Help me complete my setup

[domodan]

So, I've got a Rooftop Tent being delivered this week. I've got two sets of cross bars, with plans to sometimes run the tent over the bed and other times over the cab. There will be times I want to keep the over bed space available for bikes.

So I have the tent, I have the bike racks, and I have the gear guard cables. What I need is everything else. I plan to go with 1-2 other people on 1-2 day trips. So I need a table, some chairs, a toilet, a privacy tent to change in, a shower, etc... I want stuff that will fit in the gear tunnel, the frunk and under the power tonneau.

So far on my list I have:

• Table (leaning towards Lifetime 4 foot table from Home Depot, but open to others)
• Camp chairs
• Awning (do I want an EZ Up? A shade sail and some ropes? Something attached to the crossbars?)
• Cooking appliance (thinking about a 22" Blackstone with Stand, but would I rather have the Rivian kitchen? Or something else?)
• Toilet - what toilet do you guys recommend? Something that is as friendly to a wife who likes creature comforts.
• It seems like the Husky bins have a clear top and fit under the tonneau cover, so I'll likely want to leverage those.
• Powered cooler or fridge...something to keep meat, eggs, etc... from going bad. What do you recommend and where does it go?
• Soft shackles, a hitch recovery point, tow strap, recovery boards, etc...

Please help complete my list of what I need to have an enjoyable day or two overlanding.

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[MountainBikeDude]

So, I've got a Rooftop Tent being delivered this week. I've got two sets of cross bars, with plans to sometimes run the tent over the bed and other times over the cab. There will be times I want to keep the over bed space available for bikes.

So I have the tent, I have the bike racks, and I have the gear guard cables. What I need is everything else. I plan to go with 1-2 other people on 1-2 day trips. So I need a table, some chairs, a toilet, a privacy tent to change in, a shower, etc... I want stuff that will fit in the gear tunnel, the frunk and under the power tonneau.

So far on my list I have:

• Table (leaning towards Lifetime 4 foot table from Home Depot, but open to others)
• Camp chairs
• Awning (do I want an EZ Up? A shade sail and some ropes? Something attached to the crossbars?)
• Cooking appliance (thinking about a 22" Blackstone with Stand, but would I rather have the Rivian kitchen? Or something else?)
• Toilet - what toilet do you guys recommend? Something that is as friendly to a wife who likes creature comforts.
• It seems like the Husky bins have a clear top and fit under the tonneau cover, so I'll likely want to leverage those.
• Powered cooler or fridge...something to keep meat, eggs, etc... from going bad. What do you recommend and where does it go?
• Soft shackles, a hitch recovery point, tow strap, recovery boards, etc...

Please help complete my list of what I need to have an enjoyable day or two overlanding.

On the cooler front, I picked up the iceco cooler
https://icecofreezer.com/products/37qt-vl35pros-12v-metal-single-zone-freezer-iceco
It's literally the only one that has a good capacity, that will fit just under the tonneau. It runs either 120v AC or 12v DC. We just came off a 2 week camping trip with it, and it performed flawlessly. I would recommend watching for deals, as they often do 15-20% off. You can also try emailing their CS for a promo code.
It's on the tailgate, passenger side in the photo.

 

[domodan]

On the cooler front, I picked up the iceco cooler
https://icecofreezer.com/products/37qt-vl35pros-12v-metal-single-zone-freezer-iceco
It's literally the only one that has a good capacity, that will fit just under the tonneau. It runs either 120v AC or 12v DC. We just came off a 2 week camping trip with it, and it performed flawlessly. I would recommend watching for deals, as they often do 15-20% off. You can also try emailing their CS for a promo code.
It's on the tailgate, passenger side in the photo.

Thanks for the suggestion, and the tip on the discount. It's a pricy little fella, so 15-20% off is worth waiting for!

 

[COdogman]

 

[Singletracker]

I would consider a canopy, instead of an awning. Most awnings are quite expensive. They attach to the truck, which limits where you can sit to take advantage of the shade. They may also not be deployable, if space around the truck is limited. And, what if you need to move your truck, after you have set up that awning A canopy is cheaper and can be set up anywhere, in minutes. I bought a Crown Shades 8’x8’ awning off Amazon for less than $150. I can easily set this awning up, by myself, in barely a minute - seriously, it’s crazy simple and quick. I have only used it twice now, but it has been awesome! On both of these occasions, a truck attached awning would have been completely useless. Can’t attest to the durability of the Crown Shades awning, but, if it last a couple of years, it will have been worth it, at that price.

