First camping trip with the Ranger.

[Turborave]

Took the boys to the lake this weekend for our 1st camping trip in the truck. Things I've noticed or need to address in the future:

I used to use our VW routan (dodge caravan/Chrysler town and country) for camping. I have all my stuff in big tubs, plus coolers, tent, loose stuff.

i have the hard tonneau cover, my stuff sticks up past it, so that was just folded up all the way. I used ratchet straps and bungies to secure my cargo. i realized that if it rained, id be screwed. also cannot stop any where along the way or back because all my stuff is just out there in the open.

So when i got home i began to research cargo cover options.. i see the soft topper, which looks good, but pricey, and i wish the support bars were black instead of bright chrome to go with the black and blue aesthetic of the truck, and im guessing id have to swap it out for the tonneau cover when i want to use it.

2nd, a big ass tarp.. probably not...


3rd, this thing:

Not bad for $100 or so, but it doesn't allow for water flow to not go INSIDE the bed if it did rain.

and this thing:

which is cheap and doesn't have very good reviews....

also, this ridiculous 1x use situation (but hey, its blue!):

Over all, i like the truck better than the van for the flexibility it allows, but i miss the securing of the cargo and the weatherproofing.

Also, the wife can never complain the truck is too big, there were some monsters down there at the lake!

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[mtbikernate]

Aside from the obvious camper shell recommendations, I say just put EVERYTHING in good totes. That way, who cares if they get wet?

My truck bed is going to stay open, and any trucks I've ever owned or used in the past either had a camper shell or open bed, and containers were always the way we handled it.

 

[Ranger8729]

Just got back from my first trip as well. I would suggest to get some sturdy totes and just leave them in the bed. Did that with my 87 for a decade. I'm coming from a Jeep where I could put my two kayaks up top and all my tent/gear in totes in the cargo area and on a hitch basket.

I don't have roof rails, so the kayaks went to the bed; done that before on short trips. Problem is now the totes I have packed are about 3" too wide for the back seat and to be able close the doors! I am able to fit all the totes/gear in the back with my soft fold tonneau, but I had to get my trailer out to haul the kayaks. Different vehicles = different strokes. Wasn't too bad but unexpected.

For the future we have a teardrop camper on order that has roof rails, so that will make our camping trips WAY easier with all the gear stowed in a single towable. And AC ?

 

[Deleted member 1634]

For the future we have a teardrop camper on order that has roof rails, so that will make our camping trips WAY easier with all the gear stowed in a single towable. And AC ?

Sorry to sidetrack, but it really is nice having a self-contained camping/adventure rig.

Kind of back on topic, we had similar issues as OP, or were about to. Not enough room under the tonneau for all our gear (when we weren't taking the camper). Ended up getting a topper. Quite expensive, but well worth it for us. Probably not on your options list if you think a soft-topper is already too expensive. haha

 

[Turborave]

Sorry to sidetrack, but it really is nice having a self-contained camping/adventure rig.

Kind of back on topic, we had similar issues as OP, or were about to. Not enough room under the tonneau for all our gear (when we weren't taking the camper). Ended up getting a topper. Quite expensive, but well worth it for us. Probably not on your options list if you think a soft-topper is already too expensive. haha

tell me about your cap where is it from?

 

[Deleted member 1634]

tell me about your cap where is it from?

Mine's a Leer 100XR. Decided to go one level above the base model since I plan on making this truck last awhile and might as well get what I want. I also minimized the options list, since I always had the intention of modifying it myself to make it exactly what I wanted. Around $2400 after a few discounts.

Options:
- Lock connected to the truck (locks/unlocks with truck keyfob)
- Driver's side windoor (pax side has the standard slider)
- Front window slider (to match up with slider on truck cab rear window) and removable
- Set of three 12V outlets
- Interior light

I've since added myself:
- Swingcase box on driver's side with Quikfist clamps for various items (accessible through the side windoor if needed)
- A cargo net attached to the ceiling on the driver's side (easily accessible through the side windoor)
- Yakima roof rack (Thule option from Leer was 2-3 times as much)

 

[Turborave]

Mine's a Leer 100XR. Decided to go one level above the base model since I plan on making this truck last awhile and might as well get what I want. I also minimized the options list, since I always had the intention of modifying it myself to make it exactly what I wanted. Around $2400 after a few discounts.

Options:
- Lock connected to the truck (locks/unlocks with truck keyfob)
- Driver's side windoor (pax side has the standard slider)
- Front window slider (to match up with slider on truck cab rear window) and removable
- Set of three 12V outlets
- Interior light

I've since added myself:
- Swingcase box on driver's side with Quikfist clamps for various items (accessible through the side windoor if needed)
- A cargo net attached to the ceiling on the driver's side (easily accessible through the side windoor)
- Yakima roof rack (Thule option from Leer was 2-3 times as much)

those come painted? the leer site says the 100XR would not fit my truck. is the installation of it a DIY or does it get done some where? the wiring sounds like the most complex part about the whole thing.

