Mobile Base Camp: Off-Grid And On The Move [TRANSPORT]

There are many types of vehicle owners: urban road commuters who rack up miles going to and from work and running errands, overlanders whose time is spent driving to conquer mountains and valleys, and then those of us who fit somewhere in between. Many of us live and work in areas connected by a labyrinth of paved roads and highways but also relish the opportunity to get away from congestion, power lines, and people. 

Inside this middle ground lies the challenge of finding a vehicle that can both be a daily driver, but is also capable of heading out to places unknown at a moment’s notice. Recreational vehicles and campers are pre-built and fun but lack versatility. Van and bus buildouts are always cool but can be costly and lack some of the utility aspects.

DESIGN AND BUILD 

The best way to do what’s right for you is customize it. Outfitting a 2024 Toyota Tundra allows day-to-day travel, while offering the ability to quickly escape off to adventures. One doesn’t have to dig too deeply to find countless options — overland vehicles can be built up and tricked out seemingly to no end, limited only by your imagination and budget. 

This design is based around the versatility of modular components that can be relocated or removed relatively easily, depending on the itinerary. The overall theme is Mobile Base Camp. Be it a weekend getaway or a full adventure excursion, the idea is to be able to quickly set up camp with everything needed. The challenge was balancing function, versatility, and cost.

My areas of focus were shelter, food, hygiene, and security (with a few added comforts to make roughing it not as rough). The decision was made to center the build-out around Yakima products. They are not only a proven and trusted brand, but offer the type of equipment I was seeking to meet my goals.

TOWERS & CROSSBARS

You first have to establish the structure for the mobile base camp. Yakima Overhaul HD Towers were chosen to allow me the day-to-day option of elevating and hauling items longer than my short bed would tolerate, like ladders and lumber, but they also create the base camp framework. Shorter towers would place cargo in a more aerodynamic position, but I opted to poise my tent above the top line of my cab. Admittedly, keeping the tent above the roof line creates a slight hit to my gas mileage and requires some splattered bug cleanup after road trips, but the elevated tent allows me to maintain my site lines to the bed and rear of the truck, which are important to me.

The Overhaul HD Towers are tough, strong, and, as a bonus, super easy to install. The height of the towers is adjustable and range from 19 to 30 inches, and they boast a maximum strength rating of 500 pounds on-road and 300 pounds off-road. With a sleek look, integrated tie-down points, and even built-in bottle openers as a fun bonus, they check all the boxes.

Between the passenger-side vertical towers, I installed a MOLLE panel to enhance stability and provide all the utility options that a MOLLE panel offers. In my case, I affixed a pair of 2-gallon Rotopax mountable containers: one gasoline and one water. There aren’t many adventures where an extra few gallons of gasoline and water would not be needed (or at least appreciated). The Lox Pack Mounts keep them securely attached to the panel while providing the security of keyed access. 

The final piece of the structure were the crossbars. The Yakima HD Crossbars come in multiple lengths. The 68-inch bars worked best for my setup, being not too short and not too wide. Like everything else in the system, they are lightweight and strong. Customization was a design priority with integrated T-slots on both top and bottom and tie-down points at either end that carry a 700-pound pull strength rating. Whether I am hauling a full base camp setup or a few kayaks for a day on the water, this bed rack setup hits the mark.

• Yakima Overhaul HD Towers: $1,200
• Yakima Crossbars (68 inches): $319
• Yakima Molle Panel (short): $269

BED COVER

People install bed covers for various reasons. Here a quality bed cover offers protection from the weather and provides security. I ran into my first snag when I learned that only certain bed covers are compatible with Yakima’s truck bed towers. After researching the options, I decided on Truck Covers USA’s American Roll Cover. They partner with Yakima and, for an additional cost, can include the Yakima T-slot rails, which are needed in conjunction with the Bed Track Kit 2 to be compatible with the Overhaul HD Towers that I chose. 

The American Roll Cover is tough, made from double-walled aluminum, and can support 500 pounds. Even though no bed cover claims to be waterproof, I wanted my cargo area to remain as dry as possible.

