The Features Your Vehicle Needs for Camping

By Ben Stewart

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The Case for All-Wheel Drive

Campsites and the roads that lead to them are incredibly varied. Some sites can be accessed from the pavement and have bathrooms nearby, which is quite convenient. But many recreational campers want to tread a little further away from civilization. And that means leaving the paved roads behind. Dirt roads that lead to remote locations tend to become a little less like roads and more like trails the farther you go. If this sounds like a fun adventure, consider choosing a vehicle with all-wheel drive and more ground clearance than a typical car.

To reach truly remote locations, you’ll need to take off-road trails. Go for a vehicle with a classic 4-wheel-drive system that includes low-range gearing. In short, be sure to know the type of terrain you want to explore before buying a vehicle.

The Deeper You Go, the More You Bring

Pack your vehicle for just one overnight, and you will realize just how much stuff is required to camp out. The longer your trip, the more things you’ll need to bring with you. Extra food, water, and clothing take up space and add weight. Venture further into the wild in a 4×4, and you might want some specialized off-road equipment, too. To be well prepared for off-road exploring, stock your vehicle with basic emergency supplies, recovery gear, and perhaps a few tools, too, should something break — and something usually does. Yes, this stuff will add even more weight to your vehicle.

Storage Space and Payload

How much cargo space do you need?

Once you have an idea where you might travel and for how long, you can zero in on the best vehicles for that lifestyle. No surprise, a larger SUV, pickup truck, or van will provide the most space and have the ability to carry more weight. But smaller vehicles are more maneuverable and easier to manage on tight trails.

Many campers strike a balance — they get vehicles that can carry lots of equipment and remain highly maneuverable. That’s why it’s essential to know how many cubic feet of cargo space is available with the seats up and with them folded. This will provide a standardized number for comparisons, and it will help you figure out if the vehicle you’re eyeing can carry what you will need.

How much cargo weight can your car carry?

You need to know how much weight the vehicle can handle — that is called the payload. This spec can be found on the inside of the driver’s door jamb or in the owner’s manual. Be aware the total payload weight can add up very quickly. For example, a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited has a payload that ranges from around 850 pounds up to 1,300 pounds, depending on how the vehicle is optioned from the factory.

That number doesn’t just count the weight of the cargo on board; it also includes the people. So, two 200-pound passengers and their gear could take up a sizable chunk of Wrangler payload. And that’s assuming the Wrangler owner has not bolted on serious off-roading equipment. That electric winch and those heavy-duty steel bumpers add serious weight.

Tents and Rooftop Tents

One way to shave some weight from the camping equation is to forgo the tent option and sleep inside your vehicle. But generally, tents aren’t too heavy unless you opt for the rooftop variety. Rooftop tents are popular, especially for overlanding, which is long-distance off-road camping. They can provide a great sleeping experience because many are roomy, include plush mattresses, and are high off the ground (away from critters).

Plus, they save space inside the cargo hatch for other gear. But these tents can be heavy, ranging from around 80 pounds up to 200 pounds. That extra heft eats into your vehicle’s available payload. And because the heavy tent is also up high, it can affect the vehicle’s handling on the road and off.

How much does all your camping gear weigh?

Let’s pack up for a virtual weekend camping trip and find out what kind of weight a typical trip could add to a vehicle. These weights are just an approximation and could vary wildly depending on what you might want to bring. We are packing for two people on this mock adventure who each weigh 180 pounds, plus a 40-pound dog.

Rooftop tent: 130 pounds
Sleeping bags and pads: 6 pounds
Clothing and toiletries: 15 pounds
Four gallons of water: 32 pounds
Three days of food: 12 pounds
Propane stove and fuel: 20 pounds
Cooking equipment/mess kit: 6 pounds
Two folding camp chairs: 20 pounds
Large cooler: 25 pounds
Shovel and tool kit: 10 pounds
Miscellaneous (soap, trash bags, etc.): 20 pounds
Gear total: 296 pounds

The combined weight of our adventurers and all this gear is 696 pounds. That’s quite a bit of weight. The good news is that plenty of SUVs carry a payload rating right around 1,000 pounds. However, packing for longer camping trips could require more weight capacity.

Smart Engineering

When shopping for a good camping vehicle, look for intelligent ways that automakers help make gear-hauling easier. Here are a few we have found.

Toyota offers a sliding rear cargo deck for the 4Runner. It is rated at 440 pounds and has two positions, the farthest of which slides out past the bumper and can make loading gear easier. Similarly, Ford offers a cool cargo management system for the new Bronco Sport. It allows you to create shelves and separators in the cargo hold. You can even remove the unit and use it as a camp table.

Chrysler’s Pacifica goes beyond the minivan’s inherent usefulness by offering Stow ‘n Go seating. At the touch of a button, the second- and third-row seats can disappear beneath the floor. That allows for a completely flat platform behind the front seats — a perfect space to sleep.

Ford offers the option of several onboard generators for the F-150, which can help power lots of equipment around a campsite. In addition, the Ford F-150 is available with an onboard cargo scale, to make sure you don’t overload your truck with gear. Also, a continuously controlled damping system smooths out the ride by compensating for gear in the bed or a trailer on the hitch. And Honda offers official tents through its accessory division for both the Pilot and Ridgeline.

The Honda Ridgeline’s underfloor storage can be used as a cooler. This is similar to the available bedside storage in the Ram 1500, Nissan Titan, and the Toyota Tacoma Trail Edition.