America loves a pickup. A recent report from Motor Intelligence, a market data firm, maintains the Ford F-150 is still the best-selling vehicle in America, with over 650,000 units sold in 2022, marking an incredible 41 consecutive years at the top of the sales charts. More recently, America has also discovered a passion for the great outdoors. According to Dyrt, an online camping advocate, the two years of lockdowns during Covid saw over 15 million Americans go camping for the first time.
Once the workhorses of rural America, pickups have become a common sight on suburban driveways across the country, and thanks to the popularity of four-wheel drive and long-suspension travel, an ideal vehicle for exploring the vast American wilderness. Nevertheless, Ford’s 2023 F-150 is 21% longer, 14% wider, and 36% heavier than the F-100 of 1982 that first topped the charts 41 years ago, and, after adjusting for inflation, it's also a whopping 73-percent more expensive.
With numerous models available, including several options priced around $30,000, there’s a strong case in favor of the mid-size pickup. Nissan’s (due for an update) Frontier, Chevy’s all-new Colorado, and Toyota’s camping-oriented Tacoma Trailhunter are among the most accessible examples. Even Jeep slapped a box on the back of their four-door Wrangler to create the Gladiator, the most off-road capable pickup on the market. Ford finally brought the Ranger back to the U.S.A. in 2019, and TopSpeed took a lightly modified 2022 model to Sourthern California’s Anza Borrego Desert for three days of serious off-road driving and camping.
The Case For Going Mid-Size
Today’s full-size pickups are bigger, heavier, and increasingly expensive. The base model four-wheel drive F-150 offers all the creature comforts of a golf cart for nearly $40,000, while the mid-range and well-equipped Platinum model will set you back $65,000. It will look splendid in the country club car park, but you aren’t going to risk dinging your 65-grand Platinum Edition’s wings traversing narrow canyons or scratching the metallic paint as you whizz past the trailside shrubbery.
The two leading full-size pickups, the F-150 and the Chevy Silverado weigh around 2.5 tons. Off-roading inevitably involves driving over loose or slippery surfaces, sometimes combined with steep gradients, situations that heavily favor lighter vehicles. Both the Ford Ranger and Chevy Colorado weigh over half a ton less than their full-sized cousins and, thanks to their smaller footprint, are less hairy to drive in demanding off-road conditions.
All You Need And Nothing More
Being physically smaller is also a clear benefit in the dirt. Mid-size trucks are more maneuverable, and the short-bed versions are regularly one to two feet shorter and a few inches slimmer. Some of the narrow slot canyons we encountered during our trip through Anza Borrego would have forced a full-sized truck to turn around. And, although less powerful than their full-size counterparts, their lighter footprints translate to better fuel economy, on- and off-road.
The Ford Ranger we tested benefitted from an ARB OME BP-51 suspension lift, which added over two inches of clearance, and to make full use of the Ranger’s cargo space, a DECKED Drawer System included two storage drawers that run the entire length of the truck bed. Up top, a Roofnest Condor Overland roof-top tent would be my bed for two nights. The Ranger was also shod in some serious rubber, and its Firestone MT/2 mud tires were more than a match for the rubble and sand we met in the desert.
Plenty Of Room For The Family And Their Kit
Necessarily, the lighter mid-size pickups concede some cargo space, load capacity, and towing ability, but how many of us ever need to carry over 3,000 pounds of cargo or tow a 14,000-pound trailer? For our expedition, the twin-cab Ranger offered plenty of space for hauling our kit and would have still left enough room to seat a family of four. Although the roof-top tent is a roomy two-man, there are various options on the market that will sleep four people, including Roofnest’s Condor XL.
Driving along the highways and backroads en route to the desert, the modified suspension and aggressive off-road tires fitted to our test rig had noticeably blunted the Ranger’s usually pleasant road manners. Nevertheless, it still compared well with Jeep’s rude $40,000 Gladiator, which is much more at home on the trails.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, Honda’s popular Ridgeline, which has a similar price tag to the Gladiator, is among the best mid-sized options for driving on regular roads. The Ridgeline shares the same unibody platform as the Pilot and handles more like an SUV than a body-on-frame pickup.