The American Roll Cover utilizes a wide-tube (5/8-inch ID), four-way drainage system that reduces clogging as it sheds water. Significant selling points to me were the lockability and small canister size (8 by 8 inches), which doesn’t take up much real estate in my short bed. The cover gives me the option to place it in a partially open/partially closed position, with a stop every 12 inches. The American Roll Cover was exactly what I needed as the foundation for the truck bed build-out.

• American Roll Cover: $2,999
• Yakima rails: $300
• Yakima Bed Track Kit 2: $140

ROAD SHOWER

If there is one piece of equipment whose versatility I did not appreciate until it was used, it was the Yakima Road Shower. The aluminum tank resists fading and cracking and comes with everything you need including hose and nozzle. 

The Road Showers are available in three sizes: small (4-gallon), medium (7-gallon), and large (10-gallon). The 7-gallon shower fit just right with my short bed setup. As with the other components, the installation was simple, as is the use. Four bolts attach it to the crossbars. Then, simply charge it up to a max pressure of 65 psi with your air pump, and in mere seconds, the system is pressurized and ready. 

I modified mine a bit by upgrading to a 10-foot food-grade water hose to extend my reach beyond the included 55-inch hose. The longer hose allows me to access all sides of my truck. The Road Shower is not only a shower, but also a dirt/mud/sand rinser, a dishwasher, a gear and window cleaner, and even a dog washer. When applied simply as a traditional shower, I utilize mine in conjunction with a cheap rubber mat and pop-up privacy tent to get about 6 minutes of continuous shower time from the 7-gallon tank.

• Road Shower (7-gallon): $599

TENT

The crown jewel of the mobile base camp must be the tent. The topic of a rooftop tent is polarizing. They are loved or hated. A faction of the outdoor population discounts the fact that you must break them down and put them away if you want to relocate. While that is not incorrect, I’ve found the breakdown to be so quick and easy that even if I wasn’t using it for a basecamp, packing it up is only a minor inconvenience at best. After weighing the pros and cons — including factors such as comfort, cost, mobility, and durability — I chose to go with a rooftop tent.

I opted to remain in the Yakima family for my base camp shelter. Although there are less expensive options, it is difficult to match the quality of the Yakima SkyRise HD. Having ridden out several thunderstorms in the SkyRise, any questions or concerns I may have had rolled away with the clouds. Made of 600d ripstop polyester with a waterproof coating, it is durable and dry, both critical features of any shelter. 

It is remarkably spacious with a 96×58-inch sleeping platform that is marketed as a three-person tent, but as all tent sizes go, it is better utilized as a two-person, one-dog maximum. It features windows on all sides, including dual skylights, so even when concealed inside, I can unzip the window covers and the views remain. Add in the 2.5-inch foam mattress with a removable and washable cover and the pros really start to add up. 

Mostly, it is big enough to feel very spacious inside, yet small enough for rapid setup and teardown (about 5 minutes and 10 minutes, respectively). It touts four-season resilience and even the sleek cover, by all accounts, seems to be able to withstand the elements without cracking, fading, or tearing. The elevated shelter gets me off the ground and comfortable without the expenses and challenges that come with pulling a camper.

• Yakima SkyRise HD: $2,899

KITCHEN

Again, staying on brand, the Yakima EXO OpenRange Deluxe caught my attention and has become my camp kitchen. This system lives on the receiver hitch Swing Base and Top Shelf at the back of my truck. Anyone who has carried cargo at the receiver hitch knows the frustration that comes when you need to access the rear of the vehicle.

The Swing Hitch allows me to keep everything secure and easily swing it out of the way of the tailgate for easy access to the truck bed. The Top Shelf attached to the Swing Hitch provides another level of transportation options and storage. It is common to see gear lockers or bike racks on the Top Shelf. For me, it keeps the kitchen system at a workable height when I set it up. 

The Yakima Open Range is an army green rotomolded case that houses anything I want to load in to meet my camp kitchen culinary needs. It is lockable and utilizes a rubber seal to keep the inside free from water, dust, and bugs. The “lid” folds down into a flat work surface. In addition to silverware, flatware, and a few insulated tumblers, I added from my hiking stash, a MSR lightweight ceramic pot and skillet. They are durable, reliable, lightweight, and don’t occupy much space. 

