When taking a sleeping bag deep into the backcountry or high into the alpine, you have to balance comfort with portability鈥攜ou do have to drag them up there, after all. This is not the case with a car camping sleeping bag.

As far as we鈥檙e concerned, car camping is all about comfort鈥攕ave the rehydrated meals and paper-thin foam sleeping pads for the backcountry. And if there鈥檚 any part of your kit where you shouldn鈥檛 cut corners, it鈥檚 your bedding. The scenery always looks that much nicer after a good night鈥檚 sleep.

The good news about shopping for sleeping bags in 2025 is that there鈥檚 something for every type of camper, but the downside of that abundance is that it can be hard to parse all the models and features to find what you really want. Our testers, a mix of men, women, and children with different sleeping preferences (hot/cold; side, stomach, back sleepers, etc.) put 24 sleeping bags and blankets to the test on cold, windy shoulder-season trips and balmy summer nights. These sleeping bags and quilts came out on top.

Updated April 2025: We added five new sleeping bags to this list, including our new “Best Overall” pick, the Rumpl Wrap Sack. We also updated pricing and info on the sleeping bags we previously included and still highly recommend.听

At a Glance

• Best Overall:
• Best Value:
• Roomiest:
• Most Versatile:
• Best for Families:
• Best Blanket:
• Best Wearable Bag:
• Other Sleeping Bags We Tested
• How to Choose a Sleeping Bag for Camping
• How We Test
• Meet Our Lead Testers

Don’t miss: The Best Tents for Camping in Comfort and Style

Best Overall

Rumpl Wrap Sack Sleeping Bag 20

Weight: 5 lbs
Sizes: Standard
Dimensions: 82鈥� x 35鈥�
Comfort rating: 20-30F

Pros and Cons
鈯� Wide temperature range
鈯� Roomy
鈯� Smart design
鈯� Too cold below 30F
鈯� Clips could be uncomfortable to roll on

This unique sleeping bag is the most comfortable and innovative bag we鈥檝e tested in a while.

The best way to describe the Wrap Sack is a hybrid between a sleeping bag and an adult swaddle. Two wings on either side of the bag offer two different amounts of Rumpl鈥檚 proprietary recycled synthetic insulation. Depending on how mild or chilly it is at night, you can wrap one or both of these sides around yourself and secure them via four easy-to-close clips; when it鈥檚 cold out, zip the outer layer of the Wrap Sack like a traditional sleeping bag.

This layering design made the Wrap Sack versatile enough to accommodate big temperature swings at night. It proved ideal for summer nights that start out in the 80s and drop down into the 40s, which is common in the parts of far Northern California where we tested. That said, one tester cautioned that the Wrap Sack does not have enough insulation to live up to its stated 20-degree comfort rating. Even with the bag fully cinched, he woke up cold on a 28-degree night on the Scott River in California.

While it鈥檚 not a bag for nights that dip below freezing, the Wrap Sack鈥檚 ability to handle big temperature swings above 32 degrees and its roominess made it a tester favorite.The rectangular shaped bag allowed active sleepers enough space to toss and turn, and our 6鈥�2鈥� tester had enough room to stretch out even with the Wrap Sack鈥檚 hood stuffed with a camp pillow.

Even after over 20 days in the field and two machine washes, the robust, fully-recycled nylon exterior showed no visible wear. The Wrap Sack packs down to the size of a watermelon鈥攏ot exactly small, but smaller than the Big Agnes Echo Park, the other extra-roomy option on this list.

Best Value

The North Face Wawona 20 Sleeping Bag

Weight: Regular 4.9 lbs (Regular); 5.3 lbs (Long)
Sizes: Regular, Long
Dimensions: 78鈥� x 32鈥� (Regular)
Comfort rating: 20F and 35F

Pros and Cons
鈯� Good value
鈯� Soft liner fabric
鈯� Incorporates recycled materials
鈯� Large pack down size for a single
鈯� Comfort rating is off
鈯� No hood

The Wawona is reasonably priced yet doesn鈥檛 feel like a budget bag. Testers gave it top marks for its next-to-skin comfort thanks to a cozy, brushed high-pile fleece that comprised the top interior of the bag. At 78 inches by 32 inches (regular), this rectangular bag is also comfortably roomy.

With only a $10 price difference between the 20-degree and 35-degree versions, we opted to test the Wawona 20 to see how well it performed in lower temps. While the recycled polyester fill proved sufficient in 40-degree temps, testers noted that it didn鈥檛 live up to its stated 20-degree comfort rating. The lack of a hood left one tester wishing he had worn a beanie and needing to layer up in a down jacket to make it comfortable during a 28-degree night on the Scott River in Northern California. We would have expected a bag that packs down to no smaller than a five-gallon cooler to have more insulation power.

Still, testers had plenty of good things to say about this more affordable sleeping bag. The 50-denier polyester ripstop outer proved surprisingly durable鈥攊t was no worse for wear after we used the Wawona as a blanket on bare, rocky ground for some stargazing. And the hearty YKK zipper (usually the first thing to go on a budget bag) worked just as well after a season of camping as it did at the start. One tester especially appreciated the storage pocket built into the bag鈥檚 lining at chest height, where he stashed his essential ear plugs when not in use.

And perhaps the Wawona鈥檚 biggest flex: At such a reasonable price, campers could buy two Wawona bags and zip them together to enjoy an affordable double bag.

Roomiest

Big Agnes Echo Park

Weight: 4 lb 16 oz
Sizes: Regular
Dimensions: 80鈥� x 30鈥�
Comfort rating: 0F and 20F

Pros and Cons
鈯� Good value
鈯� Roomy design
鈯� Integrated pad and pillow sleeves
鈯� Heavy and bulky

While technically a little bit smaller than Rumpl Wrap Sack, the Big Agnes Echo Park is the roomiest traditional bag we tested with a higher temperature rating, making this our top pick for larger campers who want a comfortable, spacious bag that can hack it in lower temps.

The Echo Park comes in 0-, 20-, and 35-degree temperature ratings and uses Big Agnes鈥� proprietary FireLine Max Eco synthetic insulation. We tested the 20-degree version ($200) to see how it stacked up to the other bags in the same price range (at 0 degrees, the Echo Park bumps up to $230). It proved toasty on a 28-degree night in Northern California, yet testers were also able to dump enough heat via full-length zippers on the either side to stay comfortable on nights that didn鈥檛 dip below 60 Fahrenheit. The cotton-polyester blend on the interior felt supple next to skin and as comfortable as our bedding at home.

Big Agnes lists max user height for the Echo Park as 6鈥�6鈥�, which we found to be accurate; a 6鈥�5鈥� tester commented that this was the first bag he鈥檇 tested where his feet had room to spare. It is wide without being as boxy as the Rumpl and North Face sleeping bags on this list, with a 74-inch hip girth and a 64-inch foot girth, which feels snug but not constricting like a mummy bag. This lightly tapered design enhances space and comfort while still keeping the bag close enough to the body to help insulate.

On top of being incredibly roomy and high on the creature comfort scale, the Echo Park is packed with features we would expect to see on higher priced bags, making it a great value. The integrated sleeping pad sleeve accommodates pads as wide as 30 inches and successfully kept our pads from moving around at night; the pad sleeve also features a separate pillow pocket to keep your camp pillow in place. While incredibly comfortable, the Echo Park also proved plenty durable鈥攖he 40-denier ripstop exterior showed little wear and tear after two months of use.

The large footprint and quantity of synthetic insulation did make this bag a beast to pack down. It doesn鈥檛 get much smaller than the size of a carry-on bag, so you won鈥檛 fit the Echo Park into a backpack. But if packability isn鈥檛 a priority, this comfy, extra-roomy bag is a good buy.

Most Versatile

Kelty Supernova 20

Weight: 3 lbs (regular)
Sizes: regular and long
Dimensions: 75 inches (regular)
Comfort rating: 20F

Pros and Cons
鈯� Versatile
鈯� Good temperature regulation
鈯� No hood

No single sleeping bag will be optimally comfortable and functional for every body type, sleep style, and trip destination, but for the frontcountry camper, the Kelty Supernova Down comes pretty darn close.

This summer, lead tester Miyo McGinn brought it on a very loosely planned summer road trip that she knew at the outset might include sea kayaking; backpacking in the alpine; and car camping in the mountains, desert, and beach. At each disparate location she stopped for the night, the Supernova worked beautifully鈥攊t fit comfortably in a backpacking pack, and felt light and unrestricting even when fully zipped up. The 550-fill down offered ample warmth for high elevation overnights with temps around freezing, opened up flat like a quilt for mild seaside nights with 55-degree lows, and the zipper allowed for plenty of venting for everywhere in between.

The roomy mummy-ish shape (with some extra space around the knees and hips, in addition to the shoulders, before tapering around the feet and lower legs) is particularly comfortable for side sleepers and anyone with wider hips, without sacrificing all the insulating benefits that a form-fitting cut provides.

The recycled 50-denier recycled polyester taffeta liner fabric felt buttery soft next to skin, and 20-denier recycled nylon taffeta exterior held up well over three weeks of constant use. The Supernova isn鈥檛 quite ultralight, nor does it pack down as tiny as some dedicated backpacking sleeping bags, but it still tilts the scales at a perfectly respectable 3 pounds and fits in a stuff sack about as big as a family-sized bag of potato chips.

鈥淢ost bedding that鈥檚 as luxurious as I want on a comfortable car camping trip is too bulky or too delicate for more rugged adventures, like short backpacking or sea kayaking trips鈥� said McGinn. 鈥淏ut the Supernova was great for all of the above鈥攊f it replaced all the other three-season quilts and bags in my gear closet, I wouldn鈥檛 miss them.鈥�

Best for Families

NEMO Jazz Double

Weight: 8 lbs 15 oz
Sizes: double
Dimensions: 78鈥� x 129鈥�
Comfort rating: 32F

Pros and Cons
鈯� As comfortable as home bedding
鈯� Integrated, removable bed sheet
鈯� Passed its comfort rating with flying colors
鈯� Bulky packed size

Thanks to its versatility, the NEMO Jazz Double became test director Joe Jackson鈥檚 go-to family sleeper for his crew of three last summer. The 78-by-129-inch double bag was roomy enough to comfortably sleep two adults (5鈥�9鈥� and 5鈥�11鈥�) plus a six-year-old kid. Most impressively, this 30-degree bag鈥攎ade with a supple, recycled taffeta interior, and featuring Nemo鈥檚 proprietary synthetic recycled Stratofiber insulation鈥攚orked for all three of their different heat preferences.

The double zipper pulls on either side of the bag are a smart design feature that let campers dump heat from their upper body or from their feet if they get too toasty. The Jazz Double鈥檚 incredibly soft, integrated polyester-stretch bedsheet offers an in-between layering option and proved warm enough on its own on milder nights in the 50s. Bonus: The sheet is removable for easy washing.

For a bag this plush, the Jazz Double also impressed us with its hardiness. One tester used the Jazz Double coupled with the NEMO Roamer Double sleeping pad鈥攕lipped into the bag鈥檚 integrated pad sleeve鈥攐n a night on the Scott River that was below 30 degrees and reported that it really did live up to its 32-degree comfort rating. Credit the insulated quilted layer added to the top of the pad sleeve for adding extra comfort and warmth. The bag鈥檚 50-denier recycled polyester outer also survived more than two dozen nights of camping and two washes and dries without breaking down in any visible way.

Our biggest gripe is that this almost-nine-pound bag is extremely bulky. Packed down into its stuff sack, the bag still measures 33-by-16-inches, which took up the entire driver鈥檚 side seat of one tester鈥檚 Toyota Tacoma during transport.

Best Blanket

Mountain Hardwear Stretchdown Quilt

Weight: 1 pound 15.4 ounces
Sizes: 0/S
Dimensions: 82鈥� x 59鈥�
Comfort rating:听N/A

Pros and Cons
鈯� Incredibly versatile
鈯� Durable
鈯� Comfortable
鈯� Expensive for a blanket
鈯� Not warm enough in 30-degree temps

Featuring the same sterling materials that Mountain Hardwear incorporates into its highest-end jackets, the Stretch Down Quilt is the most high-tech camp quilt we鈥檝e ever tested.

Weighing in at just shy of two pounds, this 650-fill down quilt offers an incredible warmth-to-weight ratio for a blanket. While we don鈥檛 think anyone would be comfortable using it as their sole cover on nights that dip below 40 degrees, this blanket makes a versatile layer for those who camp in milder climates where a sleeping bag would be overkill.

The stretchy 20-denier nylon and elastane exterior meant this 82-by-59-inch blanket had enough give to comfortably envelop a family of three sitting by a campfire and was notably pleasant next-to-skin. Testers also appreciated the corner snaps that let them turn this blanket into a wearable poncho for lounging around the campfire.

For how supple it feels, the Stretch Down Quilt held up admirably after we used it as a picnic blanket on abrasive volcanic rock and rocky beaches that would have shredded lesser exteriors. Its durability is a good thing, too, because at $300, we would hope to get many years out of it.

Best Wearable Bag

Mountain Hardwear Yawn Patrol 30F

Weight: 2.1 lbs
Sizes: regular, long
Dimensions: 72鈥� x 62鈥� (regular); 78鈥� x 64鈥� (long)

Pros and Cons
鈯� Convenient temperature regulation; Packability
鈯� More restrictive than some rectangular bags

Most sleeping bags that also claim to be loungewear tend to be more on the gimmicky end of the spectrum. Not the Yawn Patrol, which is a sleeping bag, quilt, and extra long poncho all in one, thanks to clever zipper design.

One smooth-running zipper extends from the top of the bag to the feet to split it into a quilt. Another runs a third of the way down for easy entry and to create sleeves for reading or drinking while inside the bag. Josie Boulding, a Union Bay, B.C.-based tester, loved the bag鈥檚 poncho mode. 鈥淚 could wear the whole thing in camp to stay warm around the campfire,鈥� she says.

Tougher, 45-denier nylon protected the bottom of the bag from dirt, while a lighter-weight 30-denier nylon top shell and the interior were both soft next to skin. When she actually slept in the nearly rectangular bag, the insulated hood with a pillow pocket, phone pocket, draft collars, and 650-fill down kept Boulding toasty and all those zippers gave the bag a huge comfort range, from the 60s to its 30-degree limit. Bonus: At just 2.1 pounds, it can be pressed into service for short backpacking trips.

Other Sleeping Bags We Tested

• :听The Xenith II had the best warmth-to-weight ratio of any bag we tested in this category. But for most car campers, this bag would be overkill, especially at this price.
• :听We tested the Exped Megasleep head-to-head with the Nemo Jazz Double. We preferred the Jazz for its supple, integrated sheet.
• : The Boost features brilliant arm holes (which doubled as vents) and a great heat-dumping center zipper, but felt like a better fit as a backpacking sleeping bag than a car camping option.

How to Choose a Sleeping Bag for Camping

Finding the ideal sleeping bag or quilt is a little like finding the ideal life partner. When you start looking, the options might seem overwhelming. But the more you focus on what you really want, the easier it is to narrow down. Here are four aspects to consider.

Seasons and Temperature Rating

Bags generally fall into three temperature categories: Summer (rated 30 degrees F and warmer); three-season (rated between 15 and 20 degrees); and winter (rated 15 degrees and lower鈥攕ome expedition bags are rated as low as -40 degrees). These temperature ratings are based on 鈥渁verage鈥� sleepers and don鈥檛 consider external factors like the thickness and rating of your sleeping pad; climatic factors like wind or humidity; or how quickly your body regulates heat loss or gain. Even if you tend to prefer cold sleeping environments, we recommend erring on the side of buying a higher temperature bag鈥攜ou can always open zippers, but making a bag warmer requires extra layers.

Camping vs. Backpacking Sleeping Bags

Car camping, or camping at a campground or near your vehicle, is about comfort: look to prioritize roominess, fabric feel, and features, like pillow pockets and multiple zippers, rather than weight and packability. Cotton, fleece, or flannel-like interior linings will make sleeping that much more cozy than the usual polyester stickiness you experience with backpacking bags. Pockets help corral slippery pillows right where you want them; an additional pocket to keep a headlamp, phone, or watch close at hand is a nice bonus feature. And extra zippers provide options for customizing warmth and lounging in camp.

What Type of Insulation Is Best in a Sleeping Bag?

Down bags are generally warmer for their weight and more compressible than bags with synthetic insulation. But if down bags get wet, they lose insulating capacity and take longer to dry out than synthetic bags. Many manufacturers use down processed with a hydrophobic chemical that prevents it from absorbing as much water. Others keep the insulation dry with a water-repellant finish or fabric.

Pay attention to fill power. That number measures the volume taken up by the amount of down in your sleeping bag; the more loft your sleeping bag has, the more efficiently it will trap warm air. It will also weigh less and pack down smaller than bags with a lower fill power rated to the same temperature. Synthetic bags are more affordable, and therefore an excellent choice for new campers who are unsure how often they want to sleep outside, or backpackers who are headed to wet environments.

