Do you love a good road trip? Choosing your route, thinking through the terrain, planning hotels or campsites, and packing your necessities are all part of the joy of a great road trip.

Taking your truck on a road trip is awesome. It’s ready to tackle tough terrain, can get you through even the roughest weather, is comfortable, and carries a lot of gear. To get your truck ready for the trip of a lifetime, here are the essentials you need to have a pleasant and safe drive.

Storage

You’re going to need to plan storage solutions for your truck. You’ve got to be prepared to carry your personal gear, camping gear (if that's on your agenda), recovery gear, basic tools, and a variety of other things. That big old truck bed has plenty of room for all of it, but good storage solutions are required to keep it all organized, secure, and out of the weather. Even if you have a bed cover or tonneau cover for security and weatherproofing, you’ll want additional storage options for organization.

You have a variety of options for truck storage, including bed drawers, gullwing boxes, standard truck toolboxes, and even the best underbody toolboxes. Think through all your gear and then choose the option(s) that best suit your needs.

Safety

Staying safe on the road is critical. You need to make plans for you and your vehicle to be safe.

●        Personal. Personal safety preparations involve wearing a seatbelt, planning for adequate sleep, bringing along plenty of food, and having generous water and other beverages on hand to stay hydrated. You’ll also want to have clothing that keeps you warm (or cool in summer) and dry.

●        Truck. Before you go, check your truck to ensure it’s roadworthy and in great shape. Bring along tools to make basic repairs and recovery gear to get you out of a bind. Make sure you have reliable communication and navigation tools to get help if necessary. A paper map is always a good backup.

Comfort

Now that you’re safe and have the storage you need, it’s time to think a bit about comfort.

●        Phone mount. Having a secure place to mount your phone makes things easier and safer.

●        Power. Chargers, adapters, solar panels, and other such accessories help you keep all your devices up and running while on the road.

●        Vacuum. If you’re going to be gone a while and plan to be off-road for a good part of your trip, a portable car vacuum can really help you stay on top of the mud, dust, sand, and grit that naturally get into our trucks on long journeys.

Happy driving!