Welcome back to HEST Quest! This year, we want to take a deeper dive into what is the ideal set up for sleeping outdoors. Is it a van? A rooftop tent? The back of your truck? A truckbed camper? A tow behind trailer camper? A ground tent?
With so many options out there, HEST has set out to answer the big question: What is the BEST car camping set up?
Whether you are new to camping or a veteran overlander; everyone wants to know what is the BEST setup. What’s the most efficient, cost effective, easy, comfortable set up for sleeping outdoors? HEST Quest will explore all the different setups; sharing the benefits and setbacks of each, plus “how to” tips when it comes to building or shopping for your next mobile basecamp.
What Type of Setup is do you have?
2016 Toyota Tacoma TRD Sport (extended bed) with a Super Pacific X1 Camper.
Is it Family Friendly?
Yes.
Tell me more about the 4wd/ Off Road Capability of your set up?
What’s the kitchen/cooking set up like? Is it inside or outside?
Ours is pretty basic. We generally cook on the tailgate or on a camp table. However, we’ve seen some rad buildouts of the interior of the Super Pacific so there are lots of ways we could install a more permanent kitchen setup.
How easy is it to set up, move around, leave the vehicle/go to town?
It’s faster than most rooftop tents, but it does still take us some time to close the top and tie down all of our gear in the bed of the truck.
Benefits/Pros: What you LOVE about this set up?
The versatility! We can still use this vehicle as a daily driver. It’s taken us places our van couldn’t.
Challenges/Cons: What has been a hurdle/setback of the set up?
What are the budget considerations for investing in your set up?
What’s the swag level of your set up? While function is definitely the most important consideration when looking for a rig, we can’t deny that some set ups just LOOK GOOD! How does this set up rank in terms of coolness?
She’s definitely a head turner! We started with a stock Tacoma and customized it quite a bit—the Super Pacific is really the cherry on top of this build and we think it looks pretty sexy.HEST Foamys because they’re easy to roll up and move.
What are some tips or hacks that your experience using the set up has taught you?
Taking a trip in it before building out the truck bed helped us decide what we wanted to prioritize first. Also, Super Pacific has a forum and there’s a ton of inspiration online for customizing the build.
What are some upgrades you’ve made or want to make? Are there some key upgrades that you recommend to make your setup even better?
Our upgrades so far have all been on the Tacoma. We want to add a solar panel and onboard battery to power lights for the interior of the Super Pacific.
If you had a chance to do it over again would you choose the same set up exactly?
Would you recommend your setup to a friend?
What were your main considerations in choosing your set up/why did you choose it?
We were tired of not being able to stand up in our rooftop tent and wanted a bit more space while still using the vehicle as a daily driver. It feels like the perfect in-between of our van and our rooftop tent.
How’s the sleep quality you get in your set up? Do you wake up rested? Are there any pain points in the sleep situation in your adventure set up (e.g. pesky light, temperature issues, etc.)?
Follow along @hestoutdoors as we meet the people behind these different setups and build outs.