How Roomy Should a Sleeping Bag Be?

Bags come in many shapes and sizes鈥攔ectangles, mummies, modified mummies, and double bags. Mummies are warmer and lighter-weight than rectangular bags, but can also be claustrophobic. Rectangular bags are excellent for restless sleepers who need to move and don鈥檛 have space or weight constraints. Some quilts can be opened up to act as comforters, although they require a warm sleeping pad and don鈥檛 come with hoods. Women-specific bags often come in modified mummy shapes to accommodate the curvier parts of a woman鈥檚 body. Doubles are simply sleeping bags built for two, although many solo bags can be zipped together to create a double bag.

How We Test

• Number of Sleeping Bags Tested: 24
• Warmest Temperature Tested In: 80F
• Lowest Temperature Tested In: 20F
• Number of Nights Camped: 42
• Number of Testers: 16

In this category, we primarily considered sleeping bags designed for car campers versus backpackers. This meant focusing on more affordable options with comfort-forward features and weeding out the highly technical and expensive bags that would be overkill for most recreational campers.

In the end, we tested 24 sleeping bags that fit the bill on multiple camping trips along the Scott River. We then pitted the top contenders against each other in a head-to-head test in Crescent City, California, where we kept one camp up for an entire month and invited testers to try the different options. We asked testers to rate things like next-to-skin comfort, warmth, feature-set, and packability.

The bags that made this list were rated as the best picks for casual campers who care more about comfort and affordability than packability and performance in cold climates.

Meet Our Lead Testers

Joe Jackson

Test director Jackson has been testing gear professionally for 国产吃瓜黑料 for over a decade. By his best estimation, he has tested more than 100 sleeping bags for this publication. His most trying sleeping bag test took place on an incredibly cold night on Donner Summit, where he intentionally soaked sleeping bags to see how long each wetted bag could keep him warm in freezing temps.

Saylor Flett

Saylor Flett runs the outdoor recreation and leadership program at Feather River College in Quincy, California. He once spent a month sleeping in a cave in Yosemite and has spent hundreds of nights camping out on portaledges and riverbanks.

Josie Jackson

The test director鈥檚 daughter is arguably the most mobile sleeper of our 16 testers, and as a seven-year-old, is the least likely to be subject to brand bias鈥攕he could care less about who makes a sleeping bag, all she cares about is if it鈥檚 warm and comfortable.

Miyo McGinn

Miyo McGinn is an assistant editor at 国产吃瓜黑料 based in Bozeman, Montana. She has camped in a dozen different states and four continents, but Washington state, where she grew up, will always be her favorite place to pitch a tent. Miyo got her start reviewing gear as 国产吃瓜黑料鈥檚 gear editorial assistant in 2021.

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I love gawking at cool 4x4s and campers, and I also love a good deal. I have a buddy who suffers from the same affliction, and we have a text thread going back several years that鈥檚 filled mainly with Craigslist links to cool vehicles we鈥檝e found online. This affinity for adventure rig classifieds is how I ended up with a 2006 Power Wagon a few years ago and how he scored a killer deal on an even rarer truck and camper. Mostly, though, surfing the web for adventure mobiles is just a fun way to pass the time when we鈥檙e bored.

So, in an attempt to do something useful with this goofy habit and put all that time spent scrolling to good work, I鈥檓 going to start highlighting some of the coolest rigs and best deals I鈥檝e found recently in an installment I鈥檓 calling 鈥淐raigslist Finds.鈥�

Keep in mind that these things sell like hotcakes, so these exact listings may no longer be available by the time you鈥檙e reading this. The hope here is to provide some insight on what to look for and how to find a good deal on a rig.

Don’t miss: The Best Trailers, Campers, and Van Conversions of 2025

There are all sorts of amazing rigs sold around the world that we never got in the United States, like the Mitsubishi Delica, 70-Series Landcruiser, and a whole host of JDM, or Japanese Domestic Market, campers sold only in Japan. Case in point, this 1998 Toyota Camroad 4WD.

The Camroad was based on a Toyota Toyoace truck chassis and sold by different Japanese manufacturers in the 鈥�90s. This one, a Champ model, has a fiberglass camper affixed to the back of it and is about 16-feet-long and 6.5-feet-wide鈥攆or perspective, that鈥檚 shorter than many full-sized trucks and Sprinter vans on the market today. Japanese campers are renowned for their efficient use of space and excellent build quality, and this one certainly looks like it lives up to that.

It has a pass-through cab, meaning you can access the camper portion of the vehicle without needing to go outside, and looks like it sleeps at least four (two above the cab and two on a convertible dinette). The seller鈥檚 description isn鈥檛 the most detailed, but from the looks of things, it鈥檚 very well-equipped with a shower and cassette toilet inside, a 20-gallon water tank, a microwave, and more.

Like all JDM vehicles, this one is right-hand drive, which may take a bit of getting used to but is legal to drive in the U.S. This rig has an automatic transmission, which makes things a bit easier, and is powered by Toyota鈥檚 legendary 3-liter diesel engine. It even has push-button four-wheel-drive.

Because it鈥檚 nearly 30 years old and was never sold in the U.S., it鈥檒l take the right kind of buyer to fully appreciate and enjoy this rig. But, if you鈥檙e into well-made, quirky adventure vehicles with four-wheel-drive capability and Toyota reliability, this could be a really cool choice.

A Sportsmobile has always been an absolute dream rig in my mind. If you鈥檙e not familiar, the company has been making some of the most . The ones I鈥檝e always been most taken with are those built on the Ford E-Series platform鈥攖hey鈥檙e the old-school, boxy Ford van that was the predecessor to the modern-day Transit. Its truck-like, body-on-frame construction made it more suitable for off-road travel and all the modifications and accessories that go along with that, like suspension lifts, larger tires, steel bumpers, and winches.

These vans were never sold with four-wheel-drive from the factory, but a few companies, including Sportsmobile, , , and , converted them to four wheel drive, turning them into true adventure rigs. Sportsmobile is perhaps best known for their pop-top conversions, which allow for a ton of standing room and extra sleeping space when parked, but retain all the benefits of a low roof van on the highway.

While cool, Sportsmobiles don鈥檛 come cheap鈥擣ord stopped selling E-Series cargo vans in 2014, so even and hold their value. You can sort of still buy from Field Van (formerly Sportsmobile West), who has created their own custom fiberglass body that fits on an E-Series cutaway chassis, but it鈥檒l cost you north of $200K.

All that to say, this particular Sportsmobile is actually a pretty good deal. It鈥檚 a 2013 (so one of the last years of the E-350) with a Quigley 4WD conversion, and it has the sought-after 6.8L, V-10 engine with only 40K original miles. Lots of folks think the diesel engines are the way to go in these vans, but the V-10 is nearly as powerful and costs significantly less to maintain鈥攜ou鈥檒l just be buying a lot of gas because the engine is not known for being efficient.

The seller says the van鈥檚 interior was updated in 2018 by Field Van (formerly Sportsmobile West) and now has a quartz countertop with an induction cooktop. There鈥檚 also 200 watts of solar panels on the roof and four AGM batteries. Should those run out, it also comes with a Yamaha generator.

It鈥檚 loaded with extras like an onboard air compressor, front and rear, heavy-duty bumpers, an outdoor shower, and one of the cleanest interiors I鈥檝e seen in a long time. I鈥檓 a big fan of the floorplan on this one, too, which gives you more seating in the back and space to walk though to the back of the van. All in all, it鈥檚 about as drool-worthy as it gets.

This one is the most turnkey of the three vehicles, and a killer option for anyone looking for a true go-anywhere, haul-anything adventure rig. The Ford F-250 is a very popular truck for hauling a camper and doing serious work, and this particular one has two of the best options available for the model: the . The 7.3L V-8 puts out 430 horsepower and 475-pound-feet of torque and is a great alternative to a diesel engine, both for the lower maintenance costs associated with it and because regular unleaded is easier to find while traveling internationally. It鈥檚 also designed to be an exceptionally long-lived engine, so 76,000 miles shouldn鈥檛 scare anyone off.

The means the truck gets a slight lift, a locking rear differential, Ford鈥檚 Trail Control drive mode selector, a special rock crawling mode, and 35-inch tires. The seller also installed an onboard air compressor for quickly airing up those big tires.

The model鈥檚 max payload is 4,210 pounds, which means it likely doesn鈥檛 even know that camper is in the bed. As for the camper, this Four Wheel Campers Hawk looks to be a fully loaded, front-dinette model. It sleeps four, and the seller says it has every option available, including an 85L Isotherm fridge, a Thetford cassette toilet, inside and outside showers, 230 watts of solar on top, and Victron charging components, among other things.

If I were looking for a slightly used three-quarter-ton truck and slide-in camper combo, this rig has just about everything I鈥檇 be looking for. You鈥檙e getting a lot of value here, too, considering a new F-250 Tremor and a new, would be north of $40K.

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Stooping in a lightweight, minimalist backpacking tent while camping out of your car isn鈥檛 much fun. Neither is getting blown over in a flimsy big-box store shelter. With that in mind, we tested 17 tents designed for car campers and families who prioritize spaciousness, convenience, and storm-worthiness over all else. These six options had us lounging in comfort and style no matter what conditions rolled through the campground.

Updated April 2025: After months of additional testing, we added four new tents, including our new top-pick, the NEMO Aurora Highrise 4. We’ve also updated info and pricing on some of our previous picks that we still highly recommend.听

At a Glance

• Best Overall:
• Easiest Setup:
• Most Durable:
• Best Budget Buy:
• Most Convenient:
• Best for Glamping:
• Other Tents We Tested
• How to Choose Tents
• How We Test
• Meet Our Testers

Best Overall

NEMO Aurora Highrise 4

Weight: 13.8 lbs
Peak height: 75鈥�
Interior space: 90鈥� x 100鈥�

Pros and Cons
鈯� Easy setup/takedown
鈯� Effective ventilation
鈯� Spacious vestibule
鈯� High ceiling
鈯� Floor gets dirty fast

The Aurora Highrise 4 stood out in our test thanks to its supreme livability. Unlike many other four-person tents out there, this one does, in fact, comfortably house a family of four thanks to its 75-inch peak height, steep sidewalls, and two generous 19.5-square-foot vestibules.

During testing, two families of four remarked on the internal geometry, which maximizes space and freedom of movement. Its steep walls create more headroom above the 62.5-square-foot floor area than other dome tents鈥攁 6-foot-2 tester could easily stand upright and move around freely. Two doors on either side allowed campers to enter and exit the tent without disturbing others and were tall enough that our 6-foot-2 tester didn鈥檛 have to crouch to get in and out.

With just two base poles that set up the main body of the tent and two cross poles that pitch an awning at the top, the Aurora Highrise proved easy enough for first-time campers to set up without having to look up directions. One veteran tester was able to set it up by herself in about 15 minutes. It was just as easy to break down and pack up thanks to its oversized stuff sack.

Testers who camped out in Crescent City, California during a 17-hour rainstorm applauded the tent鈥檚 waterproofing and ventilation. The hearty 68-denier polyester body material and burly 150-denier polyester floor make this freestanding tent a hoss. It proved impervious to 20 mile-per-hour wind gusts without any help from the included guylines. The PU polyester rainfly, rated to 1,2000-millimeters, boasts a structured overhang that extends six inches beyond the mesh windows, which kept the tent dry even with its two windows opened for ventilation

We loved the small details on this tent that made a big difference in comfort and convenience, like a light-diffusing pocket in the canopy for pre-bed rituals, and the slightly opaque mesh on the windows that offered shade on the hottest days but didn鈥檛 spoil views.

Our only dig on this tent is its mostly-white floor, which proved impossible to keep clean鈥攁 problem for anyone bringing kids or pets along for the ride. Overall, the Aurora Highrise 4 is a standout in the car camping category for its balance of comfort and performance at a reasonable price.

Easiest Setup

Big Agnes Big House 4

Weight: 12.6 lbs
Peak height: 70鈥�
Interior space: 90鈥� x 92鈥�

Pros and Cons
鈯� Very easy setup
鈯� High ceiling
鈯� Blew heavily in high winds
鈯� Vestibule sold separately

Testers loved the Big House 4鈥檚 simplicity above all. Though big and boxy, the 90-by-92-inch tent was the easiest to set up across the category. A veteran tester was able to get the Big House 4 up on her own in under ten minutes thanks to its straightforward geometry and color-coded webbing and snaps.

With a 57-square-foot floor area, the Big House 4 is billed as a four-person tent, but testers reported that you鈥檇 need to purchase the vestibule鈥攕old separately ($180)鈥攖o make room for four folks and all their gear, from the stuff you鈥檇 want to keep outside like mud-covered shoes to wet swimsuits.

That said, the generous 70-inch ceiling height meant our six-foot testers could stand upright and move around the interior freely. Testers also appreciated the tent鈥檚 two giant doors鈥攕panning 80 percent of two walls鈥攚hich allowed them to enter and exit the tent without crouching. Eight internal pockets were more than enough for a family of three to stash personal items like toothbrushes, phones, and headlamps.

The Big House 4 also impressed us with its waterproofing and durability. A 75-denier polyester taffeta rain fly with a 1,500mm waterproof polyurethane coating kept the tent body (made from the same material) and the interior perfectly dry through three days of rain in Crescent City, California. That hearty PU coating also appeared to reinforce the durability of the tent鈥攊t showed very little wear and tear after over three months of testing.

Our only gripe: The tent鈥檚 height proved suboptimal in high winds. Even when secured with its guy lines, the tent blew heavily in 25-mile-per-hour winds.

Most Durable

Snow Peak Alpha Breeze

Weight: 24.2 lbs
Peak Height: 73″
Interior Space: 109″ x 102″

Pros and Cons
鈯� Four points of entry
鈯� Excellent ventilation
鈯� Durable
鈯� Heavy

The Alpha Breeze showcases Snowpeak鈥檚 emphasis on designing elegant, simple products with a decidedly luxurious fee. The top-tier materials鈥攊n this case, polyester fabric and duralumin poles鈥攁re strong and functional, and durable enough to stay that way for quite a while.

The extra-thick copper-aluminum poles gave us confidence when a sustained 15 mph wind picked up during an overnight on Camano Island in Washington. The structure barely flinched under the gusts, and the forearm-length Douglas fir boughs they knocked down onto our campsite. The 75-denier, DWR-treated polyester taffeta rain fly and 300-denier polyester tent floor both looked brand-new after two dusty, rocky trips in Montana鈥檚 Bitterroot Mountains.

Besides the fact that it felt indestructible, Seattle-based tester Maeve Axtell loved the boxy tent鈥檚 four doors, with one on each side. 鈥淚t was easy to get in and out without disturbing other people sleeping in the tent, and when it got warm we could get cross-breezes from every direction,鈥� said Axtell. The tent鈥檚 high ceiling and two mesh-covered 鈥渨indows鈥� on opposite walls contributed to the spacious feeling inside that the four doors created, although all those openings only left space for four mesh pockets and 10 loops to stash small essentials inside.

All good things come at a cost, though, and with the Alpha Breeze, the cost is weight. Despite its heft, it鈥檚 not excessively bulky and doesn鈥檛 take up an unreasonable amount of trunk real estate. Another ding? It鈥檚 not especially easy to set up: and the tent鈥檚 6-plus-foot height makes the Breeze a tad unwieldy to pitch. Testers ultimately forgave those shortcomings, since both features made for a rock-solid pitch and roomy, comfortable interior.

Best Budget Buy

Coleman 8-Person Darkroom Skydome

Weight: 21.6 lbs
Peak height: 68鈥�
Interior Space: 12鈥� x 9鈥�

Pros and Cons
鈯� Great price
鈯� Blocks sunlight
鈯� Poor wind performance

At $230, the eight-person Darkroom Skydome costs less than half what other popular eight-person tents cost (like The North Face Wawona 8 and Big Agnes Bunk House 8), making it a great entry-level option for families. You don鈥檛 get the same high-performance materials with that price, but for casual frontcountry camp trips in mild temperatures and weather, the Darkroom Skydome gets the job done.

Besides the price and easy setup, the tent鈥檚 light-blocking fabric is what made this tent stand out, especially for folks with little kids. Coleman uses a dark-coated polyester on the rain fly and inner panels of the Skydome to block out 90 percent more light than the brand鈥檚 normal car-camping tents. Besides creating ideal sleeping and napping conditions even when the sun is still up, the dark fabric also helps keep the interior cool during the day.

While inexpensive tents don鈥檛 always have the best track record in terms of durability and weatherproofing, the Darkroom Skydome proved surprisingly robust for a budget option. After over a dozen days in the rain, testers gave its 300-millimeter-rated polyurethane rainfly high scores for waterproofing in spite of the low rating. One tester used it for over 30 nights鈥攊ncluding on three different rafting trips, which are notoriously rough on tents because they鈥檙e exposed to the elements not only when they鈥檙e pitched, but also while being transported on the water. It held up admirably to rain and rough pack jobs until sustained 20 mile-per-hour wind gusts snapped one of the two aluminum poles.

