How to camp when sleeping in the Bronco…

[RC Bronco]

I’m deeply impressed that you can go three weeks without a shower.

there is a hot shower in here, it fits in a Frontrunner Flat Pack. I always have Dude Wipes or another variety to wipe myself down as well

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[HalfmuleFarmer]

there is a hot shower in here, it fits in a Frontrunner Flat Pack. I always have Dude Wipes or another variety to wipe myself down as well

TMI, but

 

[CalvinT]

I’m deeply impressed that you can go three weeks without a shower.

I bet you're not as impressed as people who get near him.

 

[Climber_Diver]

I have a 2021 so I’m always making modifications, but my basic tenet is to sleep in the Bronco. I went from a soft top to a hard top because of travel in bear country. I have a half rack, but I found a vinyl roof top storage bag really hurt mileage, so I bought a short hard case roof top carrier. I haven’t used it yet, so we’ll see if it helps. I built a leveling platform very inexpensively. REI makes a Tailgate Shelter that I use for gear storage, cooking and getting out of the sun and rain. I got a popup latrine and I’m happy.

 

[Ironiguana]

Hello! I just came back from a 2-day trip where I wanted to see if sleeping in the Bronco could work. I have a couple of sleeping pads, pillows, and blankets and stayed overnight at a campsite on my way to my destination and the way back. I found that sleeping in my 4-door was very comfortable. However, it became obvious very quickly that I would need a better way to store my camping kit.

While the sleeping itself was much more comfortable than I expected, keeping all my camping gear in the Bronco with me at night wasn’t a good long term solution. Now I’m thinking about an SUV tent to act as a living room while the Bronco serves as the bedroom or maybe a full stand-alone tent for traditional camping.

What does anyone here who sleeps in their Bronco while camping do to handle all the gear they haul? You can’t leave it outside at night….can/should you? If I need to bring a tent regardless, is there a benefit to sleeping in the Bronco and using an SUV tent over a traditional stand-alone tent?

I’m very curious how you handle this? Thoughts/ideas?

This works for me:
https://a.co/d/0gms9RNi

 

[Ramble_Offroad]

I bought this to use so that my gear is covered and stays dry.

GEERTOP Large Car Awning Camping... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CSSMMT1H?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

I have the airbedz xuv blowup mattress, with the seats folded down I just lay out the mattress and then fold it in half towards the seats. Gear goes in the back, so it’s easy to load/unload. I now have the BroAddict TrailDeck, but haven’t been out solo in the Bronco since installing it.

That tarp is a direct knock off of SJK’s Roadhouse Tarp I developed years ago. However my current favorite is Kelty’s Highroads tarp. (This is what I do for work)

 

[Roger123]

I have a two door so I have no experience sleeping in my Bronco BUT I have a ton of experience sleeping in my Grand Cherokee.

The key, BRING LESS STUFF. I have a thermarest and sleeping bag I use for the passenger side and my food box and cooler stay on the drivers side. I live very comfortably out of it for several days.

I've lived off of my motorcycle (tent camping) for 45 days, you just need to know how to pack and realize in America there is a Dollar Store in EVERY small town and you don't need a full change of clothes every day and 50 million electronic gadgets and gizmos.

 

[EasternSierra]

I get that the question is about sleeping IN the vehicle, but … key consideration is are you alone or not. I’ve got a significant other who *loves* camping, so sleeping two comfortably is a must.

But the other question is WHY sleep inside? Even sleeping in or on the vehicle there’s still set up time. The only reasons I can understand are 1) BAD weather, and 2) safety (maybe?). I just tend to pay attention to the forecast and not camp in urban areas. ;-) A decent old-school tent might not be sexy, but it’s easy. Inexpensive, flexible, lots of options. Camp mattresses are now very comfy. Here in Utah, there’s rarely chance of meaningful rain, the wind is more of a serious enemy.

I do understand the appeal of a RTT, but I’d have to be going out every weekend to want something that big and heavy on my vehicle all the time. And I actually like the tent setup process. It’s traditional. I get a full campsite going. And it allows me the option to be a bit further into the wild, 50-100 yards from the vehicle.

