Thank you so much. I appreciate that. Id love to have another one for mine to keep busy with. She is the most wonderful thing I have. She has been so much better than I could have ever imagined❤

I agree. Ive learned to always have a way to cook over a fire. Cast iron set up is the way to go, I think

Thanks. Been busy the last couple of months. Planning a few trips soon. Thank for watching and commenting!

Thanks :-).,Gotta be honest, she ended up curled in bed with me 😂. Shes spoiled. Shes doesn’t mind the music either, seems to put her right to sleep

Thanks . I’ve been enjoying my time around lake Santeetlah the last couple of years. Western NC is a gem.

Thanks for that tip. It turned out rare. Which is fine with me. Still have some work to do on sear technique.Ill try that out this weekend. :-)

I would agree with all of that, sir. This is my 3rd Toyota. Once this one goes, I will be getting another one :-). I appreciate the comment and interaction. Cheers

Thanks :-) Plenty of primitive camp sites. I love the NC mountains for that.

Have you camped around the Lake Santeetlah area at all?

@@chrisstapleton-ChalkPrintProd no I have not.

Thanks for all that. Im going to continue to put out videos more consisted.Always open to suggestions, if there something you have in mind. 🤘🏼

I really appreciate that. Ill be posting one this morning sometime.Thank you for the sub.

It always takes me 2/3 camping trips to work all the me tweaks out of the set up. Ive made a few adjustments and bought the larger awning last week. Ill be posting that video today. Thanks for the comment. Hope u get plenty of days in this season . Cheers.

Useable counter space is prime real estate while camping lol. It was the biggest qualm I had with my last set up. Ive seen several other set ups with that. So, I cant take full credit for the idea. But I love how it turned out.

I will let her know you said that :-). Shes a mini heeler. I was expecting a full size one… lol. She is so smart. Even after having her for almost 2 years, she still catches me Off guard by her wittiness. Absolutely lucky to have her! ☺️

It’s a slick system. I have thoroughly enjoyed having it the last couple of years. Thanks for watching. :-)

I appreciate that. I have a pretty good kong brand bed for her. It’s hard to see in the video but shes on it. I also added a bed platform thats on the same level as my sleeping platform. So she will be off the floor and right next to me where she HAS to be all the time 😂. Im looking at cutting her out a small piece of foam bedding to add under her current bed, as well. She may end up with a better sleeping set up than me :-) lol

@chrisstapleton-chalkprintp5225 lol, Roxy will enjoy her sleep! I see u like those custom high rise tent zipper shells . I've been watching a few more of ur previous videos too. as I watch u guys do it. It inspires me too

I love hearing that. If i can get some people motivated to get out and do these sorts of things, Im all about it. I have a great set up. But before all this, i was just crawling in the back of my truck and sleeping on a camping pad. This is much more comfortable, but i put in my time “ roughing it “. I am going to try and keep posting a couple of videos a week. I have lots of things planned for the rest of the year. Cheers!!

Thanks, Desiree. Ive enjoyed my time in it so far . :-))

Noted. It was my first time trying it out. Thanks for that tip. I’ll be trying out a camp style pizza on my next trip.

Thats a good idea. I have a 4th piece that encloses the tailgate.I just didnt have it up this night. You are correct about the leep cap though, they are notorious for allowing water in on the back end. I just bought a larger awning that will cover the entire kitchen table area. Just installed it last week. I appreciate the tips. I am going to add a tarp to the set up to keep around for things like you said.

@@chrisstapleton-ChalkPrintProd real nice wood work👍 Might consider DIY a water proof bed spread & wrap that foam bedding once real dry -save up dry packets and toss them in? One can camo spray paint tarps so they aren’t an eye sore. Is fun to do. Getting out there is what matters! 👍

@@jant4741 thanks. It took a bit of time to get everything built. Im happy with how it turned out. I just put in a new foam mattress and got a waterproof cover for it. I was thinking the same thing lol. Im gonna look at buying a brown tarp to keep it less obvious. I do like the idea of a camp tarp, though..

Thanks Doode. It’s been a working progress. I had two Tacoma’s before i upgraded. Those Tacomas feel like slugs compared to this tundra lol. As far as the issues. I haven’t had any problems, yet. I got a rough country 3”/2” lift on mine and it rides like a king. Ive been hearing its hit or miss with the throttle response. Ive got about 30k on this truck and its still feeling smooth.No problem with the windows either.Hope it missed your truck too.

