Almost 600 readers told us how they camp, what they value, and what they want from Truck Camper Magazine. Your input is shaping what comes next. You spoke. We listened. Here’s the impact!

At TCM HQ, we have been carefully reviewing the detailed responses from 572 readers about the magazine, our community, the marketplace, and the truck camping lifestyle we all love. We cannot thank you enough for taking the time to share your experiences and perspectives. Thank you!

Rather than present pages of charts and statistics, we want to share what we learned in aggregate from your responses, and the ideas and changes those perspectives have put on the table. You have given us a lot to think about and sparked fresh inspiration for the road ahead.

Here’s what we learned:

1. Our readership is predominantly male (over 87 percent), and over the age of 45. That should be no surprise to anyone in the truck camper industry or community, but we are looking for ways to get more women and young people involved in the truck camper scene. Hey ladies, please share your stories and tell your friends about truck camping, and Truck Camper Magazine!

2. The reader responses between “mostly off-grid / remote camping” versus “mostly campground-based camping” were almost equally split. This tells us we need to take campground camping into deeper consideration. We’re still off-grid biased, but we’ll be looking for opportunities to be a little more inclusive of campgrounds to better reflect our real-world community.

3. When we camp off-grid, we typically camp off-grid for one to five nights. That breaks down to 41.7 percent at one to two nights and 40.5 percent at three to five nights. From this data point, we’ve had all kinds of internal discussions, including focusing more on DC-to-DC charging systems and ways to make short off-grid camping experiences more accessible.

4. The great majority of us take multiple extended trips a year (weeks at a time), or mostly weekend or short trips (less than a week). Very few are full-time (less than 3 percent), or only use our campers occasionally (6.3 percent). The message here is to focus more on helping readers plan both short and extended truck camping trips.

5. Beyond a doubt, most of us camp with our partner or spouse (77.6 percent). On balance, nearly 19 percent said they camp solo, 12 percent with family and kids, 18 percent with friends or a group, and 24 percent with pets. From this, we will continue to focus on truck camping predominantly as a single or couple’s activity, and look for more ways to incorporate content on camping with kids and pets.

6. Interest in renting campers was expressed by 14 percent of respondents. If this tracks across our readership, that represents a significant number. Rental companies have long wondered whether there was a true market for truck camper rentals. With this data in hand, we can now say with confidence that truck campers are indeed interested in rental truck campers, and that there is meaningful demand within the community.

7. Affordability has become a critical factor in truck camping. The survey revealed that 13.5 percent of readers cited affordability and value as their top pre-purchase issues. On balance, 41.8 percent pointed to a balance between price and quality, and 43.4 percent said they are willing to pay more for the right product. Translation: affordability matters, but most truck campers remain focused on quality and getting the product that best fits their needs.

8. More than 54 percent of our readers are on phones and tablets and 45 percent are on desktops or computers. This lines up with our approach to making the website equally strong for desktop and mobile. This also lines up with the 96 percent who said our website was very easy, somewhat easy, or neither easy or difficult to use. There’s always room for improvement, but we’re on the right track here.

9. Do truck campers attend RV shows, Overland Expos, and rallies? Heck yeah! Over 56 percent of our readers plan to attend at least one live event this year. This confirms the importance of our RV Shows and Rallies page. It also reinforces the value of Truck Camper Magazine maintaining a presence at Overland Expos.

10. There’s no doubting that social media has become a phenomenon, but which platforms do truck camper enthusiasts prefer? The standouts were Facebook (34.8 percent) and YouTube (29.9 percent), with Instagram steadily catching up as a favorite among younger readers. The takeaway is clear: our readers are active across multiple social media platforms and appreciate a mix of ways to connect with truck camper content and the community.

11. Our readers still predominantly favor in-depth, magazine-style written content (33.2 percent). This is further supported by the 41.3 percent of readers who enjoy all of our formats—written and video—equally. Less than 7 percent prefer short or long form videos to written content. This tells us we’re on the right path, but we should always lean toward written content.