I spent close to 30 years camping (on public lands out west) in extended-cab pickups with a shell on the bed. Gear was in the cab and I'd sleep in back. It was easy to pull into a camp site out in the boonies, put a few things in back like a water bottle etc., unroll the sleeping bag, and sleep. It if rained, was windy, or was below freezing there was no problem (except the time the rear hatch froze in place and I had to kick it loose). I could pull off in the middle of nowhere, with a skinny spot to park and nowhere to put a tent, and spend the night. It was way easier than setting up a tent, and you could pull in late and get to bed fast without all the hassle of setting up camp.

As I got old, crawling into the back of the truck also got old, and I began thinking I'd like an SUV instead. Here I am now with the best 4x4 I've ever owned, but I have to re-conceptualize camping in a vehicle. I've only camped in it once, with enough gear for a week-long trip, and it was cramped. I don't have established stowage practices to fall back on so I was inventing them as I went along. Unfortunately, I had to return home after one night for entirely unrelated issues, but it sure was comfortable on the Deep Sleep mattress. It's just going to take more time for me to figure out how to make this work easily and efficiently.

 

[23OBX2.7]

I spent close to 30 years camping (on public lands out west) in extended-cab pickups with a shell on the bed. Gear was in the cab and I'd sleep in back. It was easy to pull into a camp site out in the boonies, put a few things in back like a water bottle etc., unroll the sleeping bag, and sleep. It if rained, was windy, or was below freezing there was no problem (except the time the rear hatch froze in place and I had to kick it loose). I could pull off in the middle of nowhere, with a skinny spot to park and nowhere to put a tent, and spend the night. It was way easier than setting up a tent, and you could pull in late and get to bed fast without all the hassle of setting up camp.

As I got old, crawling into the back of the truck also got old, and I began thinking I'd like an SUV instead. Here I am now with the best 4x4 I've ever owned, but I have to re-conceptualize camping in a vehicle. I've only camped in it once, with enough gear for a week-long trip, and it was cramped. I don't have established stowage practices to fall back on so I was inventing them as I went along. Unfortunately, I had to return home after one night for entirely unrelated issues, but it sure was comfortable on the Deep Sleep mattress. It's just going to take more time for me to figure out how to make this work easily and efficiently.

Sounds like you're an expert! I would say that roof or hitch, or even very small low profile HD cargo trailer makes sense for glamping while a simple cooler and basics in front seat when sleeping would seem to work.

Good tip on the deep sleep mattress...it's tempting.

 

[HalfmuleFarmer]

I spent close to 30 years camping (on public lands out west) in extended-cab pickups with a shell on the bed. Gear was in the cab and I'd sleep in back. It was easy to pull into a camp site out in the boonies, put a few things in back like a water bottle etc., unroll the sleeping bag, and sleep. It if rained, was windy, or was below freezing there was no problem (except the time the rear hatch froze in place and I had to kick it loose). I could pull off in the middle of nowhere, with a skinny spot to park and nowhere to put a tent, and spend the night. It was way easier than setting up a tent, and you could pull in late and get to bed fast without all the hassle of setting up camp.

As I got old, crawling into the back of the truck also got old, and I began thinking I'd like an SUV instead. Here I am now with the best 4x4 I've ever owned, but I have to re-conceptualize camping in a vehicle. I've only camped in it once, with enough gear for a week-long trip, and it was cramped. I don't have established stowage practices to fall back on so I was inventing them as I went along. Unfortunately, I had to return home after one night for entirely unrelated issues, but it sure was comfortable on the Deep Sleep mattress. It's just going to take more time for me to figure out how to make this work easily and efficiently.

I guess it’s all really about a few issues: 1) Are you (always) solo? And 2) do you have to worry about bad weather? And then how often do you get out there. If your answers are “yes, yes, almost every week” then maybe a roof top tent is the way to go. The new mattresses are great, no matter where you throw them down.

 

[tourproto]

Shifted stuff to 1 side and put mattress down on other side. Only pic I could find

Exactly how I do it. Deep Sleep inflatable mattress on one side. Cooler, cooktop and whatever else I have on the other side. Works just fine for me for solo fishing or hunting.

