Why I Live in a Truck Camper as a Solo Woman
It was starting to feel as if I had tried it all - I grew up camping in tents and RV’s, bought my first van in early adulthood, and more recently, converted a school bus to live in full-time with my dog, Terra. And while these methods of overland travel are all great in their own way, there was always a fatal flaw that rendered them short of ideal.
Tent camping is amazing until winter (my favorite season) sets in, RV’s seem cool until you have to run a generator 24/7, and the van/bus life movements are fun until you realize how limited you are on where you are able venture. I found myself surrounded by hundreds of other rigs on crowded, stale BLM land less than a mile from major highways and their noise, and wondered if this was really the best I could do?
Enter, the world of truck camping.
Terra waiting for our hike while parked at our favorite campsite near Mt. Hood, OR.
From day one we tested our boundaries; whether we were hitting ATV routes in Idaho, racing across the arid Oregon Desert, or dipping into single digit temps in the mountains, we were home. My initial concerns about taking my 60 lb. pup with me melted away as we easily shared and thrived in our new space, and I soon realized that this was what we had been looking for all of these years - our rig finally checked all of the boxes, and we could not be more content.
What began as an open-ended desire to explore the unknown has transformed into a life on the road, venturing into some of the most remote corners of the country and beyond. A road trip that I anticipated spanning a year or so of my lifetime has now turned into a multi-year journey with no end, one that feels like it is only now just beginning.
Like many, I was first introduced to the concept while on a road trip. In the distance, I spotted a rig that was half-truck, half-home-on-wheels and was intrigued. The Four Wheel Campers setup was beyond anything I had seen before, boasting a low center of gravity and capabilities beyond anything a 4x4 sprinter could dream of having.
It was love at first sight.
A few months later, Terra and I hopped into a Four Wheel Camper Hawk and never looked back.
Taking to the Alvord Desert in Oregon with Four Wheel Campers.
My work setup while filming and editing videos in Bend, Oregon.
The road has transformed from a place of exclusion and inaccessibility in our previously limited-capability rigs, to one of opportunity and exploration as I revel in the joys of 4x4 and our ability to pop-up in nearly every climate, both which will serve us well in our upcoming winter expeditions in the PNW.
Lessons plentiful, I have learned more than I could have ever anticipated before hitting the road. Namely, the benefits of an open mind and a willingness to be different.
Had I believed those who told me to simply be content with the way I was experiencing the road, I wouldn’t have found my true path;