If you think a hard-sided or pop-up camper is a requisite for heading outdoors with your pickup truck, think again. While a sleeping cabin will make multi-day trips more enjoyable, especially in harsher weather conditions, you can enjoy your adventure just as much with just a few adjustments and add-ons. To make it even easier, Cache Co. came out with the Basecamp Pad Tailgate System a while back, which was the world’s first modular unit of its kind. Now, the company has returned with the 2nd-generation version, and it has some big updates.
Building on the success of its progenitor, the Basecamp System 2.0 is more versatile than ever, designed to fit on most full-size or mid-size trucks currently available. Its individual parts can be used while attached to the tailgate system or by themselves, such as two of the brand’s Lounger Chairs and its Jeffrey Cooler. Made from waterproof PVC with nylon PU coating, the cooler is capable of holding 18 12-ounce cans and keeping them cold for up to 24 hours. Meanwhile, the weather-resistant, stadium-style Lounger Chairs are built on an aluminum frame and weigh just 4oz each.
Equipped with a new tie-down strap design that lets you attach items like bikes (it can fit up to five) and surfboards, and can also be used to tether your dog, the Basecamp System 2.0 is theft-resistant and comes with the world’s first locking mechanism for a tailgate pad. You simply lock the unit to your tailgate by using a combo-locked cast-iron carabiner with a steel wire beaded cable between a pair of industrial nylon straps.
The Basecamp System 2.0 bills itself as the highest-quality tailgate pad available. Nevertheless, Cache offers a five-year no-questions-asked warranty for good measure. You can get your own tailgate system for just $325.