At 68-inches tall, it鈥檚 slightly shorter than the other tents on this list. That made it easier to pitch鈥攕etup was incredibly simple despite its massive footprint鈥攂ut didn鈥檛 offer the same generous standing height. Testers taller than 5鈥�10鈥� had to crouch significantly in the tent. And like many large-capacity tents, this 鈥渆ight person鈥� shelter is stretching it with six occupants.

It鈥檚 not our pick for seasoned campers who head out into the wild no matter the weather, but for families with young kids and the budget-conscious, the Darkroom Skydome is a smart buy.

Most Convenient

MSR Habiscape 4P

Weight: 12.7 lbs
Peak Height: 73″
Interior Space: 95″ x 95″

Pros and Cons
鈯� Lots of livable space
鈯� Highly weatherproof
鈯� Mediocre ventilation

There鈥檚 a lot we liked about the Habiscape, from the generous elbow room (86 square feet including the vestibule) to the ample standing height (73 inches), but it was a dual-sided pocket that hooked us. Next to the door MSR built in something they call a 鈥減ass-thru pocket鈥濃�攁 bug mesh-lined portal that鈥檚 accessible from both inside and out. Without opening the door, testers could reach through to grab car keys, bug spray or a headlamp. 鈥淚t seems like a little thing, but the convenience was huge,鈥� says Chris Baikie, a British Columbia-based tester. 鈥淭here were definitely fewer bugs in the tent because of it.鈥�

Set-up for the Habiscape requires two people, but the asymmetric design and color-coding helped make it quick and easy. The dome structure and low-hanging 68-denier polyester fly stood up to a 20 mile-per-hour windstorm with little flapping. The rest of the tent is equally tough, with the same 68-denier poly on the floor, 40-denier ripstop nylon walls, and 7000 series aluminum tent poles.

We had to duck under the vestibule door to get inside, but it provided enough room for a cooler and gear, and kept drips out of the tent during rainstorms. A second door came in handy for frequent nighttime bathroom excursions. The Habiscape packs down easily, and ends up smaller than many tents of its size, at roughly nine inches by two feet. 鈥淚t鈥檚 almost perfect,鈥� says lead tester Ryan Stuart. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 not even that heavy.鈥�

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The North Face Wawona 4 Tent: 4-Person 3-Season

Set up more than just a place to sleep鈥攕et up a basecamp for adventure. The North Face Wawona 4 Tent delivers just that with enough room to stand up inside, stash all your gear, and even set up a cozy lounge area. The extended front vestibule keeps gear organized and protected, while large mesh windows and a top vent ensure you stay cool on warm nights. Sturdy DAC poles and a waterproof fly provide confidence in unpredictable weather, and an easy-pitch design means you can pack up in no time.

Best for Glamping

White Duck Outdoors Rover Scout Tent

Weight: 62 lbs
Peak Height: 84鈥�
Interior Space: 8鈥� x 13鈥�

Pros and Cons
鈯� Durable materials
鈯� Very weather-resistant
鈯� Complicated setup
鈯� Heavy

Tester Saylor Fleet, a longtime wall tent lover who used the previous version of the Rover Scout Tent for over a decade, likened this updated model to a sprinter van. 鈥淚t’s big enough to stand up in, sleep in, and cook in,鈥� he said. Heck, this 8-by-13-foot tent is essentially a canvas-sided cabin that easily sleeps six adults. Its size and sturdiness make it ideal for families or hunters looking to set up a basecamp for extended stints in the backcountry.

During testing, we set up a luxury camping situation for two adult testers with individual cots and a small kitchen鈥攊ncluding a Coleman stove, dishware, and a small wash bin on a roll-a-table鈥攁nd still had plenty of space to walk around.

But the Rover Scout isn鈥檛 just for those who like to spread out; it鈥檚 also got performance chops. Testers appreciated how well the Dynatek cotton and recycled polyester canvas held onto heat on a night in the low 40s on the Klamath River in Oregon. On the flip side, they liked that they could easily roll up the two doors and two walls of the tent to dump heat when temps rose into the mid 70s during the day.

Unlike car-camping-oriented tents with traditional pole structures, the Rover Scout necessitates the use of guy-outs to stay upright and storm-worthy. You have to be selective about your site because you have to be able to drive stakes in the ground to firmly secure those guy-outs鈥攜ou鈥檒l have a tough time pitching this tent on loose sand and bedrock.

While it took a while for two testers to hunt down an ideal site鈥攁nd a good 30-minutes to erect鈥攐nce it was up, it wasn鈥檛 going anywhere. Category managerJoe Jackson pitched it on the Klamath River in the fall and left it up for two weeks between camping stints. During that time, it saw four days of rain and wind gusts of over 30 miles-per-hour, yet Jackson returned to find it unscathed and fully dry after his time away.

White Duck鈥檚 canvas not only proved durable, but it avoided the achilles heel of canvas tents: It did not get covered in mildew when it was put away slightly wet. The downside to the Rover Scout鈥檚 design? While the canvas is lighter than that of wall tents we鈥檝e tested in the past, the aluminum and steel frame is heavy: At 62 pounds, it was too heavy for our smaller testers to handle on their own.

That said, it packs down to roughly the size of a couch cushion, compact enough to fit into the back of a Honda Element with room left over for camp supplies.

Other Tents We Tested

• : We used this as a base camp for a raft guide weekend. We loved it as a communal shelter but found it too large and expensive for most campers.
• : This tent really did pop up in under 30-seconds thanks to a two-handled ripcord that erects the tent from the top. Ultimately, it鈥檚 too small for most recreational campers.
• : The Fernweh felt like a member of the Jackson family at the end of three summers of testing because of how comfortably the massive living space accommodated months of family camping. But it takes two adults over an hour to set up properly, even with practice.

How to Choose a Camping Tent

Size and Dimensions

Start with the number of people who will be sleeping in the tent and add at least one. No one ever complained about a little extra elbow room, and ultra-wide camping pads often need extra space. Next, consider packability: If you have limited storage or trunk space, a more packable option will make jamming it between all of the coolers and propane easier. Height is crucial, but comes with a tradeoff: Being able to stand up to get dressed or stretch your legs is nice, but means it will be harder to set up, especially if you鈥檙e doing it solo.

Feature Set

Look for ample pockets for staying organized, big vestibules and/or high bathtub walls that protect the interior from blowing rain, multiple venting options, and roomy doors. Of course, a tent鈥檚 principal job is to protect you from the elements, so weatherproofing should be a primary consideration. A fly that reaches to the ground provides the most coverage, but can also limit venting, making for uncomfortably stuffy conditions when it鈥檚 hot. A tall pole structure is susceptible to high winds, so make sure the tent has plenty of guy-out points for stabilizing and protecting the tent from gusts.

Budget

Price is always important, but try to prioritize value. Spending a bit more for a tent with more durable materials, like higher denier fabrics and burly aluminum poles, will save you money in the long run. You can find a no frills, serviceable four-person summer tent in the $200 range, with waterproofing, durability, and reparability generally improving as you start getting into higher price ranges.

But if you鈥檙e looking for a tent to use three seasons of the year, that you expect to get a lot of use in stormy weather, or that you鈥檇 like to use for the rest of your life, we recommend budgeting between $350 and $600. That鈥檚 the cost of more reliable construction and waterproofing鈥攚hich, as all of our testers who have woken up to puddles inside their tents can tell you, is priceless when you really need it.

How We Test

• Tents tested: 17
• Number of nights camped: 50+
• Number of testers: 17
• States tested in: California, Oregon, Washington

For this test, we mainly considered four- to eight-person, three-season tents because they tend to be the best fit for most car campers who prioritize comfort and space over weight and packability. When all was said and done, our crew of 17 testers tested 17 tents鈥攏ewer options on the market as well as some perennial favorites鈥攖o find the best for frontcountry campers.

We tested these tents in the beaches, rivers, and mountains of California, Oregon, and Washington from September through November. Conditions included everything from sub-freezing temps and sustained rainstorms to blazing hot rafting trips on the Klamath River in Northern California.

After a number of weekend camping trips, testing concluded with a month-long field-testing stint in Crescent City, California, to whittle down the final contenders. Testers included four families with kids ranging in age from two to eleven, and parents in their early thirties to their mid fifties. Some were first-time campers, while others could measure the amount of time they鈥檝e spent in years.

We asked all testers to evaluate tents on their functionality, ease of setup and take-down, standout features, and overall comfort and livability.

Meet Our Testers

Joe Jackson has been professionally testing gear for 国产吃瓜黑料 for over a decade and has pitched and slept in over 90 tents during that time. While he is proud of the breadth of tents he has tested for this publication, his biggest flex is that he lived out of an in Oregon for eight months.

Miyo McGinn is a former assistant editor at 国产吃瓜黑料 based in Bozeman, Montana. She has camped in a dozen different states and four continents, but Washington state, where she grew up, will always be her favorite place to pitch a tent. McGinn got her start reviewing gear as 国产吃瓜黑料鈥檚 gear editorial assistant in 2021.

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The post The Best Tents for Camping in Comfort and Style appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

There was a time when you had to choose between comfort and off-roading chops when it came to pulling your adventure home along with you. You could spend a week in a luxury trailer as far as the pavement would take you, or sleep off-kilter in a Jeep pop-up camper deep in the wild. Now, whether you chase your motor-powered thrills at a gravel campground or 500 miles from the nearest interstate, your options are better than ever.

Our favorite slide-in, pop-up, and tow-behind equipment of the year keeps your storage space usable, maximizes sprawl鈥攜es, there’s a short-bed camper that fits a king-sized mattress鈥攁nd promises as much off-road prowess as you can dream of.

Updated April, 2025: We added a new pick鈥攖he Wayfarer Vans Walt Conversion鈥攖o this list, and updated other pricing and product info throughout.听

At a Glance

• Best Van Conversion:
• Best Minimalist Camper:
• Best Off-Road Trailer:
• Best Luxury Rig:
• How to Choose a Trailer or Camper
• How We Test
• Meet Our Lead Testers

Best Van Conversion

Wayfarer Vans Walt Conversion

Type: Van Conversion
Material: Laminated composite wall and ceiling panel; Havelock wool insulation; 9-ply solid-core baltic birch plywood

Pros and Cons
鈯� Simple, high-quality build
鈯� Modular layouts
鈯� Will convert used vans
鈯� 2-3 day install time
鈯� Conversions only available for Ram Promaster and Ford Transit
鈯� No custom work

Watch: Inside Look at the Wayfarer Walt Van Conversion

Van conversion companies are a dime a dozen these days. The vast majority offer expensive, fully custom buildouts loaded with complicated electrical and plumbing systems that can easily cost six figures鈥攕ometimes even without factoring in the price of the van itself鈥攁nd take weeks, if not months, to build.

That鈥檚 not the case with Colorado Springs-based Wayfarer Vans: their largest conversion, built on a 159鈥� High Roof Ram Promaster cargo van platform, starts at $25K. While that price can climb to around $55K if you add every optional accessory possible, like a 12V air conditioner, bug screens, 400 watts of solar, and a Propex Heater, it鈥檚 still an incredible value in today鈥檚 campervan marketplace. Wayfarer also completes the installation in just 2-3 days.

The value is what originally caught our attention, but what stood out during a multi-week test last summer was the quality and functionality. There鈥檚 tons of storage space for gear throughout, and the Baltic Birch cabinets and furniture felt solid and didn’t rattle loose鈥攅ven after we drove on miles of washboard roads in Montana. A simple hand pump and removable, five-gallon fresh and grey water containers meant we didn’t worry about built-in tanks leaking or accidentally leaving the water pump on while out fishing for the day.

An over-bed shelf with bungees kept things like extra layers and blankets out of the way without adding the additional weight of more cabinets. The built-in, insulated partition that separates the cab and living area made for a great privacy screen while changing at trailheads, and quickly rolled up and out of the way during travel.

We also loved the modular interior: all the furniture simply bolts into cargo track on the floor, which meant we could move things around to accommodate multiple bikes and other bulky items. Most other vans with modular interiors we鈥檝e tested feel more like camping in a mobile erector set, whereas the Walt felt like a cozy, minimalist cabin with the added benefit of modularity. It鈥檚 the perfect blend of #vanlife and practical work van functionality.

Despite the reasonable price point, the brand still uses proven, premium materials throughout, like Havelock Wool insulation, 9-ply solid-core Baltic Birch plywood, and laminated composite wall and ceiling panels. Translation? They鈥檙e built for the long haul, and you鈥檇 be hard-pressed to find a better-built, more adaptable, and well-thought-out campervan for the money.

Best Minimalist Camper

Tune Outdoor Tune M1

Type: Canopy-style popup truck camper
Weight: From 387 lbs (short-bed Tacoma)
Material: Aluminum/Composite

Pros and Cons
鈯� Incredible space-to-weight ratio
鈯� Sleek
鈯� Retains bed utility
鈯� Heavier than some wedge campers
鈯� Expensive

Watch: Tour of the Tune M1 Truck Camper

True innovation has been tough to come by in the lightweight, shell-style truck camper market lately, but that changed when Denver-based Tune Outdoors launched its Tune M1 in 2023.

Instead of releasing just another wedge camper or traditional slide-in, Tune combined some of the best existing features on the market, like building with aluminum extrusions and honeycomb composite panels, and added its own twist: The Tune M1 rests on a truck鈥檚 bed rails, but the side walls flare out at the bottom to provide far more interior living space than anything else out there. That extra width also provides more standard sleeping space鈥攊n fact, an optional bed extension platform accommodates a nearly king-sized mattress on a short-bed Tacoma.

The Tune M1鈥檚 starting price includes features that cost extra at many other brands, like built-in lighting, a 4-inch memory foam mattress, and 440-plus feet of T-Track. All that T-Track means you can bolt nearly anything to the camper, and easily build out the interior if you wish.

Bonus: Side awning panels fully open for gear access. Our favorite option is the tempered glass side panels, which not only look fantastic, but also let more light inside and allow for panoramic views. 鈥淭he packed-down silhouette is so tight that we never held back on even the burliest roads,鈥� says Aaron Gulley, a longtime 国产吃瓜黑料 contributor and gear tester. 鈥淏ut it has so much popup space that the truck bed felt roomy for two people even with coolers, a generator, and requisite camping gear.鈥�

The perfect cross between a fully featured slide-in and a wedge camper, the Tune M1 is ideal for families who need more space, or anyone who wants a truck camper but also wants to continue using their truck bed for truck things.

Best Off-Road Trailer

Boreas Campers EOS-12

Type: 4-Season off-road travel trailer
Material: Composite and metal construction
Weight: 3,750 lbs (dry weight)

Pros and Cons
鈯� Incredibly capable off road
鈯� No-wood construction (no mold, rot, etc.)
鈯� 50-gallon fresh water capacity
鈯� Expensive
鈯� No indoor sink/cooking option

Watch: Inside the Boreas EOS-12 Trailer

We鈥檝e followed Pueblo, Colorado-based Boreas Campers closely since it debuted its AT and XT models, both class-leading off-road teardrops, a few years ago. The EOS-12 builds on the solid foundation of those campers and takes everything to a new level鈥攍iterally.

The EOS-12 is a 20-foot, overland-style pop-up travel trailer built to go anywhere and keep you comfortable off-grid for extended periods of time in any weather conditions. Composite panel construction keeps the rig well insulated and light on its feet with a dry weight of 3,750 pounds.

The trailer features a slim canvas pop top that keeps it aerodynamic, a well-appointed outdoor kitchen, and a full indoor wet bath. With one queen-sized main bed and a dinette that folds out to about a twin sized bed, we found it could sleep three adults comfortably, and appreciated the copious amounts of storage inside.

The EOS-12 really shines when it comes to its mechanical and electrical features. It rides on a Cruisemaster XT鈥攁n independent trailing arm suspension with airbags and auto-level, capable of handling much rougher terrain than you鈥檙e likely to experience鈥�540 amp hours of Battleborn lithium batteries, Victron electrical components, and 400 watts of solar panels.

Everything on this camper, from the exterior rock lights to the air compressor and the furnace, are operated by a portable Garmin O.N.E. tablet, which, despite our initial hesitation, performed flawlessly.

