Road trip hunting rig?

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i hunt mostly around my area where i can go home at the end of the day. But, i want to go check out some new areas that are not that close. A motel room can be expensive and most likely not close to where i want to spend the night.

currently i use a toyota 4runner for a hunting rig, with the back seats folded down, i can stretch out ok. but, in cold weather sleeping in the car is not so fun. waking up to frozen boots and having it be below zero in the car is sometimes tough to deal with.

so i have been trying to decide what a good road trip rig would be, a 4x4 van? a tacoma with a popup? a full size with a popup? old motorhome converted to 4x4? excursion?

it has to get decent mileage or i will be likely to not want to drive it very far, but i do not want to spend a pile of money on a late model truck and camper.

the 4x4 van idea might be good, lots of lockable space, go right from the drivers seat to the "bedroom". fuel consumption might be OK?
 
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The wife and I car camp year round in Colorado in my Avalanche. Bed is lined and completely enclosed, not like a truck bed it has no wheel well bumps, it has a taller bed and its rain proof. It has every option a vehicle could have, gets around 15 mpg and cost me $10g. With the rear seat folded down it has a full 8' of bed length and I need that. My wife figured out all the storage and effective way to use the space and comfort needs and it just works. We have camped in sub-zero weather and hot summer weather. We camp 30 plus weekends a year and sometimes for extended numbers of days.
 
I hunt about 15 weekends a year in the winter here in AZ. While it's not as cold as CO, Northern AZ gets plenty cold.
I have a super crew FX4 and the bed in the back is too short and i have to drop the tailgate to sleep in the back.
I have done that a lot. I have a 3 layer military bag that i put on a 2" thick piece of closed cell foam on a low profile Cot. I have been out there in -20 and while it's cold it works, since i can get up and go.

A van would be good, but I would suggest that you make sure you have plenty of recovery gear to get yourself unstuck.
When i am out for a weekend, I plan on 5 days, and make sure that i have everything i need to survive, get unstuck, and once a day if i have signal, I make an effort to send a text message to my GF with my GPS location and the direction i am heading. (just in case)

As for the critters, i usually shoot a bunny during the day, and then at night i hang it within shotgun range with a bell on it.. When it makes noise, i sit up and see what it is. I figure a lion will go for the bunny before it messes with me.
I think staying out, is a great way to get a good head start on the day, cover more area's that are not hunted often, and in the evening it's nice.. I usually pull up to a dead cedar, and back up to it and hit it with the truck to break the limbs for firewood. (why chop when you don't have too) I make dinner, and a fire and then spend the evening skinning the coyotes from the day. I usually park near where i want to call the next morning.. It's a great jump on the day to call an area that you didn't just drive into. The animals can have no idea you are there.
The other thing that i use a lot is a camo cover for the car to hide it. You can do the same for a van. Just strap it to the top and then when you need it, pull it down and it's hidden.
 
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I know this is an old post but I'll post on it just because it's plowin' thru a subject I've been currently playing around with.
I'm personally thinking about takinging an old busblubird short bus and tearing the seats out to put bunk beds & a little potbelly Franklin stove in it, maybe a 12v mini fridge, then covert it to 4x4, throw a luggage rack on top & a brush gard on front or maybe a V plow (incase I hit Bigfoot) oh & a lift kit so I can put as harvester tires converted into swampers on it.. ok so maybe it's wishful thinking for all that other stuff but I have found some short buses at auctions from $500 to $5,000 depending on how new it is and they would be pretty easy to make a moble hunting shack outta.
There's my dumb [beeep] idea..lol
 
Wait for member AWS to chime in - or PM him - as he hunts out of a van as you describe. It's set up pretty well and works for him.
 
vans seem like they would be easier to stick, but with the same tires and clearance, should be the same as a pickup.

i like being able to listen to the coyotes at night, it tells me where to focus my attention in the morning. it has worked for me in the past. after looking at some vehicles on line last night, i may just stick with what i have got. the 4runner was cheap, is reliable, and not too bad for gas mileage. the biggest problem is not being able to dry out my boots and stuff when hunting in the snow.
 
I'm not seeing how a different vehicle is going to solve the problem. Anything short of an RV with a propane furnace is going to get cold. I'd suggest getting a warmer sleeping bag and a couple wool blankets. A MrBuddy heater might be nice from time to time but you cant sleep with it running.

This guy seems to have a pretty good setup for winter camping.

 
i have plenty of camping gear.

a 4x4 van, or any kind of pickup camper can have a heater.

a different vehicle gives me more room to have dry clothes, non-frozen food, and the ability to get dressed without laying down.
 
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Camping is a big part of hunting for me. So every hunt is a road trip. This setup has worked well for me for the last 10 years I had the camper on a Super Duty before the Dodge. I have used it in the desert in 100 degree temps and in the winter at minus 20 degree weather. I can camp any place I can get the truck into. I'm 6' 4'' 250 pounds plenty of room for me and have camped out for over two weeks at a time in it. Have had 3 guys over 6 foot tall hunting out of it but that was hard to do.

It works well for coyote hunting moving from stand to stand then camping at the last one of the of the day then call it again at first light. For big game I set up camp and hunt on foot from camp some times spiking out. Chain up all four with the extra weight it will go though a lot of snow. I also camp out ice fishing in it.
 
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Originally Posted By: skooterI know this is an old post but I'll post on it just because it's plowin' thru a subject I've been currently playing around with.
I'm personally thinking about takinging an old busblubird short bus and tearing the seats out to put bunk beds & a little potbelly Franklin stove in it, maybe a 12v mini fridge, then covert it to 4x4, throw a luggage rack on top & a brush gard on front or maybe a V plow (incase I hit Bigfoot) oh & a lift kit so I can put as harvester tires converted into swampers on it.. ok so maybe it's wishful thinking for all that other stuff but I have found some short buses at auctions from $500 to $5,000 depending on how new it is and they would be pretty easy to make a moble hunting shack outta.
There's my dumb [beeep] idea..lol


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