Camping with your Gladiator

[WILDHOBO]

Camping on the Mogollon Rim north of Payson AZ. About 100 ft from the 700 ft drop so a good breeze most of the time. Campsites are unlimited up here, being the Coconino National Forest. I don't do fires, maybe charcoal if a steak is handy.

I love the portable propane fire pit. In fire country it’s safer, and it doesn’t make You smell like smoke.

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[JTGuy]

Driver seat pushed backend reclined, extra pillow or 2. Blanket, and I am gone. Probably not the best for freezing weather.

 

[WILDHOBO]

Driver seat pushed backend reclined, extra pillow or 2. Blanket, and I am gone. Probably not the best for freezing weather.

I’ve tried. It did not go well.

 

[Mbryson]

Driver seat pushed backend reclined, extra pillow or 2. Blanket, and I am gone. Probably not the best for freezing weather.

I've tried the passenger seat. I'm not a huge guy (6' 1" and 250 lbs) but that was pretty cramped. I remember getting about 2-3 hours of sleep

 

[ChrisNLA]

I love the portable propane fire pit. In first fire country it’s safer, and it doesn’t mzke You smell like smoke.

I'm the opposite. Love a good wood fire.

GOOD wood though. If you can get some correctly dried wood it burns real clean and the smoke smell isn't so bad. We have a grocery store of all things by the house that has some really nice dry bundles we grab for the house and local trips.

I do feel you though. Less than ideal wood - you smell like you've been hovering over a smoker for 10 hours

I have considered getting a small propane pit for the race weekend as lighting a wood fire in the middle of a tightly packed campground outside of a raceway is a different ballgame, but man finding the space to haul that...

So we have done without so far.

 

[WILDHOBO]

I've tried the passenger seat. I'm not a huge guy (6' 1" and 250 lbs) but that was pretty cramped. I remember getting about 2-3 hours of sleep

I’m about the same at 6,1 200 and it’s possible, but not a good sleep. I’ve stopped for naps on super long drives and done it, but it’s just good enough for that, at least for me. Kudos to anyone that it works for. Definitely the fastest option.

 

[peter dragon]

Nice setup!! Do you have any closer pictures of that rack on the bed cap? That’s a different looking one for me but I like what I can see of it.

I just installed a second one over the tailgate to shade the ice coolers. They were on sale on Amazon for $135, so I grabbed another. This is the smaller of the two as they make a bigger one but it was way too large for what I wanted. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08ZS3Y1X7. The cover you see is a beach Umbrella cover that's 57 inches long and it fit perfectly to extend the life of the awning cover.

 

[RudeJeepin]

I’ve tried. It did not go well.

For me, it works best, if I can park nose high. Makes it feel more like a recliner.

 

[KevinM60]

Lucerne Valley overnighter and cleanup trip

 

[Mud Pie]

Driver seat pushed backend reclined, extra pillow or 2. Blanket, and I am gone. Probably not the best for freezing weather.

My wife says I can fall asleep on a sidewalk, I told her I'm former military, I can rack-out anywhere. With that being said, I am not as young, no where near as in shape. Yes, I can still crap out anywhere, but comfortably ? Nope. I need to lay down to truly sleep, not just knock out a few Z's.

One time while sitting on the living room floor assembling something, I laid back to stretch out my back. My wife came home and thought I died. I fell asleep. She couldn't believe at dozed off on the floor.

 

[Free2roam]

My wife says I can fall asleep on a sidewalk, I told her I'm former military, I can rack-out anywhere. With that being said, I am not as young, no where near as in shape. Yes, I can still crap out anywhere, but comfortably ? Nope. I need to lay down to truly sleep, not just knock out a few Z's.

One time while sitting on the living room floor assembling something, I laid back to stretch out my back. My wife came home and thought I died. I fell asleep. She couldn't believe at dozed off on the floor.

I'll sleep anywhere. Like a brick. I've had the flights attendants pull out the crash cart on decent more than once. I'll snore in a tent with the wind whipping rain falling and so forth. Sleep is also overrated. I've driven for a straight 24 hours. Left work one night 12am and drive 8 straight stayed up all day. Done 107 hours of work in a week. The list goes on.

 

[KevinM60]

Driver seat pushed backend reclined, extra pillow or 2. Blanket, and I am gone. Probably not the best for freezing weather.