鈥淲e loved using the EOS-12 on a 5-day mule deer hunt,鈥� says Eric Ladd, a mountain biker, hunter, skier, and all-around adventure seeking ER doc based in Santa Fe, NM. 鈥淲e never worried about where we were towing it, it didn鈥檛 come close to running out of power or water, and we ate like kings thanks to the amazing outdoor kitchen鈥攄espite being off grid the entire time.鈥�

Best Luxury Rig

Airstream Trade Wind

Type: Travel Trailer
Material: Aluminum
Weight: 6200 lbs (dry weight)
Length: 25鈥� 2鈥�

Pros and Cons
鈯� Fully off-grid power system
鈯� Gorgeous interior design
鈯� Roomy floor plan
鈯� Expensive
鈯� Not as off-road-capable as others

Watch: Tour the Airstream Trade Wind Trailer

The reintroduction of the Trade Wind model shows that Airstream is listening to consumers. While the Basecamp models have been marketed towards younger generations looking to get a little further off the beaten path, the Trade Wind is the first of the company鈥檚 iconic, silver bullet-shaped travel trailers to come off the factory floor with everything a boondocker needs鈥攁nd, as it turns out, everything our testers have added to their personal Airstreams.

It comes with a robust solar system, Battleborn lithium batteries, a 3-inch lift kit and all-terrain Goodyear Wrangler Workforce Tires. When you combine the system upgrades with a stellar floor plan that sleeps up to five, gorgeous interior design, and other smart features like a recirculating water heater, optional composting toilet, and an optional rear hatch that lets you easily load bulky gear, it all adds up to an incredible, luxurious, off-grid basecamp.

鈥淲e have owned an Airstream for nearly a decade and modified it for heavy, backcountry, boondocking use. The new Trade Wind is everything we always wanted ours to be鈥攁nd much more,鈥� said Gulley. 鈥淭his is a rig built to go anywhere and do everything, and to do it in classic Airstream style. We definitely see an upgrade in our near future.鈥�

How to Choose a Camper or Trailer

Buying a camper of any kind is a big investment, so it鈥檚 best if you can try one out or at least see one in-person before pulling the trigger. Visiting a dealer is great, but a lot of today鈥檚 best rigs are sold direct-to-consumer, which means that events like Overland Expo are a great way to see a camper up close.

Even better, try renting the type of rig that interests you on to get a real feel for it. Even if they don鈥檛 have the specific model you鈥檙e looking for, you鈥檒l get an idea of whether you鈥檙e a van, trailer, or truck camper person.

What Kind of Camper Should I Buy?

The short answer is, it depends. In general, we think most folks are better served by buying a tow-behind they can pull with their current vehicle. Trailers have more space than a van or truck camper could ever provide, and they don鈥檛 have engines, transmissions, and other expensive parts to maintain.

How Much Should I Expect to Spend?

For a new rig, you should budget anywhere from $100-250K for a van, $10-30K for a truck camper (sans truck), and $30-130K for a trailer, depending on your tastes and needs.

How Much Solar Do I Need?

It all depends on how much luxury you want off grid. For most weekenders, around 200-300 watts of solar and 100-200 amp hours of lithium batteries will be more than enough.

How We Test

• Number of testers: 6
• Nights Spent Camping: Over 20
• Number of campers/trailers tested: 7
• Longest Stint Spent Off-Grid: 7 days
• Most Challenging Test Drive: 23 miles of rugged, New Mexico washboard

Between attending overland expo shows to tour the latest rigs and testing demo trailers on extended trips, category manager Bryan Rogala spends over 30 nights camping in everything from rooftop tents to Airstreams every year.

Because evaluating adventure rigs isn鈥檛 as simple as testing a pair of running shoes, our testing criteria looks a bit different. We look at build quality, standard features and components, pricing, and availability, as well as details like trailer suspension and camper wall construction methods, in an effort to find a broad array of what we think are the most well-made and value-driven rigs on the market.

Meet Our Lead Testers

Bryan Rogala is a longtime contributor to 国产吃瓜黑料 and has been reviewing trailers and campers since 2018. He covers overlanding gear and rigs in his regular column, and his 101 video series for 国产吃瓜黑料 Online. As a hunter, mountain biker and skier, he鈥檚 in a constant search for the perfect adventure rig.

Aaron Gulley and Jen Judge, both former 国产吃瓜黑料 contributors and gear testers, spent 3.5 years living full-time in their 2014 Airstream Flying Cloud 23FB. Their travels as cyclists, hikers and hunters have taken them and their Airstream all around the U.S., and provided serious insight into the world of travel trailers.

Corey Leavitt is a filmmaker, truck nerd, and adventure rig enthusiast. He鈥檚 filmed and helped produce all of Rogala鈥檚 101 videos, rehabbed a truck camper, and spends more time on Craigslist seeking the next rig than anyone should.

Eric Ladd is a mountain biker, hunter, skier, and all-around adventure seeking ER Doc. He鈥檚 modified his own travel trailer for off road and off grid use, and takes his young family of four camping all over the Western U.S.

More Gear Reviews

The Best Tents for Camping in Comfort and Style
The Camp Kitchen Gear Our Testers Swear By
11 Pieces of Camping Gear that Aren’t Essential but Are Really Nice to Have

The post The Best Trailers, Truck Campers, and Van Conversions of 2025 appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

If backpacking is a minimalistic pursuit, car camping is a celebration of excess. Thanks to trunk space and truck beds, racks and rails, campers have room for all the essentials鈥攑lus some luxurious extras. For outdoor enthusiasts with outsized toy collections, there鈥檚 no better way to travel.

Whether you鈥檙e chasing swell, singletrack, steelhead, or some other white rabbit, this top-rated, thoroughly-tested camping gear will ensure that you feel right at home no matter where you choose to park it.

Updated March, 2025: We added four new picks to our list and updated product information and pricing throughout.听

At a Glance

• How We Test
• Meet Our Testers

Helinox Beach Chair

Weight: 3.4 lbs (packed)

Pros and Cons:
鈯� Comfortable
鈯� Stable
鈯� Low to the ground
鈯� Cumbersome setup

After an embarrassing and painful incident involving hot pizza, an affable black lab, and a tippy camp chair, we鈥檝e come to appreciate stability in camp furniture. Thanks to a low-slung design and wide, splayed feet for beachside buoyancy, the Helinox Beach Chair is stable and secure, even when you lean back.

The stout yet lightweight anodized aluminum frame is tilted at the perfect reclined angle for comfort and support. (It鈥檚 also crafted by the same folks who make your favorite tent poles, and rated up to 320 pounds.) The hard-wearing, 600-denier polyester fabric stretches between the four poles, cradling the rump and lumbar with hammock-like suspension. There鈥檚 even a headrest flap to turn your puffy into a pillow. In a word, we find the Beach Chair napable.

Demerits are few and far between.. Although the setup of the frame is painless, stretching the fabric seat into place requires some tugging. Additionally, the chair is so low and comfortable that it鈥檚 best suited for campfire lounging over mealtime or card games 鈥榬ound a camp table.

Xtratuf Riptide Unisex Sandal

Weight: 8 oz (men’s 8)
Sizes: men’s 4-14; women’s 6-16

Pros and Cons

鈯� Lightweight
鈯� Comfortable
鈯� Heel strap isn’t adjustable

A more streamlined and stylish alternative to the ubiquitous, crocodile-stamped clogs, Xtratuf鈥檚 Riptide Sandal is the car camping slip-on you never knew you needed. It鈥檚 so versatile, our testers continued to wear the Riptide well after testing was wrapped.

Pair it with a cozy sock, and it鈥檚 a comfy camp slipper. Walk the dog or go for a little hike, and the heel strap keeps your foot locked in place while the textured outsole provides a modicum of traction. The foam construction is comfortable for all-day use and floats, too, making these a welcome replacement for water shoes on paddle and rafting adventures. Hell, one of our testers did his first kickflip in over a decade wearing these things.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e super lightweight, flexible, and comfortable. I use them for everything from my sandals on backpacking trips to a slipper for midnight bathroom runs when I鈥檓 camping in my van,鈥� reported one Tahoe-based gear tester. Our biggest gripe is that 鈥渟port mode,鈥� as it were, is permanently engaged. If you try to slip into the Riptide without pulling the heel strap in place, you鈥檙e inevitably stepping down on the strap, which isn鈥檛 comfortable for more than a minute or two.

Onwrd Supply ON2 Single Seat Organizer

Weight: 5.5 lbs

Pros and Cons
鈯� Modular design
鈯� Durable
鈯� Hidden laptop compartment
鈯� Adjustable components
鈯� Expensive
鈯� Patches felt unnecessary

Smart car campers stay organized and turn underused nooks and crannies into dedicated gear storage. Onwrd Supply鈥檚 ON2 Single Seat Organizer helps tick both of those boxes. The system is built around an adventure-proof, 900-denier base panel designed to hang over most driver and passenger seats (we also tested it by hanging it on the backdoor of a custom van build and the wall of a gear room).

The panel features a flat, stealthy zippered pocket for hiding your laptop or other valuables鈥攁 welcome and unexpected stash spot for the wary wanderer. The main attraction? Six rows of MOLLE-style velcro loops, which are designed to house and hold Onwrd鈥檚 ever-expanding lineup of modular components. The result, according to our test team, is a system that鈥檚 endlessly customizable.

The ON2 comes with six components, including a water bottle holder (which we also used as a mini trash can), an insulated soft cooler perfect for refrigerating gas station booty, an organizer that doubles as a briefcase and triples as a shoulder bag, a nifty tool roll, and a collapsible tote that saved us from having to buy plastic grocery bags on multiple occasions. The seventh is a patch kit that, honestly, we could鈥檝e done without, especially if that kept the price more palatable. We care less about the aesthetic of a seat organizer than its gear-hauling abilities, but that鈥檚 the beauty of modular systems鈥攖o each their own.

Radius Outfitters Camp Seatback Laundry Bag

Weight: 1.5 lbs

Pros and Cons
鈯� Various hanging options
鈯� Breathable, odor-proof mesh
鈯� Versatile
鈯� Expensive

What to do with dirty laundry while camping? If the answer is to cram it in an airtight bag or bin, sealing it off like radioactive waste in a nuclear entombment facility, we have a less stinky solution: the Radius Outfitters Camp Seatback Laundry Bag.

Like all of the Radius Outfitters gear we鈥檝e tested over the years, the Camp Seatback Laundry Bag is well-made and off-road-ready. A combo of thin yet bomber straps, g-hooks, and velcro allow you to hang the bag on seatbacks, grab handles, tree branches, and more.

The mouth of the bag is robust and rigid, while the mesh portion is collapsible. Crafted from a resilient PVC material, the mesh is strong and, most importantly on longer adventures, breathable and aroma-proof. There鈥檚 even a zipper down the center, so you can empty the guts from the bottom of the bag or access a specific item without digging through every sweat-soaked sock and garment.

For longer-term trips or full-time vanlifers, this useful accessory lets you stay on top of your laundry. But don鈥檛 let the word鈥檚 鈥淟aundry Bag鈥� fool you. This utilitarian accessory won鈥檛 be pigeonholed, and along countless road trips, we鈥檝e also deployed it as a trash can, recycling bin, ski pole receptacle, you name it. It is, however, more expensive than the sleeping bag stuff sacks we鈥檝e been using for camp laundry.

Nemo Double Haul Convertible Duffel and Tote

Weight: 3.1 lbs (55L)
Sizes: 30L, 55L, 70L, 100L

Pros and Cons
鈯� Multiple carry options
鈯� Wide range of sizes
鈯� Durable recycled polyurethane-coated nylon fabric
鈯� Mesh pockets helpful for smart camp storage
鈯� Soft-sided storage isn鈥檛 ideal for electronics

We tested plenty of gear boxes and bags last summer and fall, but Nemo鈥檚 Double Haul Duffel was a shoo-in favorite thanks to its brilliant design that transforms this bag from duffel to pack to tote.

鈥淭he options are outrageous,鈥� commented tester and outdoor photographer Katie Botwin, who chucked her camera gear, clothes, watercolor supplies, and hiking essentials in the 100-liter version for a three-day trip in the Sierra and still had volume to spare. Her personal favorite hauling configuration was backpack mode: the comfy, cushioned straps made hauling the heavy pack a breeze and simultaneously freed up her hands.

Others preferred to unzip and prop the Double Haul open, converting it into a massive, rectangularly-mouthed tote. Thanks to the rigid trusses incorporated into the lid of the bag, the Double Haul stays open and doesn鈥檛 flap in transit, allowing you to pack heaps of gear in this thing when it鈥檚 in tote mode.

We also appreciated the interior and exterior organizational mesh pockets and included zippered storage sack, which doubles as a gear organizer for smaller essentials otherwise destined to disappear in a 100-liter duffel.

Testers agreed that the ability to sling the Double Haul over the shoulder like a traditional duffel or grab the reinforced handles when loading the rig only increased its utility for serious expedition use. 鈥淚鈥檇 happily use this for backyard car camping trips, international mountaineering trips, and everything in between,鈥� summed up Botwin.

The Bluesign-approved, polyurethane-coated recycled nylon fabric was durable and weatherproof, according to Utah overlander and aircraft mechanic Emerson Bowling, who tested the 55 liter version on trips to Wyoming, Montana, and throughout his home state.

鈥淚t got rained on for about eight hours when I left the bag outside overnight after a few too many campfire beers with some friends. Luckily, everything inside was completely dry after my dumb mistake.鈥�

Rux Waterproof Bag

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Weight: 1.2 lbs
Volume: 25L

Pros and Cons
鈯� Inner liner unfurls into a roll-top dry bag
鈯� Heavy-duty
鈯� Waterproof
鈯� Expensive

At first glance, Rux鈥檚 Waterproof Bag looks like an overpriced tote. But this sack is burly, crafted from a waterproof, resilient, 840-denier TPU-coated nylon, and sports sturdy handles and lash points. The best feature? A hidden liner that unfurls into a roll-top dry bag, boosting carrying capacity, increasing camping utility, and justifying the price tag. “If James Bond had a tote bag this would be it,” said one tester. “Technical yet simple, rugged yet sophisticated.”

Impressed by the two-in-one bag鈥檚 durability and waterproofing, testers also used this bag for hauling wet surf gear. 鈥淣ever went to the river surf wave without it,鈥� commented one. He appreciated that he could count on the bag to keep his change of clothes and personal effects dry while he was surfing, then stash his wet gear on the way home.

鈥淚t鈥檚 ideal for vanlifers, car campers, and everyday adventurers鈥攜ou can use it tote-style to haul groceries one day and as a dry bag the next.鈥�

Radius Outfitters Tool Roll

Weight: 2.5 lbs

Pros and Cons
鈯� Construction is rugged, easy to clean
鈯� A variety of pockets and sleeves
鈯� Cinching straps ensure any tool stays put
鈯� Pricey

The Radius Outfitters Tool Roll is 鈥渁 great way to keep your vehicle tools organized,鈥� according to Utah overlander and aircraft mechanic Emerson Bowling. 鈥淵ou can carry a surprising amount of tools for how small this packs,鈥� he reported, noting that if you do carry a smaller kit, the roll鈥檚 cinching straps still allow you to batten down the hatches and ensure a rattle-free ride.

That said, Bowling filled it to the brim, and he was subsequently appreciative of the three stacks of tool sleeves鈥揾is go-to for stashing wrenches, adjustable wrenches, a ratchet, and a pipe wrench that he joked doubles as his hammer. He also loved the multiple zippered pockets: In the two narrower pockets, he carries a screwdriver with interchangeable apex tips, sockets, wire stripper-crimper tool, and hex key set, while the massive main zippered compartment holds consumables like wiring, connectors, duct tape, and other bits and bobs.

Although the simple yet well-executed design earned two thumbs up from Bowling, it鈥檚 the roll鈥檚 construction that makes the piece worthy of trailhead show-and-tell with fellow off-road-trippers. 鈥淭he materials they chose for this are top-notch,鈥� said Bowling, referencing a durable Cordura exterior fabric and easy-to-clean PVC interior. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e nice to the touch yet hold up well to heavy use, and tools don鈥檛 mar up the inside at all.鈥�

Gregory Alpaca Gear Wagon

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Weight: 28.8 lbs
Volume: 140L

Pros and Cons
鈯� Collapsible construction
鈯� Heavy-duty build and 8-inch wheels
鈯� Can handle 250-lb load
鈯� Can get bogged down on sand
鈯� Pricey

While Gregory is best known for its backpacks, its new Alpaca Gear Collection of totes, gear boxes, and storage solutions is a slam-dunk. Our favorite piece of Gregory camping gear? The collapsible 140-liter Gear Wagon, which sits on beefy, eight-inch, all-terrain wheels, can haul 250 pounds of gear, and folds up to fit in a relatively easy-to-store carrying case. 鈥淚t collapses small enough that we can easily pack it car camping in our Subaru Outback,鈥� noted outdoor photographer Katie Botwin.

While recovering from back-to-back shoulder and knee injuries, Botwin relied on the wagon heavily, whether she was packing for a camping trip, unloading groceries, or organizing equipment for a photo shoot. It makes camping easier for everyone else, too.

