Truck Camping 2024
So, we are always exploring new ways to adventure, even if we don’t try them all. In 2024 we decided to change how we travel and try Truck Camping. We usually book campgrounds in our desired area for our travel trailer. Then, we go exploring and return to our travel trailer for relaxation. We are accustomed to certain comforts. Jessica likes her coffee programmed each morning and Windell likes to eat while watching TV. We both love our bidet. However, this year we decided to switch it up. Because we only have one Thousand Trails campground in Colorado and none in Utah, we decided we could rough it and camp in the back of our truck for five months. After all, we already have solar, a jackery, a generator, and some fire maples to make coffee. All we had to do was buy a bucket toilet for our truck camping. What could possibly go wrong?
We were so excited at first. Just driving the truck by itself and not pulling the travel trailer is so much easier! Wind, parking, and backing up is no problem. We don’t have to scope anything out first to see if we can pull in the travel trailer and turn around to get back out. And, believe you me, sometimes it gets pretty tight in some parking lots with a travel trailer. We don’t recommend pulling a travel trailer into the Manitou Cliff Dwellings in Colorado, although we did do it. Traveling with just a truck is easy, and we proved it this year. We have been to over eight national parks! When southern Utah had a heat wave, we changed our plans and headed to The Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks in Wyoming. We have seen so many arches, waterfalls, hoodoos, epic views, moose, bison, and one grizzly. It has been an amazing year so far with all of our adventures.
Should we buy a Pop-Up Truck Camper?
The ease of driving and just going anywhere made us at first consider purchasing a pop-up bed camper for our truck. We hate having to take everything out of the back of the truck in order to sleep. It takes us over an hour to make coffee and pack everything back into the bed. In Yellowstone, we actually slept in the front of our single cab to wake up early. Wow, Yellowstone is busy! We know we carry more stuff than required for Truck Camping. As we said, we like our comfort. We have three coolers for cold food, water for drinking, and a small cooler just to keep ice for our drinks! Ice has been a big budget item for us this year. Our supplies include water, portable solar, and canned food. When we wanted to sit for a couple of days and talk with a traveler from Switzerland, we had plenty of water for ourselves and our guest. It was awesome just to sit and talk and not worry about leaving to find ice and water.
So, when we first started truck camping, we thought a pop-up truck camper with the bed at the top would be perfect. To sleep, we simply pop-up the bed and crash. No more pulling everything out just to make the bed. We could buy a bigger jackery, put solar on top, and add a shower curtain to the side. We watched YouTube videos of people who purchased a pop-up and redesigned their truck bed. A new pop-up would cost us about $15,000 and the additional toys another $5,000. We even emailed a company with all of our wants to get a bid on a pop-up.
Discovering We are Glampers
However, after a month and a half of traveling full-time in the truck, we have learned more about ourselves. We really like our comforts! No longer does a pop-up truck camper seem like a good idea. We would still have to potty and shower outside. Although we could possibly cook inside and not have to pull everything out to sleep, we would still not have the comforts (bidet, AC, refrigerator) of our travel trailer. We have discovered that we are glampers. We like electricity, water, and sewer hookups. Showering outside is not at all fun. You watch YouTube videos with girls in bikinis showering outside, and you think, yeah that looks pretty easy. However, the reality is if you want water pressure you have to buy more toys and the water is never warm enough. Also, if you are in the desert of Utah, you will be dirty again before you can dry off. And, in her fifties, Jessica thinks showering in a bikini seems like a cruel joke to other boondockers.
So, we are finishing out this summer mainly in the back of our truck, with a few rest stops at the Colorado Thousand Trails in our travel trailer. But, we will never again plan an entire summer of traveling simply in the back of our truck. We want our comforts! This experience has even made us change some of our future travel plans. Instead of driving to some of our desired far off places in the truck alone, we are flying and renting!