Hey gents I’m new to the scene so any tips on what to pack in the bag apart from the obvious clothes, sleeping bag and wash kit. I might be tramping a couple of nights a week.
Camping stove
Bottled water
Sauce pan , plate cutlery
Tinned and packet food
1st aid kit + pain killers and indigestion tabs
A copy of Razzle
Bum fodder.
Hey do I really need the camping gear in these truck stops
Hey do I really need the camping gear in these truck stops? [Quote]
Yes! You won’t always fetch up in a truck stop, especially here in UK. You deffo need good camping gear to tramp. My advice is don’t skimp on it. You are going to spend many hours in your little tin box, often in a layby or on an industrial estate. Get a really good stove and a box of decent cooking gear. Don’t sod about with sleeping bags, get a good duvet and decent bedding. It makes a massive difference to your quality of life. I used to take the same stuff on UK tramping as I did on Middle-East long-haul. It’s worth it!
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Get a kettle that you can boil as I found ones that plug into cig lighter are a bit useless.
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Then n take an empty thermos flask fill it with the said boiling water then you have plenty of hot water to brew up during your shift
Maybe invest in. An electric lunchbox about £25 off Amazon.
I had one was great.
Plug it into cig lighter socket fill with ready cooked pre/ cooked food and it warms it ok it takes few hours but not a big issue leave it plugged in while driving.
Phone charger
I pad with TV shows apps already downloaded at home.
use your phone as hotspot then watch bit of telly
Same as you I took a load of gear, but we would have had the same cab for ages. @Ronnies_truck hasn’t said either way, so we don’t know if he has the same truck for months, whether it is the same one for a week or possibly two or even three in a week.
The amount of gear that is best to take for comfort is more than the amount easily transferred when ending a shift, and not knowing the same truck will be there tomorrow.
I certainly agree that you may plan to stop in civilised places with good facilities but those plans often don’t work. Loads of gear if a dedicated truck, but that is less easy if swopping trucks frequently.
@franglais if this job is for me and happens I have the same truck mate
That does make it easier for sure.
As @blue_estate @les_sylphides etc say above, take enough to cover you in case of “unforeseen circumstances”. It is good if you can get good food outside the cab, but it won’t always happen according to plan.
A proper duvet and sheet on the bunk is better than a sleeping bag. Much easier to launder regularly too.
Having said that, start with some basics, and decide for yourself what you need. It may be uncomfortable not to have everything to hand, but you won’t starve in the UK.
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Very good point. I used a separate system for lorry-jumping. I had a couple of big plastic crates that were easy to carry, containing a slimmed-down version of my long-haul kit.
Men have died cooking in cab on a gas stove.Plan ahead, do your damnedest to get away from the cab for a shower and a meal.
Confession time…in my younger days I’ve cooked in the cab so yes, it’s a bit hypocritical for me to preach about it.
For clarity…cab cooking, windows closed, the gas stove uses all the oxygen up = Carbon Monoxide poisoning. If you MUST cook in cab, make sure a window is open.
But a truck stop don’t help if he’s stuck at the side of the road miles from any where 
And I’m talking about the cartridge stoves not the 12.5kg bottles of old which were bombs
Ok,just telling it as it is. Burning stoves can’t run without oxygen, and the key words in my post were…Carbon Monoxide Poisoning. It’s colourless, it’s odourless, and it’s deadly.
TRY to plan ahead, get a warm meal and a shower as and when.
Or cook outside. Very pleasant on summer nights. Grab a stout cardboard box and fold it flat to store behind the passenger seat. Unfolded it makes an excellent windbreak when you stand the gas burner inside it. (Try not to set the windbreak alight!).
I almost replied in the same vein, as that was what I did; but I never had to cook bacon and eggs in snow and sleet.
I had a dedicated tucker box on the left hand side of my lead trailer. I sealed it against dust and weather. With a bottom hinge and adjustable chain, the lid made a handy kitchen bench come table. The tinned and dry food were kept in there along with my utensils, crockery and a two burner gas barbecue.
Yes, I did exactly the same when I owned my own tilt trailer!
That’s most of it sorted.
Spare socks and underwear etc, toothbrush, snacks, drinks, sleeping kit, mug, hot-water flask. PPE. Earplugs.
Spare phone and charger. Spare Satnav and charger!
Optional - Toolbag with fuses and bulbs etc. First-aid kit. Spare water.
Camping cooking gear (I used to use this as a newbie but not so much now I know the lay of the main services). Don’t use it in your cab unless windows and sunroof are open. And even then be wary, some Scottish old boy set himself on fire due to venting the gas accidently and igniting it in his cab!
Where’s Mr Carryfast when we need him, he’d put us all right, he knows everything. 