Currently a family of 3 (wife and I + 20 month old daughter and another kiddo due April 2024) and am curious about how to make the 4Runner work to go camping. At the moment it’s impossible to fit all our stuff and all the camping gear. I don’t think a Thule roof box would be enough, or a hitch basket…maybe both? I have contemplated a small utility trailer which may be the only legit way to do it on a budget. Just wonder if I’m missing something. Really something with a bed like a Tacoma or Tundra but also love the V8 in the small midsize 4runner, it’s such a good reliable rig! HOW DO YOU DO IT??

Pics for reference…

I think you need to make some decisions, like how long and how far away will the camping trip be. Do you want a popup camper or are you looking at tent camping. Most state parks offer cabins that you can rent, which vary in amenities. For just you, your wife and young child I'm wondering how much gear you're wanting to take. Maybe consider cutting back?

Long ago I took our 4Runner to a state park for 3 days camping. We had a small tent and sleeping bags. I had a folding table and some camp chairs. The site had a campfire ring so we just needed some firewood. I have a Coleman stove and camp lantern, which are pretty much okay to be left outdoors. I also had a 10' X 10' first up fly to put over the table and chairs. We went for hikes in the park during the day, campfire at night, and had a pretty good time.

For several years I belonged to a scout pack, even after our son had gone through Webelos. I still kept the same gear although it was just me in the tent. I pulled a large grill and was the camp cook, but all the camping gear fit in the T4R. Other than that I've not had so much gear I needed a trailer or even put anything on the roof rack.

You need less than you think. A tent, a stove (or matches for a fire) and a couple sleeping bags.
I've lived in a 13 foot camper for 2 years now with a cat and sure with an extra person on occasion we really aren't spending too much time inside.

Yeah maybe so. My cooler takes up a lot of room for sure, 45qt Pelican. Same with the tent which is fairly large even folded up.

Since this is not generation related, moving to General Discussion so others can participate.

Here was the series of events today…

2 biggest items


Packed to the brim with the rest of the camping junk, no duffel bags or food



And the quickest cheapest solution I could think of; $90 hitch carrier from Harbor Freight lol. Now I can fit duffel bags and food inside the rig.

Hitch carrier and full length roof rack. 3 kids and a dog.


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I have the same Harbor Freight hitch carrier, works great. Also get a roof box you can cram full of sleeping bags, the tent etc., and on the open side of the roof rack you can strap down camp chairs and more.

Wide aftermarket roof crossbars open up the usable width of the roof. Roof box (torpedo) on one side, strap stuff down on the other side, get a roof basket too if you need it and can fit it.

A pal put a front hitch on his Honda Pilot and uses his harbor freight type hitch carrier up front.

My sister and brother-in-law plus 2 kids and a boston terrier did some bigtime road trips and multi-day camping excursions in a Scion XB with this setup. (roof cargo basket loaded up, and rear hitch carrier). Good luck!

PS a lot of this stuff you can get on facebook marketplace/ craigslist... search thule and yakima etc. 20% harbor freight coupon gets you the rear hitch carrier cheap. Otherwise buying new you can spend a fortune on all this stuff.

"Camping" sure seems a bit more luxurious than I remember.

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So?

I like to KISS as much as the next fella, but if I had kids, I'd use whatever's relevantly necessary for them to enjoy themselves and want to do it again.

Oh buddy, sometimes it needs to be with young kiddos.

Core 12-man tent for me, my wife, our two kids, plus three of their cousins (around same age as our kids, so five kiddos total). Me and my wife slept on a King Koil queen size blowup mattress, kiddos on a various assortment of blowup and smaller mattresses. We had a portable a/c unit in that thing too






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Ratchet-strapping the tent and chairs on the roof luggage rails looks like it would free up a lot of space. A thing I did to save space was go with those collapsible camping chairs like the Helinox style. The name brand are nice but expensive, and Costco sells knockoffs that are much cheaper and get the job done, but they aren’t as steady. There is definitely a difference, but go test out the Helinox at your local REI to see if the extra premium is worth it to you. I actually got the idea of using the collapsible chairs from MandATaco as he camped with 3 kids in car seats out of his 3rd gen.

Also, one of the best camping high chairs I’ve ever seen was by EvenFlo but they don’t make it anymore. They go for a crazy amount on eBay though, sometimes $350! Evenflo Babygo Travel Highchair Green | eBay

I have a green one that I can sell you for a better price if you’re near Vegas 😉

We are a a family of 3 (planning for 4) with a dog. We purchased a good aftermarket rack and a large roof top tent Tepui Autana 4 which is a king sized bed. The tent more than fits us and the dog. Having the tent, mattress, and some bedding on the roof saves a lot of room in our 4Runner. I made a drawer box for the back hatch which helps keep things organized and neatly condensed. We may eventually need a small trailer if we add a a 2nd kiddo just to carry bikes, propane tanks and that sort of thing.

Me too, I always want to give all the best things to my children.

We camped with our kids ever since they were 6-7 years old. we camped in a Coleman Tint trailer for years and then mover up to a hard side trailer as time went along. All worked out pretty well as we tried to camp in areas where there was always something to do, site seeing, wonders of nature, and yes, even a town somewhat close so we could keep that home feeling every couple of days or so. I'm 79 years old so as you can see we had no cell phones, computers, no electronics like we have today, so we had to actually find something to do to make the camping experience a great time for all. The more I think back about it, I'm not sure we could survive today like we did back then, everyone is needy and many can't find things to do to pass the time, it's the way things have become. If you can take your kids camping and make it a week you have taught your kids well and when they say, I'm ready to go again your camping trips should be a great family outing that will last a lifetime.