Truck campers share how they saved or were saved by fellow truck campers. Stuck in the sand with the rising tide, to stuck in the cold with a dead furnace, this is how truck campers save the day.
Admittedly, we had visions of truly epic, near-death, off-grid, far from cell signal stories when we asked our readers if they’d ever saved a fellow truck camper, or been saved by one. We definitely got a few dramatic tales, but most of what follows are more subtle situations where a truck camper was in trouble, and a fellow truck camper was there to help.
If that’s not relatable, then either you’re incredibly lucky, or you haven’t been camping for long enough. We’ve had our truck camping bacon saved numerous times by fellow truck campers who ran a cord to their generator-equipped camper when our batteries were almost dead (thank you, Mikeee Tassinari), or helped us diagnose a truck code when we didn’t have an OBD2 scanner (thank you Chuck and Jodie Ramsey), or helped us flip an inverted sway bar under our rig (thank you entire Mid-Atlantic Truck Camper Rally).
The biggest lessons are (a) carry tools and spare parts as much as possible, (b) learn how to maintain and repair your camper as much as possible, and (c) bring and learn how to use recovery gear if you’re planning to off-road. Basically, leave home excited for an adventure, and be prepared to have something go wrong.
From nearly losing a rig to the ocean, to knitting a hat, here’s how truck campers save one another from all kinds of situations.
Tom Watson
1980 Ford F-250
Amerigo (at that time)
“We were on the OSV (Over Sand Vehicle) beach at Assateague Island National Seashore, and another truck camper rig had a breakdown. We were close by and needed something exciting to do, so we went to help.
After discovering their problem couldn’t be fixed on the beach, we hooked up our truck camper to theirs and pulled them off the beach. This saved them from calling an off-road tow truck, which is very expensive.
My advice is to always carry recovery gear, either for you or to help someone else.”
Chuck Ramsey
2012 Chevy Silverado 3500
2019 Arctic Fox 990
“While sharing stories over a community meal at a truck camper rally, one couple mentioned they were having issues with their furnace as it would start but immediately go out. I jokingly said, “If it’s already broken, I can’t hurt it further,” and asked to take a look.
Having once had a similar problem with our furnace, I suspected the sail switch might be the glitch. The design of their camper and access location to the furnace was much different from ours and it took a bit more work to dismantle the furnace to access the switch.
The switch was cleaned, the furnace put back together and, voila—it worked. My wife and I appreciated that it was not just one member of the camping couple getting involved in the repair, but both of them.
Because we were living full-time on the road, I always traveled with various tools that could work on our pickup as well as our camper. My toolbox is readily available.
There’s always something that can go wonky in a truck camper rig, and we try our best to troubleshoot as soon as an issue starts, if not in advance. Access to the internet and various online boards and websites has also helped us research and fix most of our issues. And of course, attending truck camper rallies have been a great place to not only make friends, but to share experiences and expertise.”
Greg Chambers
2015 GMC 3500
2015 Lance 855S
“It was early October 2023, and my dear wife and I were visiting several national parks in the west with another couple who were pulling a small 18-foot travel trailer. We were traveling on a very steep and windy dirt road on our way to a remote private camping area outside of Zion National Park.
Fortunately, we were in the lead and noticed that our friends were no longer behind us as we had separated somewhat to avoid road dust. With no cell service, I walked back down the road and found that they had slowed at a blind curve and lost momentum, and had slid back several feet.
The trailer was jack-knifed and blocking the road. After a few failed attempts with several people standing on their bumper for added traction, I went back to our camper to attempt towing them up the hill.
I put our truck in 4WD Low (4L) for maximum traction and control and carefully backed down the road, hoping I wouldn’t also start sliding and compound the problem. As their rig was a three-quarter ton truck, I was able to attach tow straps to their front tow loops. We made it up the steep section and uncoupled.
My motto is “Gear is Good”. I have purchased some soft shackles to add to my collection of tow stuff as a result of this experience. In retrospect, they might have made it without towing if we had released their hitch’s torsion bars, but we will never know for sure.”
Mike and Nancy Pohl
2015 Ford F-250
2015 Lance 855
“While traveling in our first truck camper rig in the late 1970s—a 1972 Ford three-quarter ton Ranger camper special and a 1978 10.5 Vista Cruzer—we stopped at the Paul Bunyan Amusement Park in Brainerd, Minnesota.
We all went in the camper to change clothes. When we tried to get out, the door knob broke. We were unable to get out the door. The truck cab and pass-through window were locked, preventing us from crawling through and rescuing ourselves. We were really stuck.
Thank goodness that another truck camper pulled in behind us. After explaining our situation through the window, they were able to pry the door open from the outside and rescue us.
What happened was totally unexpected, and we are glad we had a fellow truck camper who parked by us and was able to help. We were also lucky not to be out in the boonies where our screams would have gone unheard.”
Stephen Zuccaro
2018 Ford F-250
2015 Palomino SS-1250
“Surf fishing on Island Beach State Park in New Jersey, a fellow truck camper and surf fisherman became stuck in the sand right up to his frame. He didn’t “read” the sand and wasn’t watching the water line. He had no idea what to do to get his rig unstuck before the tide rolled in.
I pulled up to assist, brought out some shovels, and told him to start digging as I hooked up the recovery strap to both campers. My Ford F-250 has ARB Air Lockers front and rear and—after digging out the sand from under his rig—the recovery was fairly easy.
The more tools and straps you carry, the easier the recovery is. Don’t buy cheap recovery items when you have two “heavy” campers!”
Frank Poole
2016 RAM 5500
2016 Arctic Fox 990
“Scouting a campsite, I pulled off the path to avoid blocking it. Almost immediately, I got stuck. I thought it was solid after walking on it, but no. I walked about 25 feet away and came back. In approximately three minutes, my rig was sunk to the axle. What was I to do?
Luckily, a kind lady was walking by, saw my situation, and offered her and her husband’s truck and camper to pull my rig out. The other truck camper parked on the upper side of the road and winched me out. Whew! It worked, but what a PITA. Lesson learned.
When I see a dirt road, I want to check it out (it’s in the genes). Even walking this one would not have helped, nor me having a winch. I didn’t have an angle bar. I could have dug one, but holy cow man!”
Jodie Ramsey
2012 Chevy Silverado
2019 Arctic Fox 990
“While most will write about helping with mechanical failures or troubleshooting, my stories of helping others come from simple opportunities to provide something the people didn’t have at that moment.
My first story is about a truck camper friend who had an incident with the cargo trailer they were towing. The hitch jumped off the ball and left a souvenir of a hole in the fiberglass wall of their camper. The party involved was over 1,200 miles from home and needed a quick fix/repair to keep their camper weather-tight. I knew I had white flex tape that would not only patch but also match the color of the camper.
My second story was sharing a camping site with fellow Floridians in New Hampshire in early May, and she was feeling the cold. As the other couple hadn’t packed for a cooler climate, I grabbed my knitting needles and some fun yarn from my craft supply box in the camper and knitted her a hat.
In both examples of help, my assistance came from firsthand experience. The flex tape was due to patching a hole in the roof we acquired while on a camping trip, and the hat for warmth was from remembering our trip to the Grand Canyon in May one year and not having hats or mittens (and we were heading to Alaska and I travel with yarn craft supplies to pass time on rainy days at a campground). I saw what I perceived as a problem and knew I had a quick fix in my camper.”
Check out our Questions and Polls section, where TCM readers share their experiences.