I did a one nighter simple trip and slept in the cab for the first time.
Passenger seat worked better because it doesn’t have the steering wheel and foot pedals.
It took me a little while to get comfortable but I woke up feeling pretty rested.

 

[Blade1668]

Gents, I've been looking at cot tents today when I've had a few minutes. I've had a roof top tent in past rigs and know what I'm in for with those. I'm a reluctant camper. My wife and I are headed out with a youth group for 3 nights this year where the cot tent could come in pretty handy.

1) do the cot tents have a sleeping pad in them? Can you fold up a sleeping bag in with them like a roof top tent?

2)I have the aforementioned 3 nights (I can suffer through a good ground tent and sleeping pad I have for three nights---I bought the sleeping pad to use on the Rubicon a few years ago when my wife came with) but also have 2, 3 and 3 other nights where a RTT would be just great


Is there a cot tent with a sleeping pad in it that I can fold up bedding in it that will fit in the JT truck bed? I love the fast deploy of the RTT.

FYI (I clipped out photos) to save space.
On Tent Cot brand the generation 1 I have didn't have a pad the second one I got did have one. I've used them for around 20 some years. Definitely not always comfortable depending on weather. Can be really hot and stuffy, one of my other dislikes that has came more with age is having to crawl out of them being low to ground about 8 inches off of it. "About 17 cm" for all of you that can't figure out inches. I could strap it on my Wrangler spare tire or on trailer with 4 wheeler. I've spent more than a few nights in pouring rain in it and several occasions set on trailer due to the mud. A few nights with temps at or below freezing in it. I'm not sure the last time I used my ground tent actually. Being I have several hammocks, Tent Cots, RTT, and T.T. I might have to go back to tent or travel trailer now having a dog.

 

[Blade1668]

I'll sleep anywhere. Like a brick. I've had the flights attendants pull out the crash cart on decent more than once. I'll snore in a tent with the wind whipping rain falling and so forth. Sleep is also overrated. I've driven for a straight 24 hours. Left work one night 12am and drive 8 straight stayed up all day. Done 107 hours of work in a week. The list goes on.

In younger years I could and did crash out on a rock or whatever. Back then if I slept more than 4-5 hours I would be groggy.
I've definitely done more than a few of them drives and work weeks. Last year a buddy of mine wanted to do a "bucket list" trip, I ended up driving straight from N.M. to middle TN nonstop. Years back trip(s) to Key West from Savanna GA and back over a 4 day weekend for scuba diving.

 

[Mbryson]

Gents, I've been looking at cot tents today when I've had a few minutes. I've had a roof top tent in past rigs and know what I'm in for with those. I'm a reluctant camper. My wife and I are headed out with a youth group for 3 nights this year where the cot tent could come in pretty handy.

1) do the cot tents have a sleeping pad in them? Can you fold up a sleeping bag in with them like a roof top tent?

2)I have the aforementioned 3 nights (I can suffer through a good ground tent and sleeping pad I have for three nights---I bought the sleeping pad to use on the Rubicon a few years ago when my wife came with) but also have 2, 3 and 3 other nights where a RTT would be just great


Is there a cot tent with a sleeping pad in it that I can fold up bedding in it that will fit in the JT truck bed? I love the fast deploy of the RTT.


With the RTT: I've only had the fold out tents. I'm pretty intrigued by the vertical tents. If I buy a new RTT, I'm planning on the alum shell. What are the advantages of a wedge type tent vs a fold out (CVT or ARB Simpson type) vs a pop-up/vertical unit?

Wedge type:

Flip out:

What I think a "pop-up/vertical" type is

I have the vertical-pop up RTT on the way. We'll see how it goes. 3 nights this year, my wife and I will be in a traditional ground tent. I have an Exped pad (i think that's the brand?) that I bought 8-9 years ago when she decided to come on a Rubicon trip that we'll use for the ground tent.

The RTT will work great for Hole in the Rock, Rubicon and the couple other trips this year. After having 2 camp nights last year and zero the year before that, I will have 10-11 plus this year. We'll see how things go.

The RTT will mount to a JT removable rack I made a few years ago. I can use the removable rack in the Gladiator, my F350 (not likely) or strap it down on my gooseneck trailer and use it there (might happen for a.night or two?). We'll see if I'm too old to manhandle the rack/tent combo around?

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