My two kids and I started planning out trip in June and wanted to spend at least 3 weeks on the road and only staying in campsites or on the side of the road. I've been reading lots of posts on this site and The plan was to convert my truck into a camper and bring our trailer so we could bring 2 ATVs and other support gear to be able to dry camp where ever we wanted. In the truck would just be my 6 year old daughter, 12 year old son, and myself so I was the only driver/adult on the trip. My son and I started the camper build about 2 weeks before we left and it was a lot of fun. The fact that it was over 100 degrees across the entire country when we left made figuring out how to install the window unit a great idea. The thought was to build a wall with a hole cut out to support the A/C unit but that was set in enough that I could close and lock up the truck when not in use. This was the hardest part for me to figure out but we eventually got it and it turned out pretty good. We ended up trimming cardboard to create the seal between the topper glass and the plywood wall when the window was down. We made a 4' wide bunk that straddled the truck bed rails. I ripped the bunk boards into 2' sections so I could double stack the boards and create a 2' wide bed when it was just one of the kids up top. I have an 8' bed with a tall topper and it filled up quick with the 3 of us and the gear inside so I would store bags and food in the truck cab when we set up camp. I mounted a small generator on the back of my trailer so we could pull over any where and fire up the A/C unit and lights at night if needed. I've seen some really incredible vehicles on this site that inspired me to try this out. I wasn't really planning on venturing out into the middle of nowhere with the truck so off road capabilities were not really a concern for me. We brought ATVs for that 
Below is a picture of the truck before we converted it. I build a 4x8 carpeted floor board to cover the gooseneck hitch and the truck bed ribs.
This is with the window unit pushed in so I could close up the truck
With the door open trying to plan how to load the truck for maximum room. I ended up mounting the plastic storage bins on the trailer so we would have more room.
View from the inside on the first night
brief run down of the load out
In the truck cab:
Food bin
small cooler
power inverter
laptop
3DS game system (pacifier for big kids)
GPS
In the back of the truck:
Sleeping bags and mats
A/C unit
coffee maker
small space heater
clamp lamps
toiletries
fan
carbon monoxide / smoke detector
first aid kit
fire extinguisher
power strips
On the trailer:
I mounted 4 large lockable bins to the trailer and organized the contents into groups so I could find things easier.
Bin 1 (kitchen) had everything I needed to cook and clean in it.
small single burner camp stove
pot with a lid
frying pan
plates , cups, silverware
trashbags
cleaning supplies
toilet paper
Bug sprays, sun screen, aloe
etc…
Bin 2 (Tools)
3 drawer tool box with everything i would need to make a repair to the truck, atvs, or generator
booster pack for jump starts
air compressor
folding shovel
straps
rope
battery charger
tire iron
spare trailer parts
etc…
Bin 3 (hiking/riding gear)
hiking backpacks
tent
tarps
hammocks
helmets
camp chairs
hanging solar bag for showers
Bin 4 (Fluids and truck parts)
Oil
bearing grease
truck fuel and oil filters
diesel additives
Then I had the following packed on the trailer around the bins
2 ATVs
Water jugs
Gas jugs
Spare tires
Generator
small camp grill
2 coolers
here is a picture of everything loaded up
I have always brought more **** with me than I needed but I had the room so I figured why not. I really didn't regret bringing any of the things as I pretty much used everything at one point or another.
I have access to a property up in GA that I can go to to camp and ride ATVs so we figured that would be a great first night to test everything out and make adjustments to our set up as needed. We left early monday, July 25th and made up to the property no problem. We were all very eager to get out west as we have camped a bunch of times at this spot so we only stayed one night. It was really hot so this would be the first night giving the AC unit a run. I fired up the generator and we got into the truck and set up for the night. We all slept great and woke up bug and sweat free. I repacked the trailer to make things easier to get on and off without moving everything around. We went for some ATV rides in the woods and played around until about 3 pm then we rolled out for Arkansas. We planned to go to the Ozark National Forest and camp at this place near Little Rock that had ATV trails. I drove till about 9pm and we decided to stop for the night and sleep at a truck stop. I found a spot in between to trucks and we went to sleep. That night was the hardest for me to sleep cause it was very crowded and I didn't want someone to mess with the stuff on the trailer or worse yet, us! I personally can sleep anywhere but when you add my two kids in the mix, my over protective side goes into overdrive. This was also when I realized I should have made some curtains and a way to lock the topper glass down when we were inside. We ended up taping paper towels to the windows for privacy and went to sleep. It turned out to be no big deal at all and I woke up around 7am, made coffee, and took a hobo shower in the rest stop sink.
