Announcing the 2023 Truck Camper Adventure Quartzsite Rally

The 2023 Truck Camper Adventure Quartzsite Rally is now SOLD OUT. The rally will be held in Quartzsite, Arizona, February 9-12, 2023. If you missed out on getting tickets to this BIG outdoor event, don’t fret. You can place your name on the Eventbrite waitlist by clicking the orange “reserve a spot” button. Being added to the waitlist does not guarantee that you will be able to purchase a ticket in the future. It only allows you to purchase an individual ticket after a ticket holder backs out.

With 400 truck campers, this will be largest truck camper rally ever held, surpassing last year’s record of 240 campers. Like previous Truck Camper Adventure rallies, this outdoor camping event will be held at the Roadrunner Wash Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Area, 6 miles south of Quartzsite (see maps below). All types of truck campers are welcome at this event, including slide-in campers, truck toppers, chassis-mounted campers, and camper shells as well as those who own DIY and vintage restored campers.

Admission

A $25 admission per camper will be charged to attend the 2023 Truck Camper Adventure Rally. This year, Eventbrite will be used to manage enrollment. Click here to register. Important: The $25.00 fee admits one truck camper to the event and up to six family members. When registering, please include all adult names (for example, “John and Jane Doe”) in order to allow name badges to be made. Monies collected will be used to defray the costs for renting a 20×40-foot canopy, scheduling live music, toilets, and for using Eventbrite.

Important: Please do not attend if you are sick with COVID or the flu. If you are an at-risk individual we encourage you to wear a mask at all events. Due to the outdoor nature of the event, however, the rally should be a relatively safe event for those with health concerns. Attend at your own risk. We will not be held liable if you get sick or hurt yourself at the rally.

Two separate parking areas will be set aside for attendees: one area for those using solar power, the other for those who need to run a generator or run their engine. Attendees may park individually or within groups. The best “spots” go rather quickly, so attendees are encouraged to check-in on Wednesday, the 8th.

Sponsors and Awards

A voluntary, donation-only raffle will be held Saturday, February 11 to support the event. No more than two tickets can be purchased per person with the typical donation being $10 per ticket. Prizes for the raffle will be provided by sponsors of the rally. So far, the following companies have pledged their support for the big event: Battle Born Batteries, Four Wheel Campers, AT Overland, SuperSprings, StableCamper, Host Industries, Lance Campers, KingStar, Expion360, Harvest Hosts, Froli Modular Sleep System, SherpTek, Omnia, Trasharoo, Tern Overland, Bowen Customs, Timbren, Torklift International, Scrubba, Sleeper Systems, Viking Bags, Hellwig, Tag-Trailer, and Lippert Industries. Several truck camper companies will be supporting the event with swag as well including Lance Campers, Four Wheel Campers, Host, Northwood Manufacturing (Arctic Fox/Wolf Creek), BundutecUSA, KingStar, Alaskan, and Hallmark. If you’re interested in sponsoring the event with a raffle prize, please contact us at tcadventuremag@gmail.com.

Quartzsite Rally Details

As the Boondocking in the Desert title implies, this will be a boondocking rally held on BLM land in Quartzsite. No hookups or other amenities will be available, so empty your black and grey water holding tanks beforehand, bring plenty of food, water, and firewood, plus a few camping chairs for classes and gatherings. Being a boondocking rally, and with everyone parked close together, attendees are encouraged to use solar power as much as possible. However, if you need to run a generator or run your truck’s alternator, you may park in the generator designated parking area that will be set aside for the rally.

Quartzsite, Arizona is the perfect place to hold a truck camper rally. Known as the boondocking capital of the world, Quartzsite has almost everything you need to make your stay enjoyable, including RV repair and supply shops, solar and battery vendors, gas stations with diesel and propane, potable water, dump stations, grocery stores, and restaurants. Cell reception is generally good, but may be a bit slow at times due to the number of people in Quartzsite competing for the limited amount of bandwidth.

The weather in February should just about be perfect. Expect temperatures in upper 60s/low 70s during the day and in the 40s during the night. The elevation of the Roadrunner Wash is 1,065 feet. Prepare for strong winds and possibly rain. Bring appropriate clothes and sun screen for sunny days and cool nights. For additional information on Quartzsite, click here.

Directions to the BLM Roadrunner Wash: Take the I-10 to Quartzsite. Get off on the Highway 95 exit and head south on Highway 95. Travel approximately 6 miles and turn right (west) on 53rd Street N. (do not enter the BLM area using the Highway 95 entrance due to the presence of deep sand on the main road). The Roadrunner Wash BLM area will immediately be on your right and will be marked by a Truck Camper Adventure flag. First, sign in with the Roadrunner Wash BLM host. After signing in, follow the orange traffic cones to the west to get to the rally. The location where we will be holding the rally is 33.5911 lat -114.2342 long, the same location as previous rallies. Camping is limited to 14 days for those interested in camping before or after the rally.

