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Bronco camping upgrade ideas.

37K views 74 replies 26 participants last post by  dash_cam  
#1 ·
so now that i have the bronco i plan on taking it camping. has anyone done any camping mods?


looking for stuff that makes the camping a little bit easier if i was to go alone.

cant wait to see what you guys/gals have done.:popc1:
 
#2 ·
The mods you use would depend on where you go camping. Deep in the woods, or in the middle of the desert for instance. Will there the trails for you to use, or do you need to forge your own trails. What resources will be available? How long will you be camping? What will the climate be like?

I'd go with something like a tent that folds out of the back with the tailgate. Plus some sort of cargo rack on the roof for cargo.
 
#3 ·
We should have a expedition section for those of us who aren't bent on turning a otherwise useful utility vehicle into a trailer queen that can't be relied upon for anything other than a monetary sacrifice to the land God. Oh nevermind they all are good for the sacrifice thing DD, trail rat, mud truck, mall crawler you name it they consume more money and time than most of us are willing to actually admit to any Jeep owner.

There are about a 1000 ways to set a Bronco up YOU need to decide what you like there is one guy here that even put a hammock in.
 
#6 ·
x3

I'd really like to see some kind of subsection too for people who aren't into cutting, chopping and heavily altering their vehicles. I've got long term(very long term) plans of turning my Bronco into essentially a Show/Expo rig of sorts. I'd even be willing to become a Lifetime subscriber and offer to Moderate it.

I do some reading and looking over at Expeditionportal.com. They have all kinds of people there with all kinds of vehicles and all sorts of knowledge levels. Some of these people are the type that drive away from home and stay gone for e very long time in their vehicles.

You need to look at what you want to do, what you plan to do and how you normally camp. Is it just going to be something that'll carry your load from point A to point B or will it be your live in, stay in, vehicle? Do you want or need to carry extra water, fuel, power? Spare parts? All sorts of things to consider.

Again, I'd REALLY like to see a subforum of sorts that would be for those of us who don't want to heavily mod our vehicles into Rock crawlers and mud racers. I know taht with my 92, I6/M5 running 235 tires on factory Alcoa type wheels, I can go ANYWHERE I want or need to and do it well. I don't need to SAS it, LIFT it, CUT the fenders, 4LINK it, or anything else other than what the Designers already put into it. The rest of the things I do to it are just niceties and convenient comforts.
 
#7 ·
wow i like the info thats coming up.

salt: i like the idea of a truc tent but that looks like it would take just as long to set up as the floor tent i already have. also i think with the amount of stuff i bring along with me it would be a pain in the ass to uload everything just to sleep in the rig.

i live in cali so any type of camping is is in a small dive away. i guess one of the perks about giving up most of your rights.

anyone on here use a pop up tent on the top of the rig?

i like the idea of a roof rack but really hate ho much wieght is added to the top
 
#8 ·
I don't think you have to worry about a 100lbs or there abouts on top of a 2ton rolling monster your not going to need to worry about getting in a tippy situation unless you drive like a buffoon. These trucks handle loads nicely I pull a boat and don't even know it's back there.

I agree there that TTB is not as bad as some would have you to believe but it does have it's limitations and SAS is just 10 times simpler which means less parts to carry for extreme expeditioning .
 
#12 ·
Been camping for over 20 years, and have never had a skunk or scorpion climb in my tent. Not sure what you mean about no vapor barrier, in a RTT you sleeping on a pile of cold steel.
 
#11 ·
X5
It would be great to have a forum section devoted to Expeditionary vehicles and modifications.

I never plan to do any extreme wheeling mods, I just want an expeditionary type vehicle that can go anywhere and haul or tow anything I would need to survive there.

Great idea!
:beer
 
#13 ·
I have been fortunate enough to enjoy the company of both and I actually think the scorpion was the less worrysome at 3am although the skunk was considerably warmer.

The boyscouts always said to use a vapor barrier that way when you put you tent up the bottom isn't wet and yopu don't pick up ground water sepage. That's how I've done it for years and it always worked well.
 
#15 ·
Boy it was hot that year with the skunk and the breeze off the water was cooling. I think the skunk just wanted to hang out with my Uncle that guy was always was getting loved on by some animal he could almost do that thing like Crocodile Dundee never seen anyone like him in that respect.
 
#16 ·
Plastic under the tent is also a small insulator from the cold ground. Make a real difference if you have never done it..
 
#19 ·
I've always liked the thought of turning a bronco into a VW-camper van style vehicle. The front passenger seat would be removed and turned into the vehicle entry.

The rear bench would be removed, replaced by some kind of futon couch/bed that parallels the rear window.

A small sink and propane stove would be on the opposite side probably close to the driver seat. The rear window would have a zippered or velcrow fly net. A small LED tv could probably be setup to flip down off the front cab section above the center console
 
#20 ·
I have a little pace 5x8 trailer that I use at the hunting lease. Before I bought my 4 wheeler, I had it set up as an expedition trailer with a tongue box with very small generator and marine battery and solar on the roof. I gutted to haul he quad, but I still used it sleep in between hunts (used to tent camp, but the coyotes started sniffing my tent at night which made me very uncomfortable since I typically hunt by myself). My truck didnt mind the small trailer too much, but it wouldnt be too practical in a 4wd scenario.
Image
 
#21 ·
I am leaning towards the expedition trailer as my next piece to the Bronco puzzle. I will build one though after seeing the price of the ones you can buy. The main thing I like about a trailer is the weight and balance of the Bronco remain constant and that is important to knowing vehicle limitations while offroad.
 
#22 ·
my family and some friends went camping this past summer. i chopped down a few trees and hauled firewood to the campsite for us to burn. I also had a 2000watt inverter that came in very handy so that we could fire up the coffee pot. I know you don't NEED power when camping, but it really came in handy. Now i'm working on a more professional looking install with some outlets mounted in various locations and the proper gauge wires and a "control panel". I'd say the inverter setup is one of those camping mods you would appreciate.
 
#24 ·
^This^

I have one myself in my rig, bought it back when I had my 98 Suburban. They're great for a lot of things, I was building mine for an expo rig. Took it out on a 100 mile trip through the hills, had my roof rack loaded and a mattress from a hide-a-bed in the back. One night with the wife it got pretty cold, so, rather then starting the truck and wasting gas, I just plugged in a heated blanket. Kept us warm all night. Also used it for coffee in the morning, along with a florescent light that came in handy when working on either the burb or on stuff around the truck.

Image
 
#31 ·
Looks like a ladder to the left right below the door. I wouldn't like it though, after a few drinks, I see a bad experience waiting to happen.

Also waking up in the middle of the night to take a wizz would be a challenge. I'd make sure to setup a camera on the passenger mirror to record the epic fail...err, fall.