Made it to the campground in the Ozarks around 11am and set up camp. Since it was a weekday and hotter then hell we had the entire campground to ourselves. We went on some really long ATV rides thru the mountains and made it back in time to cook up some hotdogs and beans before it got dark out. My son made friends with a dog that joined us that night and we took our first real shower since leaving Tampa
Picture of the campground
Found a dry creek on our trip
We woke up and went for another trip on the bikes first thing before it got too hot out again. Packed up camp and hit the road around 3pm. Given our time constraints and the fact that everywhere we went was pushing over 100 degrees we decided to bite the bullet and push thru to New Mexico with the hopes of finding cooler weather to play in. I have a friend who has property in the Carson National Forest in Taos, NM so that was where we were gonna go next. The trip out was pretty much long and uneventful. We took I-40 across thru Ok and TX.
We slept at this cool pull off spot in the middle of nowhere in TX about 4 hours away from Taos. We woke up to a beautiful sunrise
Made to Carson National Forest and it was absolutely beautiful! We found the place we wanted to stay and explore for a few days so we unpacked and made a more permanent campsite. It was averaging about 80 degrees during the day and would get down to 50's at night. We were at 9000' elevation in the mountains and the first thing I noticed was it looked nothing like the New Mexico I envisioned. It was all pine trees and very green. The weather was perfect and there were so many trails to ride on that we only scratched the surface. My buddy from Colorado Springs dove down with his kids and we all spent the weekend having a blast.
My friends left and me and the kids stayed a few more days behind before rolling out for Colorado Springs. If you have never been to Carson I would highly recommend it. There are so many 4x4 forest roads and trails that go on forever. I wish I had a year to stay and explore the area as there was so much to see and do but we simply didn't have the time. Since it was only a 4 hour drive up to Colorado Springs from there we made the trip in an easy day. Our next stop would be my buddies house so we could do some laundry and take some luxury showers. We resupplied food, beer, and ice and took off for Pike National Forest for our next spot. We stopped in an ATV rental shop and picked up some trail maps and learned you could pretty much set up camp anywhere you want in the forest. We drove about 4 miles into the forest on tight, winding dirt roads until we came across this perfect spot next to a creek with lots of shade. I was concerned driving that far in with my trailer and truck as the set up we pretty long and I didn't want to get to a point where I would have to back all the way out if it got too tight. My same buddy that joined us in Carson came out and brought some tents and we all set up to stay a few days. We strung out our hammocks across the creek and the kids loved it. They spent most of the day playing in the creek, making dams, and taking turns going on ATV rides.
We logged roughly 4000 miles and had a blast. My son was keeping track of expenses for us. It wasn't cheap due to the cost of diesel being so high but we saved loads of money sleeping in the truck and avoiding restaurants as much as possible. We only paid to camp one night in the Ozarks. It was one of the best experiences of my life and I know the kids will remember it for a long time. The bonding time with them was amazing and I can't wait to do this again soon. This website was a huge inspiration for me to do this trip so I figured I would post mine and maybe inspire someone else to get out there and see the country.
Below is a picture of the truck before we converted it. I build a 4x8 carpeted floor board to cover the gooseneck hitch and the truck bed ribs.
This is with the window unit pushed in so I could close up the truck
With the door open trying to plan how to load the truck for maximum room. I ended up mounting the plastic storage bins on the trailer so we would have more room.
View from the inside on the first night
brief run down of the load out
In the truck cab:
Food bin
small cooler
power inverter
laptop
3DS game system (pacifier for big kids)
GPS
In the back of the truck:
Sleeping bags and mats
A/C unit
coffee maker
small space heater
clamp lamps
toiletries
fan
carbon monoxide / smoke detector
first aid kit
fire extinguisher
power strips
On the trailer:
I mounted 4 large lockable bins to the trailer and organized the contents into groups so I could find things easier.
Bin 1 (kitchen) had everything I needed to cook and clean in it.
small single burner camp stove
pot with a lid
frying pan
plates , cups, silverware
trashbags
cleaning supplies
toilet paper
Bug sprays, sun screen, aloe
etc…
Bin 2 (Tools)
3 drawer tool box with everything i would need to make a repair to the truck, atvs, or generator
booster pack for jump starts
air compressor
folding shovel
straps
rope
battery charger
tire iron
spare trailer parts
etc…
Bin 3 (hiking/riding gear)
hiking backpacks
tent
tarps
hammocks
helmets
camp chairs
hanging solar bag for showers
Bin 4 (Fluids and truck parts)
Oil
bearing grease
truck fuel and oil filters
diesel additives
Then I had the following packed on the trailer around the bins
2 ATVs
Water jugs
Gas jugs
Spare tires
Generator
small camp grill
2 coolers
here is a picture of everything loaded up
I have always brought more **** with me than I needed but I had the room so I figured why not. I really didn't regret bringing any of the things as I pretty much used everything at one point or another.
