest options for storing gear on top of your rig. Tip: Go superwide on your crossbars so you can fit your bike, kayak, and future 聽on the roof at the same time.

$100: Interior Build

If you keep it simple, all you鈥檒l need are a few two-by-fours, some particleboard, two hinges, and enough carpet to cover the whole structure. (I know you can get out for less than $100 because that鈥檚 what I did when I built up Charlie, my 2000 Chevy Silverado.) Make a simple platform that you can sleep on, with enough room below to place gear bins. Don鈥檛 cut corners with the carpet. It鈥檚 essential to making the back of your truck comfortable.

$70: Coleman 2-Burner Stove

(Courtesy Coleman)

will make a fine kitchen on the tailgate of your truck. The extra money for the second burner is well worth it鈥攜ou鈥檒l have a much more efficient cooking station.

$30: Bins

Bins are the best way to keep your gear organized. Take time to organize and label them, and be sure to keep stuff in its proper bin. You don鈥檛 want to blow a dawn patrol while searching for your coffeemaker.

$300: Yeti Cooler

(Courtesy Yeti)

Yes, Yeti makes some of the world鈥檚聽, but if you think of it as a mobile聽refrigerator, you鈥檙e getting off cheap. The Tundra cooler allows you to bring perishable foods on your adventures鈥攗p to eight days on one load of ice. Yetis are also impossible to destroy, making them an investment for life.

$10: Kitchenware

Since you don鈥檛 have to worry about weight, shop for inexpensive鈥攁nd heavy鈥攑ots, pans, plates, cups, and utensils. Go for the nonstick variety: It鈥檒l make cleanup after meals much easier.

$40: Headlamp

(Courtesy Princeton Tec and Goal Zero)

We like the inexpensive, reliable 鈥攇ood for reading and cooking by at night. If you鈥檙e willing to spend more money, we recommend an inverter like the and a cell battery so you can charge LED lights and other electronics inside your shelter.

$105: Memory Foam Mattress

This luxury item will make sleeping in the back of your truck more treat than nightmare. A good friend put in the back of his Silverado. As a result, he sleeps better in the back of his truck than he does at home.

$55: Camp Chairs

(Courtesy REI Co-op)

A good pair of camp chairs like are key to being comfortable at camp. We like having a second chair even if we鈥檙e traveling alone. It鈥檚 a good excuse to invite a neighbor into camp for dinner.

$1: Sheet for Curtains

For privacy and to block out the light.

$7: Velcro

(Courtesy Velcro)

A few feet of will help you deck the inside of the camper shell with lights, curtains, and places to store electronics.

Popular on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online