鈥淚f you鈥檙e tent camping, and the site is a short walk from the car, or you鈥檙e heading to the beach for a picnic, the wagon will save you time and energy鈥揳nd maybe save you from an injury of your own,鈥� said category manager Drew Zieff, who appreciated this wagon鈥檚 ability to navigate especially rugged terrain.

Testers鈥� sole complaint was that the wheels could be overwhelmed in deep sand, especially when the wagon load was imbalanced toward the rear.

Therm-A-Rest Honcho Poncho Kids

Weight: 11.5 oz

Pros and Cons
鈯� Comes in kids-specific sizing
鈯� Available in rad colors and animal prints
鈯� Expect it to get covered in sticky s鈥檓ores

Last year, we included the adult version of Therm-A-Rest鈥檚 Honcho Poncho Down鈥攁 campfire cloak that鈥檚 admittedly silly, but extremely comfortable. This year, the brand released a kid鈥檚 version that鈥檚 stuffed with synthetic, hollow-fiber insulation and designed to fit most five to 10-year-olds. If our adult testers loved the Honcho Poncho, our kid testers were borderline elated.

According to one Bend-based tester, her 7-year-old kiddo loved the snug, warm poncho during afternoon thunderstorms and late-night meteor showers on a road trip to Montana. 鈥淚t was uncharacteristically cold and wet in southwest Montana, so this poncho got more use than expected,鈥� she reported. 鈥淲e probably wouldn鈥檛 have stayed up to see the Perseids meteor shower if it wasn鈥檛 for this poncho鈥攊t added the warmth and fun factor needed to stay up late.鈥�

Mom鈥檚 one gripe? The Poncho鈥檚 鈥渂illowy sleeves鈥� will inevitably get spattered with s鈥檓ores. 鈥淎fter a few weeks of use, we definitely have several marshmallow goo stains.鈥�

UCO Flatpack Smokeless Firepit & Grill

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Weight: 14.9 lbs

Pros and Cons
鈯� Rugged construction
鈯� Packs flat, easy to store
鈯� Firepit doubles as a grill
鈯� Sharp metal can cut your fingers

This is a packable, multi-purpose fire pit primed for any car camper or vanlifer who enjoys a contained campfire, has limited trunk space, and prefers an open-flame char.鈥淚t鈥檚 perfect for sunset beach hangs with friends,鈥� reported a vanlifer and gourmet chef who took the UCO Flatpack Smokeless Firepit & Grill on a circuitous California-to-Colorado road trip. He loved that the flat-packing design was easy to set up, take down, store, and clean.

Durability was excellent, which our tester vetted by chucking the firepit off a 40-foot cliff at San Onofre, confirming 鈥渋t鈥檚 still sturdy as a rock鈥� after retrieving it from the ravine. He happily noted that the pit fit several full-sized logs, and nerded out over the double-wall construction and smoke-siphoning air channels.

鈥淭he design allows the sediment to flow down and not accumulate, and there鈥檚 good airflow, which is ideal for the burn,鈥� he reported.

Luno Packable Camp Pillow

Weight: 2.8 lbs

Pros and Cons
鈯� Comfy
鈯� Compressible
鈯� Easy-to-clean, two-sided pillowcase
鈯� Pricey
鈯� Smaller than your pillow at home

Smaller and more compressible than your average pillow at home, at 24-by-13-by-6.5 inches (flat), Luno鈥檚 Packable Camp Pillow is a worthy addition to any camping setup. 鈥淚 was asleep within six minutes of unboxing,鈥� reported one tester, a Sierra hut keeper and snowboard guide.

A shredded memory foam filling makes it soft; those scraps are also removable, enabling campers to customize firmness to taste. The pillow also comes with an easy-to-clean two-sided pillowcase: one side is a polyester jersey blend meant for warmer weather, and the other is a polyester spandex blend best employed on chilly nights.

Dometic GO Area Camp Light

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Weight: 1.2 lbs

Pros and Cons
鈯� Area light, hanging lantern, or flashlight
鈯� Color and brightness settings help find lost gear, set the mood, or banish bugs
鈯� Removable, replaceable light diffuser
鈯� Pricey
鈯� Bulky

This 400-lumen lantern sports four brightness settings, eight color settings (including an amber option that doesn鈥檛 attract bugs), and a hook and handle combo for a multitude of carry and campground possibilities.

Category manager Drew Zieff, who took the Area Camp Light on a van trip down Highway 1, loved the misted plastic light diffuser, which softens and spreads the otherwise brilliant bare light. 鈥淲hen I鈥檓 trying to keep a low-profile camping in a residential neighborhood, the diffused glow comes in clutch鈥損lus, it鈥檚 easy on the eyes, whether you鈥檙e having dinner at camp, reading before bed, or putzing around at dawn, looking for a bar of surf wax while your partner sleeps in,鈥� reported Zieff.

Another tester took the lantern on a climbing trip in the Sierra and offered similar praise. He loved the vibe-enhancing color settings, 鈥渟oft and pleasant鈥� dimmable light, long-lasting battery life, and USB output. If your speaker or phone is running low on juice, you can plug into the lamp and charge up.

Yeti Loadout GoBox 60 Gear Case

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Weight: 17.2 lbs

Pros and Cons
鈯� Removable divider and caddy
鈯� Built-in pockets in the lid
鈯� Durable
鈯� Expensive
鈯� Few included accessories

Yeti is famous for its bombproof coolers. But if you鈥檙e storing gear instead of beer, the uninsulated Loadout GoBox 60 Gear Case is cooler than any cooler. The cargo box is pricey (who鈥檚 surprised?), but our testers found the cost to be worth it. For one thing, the GoBox comes with multiple zippered storage pockets integrated into the lid, a removable divider, and a partitioned caddy. That made it easy to stay organized both in camp and on the road.

On a surf road trip from Canada to California, we filled the box with bulky gear like ratchet straps, a massage roller, and tools, and we organized smaller items鈥攍ike fin screws, fin keys, and wax鈥攊n the compartmentalized pockets and caddy. Testers loved the organization system, but they did wish the GoBox 60 came with multiple caddies and dividers rather than just the one each. That said, you can always accessorize further by tacking on more pricey extras at checkout. (An is $15, a , $20.)

Testers found the hard plastic box quite durable. It meets IP65 and IP67 ratings鈥攎eaning it鈥檚 dust-proof and submersible to one meter for up to 30 minutes. It’s also quite sturdy. 鈥淎 couple of days after filling the tub with tools, I found myself using those tools (and the GoBox as a step-stool) for an hour to fix a broken surf rack on the van,鈥� reported category manager Drew Zieff.

He appreciated that the build was sturdy enough to hold his 155-pound frame, though later research revealed Yeti doesn鈥檛 recommend standing on the GoBox鈥攑erhaps because heavier folks can max out the plastic lid. It’s not a bad suggestion: the longer, skinnier dimensions of the box feel a little tippy, so it鈥檚 generally best deployed as a camp stool rather than a casting platform while fly fishing. But in our experience, the impact-resistant plastic was sturdy enough to take a bit of beating and show no worse for wear.

Nocs Provisions Field Tube

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Weight: 8 oz.

Pros and Cons
鈯� Easy to use
鈯� Compact
鈯� Focus dial is smooth and intuitive
鈯� Too big or bulky for certain ultralight adventures
鈯� Pricey

The Nocs Provisions Field Tube is the definition of big fun in a small package. The fog- and waterproof monocular is five inches long with a 32-millimeter front lens, making it packable for road trips, day hikes, and car camping adventures. The simple, one-handed design is intuitive, too鈥攋ust look through the eyecup, aim, and roll the smooth, outsized focus wheel to dial in sharpness and clarity through the multi-coated lenses.

The monocular boosts vision with either 8x or 10x magnification, depending on the version you choose, and provides crisp visuals. We found it handy for everything from scoping potential campsites to spontaneous bird- and whale-watching outings, although dedicated birders may prefer the , which we also tested and appreciated.

But for its price and convenience for most in-camp uses, the monocular won out. 鈥淚 could watch fish rise from way down river in California, and check out waves from way up the beach on the Oregon coast,鈥� reported one tester.

The North Face Base Camp Gear Box

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Weight: 4.1 lbs

Pros and Cons
鈯� Sets up and packs down quickly
鈯� Folds flat for efficient storage
鈯� Duffle-style grab handles
鈯� Multiple compartments for smaller gear
鈯� Doesn鈥檛 hold as much weight as hard-sided storage cubes

From hauling ski boots to organizing climbing gear, The North Face鈥檚 Base Camp Gear Bins are infinitely useful. (We tested the 65-liter medium size, but the Base Camp is also available in a for $175 and a for $99.)听 鈥淚t鈥檚 like a picnic basket鈥攂ut for gear,鈥� noted one tester.

She added that she loved the multiple carry options. When loads are light, the ergonomic, duffle-style carry handles enable one-handed hauling from trunk to campsite. When you’ve got more cargo, the reinforced grab handles on all four sides of the box come in handy: they let us carry up to 45 pounds without issue

The Base Camp sports four internal mesh pockets, which let us organize small items like headlamps or sunscreen, and the water- and abrasion-resistant, TPU-coated polyester fabric features a transparent window so you can remember what you鈥檝e stashed inside. The lid and base of the box are both padded, inspiring one tester to flip the empty box open and use it as a changing mat in gravel and concrete parking lots.

Aside from a trace of dirt and grime, the fabric is no worse for wear.听 The soft-sided box retains its shape thanks to a pair of foldable metal kickstands, which pop up or stow away in seconds. The resulting structure is sturdy enough to stack gear on top, though not sturdy enough to stand on.

How We Test

• Testers: 15
• Products Tested: 55
• Miles Road-Tripped: Approximately 17,144
• Highest Elevation Driven: 11,000 feet
• Longest Road Trip: A 2,500-mile, detour-stacked adventure down the California coast, through Nevada, Utah, and Colorado
• Longest Stint on the Road: Eight weeks

To find the best camping gear and accessories of the year, we enlisted a diverse crew of road-tripping testers, ranging from a wildfire-chasing podcaster in the Pacific Northwest, to outdoor photographers in California, to a Utah-based aircraft mechanic who works on his overland rig in Utah鈥檚 Uintas.

Road-tripping and car-camping rigs were similarly diverse. They ranged from the two-door Nissan Versa鈥攁n atypical adventure mobile that only turns heads when it鈥檚 putzing along in your blind spot鈥攖o a handful of double-take-worthy machines, including a well-loved 2000 Toyota Tundra with a platform camper bed; a 2006 Chevy Express with 30-inch topper and wood stove; a custom-built 2008 Sprinter 3500; a powerful 2021 GMC Canyon Diesel with a camper shell; a 2023 Ford Bronco Badlands; and more. One even included a Sprinter van made famous on the hit Netflix show 鈥�.鈥�

We asked this squad to hit the road, put 42 products to the test, and report back. After road trips, surf chases, bike journeys, camping weekends, and more, they filled out review forms. Testers rated gear on a quantitative scale for aspects like durability and practicality, and dove deep on qualitative feedback, discussing everything from pros and cons to installation woes and favorite features. Finally, our category manager, Drew Zieff, sifted through these review forms, picked winning products, then penned the reviews on this page.

Meet Our Testers

Drew Zieff

is a Tahoe-based freelancer who writes for Backcountry Magazine, REI, Gear Junkie, and Forbes, among others. A regular 国产吃瓜黑料 contributor, he heads our snowboard gear coverage in the winter. A few years back, he and his partner turned a plumbing van into their dream adventure mobile. After a couple years of vanlife, the highlight of which was surfing from Canada to Mexico, the couple put roots down in Tahoe, though they still take van trips to the coast when there鈥檚 swell. Familiar with the needs of both weekend warriors and full-time road trippers, Zieff happily directs our camping accessories and camping kitchen coverage each summer.

Amanda Monthei

is a writer, public information officer on wildfires, and the host of the podcast. A former wildland firefighter herself, she applies knowledge gleaned from the front lines to educate the public. She鈥檚 written about wildfires and natural disasters for 国产吃瓜黑料 as well as NBC, The Atlantic, and The Washington Post. She鈥檚 also an avid angler, surfer, and skier, and she pens stories on a range of outdoor subjects. Monthei tested gear while camping for business and pleasure in her 2000 Tundra throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Cody Buccholz

is a professional chef who enjoys surfing, snowboarding, and adventuring in his 2008 high-top Sprinter with his pup, Jefecito. Even when he鈥檚 not slinging gourmet grub, you can often find Buccholz posted up in a beach or trailhead parking lot, whipping up savory meals for new and old friends. He tested a small mountain of gear while on a long, detour-filled road trip from California to Colorado.

The post The Best Camping Gear and Accessories to Add Comfort and Organization to Your Trips appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Everything tastes better when you鈥檙e camping鈥攖hat鈥檚 just a fact. Unless, of course, you char the pancakes over an overenthusiastic stove, or the milk curdles in a cut-rate cooler, or you impale yourself on some flimsy, dull excuse for knives, cutting your trip short (not to mention your precious fingers). You get the picture鈥攈azards abound.

Luckily, our fearless team of 13 testers put 50 pieces of camp kitchen gear on the chopping block to bring you the seven best accessories we could find.

Updated March 2025: We’ve added three new picks to complete your camp kitchen setup. Other product and price info have also been updated.听

At a Glance

• How We Test
• Meet Our Testers

VSSL Java G25 Coffee Grinder

Weight: 15.2 ounces

Pros and Cons
鈯� Durable
鈯� Well designed
鈯� Kitchen-ready aesthetic
鈯� Precise, adjustable grind
鈯� Small capacity
鈯� Heavy

VSSL鈥檚 sleek and adaptable Java G25 Coffee Grinder is another piece of gear that鈥檚 equally at home on a granite countertop and a granite outcrop. Crafted from aircraft-grade, adventure-ready aluminum with stainless steel grinding componentry, the G25 is as rugged as it gets. 鈥淪uper well-built,鈥� reported a Seattle coffee lover and longtime gear tester.

VSSL trimmed the G25鈥檚 diameter down last year by two millimeters so it can be stashed inside the company鈥檚 ($75) and the ($50), and increased the catch capacity to 30 grams. Still, testers reported that the heft (15.2 ounces) means the G25 isn鈥檛 coming on backpacking trips. Instead, it鈥檚 best suited for car campers and coffee enthusiasts who want to achieve a barista-quality grind both at home and on the road.

Whether you鈥檙e using a French press or a Moka Pot, the G25 has you covered with 50 grind settings. A combo of high-carbon stainless steel conical burrs, dual ball bearings, and an expandable handle that increases leverage deliver a precise and even grind every time. 鈥淭he grind quality is incredible and super adjustable,鈥� commented our Seattle tester, who primarily uses the G25 for pour-overs.

Our category manager relied on the G25 daily during a month-long van trip in the Pacific Northwest, pairing it with an AeroPress. He loved everything from the multitude of grind settings and easy-to-open push tab to the hand feel, heft, and mechanical smoothness of the componentry. His biggest compliment? He鈥檚 used it nearly every day at home since the trip.

Just one ding: This is really a single-serving grinder. If you need more capacity, peep the double-cup ($220).

Camp Chef Mesa Aluminum Table

Weight: 22 lbs

Pros and Cons
鈯� Straightforward setup
鈯� Generous surface area
鈯� Adjustable height
鈯� Not the most packable
鈯� Tallest setting is a little unsteady
鈯� Legs are tricky to adjust

We鈥檝e tested a number of camp tables over the years and the Camp Chef Mesa is our current favorite thanks to its portability and practicality. A durable, collapsible, easy-to-clean roll-top aluminum table with four height settings, the Mesa is ideal for campers who love cooking and sharing elaborate meals outdoors.

The Mesa features a two-piece design, with folding legs that pop up in seconds and a roll-top piece that quickly unfurls and snaps on top. One tester ignored instructions (setting up camp furniture shouldn鈥檛 feel like an Ikea nightmare) and had no problems erecting the table solo. Packing it require some forethought, though, as the four-foot side won鈥檛 fit longways in some trunks.

The matte-finished aluminum slats are easy to clean and create a spacious 27.5-inch by 47.25-inch eating or cooking surface. Our favorite element is the four height settings of the legs. The lower option (27 inches) is best suited for loungy camp chairs and is by far the sturdiest. Our 155-pound category manager laid across the Mesa without issue despite Camp Chef鈥檚 100-pound weight limit recommendation.

At the highest setting (39 inches), the Mesa is a little more wobbly but still stable enough to whip up involved camp recipes. The two highest settings (39 and 35 inches) work best for cooking and give chefs the option to choose what works best given campsite topography. (For reference, the standard countertop height in the US is 36 inches). If you hate bending over to cook or cooking while seated, the Mesa is the move. We also loved that the table seats four comfortably and six more cozily.

If we have to nitpick, adjusting leg height can be tricky once the table is already set up. For quicker adjustments, tweak the height during setup.

