Lately I’ve not been bringing my kayak camping, as it’s kind of a pain to load and unload and it blocks the solar panel so I can’t get much power out of it. The solar panel on my truck is a new fangled thing, while it’s nice to be able to park in the sun without having to drive to charge the accessory battery, it’s hardly a necessity.
When I was at Piseco Powley Road a few weekends back, I very much could have brought my kayak and used it on Saturday when it was only modestly hot up north. But I didn’t. I wish I had.
This weekend I plan to bring my kayak up to Piseco-Powley Road and paddle Lily Lake. I figure during the day when I’m out on the lake, it will fully top off the battery to say nothing of the regular old alternator charging the battery on my trip on over.
I probably also will bring my kayak out to the Finger Lakes for summer vacation – and like last year, take it off the truck when not in use. This way when I get a nice day I can go for a paddle either along the shore line of a Finger Lake or one of the canals south of the lakes.
I’ve not forgotten about my kayak, it’s just that I’ve had other priorities this summer and I like having the solar panel exposed to the sun when I’m camping to automatically recharge the batteries.
People sometimes ask what it’s like to camp under the truck cap in the rain. They ask if it’s dry and warm. The truth is it’s fairly dry, moderately warm, but certainly not hot or completely dry. It’s best to describe it as cool and damp.
The fiberglass truck cap does keep the bulk of the rain out. But the past two truck caps I’ve owned both leak a little bit around the windows. Not a lot, but in heavy rain, there trends to be an occassional drip drop. Building your bed up, using a stack of sleeping pads and mats helps, but it’s still kind of damp.
A bigger issue is the humidity under the truck cap. When the windows are closed in the truck cap, there is still air ventilation in and around the bed of the truck. Not a lot, but still enough to ensure there is some fresh air. But because the ventilation is low, and not up at the top of the truck cap, moisture tends to accumulate at the top of the truck cap, from the heat of one’s body and even just the moisture one breathes into the air.
Is it drier then a tent? It depends, a lot on how the tent is set up, how well it’s waterproofed, and the drainage of the tent. The truck bed is always up high, so you don’t have to worry about flooding. The truck cap is naturally waterproof, even if you do get an occasional drip-drop around the windows.
If you don’t dress properly and try to keep your bedding out of the damp parts under the truck cap, it can be problematic. It could lead to hypothermia, because it’s chilly and damp back here. But if it gets too cold out, once can always hop in the cab of the truck, crank the heat, and get warm and dried out that way.
One of the biggest changes over the past year in my camping experiences is I’ve started to do less driving. More often now I will set up camp and park my truck, and walk from there on my adventures.
While motoring can get you farther then you can get on your feet, walking can teach you more about the land and appreciate your surroundings more. Having the solar panel on my truck means I can usually have enough power for subsequent nights especially if I conserve power and have a bright sunny day. It’s kind of nice spending more time near camp rather then putting extra miles on the truck and burning more gas, although it does make the time go by faster it seems.
I had no interest in vans. I wanted a vehicle that I could get into trouble with, and I was happy sacrificing comfort for it. So I invested in a 2015 Toyota Tacoma Double Cab and added a three-inch lift and all-terrain tires. Tacomas are the pinnacle of reliability, and when they eventually break down, their parts are close to universal. Almost any small-town mechanic can fix one.
Next I took the hardest step toward truck life: giving my stuff away. Pretty much all of it. Many vanlifers keep a storage unit filled with valuable possessions, but this contradicted my dream of simplicity. My closest friends were rewarded for it like kings. I limited myself exclusively to stuff that fit in the truck, from camping gear to books, tools, electronics, and a small kitchen. As I’ve progressively optimized for longer out-of-office e-mail and fewer showers, I’ve gotten more judicious about what comes along.
Truck cap camping is perfect for the type of camping I prefer to do on the back roads where I like to travel and camp.
I like to camp in quiet isolated areas where I can listen to music, shoot guns and fireworks, have a big fire without bothering others. Yet such sites are not always accessible with anything bigger then a pickup truck.
Maybe when I get older I’ll want something more like an truck camper but I have my doubts as I’m not big into fancy soft things. I also don’t like the higher clearance or extra weight in the bed. I prefer things that are easier to clean off the mud on and spending my time actually outdoors in the elements.
