Author: Matt Oliver

One of the main things I’ve learned about cross-country camping with our rig is that the truck bed is the hub of all camping logistics. This is where we store all of our gear, food and clothes, so it is worth thinking about how it is organized. When I started cross-country camping, I thought I would spend a lot of time moving all of our gear from the back of the truck to the trailer, but that didn’t really happen. The reason why is that we don’t spend many waking hours in the trailer. The best thing to do is to have a small backpack of personal items for each person that gets put in the trailer for that night (toiletries, clothes, etc.), and the rest stays in the bed of the truck. It is way easier!  Also, these are the huge advantages to keeping all of your gear organized in the truck bed, which keeps everything dry and locked. For example, if you decide to drop the trailer and head out on a day trip, you already have everything with you. You can pull off a trail anywhere and make a great meal on the tailgate. There is no “extra” planning needed on your end to make day trips work. Think of your truck bed as your giant camping man purse. So here are a few things besides your food, camping gear, and clothes bins that I keep in my GCMP.

1. 2-ton jack, because you never know when you have to jack something up.
2. Jumper cables and tow cables.  Sparks and tugs can be really useful.
3. Basic tool kit and socket set; no need to be crazy expensive on this one. Keep it simple.
4. Assorted ratchet straps because you never know what needs tying down in a hurry.
5. Grease gun, keep those trailer hubs lubed!
6. Portable Air Conditioner; You’ll see…
7. Splitting Axe; Chop that wood, make that fire. Add flannel and beard for increased toughness.
8. First-Aid kit for all the boo-boo’s from the axe.
9. Marine grade cooler; food poisoning will end your trip real quick!

For us, it is a 2003 Chevrolet Silverado extended-cab 1500 pick-up, a Leer 122 truck cap, and a 2005 Fleetwood Sea Pine pop-up tent trailer. This set up gives us ease of use, speed, versatility, and doesn’t confine us to parking-lot camping. We can easily fit into the smaller sites in the National Park system.

We purchased the truck new in New Jersey, just before Samantha was born. I convinced myself that I needed a new pickup for “the safety of the baby.” Anybody use that one before? However, I love this truck! My only two regrets is that I didn’t get the crew cab, and that I bought it brand new, rather than gently used. Even though it is a club cab, the kiddos still fit in the back seat, provided we supply them a steady stream of road food (the saltier the better).

We also bought the Sea Pine new from Indian Valley RV in Souderton, PA after a particularly cold camping trip to Stokes State Forest, NJ. It was time to get out of the tent, especially if we were going to do this with small kids. The trailer gave us more protection from the elements, a small fridge, but no potty! Who wants to haul that around with them?