12. We asked what TCM content you find most interesting. The standouts were truck camper reviews (75.8 percent), truck camper gear reviews (68.3 percent), and maintenance, installation, and upgrade content (71.6 percent). Other notable items were new camper announcements (53 percent), new gear announcements (45 percent), destination articles (52.4 percent), factory tours (45.5 percent). This is all very helpful in guiding future content decisions.

13. We asked about new kinds of content and the results were clear. You want more “owner-submitted” articles, trip reports, photos, videos, and spotlights. We translate this as a powerful vote for more truck camping lifestyle content. This is music to our ears.

14. Boats are, by far, the number one item towed behind a truck camper rig (30.3 percent) followed by a utility or cargo trailer (22.5 percent), off-road vehicles including ATVs and UTVs (18.1 percent), and automobiles including cars, Jeeps and SUVs (16.37%). Remarkably, 64.6 percent of our readers report towing something behind their truck camper rig. That’s stunning and something we need to focus more on in our editorial.

15. Interest in new gear and camper purchases remains strong across the TCM community. Over a third of you are in the camper buying pipeline, planning a purchase this year, within the next few years, or actively researching your next camper. That means a significant share of you are comparing models, learning brands, and moving toward a decision.

At the same time, interest in new gear purchases also remains strong. More than half of you are researching a gear purchase, with many planning to buy in 2026 or within the next one to three years. This shows our community is actively engaged, planning ahead, and continuing to invest in the truck camping lifestyle.

16. We are extremely thankful that 89.4 percent of you are “Extremely Likely” or “Very Likely” to recommend Truck Camper Magazine to a fellow truck camper enthusiast. Without a doubt, this is how we’ve been able to grow and prosper over the past nineteen years and we couldn’t be more appreciative for your help. You guys rock!

Open Reader Feedback:

1. You want more out of the campers you own

You told us to stay focused on the real-world use of the real-world truck campers you currently own. That means helping you plan trips with destination ideas, sharing travel stories from fellow campers, and more real life truck camping experiences. We totally get this sentiment and are working on ways to improve our coverage in this direction.

2. More practical ownership tips—mods, systems, trucks, etc.

You asked for more mods, more hands-on technical content, deeper dives into electrical systems including advanced lithium and solar upgrades, and more maintenance and repair information. In addition, we heard that readers want more information on truck and camper matching, payload realities, and suspension recommendations.

3. You want more help camping comfortably for longer

This one hit home. Many of you voiced interest in how they can keep truck camping as they get older. Specifically, they asked us to focus on mobility, ergonomics, and longevity friendly layouts. The overall point was how can we help the truck camping community continue to camp safely and comfortably as we all get older.

4. Affordability is increasingly critical. Demand for the high-end remains strong.

Affordability and value came through clearly in both the survey data and the open feedback. Some readers asked us to pay more attention to lighter, older, and more budget-conscious campers, while others expressed a strong interest in premium designs and higher-end builds.

The takeaway for us is balance. The truck camper community spans a wide range of budgets, truck capabilities, and travel styles, and our content needs to reflect that full spectrum. That means content ranging from practical and lightweight rigs to innovative and premium models. We hear you, and we’re committed to showcasing truck campers that match the real-world variety of how this community travels.

5. You trust TCM as an independent authority, and want that strengthened

Many readers shared their appreciation for TCM’s credibility and editorial independence. You also encouraged us to continue asking thoughtful, practical questions about camper weights, build quality, design choices, and long-term durability. We see this as part of our role in supporting both readers and manufacturers by helping highlight real-world considerations that matter on the road.

6. The personal voice behind the magazine matters

Readers gave us kudos for TCM’s personal tone, humor, and real world truck camping experience. They also commented that they’d like to hear even more from fellow truck campers and that the connection to the truck camping community through the magazine is hugely important. We hear that. It’s what keeps us going, too.

7. Staying focused on truck campers is essential

Readers weren’t shy about their appreciation for Truck Camper Magazine staying focused on truck campers. You told us you don’t want to see RVs and vanlife coverage, and that our tight perspective on truck campers is a strength. We hear that.

Thank you to everyone who participated in our 2026 reader survey!