😂 aint never heard it called that. Ill be using that from now on haha

The campground is called “Mile High Campground”. It’s located in Cherokee, NC, up near the Blue Ridge Parkway. If you google that campground, there is a number. They seemed pretty busy, so I imagine that number will get you in contact with the owner. Let me know how that works out. It would be so cool to see some photos of your build, any chance you can share those :-)

Thanks for the info. I should have mentioned that I'm from Canada so it would be a bit of an effort to get it here. My "build" back then amounted to a tent, sleeping bag and disposable cooler. It was how broke college kids camped!@@chrisstapleton-ChalkPrintProd

Currently in the works. Ill try and get it by the end of the week. It’s going to be a good overview of my build and how everything functions together, including the pros and cons.

Got that video posted earlier this week if you are still interested 😊

Thanks lol. I got sidetracked with Life. But to answer your question. The most common place For water to get in the back of the truck is always near the tailgate. Even with the topper all the way down, water finds its way in. The tailgate seam isn’t completely closed off. And the topper hatch always lets a little water in. The EZ lift system Does a solid job keeping water out, especially when I have the back portion put in( which i didn’t this time) the canvas material is pretty weatherproof. If the rain is super heavy and coming in at an angle, water will work its way along the Velcro seams where the canvas attaches to the bed frame, and into the truck. Not a huge issue if the camping frame is treated with a water sealant, plus with the ridges in the bed of the truck, water is able to get around without puddling and causing problems. Not a deal breaker for me, as I just lower the topper and it’s usually not a huge issue. I screwed up and didn’t close my hatch all the way in the video. Im going to put together a video on the things you mentioned. The good and bad of this system. hopefully that will clear up some of the common questions I get on this. Thanks for watching. Let me know what you decide to go with .

Don't mean to be bothering you again, but I've been looking into the EZ Lift system, and it appears that they have no dealers here in Arizona. If you do the video that you mentioned above, you might also address these questions that I came up with. Did you install the system yourself in your truck(s)? If so, how difficult was it? How did you handle the extra cable for the topper power and where did you tie in for the EZ Lift power? Thanks@@chrisstapleton-ChalkPrintProd

@@AzBob01 you are not a bother. I love the interest and comments. I did install the system myself. It’s not too bad of an installation. Took me a couple of hours. It wasn’t that difficult and required only a few tools. As far as the wiring goes, you can attach them to your bed rails with zip ties.That would be the simplest fix. Im planning on adding some cheap PVC pipes inside my rig to secure those wires and make it look cleaner. Most of them are hidden with my camping frame back there. Hope that helps.

Thanks Chris. I appreciate your answering my questions and yes, it does help me get the information I am looking for. @@chrisstapleton-ChalkPrintProd

I had mine installed by same folks who did my cap. $140

We meaning the dog and I :-)

No sorry ,, oopppss me bad, that was misinterpreted. How about Same thing/Opposite Different as an excuses for me?? sounds confusing to me.

Hello, he sounds like he is keen for early winter camping, shall figure out what kind of low temps are too low? Want to do the Hotsprings really badly. The coldest was -50*C for there is was wonderful other then having to heat up the Coleman lantern to get it to burn.

Its the OVS 270 LTE. I did just upgrade to the larger version of that awning, with the OVS Nomadic Awning 270. Im putting together the install video right now. I will post it today and will break down all that information.

To answer your question, they extend up to about 8.5’ on the larger version.

Just posted the install video on the awning if you want to check it out

Thanks!! 🤘🏼

Hey Roxanne. I am 5’9” ish.. and honestly, I am really comfortable with the height in there. I don’t particularly need to be standing straight up while I am in there. It’s much better than trying to crawl in there with the topper completely down. But thats also why i designed that walkway in there. With the walkway installed, it’s honestly a perfect set-up.I am not sure if EZ lift is planning on making longer actuators to allow a higher system. Be interested to see…

Life has been busy. Haha. I am working on a few things right now. Building ziplines !!

Good deal. Just curious. Getting ready to build out my truck with a topper lift too. So I’ve been following your vids.

There is another piece to this ez topper system that covers the back tailgate. I just didn’t use it this trip. I also have a bug screen that i made last year that can velcro into place and cover the back opening. It was cool enough this day and the skeeters were not an issue. Thankfully lol

Cool beans ..... I would pop an easy up tent right over that whole back section with screen panels,love you're truck set up great job man

@@bentleydonovan4608 that a great idea. I had that set up a couple of years and enjoyed it. Im going to look at trying to close in a porting of the awning with bug netting to keep the back open more during nicer days.