Gearing up! What do I need?

[GLOCKer]

I'm new to 4wheeling and camping! I've wanted to have a 4x4 truck ever since I was in high school, but it had to wait until I was 40 years old. Having never been camping for real, I don't exactly know what I will need, and I don't want to get caught out by surprised once in the woods.

So far I have the following gear:
-Smittybilt Overlander tent
-A I Power dual fuel generator (gas/lpg fueled, ultra quiet)
-LED lanterns
-LED light for tent
-Conventional coolers
-Camp gas grill (I've had it for awhile and it's been used pretty hard, I may replace)
-Storage container for schlepping stuff
-Folding table (folds small)
-Tailgating chairs

Planning on buying the following:
-Portable 12v Fridge/Freezer
-bathroom kit (hand shovel, TP, etc)
-Fan for the tent
-Beer

Might possibly buy:
-Awning
-Tent annex
-portable toilet

My truck is equipped with:
-Warn winch
-Recovery gear (D-ring shackles, soft shackles, tree saver, gloves, spare winch hook, snatch strap)
-IFAK (med kit)
-Hi Lift jack
-Shovel
-Traction boards
-Radios
-Rotopax 2gal fuel
-Air down kit
-Tire inflator

Truck gear to be added:
-Bed rack for tent (already ordered)
-Rotopax 4gal fuel
-Rotopax water

I'm open to suggestions. At first, I will probably only be doing overnighters in North GA and into TN. The ultimate goal though is to get out to Southern UT to see some of the landscape and ghost towns. On the face of it, it looks like I'll have a lot of stuff to load into my 2019 Ford Ranger! LOL

 

[Cypress]

Your list doesn't look bad though I've never carried a generator camping unless I was in my RV. I also don't see much sleep gear on there. It is every bit as important as all the fancy stuff. If you are uncomfortable sleeping it takes a lot of fun out of the trip.

I would suggest a couple of over night practice camping trips near home or town. You can always make a run home to get whatever you need.

It's also easy to get into the habit of carrying way too much stuff. Any camping gear I haul that doesn't get used for a few trips gets left home from then on.

 

[grubworm]

youre plenty good. we always take a lot of gear and generally only end up using 1/3 to maybe 1/2 of it. just do a couple trips and youll see firsthand that you really wont need or use as much as you think. same as food. first trip in our new camp trailer and we loaded a lot of food and came back home 10 days later with over half of it...

like @Cypress said, do a practice run at home first and put everything thru its paces. see how that pillow or mattress actually feels before heading out on a long trip with it. get out and have fun and if you forgot something, there is usually a dollar general or walmart around...the very worse thing that can happen to you is that you might not have an item and as a result, you will be inconvenienced briefly. heck, i almost get off on forgetting stuff and then playing McGyver out in the field finding ways to improvise, adapt and overcome...all that neat stuff marines are trained to do!

 

[Berkshires]

Completely agree with Cypress - never carried a generator and I've camped all over the country and been out for weeks at a time. I assume leaving out kitchen gear and sleeping gear was intentional and kind of a given.

Since you are new to camping, then stick with the coolers for now, to figure out if you really like it - if you do, then a 12v fridge is the one best things I've ever added.

Also, as Cypress and Grubworm have said, go somewhat local first and if possible, go with someone experienced at camping.

Are your trips solo or traveling with a partner?

 

[MMc]

What you need to do get, is your ass out camping.... ;-) You have spent a bunch of money, I hope you like it. Hook up with OB group near you and go. You’ll learn a bunch from them, both wheeling and camping. The other stuff will come, I would not spend much more with out getting camping time in.

 

[M Rose]

I'm new to 4wheeling and camping! I've wanted to have a 4x4 truck ever since I was in high school, but it had to wait until I was 40 years old. Having never been camping for real, I don't exactly know what I will need, and I don't want to get caught out by surprised once in the woods.

