I’ve been camping since I was a kid with my family. After we got married, we kept that tradition going and started camping more.
Our fourth-generation Toyota 4Runner was a big part of those trips. We loved that thing. We built a rear kitchen using vehicle-specific drawer plans from The Adventure Index, which we found through Instagram.
Beer, pies, and a first kitchen test
One trip started in Julian, California, for beer and pies. Then we decided to camp nearby. We had just built the kitchen as part of our wedding gift and were trying it out with the basic equipment we already had: a small wood-burning stove and our Yeti cooler.
We arrived late. I remember the little stove taking a while to cook anything. The kitchen itself worked great. We made some changes to its latching system afterward.
The kitchen let us keep our camping gear loaded, ready to hop in the car and go.
The setup kept changing
Over time we added a SnoMaster fridge and a second battery to run it. An awning made space beside the car, and an orange tray gave us somewhere to set things down while cooking. We also learned to repair loose rivets on a Front Runner chair.
By our 2025 Yosemite post, the photo said, “No more Runner. Still getting out.” The 4Runner is part of our camping history, and the tradition continues.
The camera came along, too. See our Sony α6000 kit and body specifications. We have not identified every lens or matched each sky photo to the lens we used.
From our photo archive
Looking up from camp
Stars above the forest, a crescent and the moon over the pines, from our trip archive. These are past photographs; the homepage almanac calculates estimates for the date you choose.
Select a photo to view the full frame.
Plan daylight and check the moon phase →
What we’re sharing now
Our Gazelle tent is easy to set up. Packing the car was still the part that took effort. We share what worked, what needed fixing and what we would check before buying gear for another setup.