Get your truck ready for pickup day
You reserved an Outpost. Now let’s get your truck ready for it. Everything here applies to both the Outpost 6.5 and the Outpost 8.0, and anywhere your model changes the answer, we say so.
None of this has to happen the week before pickup. Work through it at your own pace, and if anything is unclear, email info@outpost-campers.com. Someone who has loaded a lot of these campers will write you back.
In the video below, Taylor walks through the whole thing.
Step 1: Decide If Your Tailgate Comes Off
You already sorted out fitment before you reserved, so this is not about whether your camper works on your truck. It is about the one detail still worth settling before pickup day: whether your tailgate stays up.
- Outpost 6.5. Rides with the tailgate up on most modern 6.5′ beds. Shorter beds are where it gets tight, and Ram owners are the ones who run into this most often. If your tailgate will not close, the camper still rides great thanks to its forward center of gravity. You just travel with it down or take it off entirely.
- Outpost 8.0. Built around an 8′ bed.
Not sure which camp you are in? The Truck Fitment Guide has the exact dimensions and takes about a minute to work through. Better to sort it out at home than in our parking lot.
Step 2: Prepare Your Truck Bed
Your bed is about to become the camper’s foundation. A little prep here protects your paint, makes loading day faster, and keeps everything where it belongs once you are moving.
- Clear it out. Remove tonneau covers, toolboxes, bed extenders, and anything else that keeps the camper from sitting flat or sliding in. If it lives in the bed, it needs to come out.
- Lay down a mat. Put rubber between the camper and the bed. A 1/2″ horse stall mat is affordable and easy to find at tractor supply stores, and there are truck-specific mats out there too. It protects both surfaces and keeps the camper from shifting.
- Pad the front. Add padding at the front of the bed, either on the top rail or lower on the front wall, so nothing rubs.
- Check your tie down points. Your camper is only as secure as whatever it is anchored to, so give your points a real look before pickup. They should be clear of gear, free of rust and cracks, and solidly attached with no flex when you pull on them. Anything bent, corroded, or previously overloaded is worth replacing now rather than noticing it on the highway.
Step 3: Let Us Wire Your Truck
Both campers charge three ways: solar, shore power, and your truck’s alternator. The alternator is the only one that asks anything of your truck, and the simplest path is to let us handle it.
The easy way: we do it, or your dealer does. Add the install when you schedule your pickup and it is done before you drive off, whether you are coming to Bayfield or picking up from a dealer partner. We run the DC-DC charging cable, set up the connection for your high-clearance lights, and test the whole thing with you standing there. There is a fee for the service, and it saves you sourcing parts, booking a shop, and explaining to that shop what an Outpost is. This is what we recommend to most owners.
Rather handle it yourself? Also completely fine, and plenty of owners do. Here is what you or your shop will need:
- DC-DC charging cable. A 6 AWG fused cable run to your starter battery, ending in an Anderson style connector at the front driver’s side.
- High-clearance lights. Both campers come standard with lights front and rear, and they connect through a common 4-pin trailer harness available at most automotive shops.
Not sure which way to go, or want to know what the install runs? Email info@outpost-campers.com or call (970) 444-1740 before pickup day and we will walk you through it.
Step 4: Suspension and Tires
Neither of these is a blocker for pickup day. One is worth a quick check, and the other is entirely up to you.
Rear suspension. Whether you upgrade suspension is your call. If you do, airbags and Sumo Springs are the popular choices, both aimed at leveling the truck out and taking the edge off the load. Owners who keep the camper on their truck full time sometimes go further with heavy duty leaf packs or springs. None of this has to happen before pickup, so you can drive home first and decide later.
Tires. Make sure yours have plenty of tread and a load rating of E or higher.
Step 5: Pick Up a Few Accessories
Either Outpost is ready for most adventures in its standard build with nothing added but you, your people, and your gear. These few things are worth having in the truck on pickup day so you can camp on the way home instead of hunting for an auto parts store.
Electrical
- 30 amp to 15 amp power adapter, for shore power
- SAE to MC4 adapter, for the portable solar panel
- 10 gauge extension cord
- 4-pin to 4-pin extension, for the running lights
Water
- RV fresh water hose
- Aquor hose connector, worth having a spare
Truck protection
Overlanding gear
- STAPLL Fender Racks – add additional exterior storage to your setup
- RotopaX – add additional fluid storage for water and/or diesel
- Maxtrax recovery boards – get yourself out of any situation
Still have questions?
Ask before pickup day, not during it. Email info@outpost-campers.com or call (970) 444-1740.