I also have the M2M Flip Down Attic installed in the back and the DV8 overhead molle panel installed in the front. This allows me to "hang" my hunting rifle and/or fly rods from the roof and it doesn't cost me any usable internal headroom space.

https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/thre...ong-guns-inside-a-bronco.112580/#post-2504759

 

[tourproto]

I have a 2021 so I’m always making modifications, but my basic tenet is to sleep in the Bronco. I went from a soft top to a hard top because of travel in bear country. I have a half rack, but I found a vinyl roof top storage bag really hurt mileage, so I bought a short hard case roof top carrier. I haven’t used it yet, so we’ll see if it helps. I built a leveling platform very inexpensively. REI makes a Tailgate Shelter that I use for gear storage, cooking and getting out of the sun and rain. I got a popup latrine and I’m happy.

This is really sweet, but when I car camp, I sometimes need to "get up and go" fast. Assuming I return to the same location, is the REI shelter stable on its own? In other words, can I take it off the back of the Bronco and "seal it up" if there is inclement weather? Obviously won't leave food inside (bears and other critters) but if it is stable enough that wind won't blow it over, and rain can't get inside, this might be a useful setup as a mini base camp. Probably can't work for hunting because it is usually too cold to be out in the open like that. But summertime fishing, that could be the trick!

 

[615_Bronco]

I sleep above my gear in a two door thanks to @Meraki Hammocks
https://merakihammocks.com/

 

[HalfmuleFarmer]

I sleep above my gear in a two door thanks to @Meraki Hammocks
https://merakihammocks.com/

Let’s see setup pics!

 

[mikeofthenorth]

I recently did 10 solo days straight and was very happy and comfortable with this as my setup. I do photography and conditions ranged from 15 degrees to 85 so I was packing a more diverse amount of gear and equipment than normal but it all worked really well.

Home-built shelf in cargo area to level sleeping area and also give me underneath storage to store stove, backpacks, other items. 3/4" UV coated plywood on 1x4's adding my own poly coat on non-UV surfaces and edges for extra moisture resistance. Added a Home Depot floor mat cut to fit to give some grip. This worked great and lives in my car full time now.

Armadillo Designs interior side molle panels, absolute game changer. All of my clothes tucked between my window and the panels in stuff sacks, then on the inside of the panels I hung a variety of molle pouches storing my gear.
https://armadillo.design/products/interior-side-molle-panels

Blue Ridge Overland attic, this mainly held all my jackets.
https://www.blueridgeoverlandgear.com/products/bronco-attic

Used a backpacking camp towel that rolled down to nothing and hung it off the molle - normal towels take up a sneaky amount of space.

Smaller cooler - Coleman Pro 25 quart is what I used

Tailgate table

My Coleman stove fits perfect on the tailgate table, but the propane tank does not, so I got a 5' extension hose so the stove can fit on the table and the tank sits on the ground.

Window vents for hot/humid conditions
https://www.visualautowerks.com/products/bronco-window-vents-6th-gen?variant=39484812197949

Therm-a-rest MongoKing 3D sleeping pad with a real pillow. I do tent camping as well so this pad serves both purposes compared to a DeepSleep. Was as comfortable as my bed at home once I dialed in the correct pressure.

Strung up paracord with from my passenger door handles through the front ceiling panel latches and back with binder clips tied about every 9". Took a dark twin mattress sheet folded in half and clipped it up around to create a blackout curtain.

Food crate and water container went in the passenger seat to keep back clear. Propane, tools, inflator, and extra shoes stuffed behind the passenger seat.

I have a lot of lights...but shoutout to the Fenix CL22R. Good mix of modes and clipped right onto my attic as an overhead light.

I also found the need for ditch lights, especially when cornering at night. Huge fan of these as they look really good and don't stand out in daily driving: https://blumak3d.com/products/blumak3d-ditch-lights-for-ford-bronco

It's hard to photograph and actually looks a bit more cluttered as I push everything toward the tailgate where the clutter doesn't matter. I kept the entire space next to me wide open, it felt as roomy and normal as any 2-3 person tent. After this trip, for solo travel I feel no need to ever get a roof rack + RTT. However, as a typical tent camper it did open my eyes to how convenient it is not to set up and take down a tent repeatedly... so a camper trailer may be in in the future now for family camping!

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