01 4wd S10 is a budget beast for car campers
 

Hi guys,

Brand new to the forum but I've been using the site for research over the past 2 months. I have been a car camping enthusiast for years now and did most of my adventures in a 2001 Volvo v70xc. It had what felt like an entire apartment in the back with the seats down along with AWD. It recently died on me and they are very hard to find at least in KS. I replaced it with a 2001 S10 Blazer LS 4 door with 4wd. WOW i figured this would be a temporary stopgap vehicle but I am thrilled with its capabilities. Im 6ft 230lbs and I don't even have to scoot the front seats up to get a wonderful sleeping area that fits a full size air mattress perfectly. The mini tailgate and hatch window are FAR superior to a full hatch opening, especially since now that I can use a hitch mounted bike rack and it doesn't interfere with the tailgate at all. I like being higher up in the air and having great 4wd. I'm not calling it an overlanding rig because I'm mostly at lakes and bike trails, but I do boondock with it and i imagine i could upgrade its trail abilities if i feel the need going forward. I should add I am also a 60 mile per day round trip commuter for work, and the S10 size and handling and mpg on highways is wonderful.

TLDR: S10 4dr 4wd blazers are a hidden low priced
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/blazerf...171d9e9dfb.jpg
gem for those who want to experiment with car camping and outdoors activities. Fold the seats down, throw a full size air bed in the back and the rest is up to you!!

Welcome to the club!

Yes, our little Blazers are actually quite capable. I've slept in mine a few times. I've always thought that a V8 4Runner would be in my future, but I can never quite justify making the leap.

What stands out to me about the Blazers is that they are likely the smallest body-on-frame SUV you can fine that can be upgraded to go off-road.

For more storage space, I'd suggest getting a roof box. I found a used Yakima Rocket Box with mounting parts for $250. It is where I stow my recovery gear.