What happens when you pack fifty truck camper rigs onto a foggy Oregon peninsula with breakfast burritos, giant Jenga, and a wiffle ball tournament? Welcome to the Northwest Truck Camper Rally—part island adventure, part rolling feast, and all truck camper magic.
“The Northwest Truck Camper Rally is on Ork Rock this year. We should go,” said Angela.
Ork Rock? Is that next door to Modor? I wondered, considering a proper response.
We had already been contemplating a trip west this year to visit Overland Expo Pacific Northwest, tour a few camper manufacturers, and moochdock with friends up and down Oregon and California. Attending the Northwest Truck Camper Rally would finally put that plan over the top.
“Let’s call Jesse and Anca and see if they have any spots left,” I replied. Jesse and Anca of Rugged Mountain RV had been inviting us to attend the rally they co-founded with StableCamper for years. The location and timing of this year’s rally were fortuitous.
Above: The Northwest Truck Camper Rally Group 2025
Two months later, we pulled onto Ork Rock, easily one of the most picture-perfect group campsites we’ve ever seen. The 100,000 square foot peninsula offers panoramic views of Salmon Harbor, the Umpqua River, and—evidently—glimpses of the Pacific Ocean.
I say evidently because we were all but fogged in when we arrived. There were moments we couldn’t see much past our own shorelines, much less the Pacific. We’re talking some serious Scooby Doo fog. Thankfully, the fog eventually lifted, revealing teasing patches of blue sky. We don’t call it sunshine, but it was all we needed.
Attendees parked around the perimeter of the Ork Rock peninsula creating a natural concentration of truck camper rigs rarely seen. This concentration gave the setting a unique and intimate feel—like a secret gathering of truck campers.
A number of rally goers ventured on and off the peninsula each day to go fishing, crabbing, or Jeeping at the nearby Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. We mostly stayed on the 100,000 square foot patch of truck camper heaven for the duration. It was like living on Truck Camper Island. Arrr!
Each morning, there was a sponsored group breakfast. Day one, we had breakfast burritos and fruit courtesy of Apache Camping Center. Day two, we had biscuits and gravy courtesy of Rugged Mountain and StableCamper. Day three was some seriously tasty pastries and coffee courtesy of Icon and RecPro. If there’s anyone out there who wants to know how you gather lots of truck camper owners together, just put out some coffee and breakfast burritos, biscuits and gravy, or pastries. Done.
Before, during, and after breakfast, there was non-stop hobnobbing, breeze shooting, and blast having with new and old truck camper friends from as far as Florida (we weren’t the only ones that crazy) and as close as Ork Rock (if you’re full-time, you live where you are). Having been to a rally or two, these moments and conversations are always the good stuff. Add endless coffee and that campground was practically auctioned off each morning with all the fast-talking truck camper chatter. Not good times. Great times!
On day two, the rally schedule I evidently failed to read called for a ‘Gilligan’s Island Themed Camper Crawl with a Power Run Twist’. When we stepped outside in our weather-appropriate jeans and sweatshirts, folks were wearing Hawaiian shirts and leis.
Casey Inman of Expion360 was in a short sleeve ship’s captain outfit for goodness sake! Evidently, this Northwest Truck Camper Rally group takes its themes seriously.
The ‘crawl’ was half an open invitation to see inside everyone’s camper, and half an excuse to drink multiple adult beverages before doing so.
Oh, and a few of the camper tour and drink pour participants offered a deck of cards to pull from. Choose one card from each deck to make up a poker hand. Why? We had no idea, but did it anyway.
That evening, the games came out, and Angela made a beeline for a towering Jenga game. Now you might think this would be good for a round or two, right? Wrong! A gathering of a half-dozen adults set up that giant Jenga and took turns pulling out wooden blocks after wooden block until the whole wobbly stack fell not once, not twice, not three times—but at least a dozen times.
Just watching them test poke and carefully remove blocks spiked my cortisol levels, but this steely-nerved gang would not quit.
Of course, there was plenty of ribbing, daring, and celebrating going on. That is, until the whole stack crashed with a laughing crescendo!
Day three had that most famous of camper rally meals—the potluck. Admiring the feast gathered before us, someone asked a very good question. How is it that, without assigned dishes or planning, there’s such a fantastic variety of foods? It’s a mystery how potlucks don’t end up as ten variations of meatballs, potato salad, and brownies (which would be fabulous, by the way).
Whatever the reason, the potluck magic was in full effect on Ork Rock. We all ate ourselves silly.
Then something happened on day four. The fog dissipated and the clouds dissolved, revealing a bright, warm, and shiny circle in the sky. Fueled by copious donuts, eclairs, and cinnamon rolls, the already festive mood instantly shifted into high gear. And then we did what every calm, rational, adult gathering would do in these unusual circumstances—we played the first World Series Truck Camper Wiffle Ball Tournament.
Jared and Candice of StableCamper explained the rules. There would be no actual running. Where the ball was hit determined how far the batter would go. Fail to hit it past the red mark on the ground, and you were out. Further out, and you got a single. Further still, a double, or triple, or a homerun. Hit a truck or camper further than that and call your insurance (nobody did). Then they separated everyone into teams, gave each team colored bandanas, and started the tournament. Play ball!
With the sun beaming, players on the field, and spectators cheering and heckling all around, the games began. Now we’ve seen a lot of activities at a lot of truck camper events over the years, but few have been so well-received.
Everyone had so much fun and—it has to be said—truck campers can really connect. Players of every age and ability were whacking that wiffle ball all over the place. Ultimately, one team won and the others lost, but everybody had a terrific time.
After the game, Rugged Mountain and StableCamper hosted a catered group dinner. No need to go out to a nice restaurant. The organizers brought in rosemary chicken, a baked potato bar, fresh rolls, and more. And there was way more food than this group could put away—and that’s saying something. Once again, we all ate our faces off, talked with fellow truck camping friends, and played games long into the night.
Above: The raffle had sponsored prizes from Torklift, Roadmaster, Expion360, Liquid Spring, OnX Off-Road, Froli, Beddy’s, RecPro, Tire Minder, Flame King, Magma, and Lippert
The final morning, we all did our best to polish off what remained of the pastries. Around 9:00 a.m., rally organizers Jesse, Anca, Jared, and Candice gathered everyone for a warm sendoff. Jesse kicked things off with a heartfelt thank-you to the attendees, followed by several well-deserved rounds of applause for the sponsors, organizers, and the volunteers who made the rally possible. After lots of hugs, the rigs began to roll out, one by one.
We’ve been exceptionally lucky to experience truck camper rallies, gatherings, and caravans all over the United States and Canada. What’s fascinating is that every event is different; from the vision and planning of the organizers, to the vibe of the attendees, to the culture and opportunities of the surrounding area.
If you enjoy meeting fellow truck campers, talking about truck campers and truck camping, and generally having fun with fellow human beings for whom you have a shared passion, put a truck camper rally or two on your bucket list.
If you want to attend the Northwest Truck Camper Rally in the future, follow their website and Facebook page for updates. You can also check out our Shows & Rallies page for upcoming truck camper events.