So far I have the following gear:
-Smittybilt Overlander tent
-A I Power dual fuel generator (gas/lpg fueled, ultra quiet)
-LED lanterns
-LED light for tent
-Conventional coolers
-Camp gas grill (I've had it for awhile and it's been used pretty hard, I may replace)
-Storage container for schlepping stuff
-Folding table (folds small)
-Tailgating chairs

Planning on buying the following:
-Portable 12v Fridge/Freezer
-bathroom kit (hand shovel, TP, etc)
-Fan for the tent
-Beer

Might possibly buy:
-Awning
-Tent annex
-portable toilet

My truck is equipped with:
-Warn winch
-Recovery gear (D-ring shackles, soft shackles, tree saver, gloves, spare winch hook, snatch strap)
-IFAK (med kit)
-Hi Lift jack
-Shovel
-Traction boards
-Radios
-Rotopax 2gal fuel
-Air down kit
-Tire inflator

Truck gear to be added:
-Bed rack for tent (already ordered)
-Rotopax 4gal fuel
-Rotopax water

I'm open to suggestions. At first, I will probably only be doing overnighters in North GA and into TN. The ultimate goal though is to get out to Southern UT to see some of the landscape and ghost towns. On the face of it, it looks like I'll have a lot of stuff to load into my 2019 Ford Ranger! LOL

I started off with a sleeping bag, tarp, a Colman stove and a 2wd lowered mini-truck at the age of 14. Im now 42 and I still don’t have 3/4 of the things on your list... you really have gone all out.

Personally I would scrap the generator and invest in Batteries and solar. Generators are heavy, noisy, and messy.

 

[GLOCKer]

Your list doesn't look bad though I've never carried a generator camping unless I was in my RV. I also don't see much sleep gear on there. It is every bit as important as all the fancy stuff. If you are uncomfortable sleeping it takes a lot of fun out of the trip.

I would suggest a couple of over night practice camping trips near home or town. You can always make a run home to get whatever you need.

It's also easy to get into the habit of carrying way too much stuff. Any camping gear I haul that doesn't get used for a few trips gets left home from then on.

I feel you on the sleeping note! But, I've had to sleep in the back of my old Ford Explorer while overnighting in a parking lot for BBQ comps, and it was some of the best sleep I've ever had...

...well, once I started the truck and turned on the AC! LOL

So this is going to sound ridiculous, but the generator will be put to good, and bad, use on camping trips. I wont be running a dual battery setup on my truck as it will be pulling double duty as a "daily driver" for most of the year. I'll want some one of keeping the portable fridge/freezer running at night for those extended trips that I aspire to run. But, on the bad side, I'm considering hacking up a small AC unit (for mobile construction office use) to duct AC and a return for my RTT. I just sleep better with cool air. Plus at night I'll be able to also charge my radios, phones, tablet, etc. without a concern about power issues.

On the tent side, I'm not even waiting to find out if the mattress in my tent is comfortable or not to me. I've seen a lot of reviews on the Smittybilt RTT and people add memory foam to their mattress, so I'm just going to go ahead and do it.

I figured some overnighters north of where I live will be pretty easy to start out with, as we will only be 30 minutes to 1.5 hours from home. The real shame of it is we have a cabin out on a local lake, about 30 minutes from my house, but we aren't allowed to camp out there. The land is USACE, managed by our marina, and per USACE rules, you can only camp in designated areas, their campgrounds. It's too bad because it would be nice to pull down to the water's edge and set up for practice camping. There is a USACE campground across the cove from my cabin though. But it seems ridiculous to spend money to camp across the water, probably a 3 minute swim, from my cabin! LOL

 

[GLOCKer]

I started off with a sleeping bag, tarp, a Colman stove and a 2wd lowered mini-truck at the age of 14. Im now 42 and I still don’t have 3/4 of the things on your list... you really have gone all out.

Personally I would scrap the generator and invest in Batteries and solar. Generators are heavy, noisy, and messy.

I really like the idea of battery and solar, but my concern is cost and space. The generator can be loaded in and out for trips as needed and cost $460. It takes up a little more space than a "solar generator", but will run for a loooong time on propane and gives me some versatility. You hit on one of the detractors though: noise. It's quite, at 42 db (quieter than my really quiet dishwasher), but out in the middle of no-where I'm sure it'll be the loudest thing on the planet! I would really love to do a dual battery setup in my Ranger, but being it's also a daily driver type vehicle, I can't spare the room in it for a proper dual battery setup.

 

[GLOCKer]

What you need to do get, is your ass out camping.... ;-) You have spent a bunch of money, I hope you like it. Hook up with OB group near you and go. You’ll learn a bunch from them, both wheeling and camping. The other stuff will come, I would not spend much more with out getting camping time in.