 

[Dark-Fx]

We've used one of the smaller thetford cassette toilets. Works fine but we generally only urinated in them, since we had real toilets available a bit further away.

I'd highly recommend including a shower awing for some privacy. I can't find a photo of ours deployed at a campground at all, but, here:

 

[domodan]

I would consider a canopy, instead of an awning. Most awnings are quite expensive. They attach to the truck, which limits where you can sit to take advantage of the shade. They may also not be deployable, if space around the truck is limited. And, what if you need to move your truck, after you have set up that awning A canopy is cheaper and can be set up anywhere, in minutes. I bought a Crown Shades 8’x8’ awning off Amazon for less than $150. I can easily set this awning up, by myself, in barely a minute - seriously, it’s crazy simple and quick. I have only used it twice now, but it has been awesome! On both of these occasions, a truck attached awning would have been completely useless. Can’t attest to the durability of the Crown Shades awning, but, if it last a couple of years, it will have been worth it, at that price.

Great suggestion, and I agree with your line of thinking. Thank you.

 

[Singletracker]

As for the fridge, they are a game changer versus an ice chest. I have a Dometic and love it, but it is barely too tall to fit under a tonneau. The Iceco may be the ticket.

 

[Erik+]

 

[MountainBikeDude]

As for the fridge, they are a game changer versus an ice chest. I have a Dometic and love it, but it is barely too tall to fit under a tonneau. The Iceco may be the ticket.

Agreed. I had Yeti Tundra Haul, which was great, but was like an inch too tall to fit under the tonneau, even with the wheels and feet removed. It really sucked trying to find a decent cooler or fridge, that would fit, but still provide decent capacity. I was super fortunate, in that the Yeti cooler I had, was part of a Hilti Fleet promo, so I got it for free (with the purchase of 22k worth of tools) so I was able to sell it for nearly the cost of the swap to the Iceco.

While the Iceco has a smaller capacity, my rationale, was that without the need to keep ice/ice packs in the fridge/cooler, I wasn't technically losing space, it balanced out. Compressor, or ice, either one was going to reduce overall capacity.

I still bring a soft Yeti flip top cooler for things that may not necessarily need to be kept cold, but need to be kept contained. Can also toss ice in if needed and store it under the tonneau, in the tunnel, or frunk. Tunnel is the best place to keep things cooler longer as well. Tonneau grabs a good deal of summer heat and can warm the bed of the truck. The Frunk, because of the radiators, ac compressor beneath it, can also get toasty. Of note, the Iceco cooler I linked won't fit in the tunnel. They have a smaller version that can, but I like to keep tenting gear, chairs, shelters etc in the tunnel.

 

[MountainBikeDude]

Some prefer the term She-wee, others are all about the She-nis.

 

[shracks]

On the cooler front, I picked up the iceco cooler
https://icecofreezer.com/products/37qt-vl35pros-12v-metal-single-zone-freezer-iceco
It's literally the only one that has a good capacity, that will fit just under the tonneau. It runs either 120v AC or 12v DC.
...

How much space do you have between the top of the cooler and the bottom of the tonneau with that Iceco cooler?

 

[iansriv]

Now I know why I haven't been camping since I got married.

 

[MountainBikeDude]

How much space do you have between the top of the cooler and the bottom of the tonneau with that Iceco cooler?

About 3/4"? I'll double check this evening though.

 

[Singletracker]

I usually have my mountain bike in the truck bed, so using the tonneau is not an option. While I could put the fridge in the bed (w/no tonneau), the Dometic usually lives in the back seat area. I don’t want it sitting out exposed to whatever I just fold one seat, lay down a piece of plywood, set the fridge on top, run the power cord into the gear tunnel, where I can hook it up to my EcoFlow or the truck. I usually use the EcoFlow to conserve the truck battery (don’t have to leave the outlets on full time). Gear tunnel is for folding chairs, table, canopy, hiking poles, EcoFlow, etc. Frunk is for my Solo Stove Fire Pit, plastic boxes for all my cooking stuff and misc. junk. Well, you get the idea. I think I pack pretty much like MountainBikeDude.

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