Car Camping
First thing you can do after backyard or cabin camping is car camping. It can be fun and enjoyable. With car camping you can take some creature comforts with hauling everything you need in a backpack. You want to enjoy the outdoors and not try to recreate what you left behind in the first place. Car camping allows you to immerse yourself in an area for more than a day where backpacking is not as feasible. You can explore canyons, climb those cliff faces, hike to the petroglyphs or descend into a gorge and then enjoy the sun setting over where you played all day. There are many forms of car camping. Car camping can be a standard car, SUV, van, station wagon, Pickup truck, car with trailer, car with popup tent.
Using your standard car is not what you want to sleep in. unless it is an emergency. This vehicle is use for transportation that will get you and your
equipment to a campsite and then you will sleep outside in a stand along tent.
SUV’s seats can lay down will make a god place for sleeping in your vehicle Blanket\sleeping bag and pillow are all you need. You can modify the inside to your need. Remember to put night curtains on the windows for privacy. Cooking inside your suv can be dangerous. It is advice to cooking outside.
Pickup Truck with Truck Top Truck tops, also known as camper tops, are hard shells that fit snugly over the bed of a pickup truck. They are relatively inexpensive and can make for ideal car camping — one or two people can easily sleep in the pickup truck bed enjoying privacy and protection from the elements. Essentially, you can camp anywhere you can park, and most pickup trucks can easily handle dirt roads or other rough conditions that may be present where you want to camp. Truck tops are usually made to your specific model of truck and are available from many after-market truck retailers. Costs can be from $300 to above $1000. You will probably want to buy a truck bed liner as well.
Camping Trailers A variety of options exist if you are willing to tow your camper, ranging from lightweight pop up tent campers to more durable trailers. You will need a trailer hitch and a vehicle capable of towing – any place that sells camping trailers would be happy to explain the capabilities of your vehicle and install an adequate hitch.
Car Top Campers A new back to basics class of camper is a tent that temporarily mounts to roof rack systems of SUVs, trucks, vans, station wagons, some cars and small off-road utility trailers. These roof top tents typically contain a built in mattress and can store bedding and pillows while folded for travel. With practice, set up takes about 5 minutes. Sizes vary from single sleeper to family sized tents that sleep up to four people. The advantages of these campers are comparatively low cost, compact go-anywhere convenience, easy driving, good MPG and RV comfort sleeping space that often exceeds 7 feet length – nice for taller travelers.
A van conversion is when you can setup a standard utility van with all of the basic necessities of camping. A bed, storage, lights and often times even a kitchen setup.