Luckily, some of the gear in my possession I already owned for getting out on the local lake, or overnighting at BBQ competitions. I can't wait for spring though to get out and do the Georgia Traverse and some simple overnighters. Like I said though, the ultimate goal is to get out to southern Utah, and camp some canyons and ghost towns.

I'll be holding off on the fridge/freezer until that big trip, and probably the awning too. My fear is getting caught out somewhere by surprised. Unfortunately I'm a "prepare for everything" personality. Maybe I need to come off that a little for the adventure of it! LOL

Some of the gear is also in consideration for keeping my wife happy and comfortable on a trip. LOL

 

[M Rose]

I really like the idea of battery and solar, but my concern is cost and space. The generator can be loaded in and out for trips as needed and cost $460. It takes up a little more space than a "solar generator", but will run for a loooong time on propane and gives me some versatility. You hit on one of the detractors though: noise. It's quite, at 42 db (quieter than my really quiet dishwasher), but out in the middle of no-where I'm sure it'll be the loudest thing on the planet! I would really love to do a dual battery setup in my Ranger, but being it's also a daily driver type vehicle, I can't spare the room in it for a proper dual battery setup.

What year is your Ranger? There are lots of places to add a second or even 3rd battery...

Solar generators can be built for around $500.00 and once built they don’t cost nearly as much as petrol. A used LiFePO4 battery will still last between 10 and 15 years, and a properly maintained solar panel will last a lifetime.

 

[Cypress]

I did the dual battery setup on my XJ with a 100ah AGM battery to run the fridge and such.

You might also look into something like a Jackery or other portable battery system. A Jackery 1000 would run a fridge for several days without charging and can also be charged off the vehicle during the day. They are pretty popular with the overlanding crowd and they make several sizes.

I hear you on the A/C. I'm not a small person and love some air conditioning. I have also considered a portable a/c system for the tent and still might try that. Mostly I just choose to camp in cool places when the weather is hot. You will find me in the mountains during the summer or in my RV with the A/C running.

 

[M Rose]

Luckily, some of the gear in my possession I already owned for getting out on the local lake, or overnighting at BBQ competitions. I can't wait for spring though to get out and do the Georgia Traverse and some simple overnighters. Like I said though, the ultimate goal is to get out to southern Utah, and camp some canyons and ghost towns.

I'll be holding off on the fridge/freezer until that big trip, and probably the awning too. My fear is getting caught out somewhere by surprised. Unfortunately I'm a "prepare for everything" personality. Maybe I need to come off that a little for the adventure of it! LOL

Some of the gear is also in consideration for keeping my wife happy and comfortable on a trip. LOL

The awning... just use a backpacking tarp for now and suspend it with rope or tent poles... I made hooks for my roof rack to clip one side of the tarp to, the other side is guided out and sticks hold it up to the height I want.

As for fridge... I didn’t purchase one until this year, and hadn’t I needed an auxiliary fridge in my home I would never have bought one... I’m not sure how often I’m actually going to use it camping.

 

[GLOCKer]

What year is your Ranger? There are lots of places to add a second or even 3rd battery...

Solar generators can be built for around $500.00 and once built they don’t cost nearly as much as petrol. A used LiFePO4 battery will still last between 10 and 15 years, and a properly maintained solar panel will last a lifetime.

2019 with a 5ft bed. I don't have a rack yet for my RTT (it's been ordered), but it wont leave a lot of room for mounting solar. I wont be able to put much more up top (solar panel). I need to leave my backseat open for daily driver life; dogs, guests, etc.. Ideally I'd love to install a second battery and invertor. But my cab is tight on storage. The back seat area wasn't planned out too well by Ford. :(

 

[GLOCKer]

The awning... just use a backpacking tarp for now and suspend it with rope or tent poles... I made hooks for my roof rack to clip one side of the tarp to, the other side is guided out and sticks hold it up to the height I want.

As for fridge... I didn’t purchase one until this year, and hadn’t I needed an auxiliary fridge in my home I would never have bought one... I’m not sure how often I’m actually going to use it camping.

I'm holding off for a little on the fridge. It'll be great for out at BBQ competitions for holding meat at safe temps, but there isn't much cause for it for now as COVID has killed off the competitions for the time being. I like the idea with the tarp. I've already got a tarp and I imagine that by using a blue tarp and some rods, it'll give me some versatility compared to an awning system that is fastened to the side of the truck.