The “deluxe” edition comes with a few interesting extras that fill out the entire kitchen system setup. Housed inside the case is a two-burner, 14,000 btu, propane camp stove that can be conveniently set on the attached powder-coated steel table that attaches out to one side. A UV-protected bamboo utility table connects to the other side that incorporates a removable cutting board nested above a collapsible wash tub. 

To maximize the experience, Yakima includes a flatware tray, bottle opener, lantern hook, utility hooks, and backboard organizer. This setup takes camp cooking to the next level and has been a fun enhancement to my adventure base camp as well as helping to feed friends and family on weekend getaways.

• Yakima EXO OpenRange Deluxe: $1,199
• Yakima EXO Swing Base: $699
• Yakima EXO Top Shelf: $479

ACCESSORIES

There are other items I chose to include to complete the base camp. I have graduated from haphazardly tossing my things into bags and bins. As someone who has grown to appreciate organization, I love the Gregory Gear Pods and Gear Boxes. I divvy up my supplies into the gear pods and situate them perfectly into the water and dustproof Gear Boxes that flaunt durable, transparent lids with latch hinges. Gear organization and access are the linchpins of a successful outdoor experience.

From a safety perspective, I went with Uncharted’s Zeus Air Jump Starter/Inflator. The air pump charges my road shower nicely, and the last thing I want to deal with when it’s time to go home is a flat tire or a dead battery. This little giant has a 150-psi inflator, a jump starter capable of jumping up to 8L gasoline engines and 6L diesel engines, a built-in flashlight, and includes USB-C and USB-A outputs for charging phones, laptops, etc.

As a supplement to the portable power of the Zeus Air, I also included a small additional power supply. The Bluetti AC508B gives me options for the small power needs that can arise when removed from the grid. I also brought 100-watt solar panels to keep them juiced up. This little 700-watt unit isn’t going to give you a massive amount of power but is enough to handle low-watt appliances or lighting, phone and tablet charging, or even a small fan for those sultry, summer nights.

Getting stuck is never ideal in any outdoor scenario. Often, when mobile base camps are set up, one must venture through less-than-perfect terrain to get there. Not many overlanders leave the house without a set of recovery boards. They are a simple, lightweight tool that can help get you out of most any manner of stuck-ness. I included a set from Rotopax as well as a recovery gear kit duffel bag. It contains both a kinetic rope and a flat tow strap, D-ring and soft shackles, and a snatch block, along with a few other odds and ends. For a little bit of money, these elements of high-quality gear provide a nice insurance policy against spending more time in the wilderness than I intended. 

Communication is an often-overlooked aspect of any outdoor excursion. For the mobile base camp, I wanted the 50-watt power of a mobile General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) radio but also wanted it to be inconspicuous in the cab of my truck. The Midland MXT575 MicroMobile was the perfect fit. The base can hide under my seat, out of sight, while all the controls and speaker reside right on the mic. It has both narrow and wide band capabilities, NOAA weather scans and alerts, and a small but mighty antenna that could be easily upgraded if I decide. Out of the box, depending on terrain, the MXT575 transmits loud and clear for dozens of miles and sometimes beyond.

As one final bonus to the mobile base camp, for no other reason than I love relaxing in a hammock, I added a Kammok Outpost Bundle. The lightweight, aluminum frame consists of an A-frame on one end and attaches to the Yakima crossbar on the other. 

Hanging in between, I use the Mantis Hammock Tent, which can simply be a peaceful place to relax or a secondary tent complete with a rainfly and an integrated insect net if I have an extra person in my camp (of course, within the weight limits of the overall system). It holds up to 500 pounds, is a quick and easy setup, and is my favorite spot to relax after a hike or a ride.

LOOSE ROUNDS

On our guy trips, my buddy Kent always says, “This isn’t a vacation, it’s an adventure.” Now, when I pull out of the driveway, the adventure begins. Although I am no stranger to roughing it, this build-out has given me the opportunity to head out on a whim with everything I need to bring the base camp with me. In total, the cost was just over $13,000, including some of the additional accessories — certainly not cheap, but overall, more cost effective than other options. 

This was a labor of love and is a continual work in progress that will surely evolve over time. I already have plans to run power to my truck bed and add a few other tweaks such as an electric cooler. 

Half the fun is making it whatever you need. This setup, whether for fun or necessity, gives me the capability to head out, survive, thrive, and experience what we all want — freedom.