(Photo: Courtesy RovR)

RovR ChillR 16oz Tumbler 4-Pack

Pros and Cons
鈯� No metallic taste
鈯� Durable exterior
鈯� Stackable set of four
鈯� No insulation

RovR is most famous for its ($399) that look as if their tires were sourced from a monster truck rally. But the brand鈥檚 drink ware ought to be on your radar, too. The ChillR 16oz Tumbler鈥攁 single-walled, ceramic-coated, dishwasher-safe pint glass that comes in a stackable set of four鈥攊s a great addition to any camp box.

Whether you鈥檙e pouring coffee for the crew after a night of camping, hydrating after mountain biking, or doling out microbrews from a growler around the campfire, the ChillR鈥檚 ceramic interior provides a clean, crisp taste. There鈥檚 none of the metallic finish that so often plagues steel vessels. The coating proved easy to clean, too, whether we were hand washing the cups at camp with diluted, biodegradable soap or tossing them in the dishwasher at home.

Apart from the taste (or lack thereof), what we love most about the RovR ChillR is that it does what most camping cups cannot: it fits into your daily life at home. The ChillR鈥檚 durable enough for camp use, yet the muted, powder-coated exterior looks sharp in any van, RV, or home kitchen. Stackability is another bonus for campers with limited trunk or cupboard space. Be warned, though鈥攖his isn鈥檛 a double-walled camp mug and doesn鈥檛 insulate like one.

Aeropress XL Coffee Press

Weight: 1 lb

Pros and Cons
鈯� Easy to use and clean
鈯� Double the capacity of the original Aeropress
鈯� Filter cap doesn鈥檛 fit many mugs

The Aeropress XL incorporates the same plunging tech as the backcountry barista-approved original version, but with double the capacity鈥攁 volume boost that allows car-camping couples to streamline their mornings by fixing one batch of brew instead of two. 鈥淢y partner and I efficiently enjoyed excellent-quality coffee together every morning while camping thanks to the XL,鈥� reported Chris Cloyd, a June Lake-based hut keeper, ultra-runner, and coffee addict (with a 鈥淒eath Before Decaf鈥� tattoo to prove it). For anyone intimidated by the looks of this gizmo, Cloyd describes the XL as 鈥渆asy to use, and easier to clean.鈥�

Testers reported that the XL filter cap does impede the press from being used directly with many mugs, making it important not to lose the included plastic carafe. If you鈥檙e rolling solo, try the more compact, single-serving .

Radius Outfitters Large Kitchen Organizer

Weight: 3 lbs

Pros and Cons
鈯� Extremely tough and well-made
鈯� Makes on-the-road organization easy
鈯� Pricey

When professional chef-slash-vanlifer Cody Buccholz got his paws on the Radius Outfitters Kitchen Organizer, he ditched his knife roll鈥攁 massive statement for any culinary pro. 鈥淚鈥檝e bragged about how efficient, protected, and organized my tool roll is now to every chef I鈥檝e gotten to cook for since I started testing it,鈥� said Buccholz after a California-to-Colorado road trip.

Three levels of sleeves accommodate 12-inch utensils, two zippered compartments house 15-inch tools (grill masters, slot your spatulas and tongs here), while a cutting board pocket, two additional transparent pockets for smaller essentials, and an integrated bottle opener get the party started. Crafted from a 1680D Cordura exterior and lined with a glossy, easy-to-clean PVC Tarpaulin, the Kitchen Organizer is 鈥渢ough, well-designed, and built for life on the road鈥搄ust like everything else we鈥檝e tested from Radius so far,鈥� commented test director Drew Zieff. Also available in a smaller version.

Sea to Summit Detour Stainless-Steel Kitchen Knife

Weight: 5.2 oz

Pros and Cons
鈯� Weighty, reliable handle
鈯� Apt size for working in tight quarters
鈯� Affordable
鈯� Possibly too small if you鈥檙e cooking for a crowd

Sea to Summit鈥檚 new, comprehensive Detour line of mostly collapsible car-camping cookware has two main ingredients: stainless steel and hard nylon.

Testers offered mixed reviews of some of the company’s products: the collapsible pots are impressively compact, but the silicone siding wasn鈥檛 ideal for even heat transfer. But there were no mixed reviews on the Detour Kitchen Knife, a compact, dexterous, multi-purpose knife with a razor-sharp, five-inch stainless steel blade.

鈥淚鈥檓 working in a small space with a tiny cutting board and this small, sharp knife was perfect,鈥� commented Buccholz, who used the Detour kit to whip up his favorites on a road trip, among them butter chicken, green curry, and tortilla soup. 鈥淚 love the way this knife felt in my hand鈥攊t鈥檚 heavy and strong, and the shape of the handle felt secure in my palm.鈥�

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Coleman Cascade 3-In-1 Stove

To cover all of your camp chef bases, pack the Cascade 3-In-1 Stove when you hit the road. This camp-cooking package comes with the Cascade stove and two pieces of cast-iron cookware, so you can grill and griddle in addition to boiling, frying, and saut茅ing meals. Independent dials allow you to control the heat coming out of each burner, and rotary ignition means instant, match-free burner lighting. Plus, the cast iron pan supports lift out for quick cooktop cleanup.

Oyster Tempo Cooler

Weight: 12 lbs 6 oz
Dimensions: W 20.1 x D 11.8 x H 12.6″
Volume: 23L
Capacity: 36 355ml Cans & 2 Ice Packs

Pros and Cons
鈯� Double-walled, vacuum-sealed design is thermally efficient
鈯� No ice required
鈯� Lid opens from both sides and is completely removable
鈯� Hefty price tag
鈯� One size only
鈯� No drain for rinsing or melted ice
鈯� Dents easily

The Oyster Tempo鈥檚 selling points are solid, and they better be鈥攖he sleek cooler is pricier than rotomolded options many campers already consider exorbitant. While status quo coolers call for a hefty ice-to-drink ratio, the aluminum Tempo skips ice completely. Instead, it pairs two flat, purpose-built ice packs with a thermally efficient double-walled design similar to that of your favorite water bottle.

The result gives campers more packable volume (a 23-liter Oyster with ice packs keeps 36 cans cold, while a 24-liter rotomolded cooler with ice only handles 18 cans), takes up less trunk space, and still keeps contents frostier longer than the competition.

When test director Drew Zieff arrived home after a three-day trip and emptied the Tempo, he noted that his leftover beers 鈥渟till felt as though they鈥檇 been plucked from a glacial stream.鈥� Another tester dug the sexy profile and compact build. 鈥淚t takes up less space than our rotomolded cooler, which made trunk management easier,鈥� he reported. When asked if he鈥檇 recommend the product to a friend, however, Cloyd joked, 鈥淒epends on their tax bracket.鈥�

MiiR 12-oz Camp Cup

Pros and Cons
鈯� Nostalgic look gives off camp vibes
鈯� Push-tab lid is road-trip-friendly
鈯� 12 ounces ain鈥檛 always enough

Were it a cocktail, MiiR鈥檚 Camp Cup would be equal parts contemporary and classic. The double-walled, vacuum-insulated, stainless steel mug sports an intuitive push-tab lid鈥攅verything a modern cup collector covets鈥攂ut it鈥檚 available in bright, speckled hues that salute the enamel mugs of yesteryear.

One tester packed the green-speckled Camp Cup for camping trip in the Umatilla and Gifford-Pinchot National Forests and loved both form and function from first sip. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 burn your mouth鈥攖hat鈥檚 the one thing I hate about real enamel mugs,鈥� she reported. 鈥淎nd then by the time the cup has cooled, that hot drink is also cold.鈥�

The MiiR version offers campers the best of both worlds: it鈥檚 a clear stylistic homage to those cute, spatterware relics, but modern insulation minimize chances of a seared upper lip or, worse, a lukewarm drink.

Ignik FireCan Deluxe Portable Propane Fire Pit and Grill

Weight: 13.8 lbs

Pros and Cons
鈯� Dual-purpose fire pit and grill combo
鈯� Quick-and-easy fires no matter where you roam
鈯� Extremely compact
鈯� You may want to purchase a new 5-lb propane tank
鈯� Cooking for groups is challenging
鈯� Oven mitts aren鈥檛 a bad idea

Fire ban? Meet the FireCan Deluxe鈥擨gnik鈥檚 durable, shoebox-sized, propane-powered firepit and grill combo.* 鈥淚t鈥檚 a safer solution to campfires,鈥� commented one tester, a part-time vanlifer and Colorado-based digital nomad who loved having a warm and contained fire no matter where she parked. Having a powerful propane grill or a firepit at this size is a win for any car camper鈥攈aving both is the dream.

Grilling is simple: just attach a propane tank via the included Quick Connect hose to the marked grill input, light it with a long lighter, and drop in the grill attachment. It gets hot鈥攆ast. Another tester was blistering peppers within minutes.

Just a few drawbacks: removing the grill and adjusting the lid can be finicky, so one tester recommended bringing oven mitts. Also, three or four salmon filets max out the grill, so feeding a bigger group necessitates cooking in shifts. For the most part, though, FireCan feedback was warmer than its 38,000-BTU output. You may also want to get a smaller 5-pound tank鈥�20-lbs tanks are overkill for a quick camping trip.

*In certain conditions, such as high winds or severe drought, all open flames may be banned. When in doubt, check in with local rangers, forest service, fire departments, etc.

Gerber Compleat Cutting-Board Kit

Weight: 4 lbs 4 oz
Dimensions: 9.6鈥� x 15.6鈥� (Bamboo cutting board), 8.9鈥� x 14.3鈥� (polypropylene cutting board), 6鈥� blade (Chef鈥檚 Knife), 3.25鈥� blade (paring knife)

Pros and Cons
鈯� Self-contained cutting board kit
鈯� Comes with kitchen essentials
鈯� Storage space for you to add your favorite tools
鈯� Cutting board lid can get dirty on the road

Nothing excites car campers like space-saving gear, and that鈥檚 exactly what Gerber鈥檚 new Compleat Cutting Board Kit is. Approximately the size of a casserole dish, the six-piece set features a striking bamboo cutting board that doubles as a lid, another polypropylene cutting board, two sharp, ergonomically handled knives (a 3.25-inch paring knife and a six-inch chef鈥檚 knife), and a two-piece set with nifty storage space for additional kitchen tools.

For category manager Drew Zieff, the set was a brilliant addition to the kitchen of his custom-built 2006 Chevy Express, replacing cutting boards that used to flop off the counter whenever he hit a pothole. Overall, the Gerber piece is a game-changer鈥攊t sits self-contained under the stove, no storage bin required.

Field Company No. 8 Cast Iron Skillet

Weight: 4.5 lbs
Dimensions:听10.3″ x 16.3″ x 2″

Pros and Cons
鈯� Durable
鈯� Versatile
鈯� Cooking surface improves with time and seasoning
鈯� Lighter-weight than other cast irons
鈯� Not non-stick, even when well-seasoned
鈯� Requires more care than other pans

There鈥檚 something magical about cast iron. What other cookware ages like fine wine and looks as good on a French range as it does over a campfire grate? Case in point: Field Company鈥檚 utilitarian No. 8 Cast Iron Skillet. This machined-smooth, 10.25-inch-diameter skillet is as durable as it is versatile, and it鈥檚 become our go-to pan over the last few years. From whipping up vegetable stir-fries in the van, to cooking fresh-caught trout over the campfire, to searing ribeyes at home, the skillet just does it all.

Field Company crafts its skillets from recycled iron here in the USA, using traditional sand-casting techniques. (Essentially, molds are made from a master pattern using a wet, untreated sand mixture, then molten metal is poured into the mold. The resulting casting is cleaned, thinned, and smoothed by machine before it鈥檚 pre-seasoned and prepped for your stove.) Field Company aims for a relatively lightweight construction, centering heft at the base of the pan for searing prowess and then thinning it out toward the sloped rim.

The 4.5-pound pan is about a pound lighter than standard cast-iron skillets. Testers also appreciated the ergonomic handle, which is convex and curved to fit comfortably in the hand. Thanks to the light weight and good grip, it was easy enough to pull one-handed from campfire to boulder. Still, cast iron isn鈥檛 ideal for the faint of wrist鈥攅specially when the skillet is loaded with a juicy, coiled tenderloin or packed with venison medallions. The handle can also get hot, so a ($29, sold separately) isn’t a bad idea.

The durability and versatility of cast iron is a major draw. Most testers were grateful to have a pan that could handle a high-powered two-burner camp stove and campfire cooking alike. And thanks to coils on the bottom, it can handle an electric range at home, too.

The biggest downside to the No. 8 is the same downside that befalls all cast-iron skillets: maintenance can be finicky. You shouldn’t use soap on the pan, and you may have to oil it regularly if you want to keep its seasoning鈥攊.e., cast iron’s natural, stick-resistant coating鈥攊ntact. The No. 8 skillet does come pre-seasoned with three coats of grapeseed oil, which we found plenty non-stick for most camping foods. Still we’d recommend cooking on it for a few weeks before you jump into something trickier, like fried eggs.

Gerber Compleat 16-Piece Cook Set

Weight: 10 lb
Dimensions:听10″ x 2.5″ (saut茅 pan), 10″ x 5″ (stock pot), 6.7鈥� x 2.6鈥� (bowls), 8.7鈥� x 1鈥� (plates), 8.8鈥� x 7.1鈥�(mixing bowl)

Pros and Cons
鈯� Space-saving nesting design
鈯� Enough plates and bowls to feed 8
鈯� Generously sized pot and pan
鈯� High-quality stainless steel
鈯� Squeezing the kit back into its storage bag isn鈥檛 easy

Gerber鈥檚 Compleat 16-piece Cook Set is the Russian nesting doll of camp cookware. The stars of the show are the 2.6-quart saut茅 pan and 5.6-quart stock pot. Both are crafted from stainless steel with a substantial, three-ply base construction, which distributes heat better than most purpose-built camping pots and pans.

It鈥檚 easy enough to clean, too: even after we charred a chicken stir fry past the point of no return, distracted by the sunset on an Oregon surf trip, we were able to clean it with a pot scraper and a little biodegradable soap. Plus, the 2.5-inch rim of the saut茅 pan and five-inch-deep pot provide so much culinary real estate that cooking for four is no problem, and cooking for eight is possible with a little forethought.

When it comes time to dish up, the set also includes polypropylene dinnerware. You get four lipped plates that can handle chilis and stews, four bowls so deep they can double as helmets, and a large mixing bowl. The set also comes with a silicone-wrapped handle for the saut茅 pan that pops off for storage, a pair of perforated lids, and a nifty silicone heat pad.

If you鈥檙e doing the math, we鈥檝e only touched on 15 pieces. The 16th is the cherry on top鈥攁 dual-handled carrying case. This cinch-closure storage bag is about the size of a small bear canister, and it fits the rest of this gear鈥攕o long as it鈥檚 neatly stacked. If you鈥檙e packing components willy-nilly, however, zipping the bag shut can be difficult鈥攐ur testers’ biggest gripe. Do it right, though, and you’ll be rewarded with serious space savings.

New West KnifeWorks Tactical Outdoor Chef

Weight: 7.7 oz
Dimensions:听12.1″ x 1.9″

Pros and Cons
鈯� Full tang provides durability
鈯� Sharp, high-quality steel
鈯� Versatile for a wide range of camp uses
鈯� Expensive
鈯� Sharpening serrated blades is tricky

New West Knifeworks鈥檚 Tactical Outdoor Chef may be pricey, but it’s one of the few chef’s knives we’ve found that you don’t have to baby. Over a summer of testing, it was capable of handling all the tasks we’d expect of a chef’s knife, as well as all the tasks we’d typically leave to a full-tang bushcraft blade. It’s durable, well-made, endlessly useful, and, to be quite honest, rad as hell.

As the name promises, the TOC is a mash-up of tactical military blades and every culinary artist鈥檚 go-to brush: the chef鈥檚 knife. Designed with the help of a Navy Seal, the TOC sports a razor-sharp, 6 鈪�-inch blade that riffs off the classic, curved shape of the bowie knife, a weapon typically reserved for stabbing bad guys. We stuck to stabbing fungi during testing, and the TOC made quick work of Operation Shiitake.

Jokes aside, we loved cooking with the TOC, whether we were slicing garlic with the pointed tip or chopping chicken with the belly of the blade. The asymmetrically serrated section, however, is what made our test team fall head over heels for this knife as a utilitarian camping companion. 鈥淭his is a very weird use case, but I needed to shave off a millimeter or two from this one spot on my warped van bumper because it was catching the trunk door,鈥� reported one tester. 鈥淭hat serrated section carved off sliver after sliver of hard plastic bumper鈥攕omething I never would鈥檝e thought to do with any other chef鈥檚 knife.鈥�

Whether you鈥檙e shaving bumpers or trimming pork tenderloins, the resilient, stain-resistant, American-made steel is ultra-sharp and resists dulling. The full-tang construction is balanced in-hand and beefy enough to tackle tasks like splitting squash or chopping rope. And while the ergonomically contoured handle looks like wood grain from afar, it鈥檚 actually a composite of G10 fiberglass and rubber, a combo we found confidence-inspiring while working with fresh fish, poultry, and other slippery proteins.