 

[M Rose]

2019 with a 5ft bed. I don't have a rack yet for my RTT (it's been ordered), but it wont leave a lot of room for mounting solar. I wont be able to put much more up top (solar panel). I need to leave my backseat open for daily driver life; dogs, guests, etc.. Ideally I'd love to install a second battery and invertor. But my cab is tight on storage. The back seat area wasn't planned out too well by Ford. :(
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Dual Battery Tray powder-coat version: suits Ford PX PX2 PX3 Ranger (2011-current) Mazda BT50 (Dual Cab ONLY) + Ranger Raptor - Off Road Downunder

Under rear seat model (POWDERCOATED) Vehicle/Models: Ford PX PX2 PX3 Ranger & Mazda BT50 (Dual Cab ONLY) + Ranger Raptor Year: From Oct 2011 to current Engines: N/A Registered Post Australia wide $22.00

offroaddownunder.com.au

for the awning search Pinterest for tarp awnings to see the different uses of a tarp... even if I had a 270 awning I would be carrying a tarp any ways.

 

[GLOCKer]

Dual Battery Tray powder-coat version: suits Ford PX PX2 PX3 Ranger (2011-current) Mazda BT50 (Dual Cab ONLY) + Ranger Raptor - Off Road Downunder

Under rear seat model (POWDERCOATED) Vehicle/Models: Ford PX PX2 PX3 Ranger & Mazda BT50 (Dual Cab ONLY) + Ranger Raptor Year: From Oct 2011 to current Engines: N/A Registered Post Australia wide $22.00

offroaddownunder.com.au

for the awning search Pinterest for tarp awnings to see the different uses of a tarp... even if I had a 270 awning I would be carrying a tarp any ways.

AWESOME!!!!

 

[M Rose]

AWESOME!!!!

As for the solar panels... you don’t really want them mounted to the truck, you want to be able to position them to capture as much direct sunlight as possible... I would make a bracket to mount them under your bed rack to protect them while driving down the trails and then slide them out and set them up while parked at camp... if you find you even need solar... 100aH will last you several days of stationary use, and if you are driving every day, then it wouldn’t be an issue at all.

 

[LONO100]

When I first started doing this, the first thing that I learned through experience was that above all of the gear and vehicle mods, the most important thing besides water and food, and fire, was clothing. I used to go camping in my regular clothes, my Nikes, jeans and a cheesy sleeping bag from wal-mart. I learned through experience that being comfortable in any weather, and dry is more important than the gear. I would invest in good hiking boots, rain gear that you can keep in a bag in case it starts to come down on you, and good clothes for being in the outdoors. Good outdoor clothing won't come cheap, but there's a reason for that. Invest in good clothing!

The more trips you go on, the more you will be able to refine your pack, and eventually your loadout. I started going camping with very little, learned what I needed, slowly started building on that, and then refining it down. As mentioned in a previous reply, go for a practice run near your home, so that if you get caught without something vital, you can head back to the house, or just call it. Invest in good clothing designed for the outdoors, layers are key. Good luck!

 

[Murphy Slaw]

When we were young we just took ice chest's full of beer. That was it.

We'd find food the next day.

Somewhere...

 

[MMc]

When I first started doing this, the first thing that I learned through experience was that above all of the gear and vehicle mods, the most important thing besides water and food, and fire, was clothing. I used to go camping in my regular clothes, my Nikes, jeans and a cheesy sleeping bag from wal-mart. I learned through experience that being comfortable in any weather, and dry is more important than the gear. I would invest in good hiking boots, rain gear that you can keep in a bag in case it starts to come down on you, and good clothes for being in the outdoors. Good outdoor clothing won't come cheap, but there's a reason for that. Invest in good clothing!

The more trips you go on, the more you will be able to refine your pack, and eventually your loadout. I started going camping with very little, learned what I needed, slowly started building on that, and then refining it down. As mentioned in a previous reply, go for a practice run near your home, so that if you get caught without something vital, you can head back to the house, or just call it. Invest in good clothing designed for the outdoors, layers are key. Good luck!

This is very so very true!!!! Comfort in and around camp it so important. A few week ago I was looking at “Truck Day” while 45 mph winds ripped through camp. Having the right stuff helped make the day livable.
A source for gear is campmor.com and steeo&cheap.com