With the mad bustle of sprawling Los Angeles far behind us, we left the tarmac for Anza’s Fish Creek wash. Driving up the sandy, rock-strewn trail, the only sounds were the steady rumble of the Ranger's V6 and the crunch of sand beneath our tires. From chaos to tranquility in three hours, it's no wonder that truck camping is growing in popularity.
With the light fading and the absolute desert darkness setting in, we went looking for a flat space to make camp. There is one snag with roof tents, you will need to find a level place to park. Sleeping at any angle is surprisingly annoying, and being four to five feet off the ground only accentuates the issue.
All The Gear, No Idea
However, roof-top tents do offer one clear advantage, convenience. The Condor Overland proved especially easy to erect under the light of a headtorch, not the ideal scenario for putting up a tent for the first time. In our case, the Ranger’s rear wheel provided the perfect step to lift the tent’s lid enough to expose the collapsible ladder.
Pulling the ladder out and down toward the ground unfolds the extendable base and allows the Overland’s gas struts to pop open the tent, et voilà, your room awaits. Just lock off the ladder to support the tent floor and climb in. There's no need for a bed roll either since the tent includes a two-inch foam mattress.
Although modified with additional clearance, specialist tires, and a snorkel air intake, even our Ranger can get stuck off-road, and it is important to always carry the right gear. Traction boards are relatively cheap and work well to free vehicles in deep snow, mud, and sand, especially when combined with a tow from a friend. In this case, our Land Rover LR4 support vehicle wasn’t called into action, but we had brought along both a snatch and tow rope just in case.
Pickup Bed Drawer Systems Provide Convenient Storage
This is where bed drawers, like the DECKED system fitted to the Ranger, are especially handy since they allow easy access to gear without unpacking the truck bed. With customizable sections, the drawers are an ideal place to store recovery gear, tools, and other utility items. The raised bed is still good for carrying up to 2,000 pounds, and each lockable drawer can handle up to 200 pounds of gear.
The next day we wound our way up some of Anza Borrego’s dramatic canyon washes. The sheer sandstone cliffs closed in with every turn, finally crowding out the blistering desert sun, and requiring us to fold in the side mirrors to squeeze through the gaps. When we could go no further, turning the Ranger around required the kind of back and forth usually reserved for a teenager’s first attempt at parallel parking and, in those moments, even a mid-sized pickup felt too big.
Perhaps it was the beers around the campfire the previous evening, but we were slow to get moving on our last morning in the desert, and the cool night air was soon replaced by the blazing desert sun. A good time to deploy the wraparound roof awning. A convenient canister attached to the roof bars carrying the tent holds the Roofnest Wing featured on our Ranger, which unfolds around the back of the truck like a giant fan and is ideal for sheltering from the sun and rain.
An All-Electric Mid-Size Pickup
Of course, enjoying nature isn’t necessarily the same as protecting it, and for those of you waiting for an all-electric mid-size, there are some models on the horizon. Toyota has promised its EV Tacoma will hit dealers next year and Ford is reportedly planning to release an electric version of the Ranger by 2025.
By the end of our three-day trip, our ICE Ranger still had a quarter of a tank of gas left over. On paper, this suggests that most modern EVs would have been able to complete our journey within their range. However, the performance of EV trucks in off-road conditions is still an open question. Regardless of their range capabilities, it's worth noting that these vehicles will weigh significantly more thanks to their battery packs.
Capability Before Bulk
Modern full-sized pickups, when suitably equipped, can make capable off-roaders. The raw power and colossal wheels on monsters like Ford's Raptor and RAM's TRX attest to this. However, their high cost, significant fuel consumption, and massive size can be prohibitive. In contrast, mid-sized trucks offer a more practical approach.
They navigate narrow trails with ease, save on costs, and still leave room in the budget for luxuries like upgraded suspension and rooftop tents. Some models are particularly suited to off-road modifications, while others, like the Gladiator, are serious trail runners straight from the factory. Most mid-sized pickups make excellent choices for camping vehicles. If the great outdoors is your destination, we say, go mid!