Important: Make sure you check-in first with the BLM Camp Host at the Roadrunner Wash entrance before checking in with rally volunteers. Camping at the Roadrunner Wash is free and has a limit of 14 days.

Printing Your Tickets: You will need both your Eventbrite ticket AND your BLM camping permit to receive your name badge. Attendees are required to wear their badges at all times and to win prizes. To print your ticket(s), login to Eventbrite and click on your username icon in the upper right hand corner of the website. In the dropdown, click on tickets. That will bring up “Orders.” Click on the large 2023 TCA Quartzsite Rally icon. Then click on the orange “print tickets” button to print your tickets. Note: we will also be bringing a spreadsheet of all enrollees for those who lost or forgot to bring their tickets.

Late Arrivals: If you miss the check-in period on the 8th, pick a rally camping spot (solar section on the left-south, generator section on the right-north) and check-in at the rally HQ to get your badge(s) first thing the following morning. Make sure you first check in with the BLM Camp Host at the Roadrunner Wash BLM entrance.

Rally Itinerary

The itinerary for the rally has just about been finalized. Here is where the itinerary currently stands. Note: all classes will be held under the canopy unless noted otherwise.

Wednesday, February 8

• 12-4pm: Arrive Roadrunner Wash BLM Quartzsite and Check-in (parking to be assigned upon arrival, get badges)
• 4-8pm: Free Time

Thursday, February 9

• 8:30-9:00am: Rally Kickoff and Announcements by Mello Mike
• 9:15-10am: Basic First Aid — Kevin MacAfee
• 10:15-11am: Boondocking 101 — Mello Mike
• 11:15-12pm: Winterizing Your Camper – Patrick Taylor
• 12-1pm: Lunch
• 1-3pm: Truck Camper Open House
• 3-5pm: Free Time/Dinner
• 5-6pm: Omnia Demo – Karen Smith
• 6-7pm: Dessert Social
• 7-9pm: Stargazing 101 – Linda Boecker

Friday, February 10

• 9-9:45am: Payload and Truck Campers – Mello Mike
• 10-10:45am: Ford 6.0L PSD Basics – Steve Hericks (Steve’s Rig)
• 10-10:45am: Scrubba Demo – Karen Smith
• 11-12pm: Solar Power Basics – Mello Mike
• 12-1pm: Lunch
• 1-1:45pm: Basic Photography – Ric Miller
• 2-2:45pm: Ham Radio 101 – Joel Gambino
• 2:45-5pm: Free Time
• 5-6:30pm: Chili Cookoff
• 7-9pm: Live Music (Mike Ewing the Arizona Cowboy Balladeer)

Saturday, February 11

• 8:30-9:15am: Truck Camper Batteries – Mello Mike
• 9:30-10:15am: Intermediate Solar Power – Steve Hericks
• 10:30-11:15am: Harvest Hosts – Kevin MacAfee
• 11:30-12:15: Tern Overland – David Soza
• 12:15-1pm: Lunch
• 1-1:45pm: Cummins 6.7L Diesel Basics – Aaron Kessler (Aaron’s Rig)
• 1-1:45pm: Onan 2500 QG 2500i Upgrade – Patrick Taylor (Pat’s Rig)
• 2-2:45pm: Q&A Panel
• 3-5pm: Free Time/Dinner
• 5-6pm: TCA Raffle and winner of the “Best Rig” award announced
• 6:30-8:30pm: Live Music (Mike Ewing the Arizona Cowboy Balladeer)

Sunday, February 12

• 8:30-12pm: Swap Meet (bring your own table)
• 12:1pm: Campsite Cleanup
• 1pm: End rally and break camp (note: the limit to camp in the BLM area is 14 days, many attendees actually choose to stay and relax for several days after the rally).

Truck Camper Attendee List

Truck camper owners from 46 States and Canada will be attending the rally with by far the most coming from California, Arizona, Colorado, Washington, and Oregon. North Dakota, Hawaii, Delaware, and Connecticut will be the only states not represented. The following is a breakdown by truck camper make for those who will be attending the rally:

• Lance Campers (80)
• Northwood Mfg. Arctic Fox/Wolf Creek (50)
• Host Campers (40)
• Adventure Mfg. Eagle Cap/Scout/Adventurer (37)
• nuCamp Cirrus (30)
• Northern Lite (28)
• Northstar (22)
• Four Wheel Campers (19)
• Hallmark RV (12)
• Alaskan (10)
• Bigfoot (8)
• DIY Campers (7)
• Palomino (6)
• Alpenlite (6)
• Travel Lite (5)
• BundutecUSA (4)
• KingStar (4)
• S&S Campers (4)
• Capri (3)
• Sunlite (3)
• ARE (2)
• Livin Lite (2)
• Nimbl Evolution (2)
• One each of the following: All-Terrain Campers, AT Overland, Composite Campers Bear, Dolphin, EarthCruiser, Four Winds, Gumption, Phoenix, Northland, Overland Explorer Vehicles (OEV), Outfitter RV, OVRLND Campers, Ranch, Six Pac, Skinny Guy.