From my point of view it's a rather linear graph you could draw that would measure speed/mobility/accessibility vs comfort. Some have mentioned the truck cap cot set up which I would only do for 1 person, with all the gear that is needed for a long road trip big game hunt you'd be pulling so much crap out of the bed of the truck to fit two dudes in there and then you are in a space that is smaller than some backpacking tents with your stanky buddy.
Options that I would rank in order from most efficient/mobile to least, but also most comfortable would be the following. Note, I haven't done all of these, but I have a pretty good idea/imagination of what it would be like considering I have done most of them.
It does seem the general consensus is that diesel heaters are the way to go for a heat source for just about everything except maybe a wood stove in a very large wall tent, but then you gotta chop wood and that's no fun, but a wood fire in a tent is nice, but also doesn't burn all night for the most part.
1. Roof top tent.
-- I haven't used one of these yet, but people tend to have good experiences with them. Easy to set up, gear can stay in the bed of the truck, you're off the ground so if it rains you don't have to worry about wetting out the bottom of the tent. You can store the tent real fast and move locations in a jiffy and set it up just as fast in a new location. Can camp right at a trailhead/access point and come back to every day and go somewhere else on a whim. But, you can't really store gear too easily in the tent portion, can't stand up there, have to climb down the ladder each time to get out and more likely have to come down to get some things that could more readily be stored in a tent with you if you were on the ground in a larger tent.
2. Car camping tent think kodiak flexbow, larger car camping tent.
-- Good large footprint, easy to set up can put in cots, tables if big enough very comfortable sleeping with cots/pads/big sleeping bags. Can typically stand up inside which is easier to get dressed stretch and have more room for gear and activities. Packs down sufficiently and plenty of room for 2, since it's all in the truck bed anywhere you can drive your truck to you can get the camp to no problem. Cons - if you're moving camp spots you have to break down camp and pack everything away, with a minimal camp though it's not too time consuming and more of the most efficient ways to pack. Camp still needs to be a bit spartan compared to other options.
3. Wall tent
-- Big, comfy, can have all the amenities of a good base camp, cots, tables, bigger kitchen options, can accommodate more folks if the crew grows one year or another. Usually set up for a wood stove already, which on a rainy day, can be a game changer to dry out gear and pass the time. Pack size is quite a bit larger, poles and frames take up a lot of room as well, but still doable in the bed of the truck. It's also nostalgic to have a wall tent hunting camp in the mountains. Cons - set up can take a while, depending on what you decide to bring with you, it could be half a day to get it put together, and if you're solo, some of it can be a real challenge. If you are going to use the wood stove you have to spend a long time gathering/chopping wood. Once you set camp up, you are not likely going to want to move camp at all, so your hunting areas available to you are going to be right from camp or somewhere that is within a reasonable drive from camp for morning and evenings. Sometimes finding a site that is big enough for your tent within a reasonable distance from your hunting area can sometimes be an issue too.
4. Cargo Trailer Camper conversion
-- I've never used one, but easy to see the benefits and cons to this one. Biggest Pro to this to me is security, from thievery and weather. Good locks on the doors and waterproofing seals. You can get as fancy as you want with these, if you do some googling you'll see a bunch of guys that have solar/battery systems with lights and what not. Build in some bunks, can use some nice sleeping pads or even twin sized mattresses for a real bougie experience. Plenty of space to bring all your gear and then some. Can have it set up so you can haul quad or side by side which is pretty handy out there. The trailer can be multi use when it's not hunting season, can be used for moving, storage, and other things. If you do decide to move locations, it is really easy to pile your crap in there hook up and go. Cons - The obvious is you have to tow it, have to worry about the tires etc. Depending on where you hunt, you have to worry about whether you can get the camp close enough a lot of times the roads aren't conducive to pulling a trailer on, and if you can it's a lot slower going. Now, if you do have a sxs you can rip up and down those roads a lot faster so you can go further in a shorter amount of time, expanding your realistic hunting grounds.
5. Camper/RV
-- This is the bougiest. Most all the comforts of home, A/C heat, built in electrical that can be powered by solar or generator, water/shower, microwave (which, dude, can be real nice get a super fast hot meal, leftovers for the win), oven, a real bed and a climate controlled environment has really helped me in the past when my allergies almost crucified me and I got pretty sick. Set up is pretty simple, a little more involved from the cargo trailer but not bad. Everything is built in for camping. Like every other camping method, can be used for camping throughout the year, but for some it is easier to get your other half to go with and it makes camping more comfortable. Cons - you gotta tow it still, maintenance on an RV is a bit more, winterizing, etc. I feel like you gotta be even more careful of the roads you take it down, not quite as rugged as a cargo trailer, and easier to tear up, I haven't seen in person or used the offroad campers there are out there, so maybe it's a mute point there.
-- Now if you go the toyhauler route, you a lot of times need a 3/4 ton at least to tow, but you can pull a sxs and again can expand the distance you're able to hunt.
