Truck Camping 101

Handy Tips, Lists, How-Tos & Other Stuff for Getting Started on the Right Footfor Surviving & Thriving

Take it from me, a not-so-young-anymore plump woman with flat feet and artheritis who spends a good deal of time living out of the back of a truck in the wilds with Earl (another child that's grown old) and three incredibly spoiled & decidedly unhelpful dogs: while I wouldn't trade what we do for all the tea in China, leaving the comforts and conveniences of civilization to wander the big wide empty isn't always easy or even particularly romantic.
At least not as romantic as the YouTube can make it seem.

This part below needs more work... needs to be shorter and more too the point.
From safety considerations and developing skills to increase your self-reliance to basic creature comforts and making do (comfortably) with less, the information and resources in this section will help you get started on your amazing journey on the right foot and, hopefully, learn to thrive rather than just survive in the outbacks.

New to Desert Camping? Read Our 10 Simple Rules for Surviving in the Arizona Desert Before Heading Out.

Don't Die Out There

This page is going to house our tips and advice for those just getting started in Truck Camping and 4WD Touring, especially geared toward retired folks like ourselves. It is a quick reference page that has posts from all (or most of) the other sections. Essentially it's a Read This Stuff Before You Head Out the Door sort of thing. All content shown on this page should be quick, easy, practical, down and dirty and most importantly, aimed directly at the newbie. The less newbie-oriented stuff should go into the Field Guides section.

A variety of handy out-of-the-box tips, tricks and how-to posts for older folks, the budget conscious, and fans of DIY projects as well as the skills needed to survive and thrive in the big outdoors. These may include anything from how to build a redneck storage system, getting rid of your trucks back seat, ditching sleeping bags, hooking up solar panels, finding water or what to do when it's getting dark and you can't find a place to camp.

The top of the page will hold a handfull of the most important posts to read. Basically a "Start Here" section to get folks up and running quickly and confidently

Following the "Start Here" section the page will include various link sections related to Truck Camping 101 but geared specifically toward those just getting started. These kinds of posts will including:

Truck Camping Tips for Newbies
Essential Gear & Gear Buying Advice
Build Planning, Design, and Load-Out
Trip Planning Advice (esp. for older folks)
Safety Concerns
Useful DIY Projects
Off-Road Etiquette
General Camping Basics
Easy Trips for Beginners ??
Basic Skills to Develop & How-To Posts (like changing your tire on a backroad, but not.)
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly of Truck Camping

A few posts I want are "Advice on Buying Gear", "Necessary Knowledge of Public Lands", "What You Need (GPS, maps, spare tire, etc.)". I'll keep brain-storming.