 

[Deleted member 1634]

those come painted? the leer site says the 100XR would not fit my truck. is the installation of it a DIY or does it get done some where? the wiring sounds like the most complex part about the whole thing.

The Leer site is garbage and of no help what-so-ever. I ended up going into my local Leer dealer to get an idea of the toppers that would fit, as well as available options, features, and pricing (which differs between locations and dealers). I also cross shopped with the local ARE dealer on their prices and options, since they are slightly different. Some places I've heard they are upwards of $1000 difference between comparable models. My 2 local dealers were giving me about the same price between Leer and ARE. ARE might be cheaper in your area. There's also Snugtop and other manufacturers as well that might be worth checking on. There's a lot of info on toppers in this thread. That's where I got my ideas.

It does come paint matched as standard. Same paint code as the truck from the factory. Or you could have it in whatever color you wanted I suppose as well.

I suppose you could do it yourself if you really wanted. But that would be a hassle and most people do it through your local Leer dealer. Costs maybe a couple hundred bucks for install (mine was free with the deal they were running). Wiring isn't hard at all if you have the tow package wiring, they just tap into that. The wiring for the 12v outlets was the only "difficult" one on mine, but again that was an option I chose.

 

[Turborave]

what about this fella?

its the bestop one.. it has black structure instead of the silver like the super topper... hmm.. its about $870.

 

[CO2Ranger]

Took the boys to the lake this weekend for our 1st camping trip in the truck. Things I've noticed or need to address in the future:

I used to use our VW routan (dodge caravan/Chrysler town and country) for camping. I have all my stuff in big tubs, plus coolers, tent, loose stuff.

i have the hard tonneau cover, my stuff sticks up past it, so that was just folded up all the way. I used ratchet straps and bungies to secure my cargo. i realized that if it rained, id be screwed. also cannot stop any where along the way or back because all my stuff is just out there in the open.

So when i got home i began to research cargo cover options.. i see the soft topper, which looks good, but pricey, and i wish the support bars were black instead of bright chrome to go with the black and blue aesthetic of the truck, and im guessing id have to swap it out for the tonneau cover when i want to use it.

2nd, a big ass tarp.. probably not...


3rd, this thing:

Not bad for $100 or so, but it doesn't allow for water flow to not go INSIDE the bed if it did rain.

and this thing:

which is cheap and doesn't have very good reviews....

also, this ridiculous 1x use situation (but hey, its blue!):

Over all, i like the truck better than the van for the flexibility it allows, but i miss the securing of the cargo and the weatherproofing.

Also, the wife can never complain the truck is too big, there were some monsters down there at the lake!

Would it not be easier and cheaper to just buy shorter totes (assuming you can still fit what you need in them) and use your existing tonneau?

 

[RANGER_MARC]

Would it not be easier and cheaper to just buy shorter totes (assuming you can still fit what you need in them) and use your existing tonneau?

I had similar issues, which I solved to my satisfaction with one trip to Home Depot. We bought a bunch of plastic cargo bins with hard tops in varied sizes. Once the top is on, they are waterproof and can be held securely in place with a normal cargo net. They are not absolutely theft-free, of course, but it would be pretty much trouble (and pretty obvious) for someone to climb up on the truck to open them--and all that, while not knowing if there is anything valuable inside--and so I feel pretty confident about leaving the truck parked for rest stops and such. Under normal conditions, I like to have free access to the bed, and so I did not want a tonneau or topper.

 

[Deleted member 1634]

what about this fella?

its the bestop one.. it has black structure instead of the silver like the super topper... hmm.. its about $870.

Those are perfect for the times you need to haul something like camping gear. And I had considered one of those soft-toppers as well. They're easy to uninstall and retract for larger items. But what made me hesitant is the inability to mount things on top like our kayak racks, without some sort of exoskeleton type rack which adds more money to the setup. And also the ability to carry snow loads. Though you could take it off in the winter if that'd be a concern. It really is like a soft tonneau but with more room underneath. So for a lot of people it's a pretty good system.

 

[Turborave]

Would it not be easier and cheaper to just buy shorter totes (assuming you can still fit what you need in them) and use your existing tonneau?

my gear exceeds the limit of what the tonneau can cover

 

[Turborave]

i think i see more tubs in my future

 

[Deleted member 1634]

my gear exceeds the limit of what the tonneau can cover

This is the issue I ran into as well. The bed was basically packed solid of gear. Could maybe fit another pair of shoes somewhere, but that was about it, that's how tight it was. So I knew if there was ever a trip where we needed one more bag or the dogs kennels (even though they collapse down flat), we'd be out of luck.

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