I have access to a property up in GA that I can go to to camp and ride ATVs so we figured that would be a great first night to test everything out and make adjustments to our set up as needed. We left early monday, July 25th and made up to the property no problem. We were all very eager to get out west as we have camped a bunch of times at this spot so we only stayed one night. It was really hot so this would be the first night giving the AC unit a run. I fired up the generator and we got into the truck and set up for the night. We all slept great and woke up bug and sweat free. I repacked the trailer to make things easier to get on and off without moving everything around. We went for some ATV rides in the woods and played around until about 3 pm then we rolled out for Arkansas. We planned to go to the Ozark National Forest and camp at this place near Little Rock that had ATV trails. I drove till about 9pm and we decided to stop for the night and sleep at a truck stop. I found a spot in between to trucks and we went to sleep. That night was the hardest for me to sleep cause it was very crowded and I didn't want someone to mess with the stuff on the trailer or worse yet, us! I personally can sleep anywhere but when you add my two kids in the mix, my over protective side goes into overdrive. This was also when I realized I should have made some curtains and a way to lock the topper glass down when we were inside. We ended up taping paper towels to the windows for privacy and went to sleep. It turned out to be no big deal at all and I woke up around 7am, made coffee, and took a hobo shower in the rest stop sink.
Made it to the campground in the Ozarks around 11am and set up camp. Since it was a weekday and hotter then hell we had the entire campground to ourselves. We went on some really long ATV rides thru the mountains and made it back in time to cook up some hotdogs and beans before it got dark out. My son made friends with a dog that joined us that night and we took our first real shower since leaving Tampa
Picture of the campground
Found a dry creek on our trip
We woke up and went for another trip on the bikes first thing before it got too hot out again. Packed up camp and hit the road around 3pm. Given our time constraints and the fact that everywhere we went was pushing over 100 degrees we decided to bite the bullet and push thru to New Mexico with the hopes of finding cooler weather to play in. I have a friend who has property in the Carson National Forest in Taos, NM so that was where we were gonna go next. The trip out was pretty much long and uneventful. We took I-40 across thru Ok and TX.
We slept at this cool pull off spot in the middle of nowhere in TX about 4 hours away from Taos. We woke up to a beautiful sunrise
Made to Carson National Forest and it was absolutely beautiful! We found the place we wanted to stay and explore for a few days so we unpacked and made a more permanent campsite. It was averaging about 80 degrees during the day and would get down to 50's at night. We were at 9000' elevation in the mountains and the first thing I noticed was it looked nothing like the New Mexico I envisioned. It was all pine trees and very green. The weather was perfect and there were so many trails to ride on that we only scratched the surface. My buddy from Colorado Springs dove down with his kids and we all spent the weekend having a blast.
My friends left and me and the kids stayed a few more days behind before rolling out for Colorado Springs. If you have never been to Carson I would highly recommend it. There are so many 4x4 forest roads and trails that go on forever. I wish I had a year to stay and explore the area as there was so much to see and do but we simply didn't have the time. Since it was only a 4 hour drive up to Colorado Springs from there we made the trip in an easy day. Our next stop would be my buddies house so we could do some laundry and take some luxury showers. We resupplied food, beer, and ice and took off for Pike National Forest for our next spot. We stopped in an ATV rental shop and picked up some trail maps and learned you could pretty much set up camp anywhere you want in the forest. We drove about 4 miles into the forest on tight, winding dirt roads until we came across this perfect spot next to a creek with lots of shade. I was concerned driving that far in with my trailer and truck as the set up we pretty long and I didn't want to get to a point where I would have to back all the way out if it got too tight. My same buddy that joined us in Carson came out and brought some tents and we all set up to stay a few days. We strung out our hammocks across the creek and the kids loved it. They spent most of the day playing in the creek, making dams, and taking turns going on ATV rides.
We logged roughly 4000 miles and had a blast. My son was keeping track of expenses for us. It wasn't cheap due to the cost of diesel being so high but we saved loads of money sleeping in the truck and avoiding restaurants as much as possible. We only paid to camp one night in the Ozarks. It was one of the best experiences of my life and I know the kids will remember it for a long time. The bonding time with them was amazing and I can't wait to do this again soon. This website was a huge inspiration for me to do this trip so I figured I would post mine and maybe inspire someone else to get out there and see the country.