There's probably few more options out there, but I view these as the most likely and good options. Probably some pro's and con's I didn't include, but like I said before, to me it seems to be a rather linear line of mobility to comfort when it comes to hunting. Cost's vary between all these and there's cheap and expensive options for all of these from what I can tell. Worlds your oyster
Options that I would rank in order from most efficient/mobile to least, but also most comfortable would be the following. Note, I haven't done all of these, but I have a pretty good idea/imagination of what it would be like considering I have done most of them.
It does seem the general consensus is that diesel heaters are the way to go for a heat source for just about everything except maybe a wood stove in a very large wall tent, but then you gotta chop wood and that's no fun, but a wood fire in a tent is nice, but also doesn't burn all night for the most part.
1. Roof top tent.
-- I haven't used one of these yet, but people tend to have good experiences with them. Easy to set up, gear can stay in the bed of the truck, you're off the ground so if it rains you don't have to worry about wetting out the bottom of the tent. You can store the tent real fast and move locations in a jiffy and set it up just as fast in a new location. Can camp right at a trailhead/access point and come back to every day and go somewhere else on a whim. But, you can't really store gear too easily in the tent portion, can't stand up there, have to climb down the ladder each time to get out and more likely have to come down to get some things that could more readily be stored in a tent with you if you were on the ground in a larger tent.
2. Car camping tent think kodiak flexbow, larger car camping tent.
-- Good large footprint, easy to set up can put in cots, tables if big enough very comfortable sleeping with cots/pads/big sleeping bags. Can typically stand up inside which is easier to get dressed stretch and have more room for gear and activities. Packs down sufficiently and plenty of room for 2, since it's all in the truck bed anywhere you can drive your truck to you can get the camp to no problem. Cons - if you're moving camp spots you have to break down camp and pack everything away, with a minimal camp though it's not too time consuming and more of the most efficient ways to pack. Camp still needs to be a bit spartan compared to other options.
3. Wall tent
-- Big, comfy, can have all the amenities of a good base camp, cots, tables, bigger kitchen options, can accommodate more folks if the crew grows one year or another. Usually set up for a wood stove already, which on a rainy day, can be a game changer to dry out gear and pass the time. Pack size is quite a bit larger, poles and frames take up a lot of room as well, but still doable in the bed of the truck. It's also nostalgic to have a wall tent hunting camp in the mountains. Cons - set up can take a while, depending on what you decide to bring with you, it could be half a day to get it put together, and if you're solo, some of it can be a real challenge. If you are going to use the wood stove you have to spend a long time gathering/chopping wood. Once you set camp up, you are not likely going to want to move camp at all, so your hunting areas available to you are going to be right from camp or somewhere that is within a reasonable drive from camp for morning and evenings. Sometimes finding a site that is big enough for your tent within a reasonable distance from your hunting area can sometimes be an issue too.
4. Cargo Trailer Camper conversion
-- I've never used one, but easy to see the benefits and cons to this one. Biggest Pro to this to me is security, from thievery and weather. Good locks on the doors and waterproofing seals. You can get as fancy as you want with these, if you do some googling you'll see a bunch of guys that have solar/battery systems with lights and what not. Build in some bunks, can use some nice sleeping pads or even twin sized mattresses for a real bougie experience. Plenty of space to bring all your gear and then some. Can have it set up so you can haul quad or side by side which is pretty handy out there. The trailer can be multi use when it's not hunting season, can be used for moving, storage, and other things. If you do decide to move locations, it is really easy to pile your crap in there hook up and go. Cons - The obvious is you have to tow it, have to worry about the tires etc. Depending on where you hunt, you have to worry about whether you can get the camp close enough a lot of times the roads aren't conducive to pulling a trailer on, and if you can it's a lot slower going. Now, if you do have a sxs you can rip up and down those roads a lot faster so you can go further in a shorter amount of time, expanding your realistic hunting grounds.
5. Camper/RV
-- This is the bougiest. Most all the comforts of home, A/C heat, built in electrical that can be powered by solar or generator, water/shower, microwave (which, dude, can be real nice get a super fast hot meal, leftovers for the win), oven, a real bed and a climate controlled environment has really helped me in the past when my allergies almost crucified me and I got pretty sick. Set up is pretty simple, a little more involved from the cargo trailer but not bad. Everything is built in for camping. Like every other camping method, can be used for camping throughout the year, but for some it is easier to get your other half to go with and it makes camping more comfortable. Cons - you gotta tow it still, maintenance on an RV is a bit more, winterizing, etc. I feel like you gotta be even more careful of the roads you take it down, not quite as rugged as a cargo trailer, and easier to tear up, I haven't seen in person or used the offroad campers there are out there, so maybe it's a mute point there.
-- Now if you go the toyhauler route, you a lot of times need a 3/4 ton at least to tow, but you can pull a sxs and again can expand the distance you're able to hunt.
There's probably few more options out there, but I view these as the most likely and good options. Probably some pro's and con's I didn't include, but like I said before, to me it seems to be a rather linear line of mobility to comfort when it comes to hunting. Cost's vary between all these and there's cheap and expensive options for all of these from what I can tell. Worlds your oyster