Yes, it’s expensive. But from blade to butt to the handsome leather sheath it comes in, you get what you pay for.

Miir New Standard Carafe

Weight: 1.8 lb
Dimensions:听6″ x 6″ x 10.5″

Pros and Cons
鈯� Sleek design
鈯� Two-piece construction makes for easy cleaning
鈯� Big enough to serve four
鈯� Included lid isn鈥檛 leakproof

Ever wished you could bring your Chemex camping without constantly fearing for the glass gizmo鈥檚 well-being? Miir鈥檚 got the answer with its indestructible and ingeniously designed New Standard Carafe.

The coffee contraption is crafted from double-wall, vacuum-insulated stainless steel, which is both ultra-durable and ensures your brew stays piping hot for hours. On chilly fall mornings in the Sierra, we were able to enjoy what hobbits affectionately call second breakfast, finishing off still-warm java up to two hours after brewing. The New Standard Carafe is easy to use and compatible with most carafe coffee filters. Our coffee-savvy testers found it did the job well鈥攁nd that the resulting pour-overs were crisp and smooth.

Testers in the Sierra loved that the carafe held a generous 33 ounces of brewed coffee. That was enough to caffeinate our group of four runners and climbers during a trip near Tahoe’s Donner Summit: each person got an eight-ounce pour to greet a sunrise over Frog Lake.

Our favorite feature, though, is the brilliant two-piece design. The top half of the carafe unscrews from the bottom, facilitating easy cleaning at home or on the road. One major con: the Carafe’s included lid isn’t leakproof. If you want your brew to be portable, you鈥檒l have to shell out for MiiR鈥檚 additional ($10). But we found the add-on worth it: simply screw the lid to the bottom section of the carafe to eliminate chances of spillage while driving to the trailhead or hiking up short spurs to watch the sun rise.

How We Test

• Number Of Testers: 13
• Pieces Of Gear Tested: 50
• Miles Road Tripped: Approximately 9,779
• Longest Stint On The Road: 3 months
• Forearms Singed: 2
• Cups Of Coffee Consumed: Enough to live, not enough to die. We’ll go with high triple digits.
• Van Bumpers Shaved: 1

Our testers run the gamut, from car campers who care more about efficiently shoveling down calories than fixing ornate meals, to gourmet chefs whipping up five-star cuisine in teeny van kitchens and over bonfires on the beach. This diverse team road-tripped, car camped, boondocked, and vanned all over the American West for months, cheffing up meals and taking notes all the while. Upon return to civilization, they filled out review forms for each camp kitchen item, ranking aspects like durability and practicality on quantitative scales. Then, they dove deeper into qualitative questions. For instance:

• What recipes did you whip up with this gear and where?
• Did this piece of gear make your life on the road easier or harder? Better or worse? How so?
• Would you use this product at home, too, or strictly at camp? Why or why not?

Last but not least, our lead tester and category manager, Drew Zieff, analyzed as much gear as possible himself, sifted through the review forms, then compiled the reviews.

Meet Our Testers

Drew Zieff

is a Tahoe-based freelancer who writes for Backcountry Magazine, REI, Gear Junkie, and Forbes, among others. A regular 国产吃瓜黑料 contributor, he heads 国产吃瓜黑料鈥檚 winter snowboard gear coverage and summer car camping accessories and kitchen reviews. His appreciation for cooking can be traced back to his formative years in high school, when he inexplicably began to experience red eyes, a dry mouth, and a sudden, overwhelming passion for the Cooking Channel. In 2018, he and his partner turned a plumbing van into their dream adventure mobile鈥攁 speedbump-filled odyssey. After a couple of years of vanlife, during which he took the lead on camp cookery, the couple put roots down in Tahoe. They still take as many van trips as possible and love to whip up elaborate meals in BLM pull-offs and Walmart parking lots.

Amanda Monthei

is a , public information officer on wildfires, and the host of the podcast. A former wildland firefighter herself, she applies her knowledge gleaned from the front lines to educate the public. She鈥檚 written about wildfires and natural disasters for 国产吃瓜黑料 as well as NBC, The Atlantic, and The Washington Post. She鈥檚 also an avid angler, surfer, and skier, and pens stories on a range of outdoor subjects. Whether traveling for business or pleasure, she鈥檚 used to camping for extended stints in her 2000 Tundra, whipping up meals on backroads shoulders and backwoods campgrounds, and reviewing car camping accessories for 国产吃瓜黑料 along the way. Monthei tested camp mugs, pots, and more while road tripping throughout the Pacific Northwest this past summer and fall.

Cody Buccholz

is a professional chef who enjoys surfing, snowboarding, and adventuring in his 2008 high-top Sprinter with his pup, Jefecito. When he鈥檚 not slinging gourmet grub, you can often find Buccholz posted up in a beach or trailhead parking lot, whipping up savory meals for new and old friends. He tested a small mountain of gear for this article while on a long, detour-filled road trip from California to Colorado, and brings a discerning, professional perspective to our camp kitchen gear testing.

The post 14 Camp-Kitchen Essentials to Elevate Your Outdoor Cooking appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Have you ever thought about quitting the rat race, becoming free from rent or a mortgage, and hitting the open road?

Whatever your answer to that question, a lot of people do. For years, Instagram has showcased beautifully aesthetic versions of a more simple life on the road with the hashtag , which is populated with nearly 18 million posts. And the subreddit r/VanLife has almost 300,000 members who discuss the ins and outs of their experience and share pictures of their setups and views.

After spending some time talking to vanlifers and lurking in vanlife spaces on the internet, the most important thing I鈥檝e learned about vanlife is that there is no single version of vanlife. The moniker, I think, refers more to a state of mind that corresponds with a way of being鈥攁 freedom ontology that can be achieved through life on four wheels. Remove the tethers that bind you to a specific place (and the costs associated with them) and experience a more real autonomy and the ability to wander. There is no monolith, only your unique experience.

In many ways, it鈥檚 not surprising that this mode of existence exploded in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic when lockdowns and remote work created competing senses of containment and openness. At the same time indoor experiences became less likely, a lot of work could be done from anywhere. For many, it became the right time to take to the road and experience the outdoors from a new, built-out, moveable home.

Philosophy and aesthetics aside, there are also more material considerations that drive some to consider vanlife. As 国产吃瓜黑料 has reported on, the cost of living in mountain towns has steadily increased over the last several years, and American cities, broadly speaking, aren鈥檛 getting any cheaper.

Is #vanlife the answer?

I spoke to two vanlife pros at different points on the cost, build-out, and lifestyle spectrums to get a more thorough understanding of the expenses, benefits, and unexpected realities of living out of a van.

Bruce Dean, Ph.D., is a Wavefront Sensing Group Leader at NASA鈥檚 Goddard Space Flight Center. In that role, he helped develop one of the flight algorithms as a key component in aligning the James Webb Space Telescope鈥檚 mirrors. He鈥檚 a lifelong runner and endurance athlete, holds 14 U.S. patents, and currently lives in his van in Colorado. He鈥檚 been fulltime in his Mercedes Sprinter van since 2021. He also has a business founded on vanlife, build-outs, and life coaching called .

William Gayle spends summers working for the Parks Service in Yosemite, California, and the ski season in Mammoth Lakes, California. He has spent a number of his years in Mammoth living in a converted minivan that he built out with pull-out drawers and a platform bed.

The Realities of #Vanlife

Both Gayle and Dean offered me a window into their own unique vanlives.

The Cost of Insurance

For Gayle, the most terrifying moment of vanlife came when his van鈥攚ith all of his earthly possessions inside it鈥攚as stolen. Though he insures the vehicle with homeowners insurance, Gayle says it didn鈥檛 really hit him that his van is a moveable and stealable container of his life until he was walking around with only the clothes on his back. Thankfully, it was recovered within 24 hours, but Gayle never shook the worry that it created.

Dean also mentioned insurance as one of his most significant expenses.

General Expenses

Gayle told me that the daily cost of dining out added up quickly. His minivan didn鈥檛 have kitchen facilities, so for at least one ski season, he ended up spending somewhere between $40 and $80 a day on food and drinks. Although Gayle only used his vans for winters in Mammoth, that daily food cost annualizes to somewhere upward of $15,000. For context, the financial website that the average American household spends around $9,985 per year on food.

Dean hasn鈥檛 paid an electrical bill since 2021. He also told me he pays very little for water, and most of the time can refill at campgrounds for free. Many gas-stations are OK with letting him fill his water tank if they happen to have a water tap outside. The only housing related bills that he has every month are for Starlink (mobile satellite internet, currently $165 per month), gas, and insurance. He told me gas costs can vary widely depending on if you travel a lot. He has a full kitchen and cooks every night. He also runs every day and installed a shower so he can shower every night.

Romantic Relationships

When I asked Gayle if there were any elements of vanlife that surprised him鈥攁nd he鈥檇 want readers to know about鈥攈e mentioned relationships, specifically romantic ones. 鈥淚t made romantic relationships hard,” he said. “People want to get out of their own house; they don鈥檛 necessarily want to come hang out in your van where you can鈥檛 even sit up.鈥�

Builds and Fixes

Gayle said his build-out was relatively inexpensive. Modeling his design after truck-bed campers he鈥檚 seen, he completed his first version of a platform bed with underbed pull-out drawer storage in 2018 and modestly iterated from there, completing most of the work before the cost of lumber skyrocketed during COVID.

Dean is handy鈥攁nd can do most repairs and improvements himself. 鈥淚t pays to install the best components available, to help avoid problems later,” he said. “But these can be expensive, most notably, the batteries, solar panels, a refrigerator, and electrical components, these can really add up. That said, you would have anyway if you lived in a conventional home.鈥�

Gas and Tolls

Dean told me that a surprising part of vanlife, at least the way he does, has been the sheer number of toll roads and pay-to-cross bridges. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e more inconvenient than costly,鈥� he said.

Gayle used his van in Mammoth Lakes in winter, and he didn鈥檛 have heat. Driving around to heat up his vehicle ended up being a more significant expense than he expected.

How Does Vanlife Compare to the General Cost of Living in the U.S.?

To get a better understanding of renting in major cities and outdoor destinations, I used , and I picked a few desirable places to stack up against the average cost of vanlife that I discerned from the folks I interviewed for this story. There’s one important caveat I need to note about Forbes’s calculator when it comes to the cost of rent: the calculator uses the median of rent across all rental sizes, which means that it鈥檚 hard to say what square footage you鈥檒l get for your buck using the calculator. I鈥檇 like to believe that any apartment is going to have more livable square footage than a van, but at one point my now-husband and I inhabited a 400-square-foot studio apartment in Los Angeles, California, so I don鈥檛 think I can comfortably make that claim.

Without further preamble, here are a few relevant rental scenarios:

Asheville, North Carolina: $1,554 median monthly rent

Denver, Colorado: $1,899 median monthly rent

Morgantown, West Virgina: $995 median monthly rent

Portland, Maine: $2,582 median monthly rent

St. George, Utah: $1,627 median monthly rent

The Forbes calculator summarizes other relevant cost of living expenses in the pages it creates for individual cities, but it was difficult to discern overall cost with a single number using its capabilities.

That said, it鈥檚 almost definitely cheaper to live in a van if you鈥檙e conscientious about the additional lifestyle costs you鈥檒l need to consider. How will you eat? Kitchen or dining out? Where will you shower? What鈥檚 the plan for accessing water? Is your van paid off, or will you have a monthly payment? How much of a build-out do you really need?

Answer these questions, and you could be on your way. After all, as Dean told me, in a van, 鈥測ou have the added benefit of waking up in a different location every day, and having coffee in the morning overlooking some truly great landscapes. In fact, when I wake up in the morning and drive away from some location, it feels like I got away with something!鈥�

The post How Vanlife Compares to the General Cost of Living in the U.S. appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

I鈥檓 not a prepper. I don鈥檛 own guns, I don鈥檛 can food, and I鈥檝e never dug a bunker. If we鈥檙e playing the word association game and you say 鈥渟tockpile,鈥� I will respond with 鈥渂eer.鈥� But when Hurricane Helene devastated my hometown (read my essay about the experience here), I found myself wishing I was a bit more prepared for life with disaster gear and without modern amenities. We spent seven days without cell service, 15 days without electricity, and 18 days without running water. We still don鈥檛 have potable water and probably won鈥檛 for a while. It was a brief look at what life would be like without the basic things most of us take for granted.

I might not be a prepper, but I am an avid car camper, so I have a garage full of camping gear, some of which came in handy in the wake of this natural disaster. Here are the pieces of disaster gear that made the last couple of weeks without first-world amenities so much more tolerable.

At A Glance

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EcoFlow River 2 Max Portable Power Station

I don鈥檛 have a backup generator for my house, so when we lost power on the first day of the storm (Friday, Sept. 27), we were thrust back into the dark ages. Fortunately, I keep the EcoFlow River Max charged and loaded for camping trips, and the 500-watt power bank gave us enough juice to charge phones, headlamps, lanterns, and my computer while allowing us the luxury of plugging in a single lamp each night. It has DC, AC, and USB outputs so it can charge whatever devices you can鈥檛 live without.

It doesn鈥檛 have the sort of surge power you need to operate a Kureg (I tried), and can鈥檛 power something huge like a fridge, but I can鈥檛 tell you how comforting it was to have a light on in the house. The whole family would gather around the lamp at night. At that rate of usage, the River Max had enough power to last for two days, after which I would charge it for a couple of hours at a friend鈥檚 house who had power. Leaning on a friend like that was a luxury a lot of people didn鈥檛 have, so I wish I had the ($279) to feed this power bank during the day.

Dometic Go Hydration Water Faucet and Jug

This piece of disaster gear wins MVP of the disaster for me. We still don鈥檛 have drinking water in Asheville, but the combo of the Dometic Go 11-liter Jug and the Go Hydration Water Faucet has added a bit of civility to daily rituals, like washing hands, brushing teeth, or filling a glass with water. Just tap the button at the top of the faucet twice,, and a steady stream comes out. Tap it once and it stops. It鈥檚 super easy to use, and having water on tap is a hell of a privilege. Otherwise, we鈥檇 be fumbling with individual bottles or large containers when trying to wash hands or clean a dish.

The faucet is USB rechargeable, and it has held its charge for more than three weeks of heavy daily use. Water stations were set up throughout the city, so I could fill this jug, and a few others, to keep us in stock with drinking and washing water from the first day on.

NEMO Helio LX Pressure Shower

My wife says she can handle any sort of difficulty in life, as long as she can take a shower. After 18 days without running water, I would also put 鈥渟hower鈥� near the top of my priority list. Fortunately, we had this Helio LX Pressure Shower to get us through. The system holds almost six gallons of water and pressurizes with a foot pump. Give it a minute of pumps, turn the nozzle on, and you鈥檝e got running water. It doesn鈥檛 offer the water pressure you鈥檇 find at home, but if you occasionally give it a few pumps during your shower, you can get a stream steady enough to wash head to toe for several minutes.

It鈥檚 designed as a solar shower, so you can set it in the sun to warm the water inside, but I was taking most of my showers at the end of the night before bed, so any warmth gained from the sun was long gone. Instead, I added a gallon or so of nearly boiling water to take the edge off of each shower. You have to be careful though; I have a friend who burned a hole in his Helio by adding too much boiling water.

ROVR 60 cooler

I originally got this cooler because it has wheels, and rolling a bunch of beers around is way better than carrying a bunch of beers around. But the ROVR came in clutch during our disaster because it gave us enough room to store some essentials from the fridge (like yogurt and cheese sticks) and kept them cool for days on a single bag of ice.

Maybe more importantly, the ROVR has a neat interior organization feature that you can load up with items you want to keep cold, but not get wet. Put your cans and bottles and ice in the main part of the cooler, and all your dairy and whatnot goes in the dry bin. No cooler is as good as a fridge, but the ROVR gave me a little piece of mind, because I knew that the cheese and sandwich meat I put in the dry bin wouldn鈥檛 get soggy and ruined.

JetBoil Flash Cooking System

I don鈥檛 think I鈥檓 addicted to coffee, but I鈥檓 not willing to go a day without it to find out. With no power, my fancy coffee maker was just an expensive paperweight, so I made coffee every morning on my JetBoil Flash, just like I do when I鈥檓 car camping. I鈥檝e had this JetBoil for several years, and the thing still ignites on the first click every time. The boil time is fast, too (no more than a couple of minutes for a liter of water), which is important when you鈥檙e itching for your first cup of Joe in the morning.

