Keeping it simple (and reliable)

[MOAK]

For me its a "mechanic thing". I'm like this with all my vehicles. Decades of working on cars and decades of working 4wd events. Seeing people's vehicles fail due to improper maintenance and me having to field repair them so we can get back to camp. Reading forum posts with people complaining about their poorly maintained vehicles.
Sometimes I camp/wheel alone. Last thing I need is a two day walk back to civilization because of something I didn't maintain.

yup,, I have a 1990 Ford Ranger for my daily driver. That thing is a blast to tool around in. My dream pick up would be a 64 f series 4x4.

 

[CJTherapy]

Don't start doing this hobby to begin with.
It will save you lots of money.

So, so true....... We may need to start a GJA (Gear Junkie Anon.) group for those like me who just can't stop.......(oh look! Something shiny!!!)

 

[Billiebob]

We went full circle over the last few years. I have always been a camper, and thankfully my family loves it as well. Basic car camping was our MO.

We started looking at ways to go farther and stay out longer and settled on the idea of a square-drop off-road trailer. This of-course led us to a truck purchase to tow it with. And a garage full of gear that we didn't need any longer.

Loved camping with the trailer. Sort-of.

There were a lot of things we loved about it like having a kitchen that was always set up. On board solar power and a hot shower were cool, the fridge was game changing though.

Then there's the RTT for our son. We bought and mounted a soft shell CVT to the roof of it. Pretty sweet! That is until you inevitably grow tired of all the time spent setting it up and packing it away.

The RTT further increased the fuel consumption beyond what towing a brick already had.

We sold the trailer this winter and started putting together a smaller, more fuel efficient, and more nimble build using just the truck. But this time we're bringing along some of the things we learned along the way.

Fridge: Must have for us. No more stopping for ice, no more soggy food, and the first swig off a cold one doesn't taste like potato salad occasionally any more. Lol

Solar: No more batteries to buy for everything. Collect sun, then recharge all the lights etc. Allows us to keep the vehicle power completely isolated from our camping stuff.

Propane tank: those little green bottles are expensive, cumbersome to pack, and require recycling. We went with a 5lb refillable bottle with the adapter hose.

Kitchen: Having this ready to use was huge for us. Less time setting up and packing away=more time to enjoy wherever we are. A chuck box type setup will always win with me over totes.

Writing this out I realized that we have cut a lot of consumables out of our set up which should lead to a lower footprint in the long run.

Of course, I have a whole new pile of gear that needs to be sold again. Lol

this is the best written summary ever.
exactly where I am too altho as a retired senior it took longer.

All well said and I agree completely.

I need room for my wife and dog so we travel in TJ Wrangler with 2 seats and a shelf for the hound. A home bilt square drop trailer is always set up to sleep in or cook out of. O think it is a bit big, but I used a 5x10 trailer I had and built a slide in box. $800 all in..... plus the trailer deck. My wife is not with me as often so if it ever becomes just me, I'll likely rebuild on a 4x8 deck.

 

[loper]

Our whole build is (sort of) simplification. At first I had a Jeep pick-up, a tent, a cooler, and a cast iron skillet. pretty simple, but it could get a little rough sometimes.

Then I bought a Dodge Ramcharger, pulled out the back seat & made a bed there, got a Coleman stove, and went with that. A little nicer in bad weather, but still sparse.

Lost my senses and bought a 24' camp trailer (already had the 3/4 Ford). Pretty cush, but how to bring the toys? Built a hitch on the back of the trailer and started pulling double. Upside, now we had comfort & toys. Downside, every trip felt like a safari, so we didn't get out as much.

Had a big wreck and totaled all of that train, so back to square one. Decided pick-up and camper shell. Simple, but had to move everything to get at everything else.

Now we are building a 4X4 E350 van. Bed in the back, set up a camp kitchen under the awning, built in fridge (on a slider under the bed), and I can pull toys if I want to, or just go out in the van.

A 4X4 van is a great deal more complex than just throwing a tent in the back of the pick-up, but much simpler than the road train camp trailer ordeal. It isn't as cushy, but it's enough, and we go out much more often.

I think we finally found the right balance. I hope so, I'm about to retire and I don't want to start another build...

 

[Trail_pilot]

Most of my gear doubles as backpacking gear so it all packs up pretty tight. I keep a:

1) Good cooler with me
2) a tote full of tools and spare parts ( when I am driving my rock crawler, if I am driving my daily than most of the tools stay home)
3) a tote full of cooking gear (again depending if my wife is coming we have a tote with wash basin, dish towels, insulated coffee mugs, percolator, paper plates to throw on the fire after dinner, pots and pans ..... but if I go solo I tend to be on the move a bit more and pack a cast iron pan and instant coffee)
4) a small backpack full of recovery gear
5) a backpack with a tent, hammock, sleeping bag, inflatable sleeping pad + pillow, camp knife, hatchet
6) larger items like a shove, hi-lift, and splitting axe, fishing rod..., end up either in the middle of the totes or on either side strapped to the roll bars( hi-lift unsually behind the front seats sideways, shovel between totes in the center, and fishing rod between roll cage and roof.

It sounds like a lot but when its all packed up I can fit it all nicely, add 2 cans of fuel and still see out the back window just fine ( as fine as I can with a 37" tire blocking it). Also I am sure im forgetting something but that's what comes to to top of my head when I think about the load out.

 

[ptgarcia]

As you can see it is a journey. No perfect kit for all, or even individually, that covers all timespans and trips. Weather, family, trip itineraries and lengths, health, mood, and so on are all variable.
I have resigned to accept this mindset, and given up on defining the perfect kit.

I pull from the garage and load up for each trip depending on my best guess for what that particular trip is asking for. Through experience I have narrowed it down quite a bit so the choices are not overwhelming.
A couple of examples would be tent and gas. I have a big tent for hunting camp and cot, a light weight 4 person for fair weather overlanding, and a heavy 4 person 4 season tent that can seal up tight for dust storms or blizzards. I can choose to load up 1, 2, or 3 gas cans. And so on. So much more after that is trying to meet the perceived comfort expectations of your companion. As stated in an earlier post, solo trips can be as basic as backpacking gear, 12'er of soda, log of salami, and a full tank of gas.

Setting up a base kit that goes everywhere with you when away from home is where I started. Long roadtrip, hunting, fishing, touring, going to the offroad park.... recovery, safety, and snack gear all go. I then built up on that.
Then work out your vehicle weight budget (payload capacity available). That will help greatly to understand the limitations of what you can bring.

I'm in this camp. My overlanding rig is my truck and doubles as a dirt bike hauler, garbage hauler, landscape material hauler, sports gear hauler, tow vehicle, family truckster, etcetera. It has to be able to do just about anything without me spending a day removing accessories. So I've built my overlanding, camping, riding, and any other kit on the requirement it be modular and portable. When I take a day trip to ride, I grab the appropriate modules (plastic storage bins mostly) and load them in the truck. Camping for a weekend? Same thing, just a change in modules and load up. It's not a perfect system, but it's probably the best for me since my truck has to be a jack of all trades. And this system usually means I pack only what I need for each activity.

 

[MidOH]

I do the same. Stanley 55 gallon totes from Home Depot.

I can fit 8 of them in my bed with room for tables and chairs still.