I’ve seen campers with a set of several Rubbermaid tubs, each one labelled with the contents. It’s a good idea, but I’ve never been able to get that organized. The car top carrier is a good idea, too. Just bungee it to keep it from sliding around.
One word of caution - if you are using a cargo-net instead of a tarp, you have ensured that you will, most certainly, get a ton of rain.
We have always tarped all of our gear “burrito style”. BIG tarp on the bottom, all gear stacked inside, sides of tarp folded over and secured either to itself or to tie-downs. Never been a problem, no flapping, and nobody tries to steal anything - it looks to complex to unwrap.
Of course, you could always just switch the rental to a big SUV - you’d get a similar cargo space without all the hassle.
Another thing…if you’re not accustomed to driving a pickup or SUV, they handle diffrently than your car. The suspension is usually stiffer, they have a longer wheel base and the center of gravity is higher. You will have to adjust cornering and braking accordingly.
That said, if you pack everything at bed level or below and secure it, you shouldn’t have any problems with your gear flying off behind you on the highway. I can usually get a thirty gallon tote, two eighteen gallon totes, a cooler and four tents, along with fishing poles and tackle boxes in the bed of my S-10 (smaller than the two trucks you’re considering).
Happy camping!
Yeah, that makes me a little nervous. I’m sure the highway won’t be a problem, but I have to get the darn thing through Chicago first! Well, I’ll just annoy a few people in Rogers Park while I get a feel for the thing, and hopefully by the time I hit Lake Shore Drive, I’ll be good at it! I did drive a rented pick up once a few years back, but I think I only did the highway, while the other adult I was with handled the city streets.
Uh…wait a sec. Can I take a pickup on Lake Shore Drive? They have a “no trucks” rule, and I know that applies to vans, but not mini-vans. I can’t for the life of me remember if I’ve seen pickups on there. Any Chi-Dopers know?
I think the camping part has already guaranteed this. Unless you are saying that the combo of camping and a cargo-net will bring forth a biblical flood.
An anecdote: The other day, I saw someone moving their mattress and box spring in a short pickup truck. Mattress on top, tilted up so they were resting on the edge near the cab. Apparently they though they were heavy enough to only tie down with a strap around the middle.
They were quite wrong. The mattress was almost bent in half around the strap, sticking straight up in the wind. If that strap wasn’t tight, I bet it would have worked its way free. And the driver clearly had no clue, since they had blocked their rear view with it.
Pity the truck is a rental. Otherwise you could wax it for maximum results.
Well, the camping ensures rain from the moment they get to the campsite. A cargo net ensures it starts on the road, so there are no dry tents and sleeping bags to escape to.