tj884Rdlx

also, pool floaties make a nice bed and are 2x6'. i use 'em to sleep in my truck.

do you really need the back seat bottoms? i'd ditch 'em. they're just wasting space.

91Toyota

Isn't a tent much easier???

1stgen4gunner

Yeah, I agree wouldn't it be more practical and economical to just buy a tent?

Brad.

I just built a sleepdeck in my 4runner, i'll get some pictures up soon. Im a little nervous getting prepared to live in my truck by myself, three people is crazy.
Also, I am not traveling on such a daring route as into Southern America. More like from Colorado to southern Arizona, southern California, all the way to Seattle, and back.

Junkers88

I have that same bug netting in my camping box. So far I haven't needed it but I prefer to have it along just in case. After a few years in the Army a mosquito net was my second best friend.

I'd like to see some pictures of the roof rack (hard to see in the current photos) and the uderside compartments you plan on buying/building. This is the roof rack on mine right now. 48"X60" has a shovel mount, axe mount, high lift jack mount, a provision for a spare tire (which I need to change) and two (2) jerry can mounts. Cost 400$ locally. Keep your eyes out for a good deal or go even cheaper and build the attachments.






That is one of the greatest ideas I've ever heard!!!!!


Oh and as far as sleeping in the back of the runner goes.....


Here is my wife person and my boy. We have a 6" thick inflatable Truk-Bedz mattress that is an exact fit for the rear cargo area. This is the first time that her and I took it out camping with all of her gear and mine and the dog. All three of us slept back there with no issues other than my 95lb baby boy waking up and barking at the bears and such.



As far as hauling all the gear you don't want outside on a roof rack or something you could look into making or finding a nesting box. Here is mine. Inside the back of the truck I just sold. It straps down to the forward most anchors in the 4runner.


Open top, filled with foam to keep things from moving around.


And all spread out. You can also see the mattress in the pickup. I just spun it around and it fits the 4runner like a glove.

Edit: I failed to mention what was in there.
Lets see..... we have a lantern with fuel, forks and such for eating, knives for cutting, spoons for stirring etc..... We also have some plates, pots and pans (I'm planning on some larger pans soon and I have some cast iron that just doesn't fit in the box), foil, trash bags (if you pack it in then you damn sure pack it out) and cleaning supplies. There is coffee, tea, sugar, salt/pepper/spices, napkins, TP, a first aid kit my free coleman stove with fuel (which has been changed to a propane set up that used the little green bottles) and the seat of honor goes to the coffee pot. To the right of that is the recovery bag with a 30' tow strap, gloves, D ring, fire extinguisher, chain and the footing to my hi-lift.


Now with my roof rack I can store almost all of my gear up on top, the camping box goes inside since it is freaking heavy along with my clothing and other stuff I don't want to get wet. When it comes time to camp I pull the mattress out and inflate it, get the camp stove turned on for dinner (if there isn't any firewood available) and while dinner cooks I set up the sleeping area. In the morning it takes 20 minutes to load up and go.

Edit: Also wanted to point out that a good back pack will be a good idea as you can pack stuff out with you if you need to walk out for help.

Survival bag that I pack my clothes into. There is a telescoping (spelling?) fishing rod and reel with some tackle. My hunting knife, hatchet, machete and leatherman. Binoculars, lensatic compass, some matches, two different sizes of kevlar braided rope that I think are about 60' long each and really tough stuff. My military first aid kit with some tailors needles thrown in for sewing things up, including me. You'd be surprised how well some 20lb Spider Wire will hold together a thigh. Oh some medical shears that will cut a dime in half, just in case I get charged by random change....... some duct tape, electrical tape, an emergency whistle with compass, tooth brush, tooth past, mosquito repellant a fire starting kit or two and a poncho.




Hope this helps and be sure and take lots and lots of pictures for us.

Oh and I didn't mean to hijack your thread, just wanted to drop some ideas.

