Luxury Truck Bed Camping Accessories

For some people, the ideal form of camping is “roughing it,” heading out into the wilderness with a knife, a sleeping bag, some matches to start a campfire, and a profound sense of confidence.

Extreme campers don't wear shoes.

Others consider camping an electric adventure – they prefer to roll around in giant motor homes, bring along portable generators, and watch satellite TV from the woods…sort of like a bungalow on wheels.

This isn't really camping...but it sure looks comfy. Think she's drinking a margarita?

The rest of us fall somewhere in the middle. Not Davy or Daisy Crockett rigging any small game snares to catch our dinner, but not exactly interested in watching TV from our portable hot-tub while we’re enjoying the best that nature has to offer.

The good news is that for those who own a truck, there’s an easy way to strike a balance between the two. Here are some “luxury” truck camping accessories that make for a fun time outdoors that’s warm, dry, and comfortable.

Any camping enthusiast with a good-sized cap on their truck (or truck bed tent) has often pondered a way to convert their cargo bed into a more comfortable sleeping area. The biggest issue has always been making the best use of the space available, given the unique shape of a truck bed’s flat space interrupted by protruding wheel wells. Truck bedz air mattresses conform almost exactly to the shape of your truck’s bed and are available in exact fit most pickup truck models.

These truck bed air mattresses can fit in 5.5' to 6.5' beds, roughly conform to your truck's shape, and vastly improve your comfort while truck bed camping. They're available for SUVs too.

Retailing for between $70 and $100 depending upon their length, (a more luxurious model with a deluxe covering is also available for an extra $100), these mattresses include an air pump that plugs into your truck’s 12-volt outlet, and they provide you with 8 inches of comfort between you and the steel beneath.

After sleeping accommodations have been taken care of, the next order of business when camping is almost always eating. Campfires are fun, but not the most practical way of preparing every single meal. The Margaritaville Hitch Mount Propane BBQ Grill makes use of a special swing frame that mounts on a standard trailer hitch, making it easy to travel with and even easier to use.

Mount this cool grill on your truck and cook wherever you are.

All you need to do to get dinner started is swing it away from your truck and light it up. It even comes with a license plate bracket so you won’t get busted for concealing your tags. [Caption Obvious (Jason the Admin) – says “This thing would be cool as hell at a tailgate party.”] The damage is about $400…definitely a luxury item.

This person seems a little too happy to be real, but it's a good photo of the grill.

Of course, even though you are getting away from it all, you might still have real-world obligations to consider back at the office. If you need to run a laptop computer, or maybe want to stay in touch with a sports team in the playoffs using a mini-TV, then you need to consider buying a portable generator to take some of the load off of your truck battery.

Honeywell's HW2000i portable generator is top quality and CARB compliant.

The Honeywell HW2000i is rated at 2000 watts, and runs on standard gasoline for up to 5 hours at a 50 percent load. It’s easy to store – weighing in at just under 60 lbs – and the small 1.5 gallon gas tank means you won’t have to haul around a dangerous amount of fuel with you. It’s also fairly quiet to operate, which is a big consideration if you are in a state park or around other campers who might not appreciate the sound of an industrial intrusion into their relaxation.

OK – it’s not cheap (about $500). But we didn’t say this stuff was cheap…we said luxury.

Whatever you do, remember these important camping rules:

1. The key to fast setup: when you finally arrive at the campsite, don’t let anyone use the bathroom until the tents are setup.

2. Don’t eat potentially poisonous berries, mushrooms, or freeze-dried “made for camping” health snacks. Blech.

3. You can never have enough beef jerky. Never.

4. You WILL have to go to the bathroom in the absolute darkest, coldest part of the night. Plan on it.

5. Don’t lose track of your clothes for an instant…especially your pants.

Don't trust your camp buddies. They WILL steal your pants and take your picture.

6. If you do lose your pants, don’t let anyone take pictures of you. If someone does take pictures, try and look like you’re thinking about something really important.

7. Before you go on your next camping trip, make sure you’ve got sunscreen, bug spray, some extra layers for the morning cold, and don’t forget your toothbrush!

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