Biolite HeadLamp 200

I wore this tiny headlamp around my neck almost around the clock for two weeks while we were without power. I have other headlamps, but this was my go-to because it鈥檚 unobtrusive and so light (it weighs just 50 grams), I barely knew it was on my body. It鈥檚 not the brightest torch (only 200 lumens), but it offered enough light for the myriad of situations that had me turning it on. I had to charge it every couple of days with the USB, but that was only during heavy usage.

Home Depot 5 Gallon Bucket

Never underestimate the value of a good bucket. I spent a lot of time with these buckets鈥攆irst hauling water from my hot tub into the back of my toilets so my family could flush, and then hauling water from a variety of other water sources in the neighborhood to do the same. You could buy Yeti鈥檚 version of the 5-gallon bucket, the , which I have no doubt would be the most durable option out there. But I opted for cheap buckets from the hardware store, and they performed admirably, with no cracks, leaks or broken handles after weeks of heavy use.

Pro tip: If you find yourself in a similar situation when you have to haul water into your house to flush toilets or take a shower, just make sure you buy the lid with your bucket. Because losing half of your water on the commute from the water source back home sucks.

The post This Is The Gear My Family Used In the Wake of a Natural Disaster appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

If you鈥檙e reading this, you likely already drive a truck, or you鈥檙e in the market for a heavy-duty vehicle to support your adventures. Chances are also good that you鈥檙e familiar with terms like 鈥減ayload鈥� and 鈥済ross vehicle weight rating,鈥� and maybe even refer to the latter as 鈥溾�� in casual conversation. Well, I鈥檇 like to introduce you to a term you may not be as familiar with: 鈥減ayload police.鈥�

Payload police is something of an internet phenomenon. The concept seems to have stemmed from a place of genuine concern for the safety of folks overloading their rigs鈥攁nd for other drivers sharing the road with those vehicles. But, as with most things on the internet, it鈥檚 morphed into a strange subculture of shaming others for not building an adventure rig 鈥渃orrectly.鈥�

These days, if someone posts an Instagram photo of a heavily modified pickup鈥攐r even just a simple truck with a camper in the back鈥攕ome of the first comments will most assuredly be 鈥淗ow far over GVWR are you?鈥� or 鈥淲hat鈥檚 it weigh?鈥� Spend a little time , and you鈥檒l no doubt start thinking your truck is too small for the job. Spend a lot of time on these threads, and you鈥檒l probably become convinced you need a three-quarter-ton truck no matter what you plan on using it for. It doesn鈥檛 stop there, either. Hop in a three-quarter-ton forum, and you鈥檒l find everyone thinks they need a one-ton.

The dirty truth is that all truck owners think they need a bigger truck. (I know there鈥檚 a joke here to be made about bigger not always being better, but I鈥檒l resist the urge.) And while some folks would actually benefit from a one-ton vehicle, not everyone needs to go so far. So, what鈥檚 the answer? How big of a truck do you actually need?

Step One: Get Off the Internet

If you鈥檙e worried about overloading your rig, you have two options. If you don鈥檛 yet have the rig, do a lot of research before you buy and purchase the right truck for the job. And if you already have a truck, modify the one you have accordingly, and resign yourself to the fact that your rig might end up weighing a little more than the GVWR listed on the sticker. Most of all, quit spending so much time in the forums and on Instagram screaming about payload, and go use your truck.

At this point you might be gasping in your chair: Go over the GVWR?! Egads鈥攚on鈥檛 something terrible happen if I do that? For some context, I called up , who鈥檚 been a fixture in the overland industry for years and now runs one of the best overland and off-road shops in the country, Basil鈥檚 Garage. In addition to working on rigs of all shapes and sizes, Lynch has also owned his fair share鈥攔anging from an F250 with a home-built flatbed camper, to a first-gen Tundra built for high-speed desert romps. In fact, a of his is what inspired this piece.

 

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鈥淵es the Tacoma is technically overweight even with very minimal stuff in the back of it,鈥� Lynch says, 鈥渂ut you also see them loaded up all day, every day, and very rarely do people have problems with them.”

Lynch and his team take a nuanced approach to building rigs. They start by considering a truck’s GVWR and payload capacity, and they try to make sure their customers are using the right vehicle at the beginning of a build. Lynch often sees customers purchase the wrong truck鈥攅ither a vehicle that鈥檚 way too overpowered for their intended use, or one that just doesn鈥檛 have the payload capacity to handle build they want. If you鈥檙e building out a rig, Lynch says, consider consulting with your shop or vehicle outfitter before purchasing a truck. That way, a professional can help guide you in the purchase.

But, at the end of the day, Basil鈥檚 Garage will help build just about anything.

鈥淲e build a lot of campers on the backs of larger, three-quarter-ton and one-ton trucks and everyone鈥檚 like 鈥楢h, it鈥檚 still over payload.鈥� But then you also see a contractor鈥檚 truck that鈥檚 twice as much over payload and has 150,000 miles on it going down the street just fine,鈥� Lynch says. 鈥淭here are a lot of overweight vehicles out there, and you don鈥檛 see them snapped in half on the side of the highway.鈥�

Step Two: Think Carefully Before You Modify

Legality is a funny thing. While you can鈥檛 legally increase a truck鈥檚 payload in the U.S., you can do it in other places around the world. Take Australia, for example, a country known for having lots of cool rigs, and also a lot more regulations on 4x4s and off-road vehicles than we do over here. For instance, in Australia, you鈥檙e typically not allowed to lift a vehicle more than about two inches and your tires can鈥檛 stick out past the wheel wells. You can also get ticketed for driving a vehicle that weighs more than its gross vehicle mass (GVM) rating. And yet, unlike Americans, Australians are allowed to increase their vehicle鈥檚 GVM. Down Under, you can purchase a kit that consists largely of new suspension components like springs and shocks. Some upgrades also call for new tires with a higher load rating.

Companies like ARB and (which also make suspension kits for U.S. vehicles) invest in serious engineering and get their kits certified with Australia鈥檚 Federal Department of Infrastructure and Transport. So, once you add a kit to your rig, you can legally get your vehicle re-registered with a higher GVM.

In Australia, a GVM Upgrade kit can legally double the payload capacity of a 200-series Land Cruiser from 1,422 pounds to 2,888 pounds. Each kit is vehicle-specific, and not all provide gains at that magnitude, but many are still significant.

 

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The bad news is that there is no legal way to increase the payload capacity of your vehicle in the U.S. However, the physics don鈥檛 change just because we live across an ocean.

鈥淟egally, if you鈥檙e overweight in the U.S., there鈥檚 no way around that,鈥� Lynch says. 鈥淏ut, there are lots of amazing products out there that you can combine together to make a truck safely carry a decent chunk of weight over what it鈥檚 legally supposed to carry.鈥�

So, if you plan to add a lot of weight to your rig by bolting on accessories or carrying a camper in the bed, make sure to budget for any potential modifications. Updating your suspension setup, regearing the axles to run larger tires, and getting a brake upgrade can easily cost more than $10,000. Then, of course, there鈥檚 the matter of legality. Be sure to weigh the costs of those modifications against the hassle of trading in your current truck for something bigger.

Step Three: Consider a Workaround听

If you make the appropriate modifications to your rig and you鈥檙e still worried about it weighing more than the magic number printed on the door jamb, here may be some workarounds available. In some states, you can . Another option is to remove weight from the vehicle. Doing so will reduce your curb weight, technically giving you more payload. My friend Richard Giordano, an experienced overlander who travels full time out of his truck camper, recently with his Toyota Tundra. He removed the rear seats and opted for a lightweight aluminum bumper and aluminum skid plates rather than heavy steel versions.

鈥淎 lot of the time, simpler is better. Keeping lift heights low and tire sizes small is a really good way to keep [your vehicle] drivable even with the extra weight of a rig,鈥� Lynch says.

I鈥檇 also encourage you to use one last tool: common sense. Does your truck鈥檚 rear suspension look perky, or is it sagging under all the weight in the bed? Does it feel easy to tow your travel trailer, or do you feel like you鈥檙e taking your life in your hands every time you hitch up? Consider what you’re hauling, and how often. Don鈥檛 put a 3,000-pound camper in the back of a Tacoma and expect your truck to handle well. By the same token, don鈥檛 buy an F350 and expect it to handle like a Tacoma. And, no matter what you do, don鈥檛 fall victim to the constant, unsolicited shaming of the payload police. This is your rig. You get to choose how you haul with it.

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If you鈥檝e read or watched any of my other work for 国产吃瓜黑料, you know I鈥檓 a huge fan of pickups for adventure rigs. They鈥檙e capable, comfortable, and supremely versatile.

You can leave a truck bed open and empty for hauling dirty stuff regularly, or build out the back with an entire custom camping setup. I鈥檝e done both of those things, and my current truck, a 2018 Toyota Tundra, has served as a revolving door of various bed setups since I bought it in 2022. I鈥檝e tried a tonneau cover, a , a Leitner bed rack, a Frontrunner bed rack, and a traditional fiberglass camper shell. I鈥檝e also hauled two different full-sized truck campers, and had a lightweight shell-style camper on the back with various storage solutions inside.

I ran Decked Drawers for years in the Tundra and my two previous trucks, and loved them. I鈥檝e written about the older model several times, but to recap, they鈥檙e a great way to organize all the crap in the bed of your truck, and keep your gear out of the elements if you have an open bed. They鈥檙e bombproof, have an incredibly high payload rating, and you can purchase a variety of accessories like boxes, bags and dividers that help make organization even easier. So, if they鈥檙e so great, why did I pull them out of my Tundra last year? I got a Tune M1 camper on the truck and needed more room鈥擨 was too tall to stand up straight inside the camper when the drawers were installed. That鈥檚 part of the reasoning, but frankly I also wanted to test out some different options and see if another system might suit my adventure rig needs better.

No. 3: Keep it Simple

Dometic GO Hard Storage 50L

The first system I tried wasn鈥檛 really a system鈥擨 went back to using storage bins. Drawers are handy and a very cool thing to have in the back of your truck, but there are some downsides: they鈥檙e heavy, they take up a ton of space, and, as the old saying goes, if they鈥檙e there, you鈥檒l find a way to fill them. I often found myself leaving things in the drawers that didn鈥檛 need to be there all the time (think camping gear, an excessive amount of tools, extraneous recovery gear, etc.) just because I had the space. All that stuff adds up, and you can easily find yourself with an additional 200-plus pounds worth of crap living in your rig, which affects gas mileage, wear and tear on the truck, and more.

The funniest part is that I found myself constantly taking things out of the drawers and putting them away in (wait for it) bins in my garage. I have a lot of gear-intensive hobbies, like mountain biking, hunting, skiing, and fly fishing, and after a while I got tired of constantly moving gear from one bin to another in the back of the truck. So, I thought, why not just move the same bin to the truck and then to the shelf when I鈥檓 done? Because I (and the overland industry) had convinced myself that drawers were a necessity, that鈥檚 why.

In making my transition, I tested several different storage containers in an attempt to find the perfect bin: it needed to be durable but lightweight, large enough to fit all sorts of bulky gear, and reasonably priced. I tested options from , , , , and more, but my favorite is the . It鈥檚 a simple, dust-proof and waterproof aluminum storage bin with built-in handles and tie down points, and durable, easy to use rubber latches. You can lock them shut, they鈥檙e stackable, and they鈥檙e durable enough to use as a step or seat around camp.

The best part is they only weigh about nine pounds on their own, and cost $150, which is a bargain compared to some of the marketed toward more 鈥渉ardcore鈥� overlanders. I鈥檝e found the Dometic GO 50-liter bin to be extremely durable, and just the right size to pack whatever I need. It鈥檒l easily hold a camp stove like a , plus enough cookware and cups for four people, or a tent and a couple sleeping bags.

No. 2: The Splurge

TruckVault Base Camp 3 Storage System

Though I鈥檇 found my perfect bin, I kept wanting to try a stacked drawer setup that would let me have some built-in storage while retaining bed space and standing height in the camper. So, I decided to try another, built-in storage system I鈥檇 been eyeing for a long time: system. TruckVault is known for its bombproof, custom drawer setups for trucks and SUVs, and for its security-oriented storage solutions for military and first responders. If you鈥檙e concerned about gear getting stolen, TruckVault is who you want to talk to.

Recently, the brand introduced its line, marketed toward overlanders and outdoor enthusiasts. I went with the Base Camp 3 because it has stacked drawers on one side, and a removable sleeping platform in the middle that allows me to simply slide it out of the way to fully stand up and walk around in the camper without hitting my head. Like the rest of TruckVault鈥檚 products, the drawers are also lockable, which is great for securing expensive gear. With my truck鈥檚 tailgate locked and the drawers locked inside, I never worry about things getting stolen from the back.

Each system is built specifically for your exact truck, and once you select the drawers and options you want, the resulting system is shipped pre-built. That meant installation was incredibly simple. You just have to drill a few holes in the bed and install rivnuts, and then bolt the drawers down. Everything fits like a glove, and the fit and finish, as well as function of the drawers, is second to none. Overall, the installation was far easier and less time-consuming than installing a , which I鈥檝e done three times now. The TruckVault drawers are also easy to remove with two people, since it just involves removing a few bolts.

What鈥檚 cool about TruckVault is that in addition to the base models they offer, you can customize everything. In my case, I opted to put the stacked drawer on the passenger side of the truck bed, and rather than one long sliding drawer on top, I had them divide it between a shorter drawer and two 鈥渃ubbies鈥� that I could access from inside the camper. That has worked great for me because it allows me to easily grab gear from the drawers while I鈥檓 outside of the truck, but I can also keep things I need quick access to at night in the cubbies. That means that, unlike with the Decked system, I don鈥檛 have to get out of the truck and open the drawers to grab my headlamp or earplugs in the middle of the night.

Since my camper has a bed above the cab, I don鈥檛 often use the lower sleeping platform as a bed. But I do love the fact that I can use it for guests if I need to, or store things like my bow case underneath it, away from prying eyes. It would be an incredible camping solution under a regular camper shell, and I鈥檝e found that the platform鈥攊n combination with the cubbies underneath鈥攖o be a much more effective use of space than drawers alone. While I鈥檓 a huge fan of the setup, there are downsides: my system came in at 343 pounds, and it ran me $4,660 shipped.

That鈥檚 a lot of weight and money, but what you get is a very high quality, bombproof storage setup that鈥檚 easy to install and can be customized to your exact needs. If you鈥檝e got the dough and the payload capacity, there鈥檚 no better setup than the Base Camp line.

No 1: The Goldilocks Setup

BamBeds Lengthwise Bed Platform听

In my quest to find the perfect storage solution, I also tested a truck bed platform system from a new company called . BamBeds systems are sort of the antithesis to the TruckVault setup I tested, and are great for very different reasons. The company makes wooden platforms for the back of pickups that allow folks to sleep on top and store gear underneath. It鈥檚 a simple concept that DIY truck campers have been doing for decades now, but BamBeds is the perfect solution for anyone with a truck who doesn鈥檛 have the time, tools, or skills to build a platform themselves. A runs just $500, and consists of three birch panels custom-made to slide into the truck bed above the wheel well and rest on the stock ledge. The brand makes a host of accessories like , and it caters to the DIY crowd by offering a for other additions, like foldable mattresses or bins that are just the right size to fit the system.

The works a bit differently due to the nature of the bed, and it consists of three modular sections of plywood that run lengthwise, plus support legs underneath. You can remove the center panels for more standing room if you need it. The platform itself supports up to 1,500 pounds, and everything installs quickly without any tools, thanks to the ingenious rotating locks they designed for the legs.

The whole thing also only weighs about 100 pounds, so it鈥檚 a heck of a lot lighter than a dedicated drawer setup and far easier to remove. I鈥檓 a big fan of the sleep platform as a no-nonsense storage solution, and I actually think it鈥檚 a better option than dedicated drawers for most people.

The only downside to the system I鈥檝e been testing is that, since it requires support legs, anything you put underneath the platform has to fit between the legs. That gives you less flexibility than having the unencumbered width of your truck bed like you would with a Tacoma-sized BamBed. Overall, though, I think BamBeds are a simple, lightweight and affordable storage solution for anyone with a truck, and you鈥檇 be hard pressed to DIY something as high quality without some serious woodworking skills.

The Bottom Line

So, what did I end up running long term? I have yet to answer that question. The is damn near perfect for my needs, but it does add a lot of weight to the truck and suffers from the 鈥渋f you have the space, you鈥檒l find a way to fill it,鈥� issue that all drawer systems seem to enable. The is a simple, versatile platform, and if I drove a Tacoma or a newer Tundra, I would definitely run it because the design allows for more unencumbered storage. For most users, this is likely the way to go. Long term, though, I may end up running just the one driver-side drawer from the Base Camp 3 and leaving the other out, or perhaps building a custom galley or storage cabinet out of 80/20 aluminum. For now, though, it鈥檒l be some combination of the above鈥攁nd, of course, a few for good measure.

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