Junkers88

That would probably be the easiest route to go but he is a 1st gen runner owner, we tend to walk a strange path in life...... this is just another step.

pruney81

Junkers, which truck-bedz mattress is the one in the last picture? Is it the expedition one or the cheaper velour one on their site? One is 169.95 and the other is 69.95 I'm just trying to figure out the difference for my 90 shortbed cuz these are exactly what I've been looking for.

Junkers88

I think it's the velour one (sort of fuzzy on one side?). I bought it at a local sporting goods place for about 50$ if I recall correctly. Comes with a patch kit, pump, etc and works GREAT!!!!!. If this one ever dies I'll get the more expensive one to replace it. So far though I've slept on it coutless times, the dog walks all over it and hasn't made a puncture and I really feel it'll be with me for a while. I do need to point out that you will want some sort of blanket between you and the mattress at night. That thing will pick up cold from the bed of the truck and then you pick it up from there. The first time I used it I put a sheet down and only had a light blanket. That night it froze and I woke up more sore and in more pain than I thought possible.... with the inside of that camper shell covered in a thin sheet of ice.

Now I carry a heavy comforter and my -28* rated sleeping bag. Sometimes it gets cold enough out here that the dog crawls in the bag with me (I like to keep a couple of windows open).

HTH

pruney81

nice, I'll definitely be picking up the velour one shortly. I read that it doesn't come with a bag like the more expensive so what do you with when it's deflated? I have a -15* bag and a nice comforter so I think I'll be good, thanks for the heads up!

Windsor

I'd do what he had, but have a tent packed for an available option. Tents are downright miserable when it's raining or there are a lot of critters about.

Junkers88

If you go back and look at that picture I posted of the box top open you'll see a tan folded thing in the middle of the box. That's where I keep the mattress. It folds up pretty small so you could easily put it into a backpack along with the pump, attachments and patch kit. That way when you go camping you just throw the backpack in the bed along with your sleeping bag and other gear and away you go.

Junkers88

I'd forgotten how much a tent sucks...... now I remember why I went to all the trouble to put together a camping box and a mattress.

pruney81

can you plug the pump into the cigarette lighter with no extensions or anything cuz it says on the website it's 12V?

Junkers88

Yeah it plugs right into the cig lighter. Fills the mattress in less than 60 seconds and you can use another attachment to deflate it so it is easier to fold up and stow. It also has "boat valves" with a little rubber baffle in them so when you pull the pump out all the air doesn't escape. Makes it easy to screw the caps back on without the mattress going flat while you seal it.


Stop typing and go buy one!!!! Trust me on this that little mattress is great to sleep on.

pruney81

I'm definitely gonna pick one up. I'm planning on driving out to Alaska next year so I'm going to get one of these and a yakima storage box to put on top of my camper shell. Originally, I was just gonna put a single bed in the back but the truck-bedz mattress seems like a much better option

Junkers88

If you're going up north I also recommend some sort of material to put UNDER the mattress. A foil backed foam about a 1/4 inch thick (like Dynamat but portable) would be a good idea.

pruney81

That makes sense, where do you think I could acquire such a foam(backed with foil) also, I don't plan on leaving until April so by the time I get there it will be relatively warm.

Junkers88

In the HVAC section of Lowes or Home Depot there is a thin sheet (1/4") of foil backed cell filled foam. I've used it on floor boards for hunting rigs and it sheds cold and reflects heat, as in it will reflect your body heat back into the mattress. It comes in rolls about 4' wide and as long as you need it. I kept meaning to buy a piece for myself but it doesn't get that cold here.

pruney81

Thanks man. I will definitely pick some of that up, I know I kind of hijacked this thread but this is just the kind of info I've needed. I've been to every state in the US except for Hawaii and alaska and Alaska is my next road trip destination.

I was in sante fe and albuquerqe a few years back on my way to texas, that's nice country up there in sante fe.

Tofer

BrokeBack Runner? the Latin edition?