Pack your truck like a pro.

First in, Last Out (FILO). It not only applies to the savvy business speak and the US Marines, but also how to pack your truck for a camping trip. There’s nothing worse than getting to the campsite and having to dig through the whole truck trying to find something you packed that morning, or a day or so earlier, but can’t seem to find. We can prevent this problem by efficiently packing our vehicles using the FILO method. And it doesn’t stop with the truck - you can pack your backpack and other camping bags the same way.

FILO’ing the truck

FILO is the name of the method, and the relatively simple approach to executing it. We think critically about every piece of gear that we plan to bring along with us, and we place that gear in the truck in a logical manner. We put the things we’ll need on the road, or right off the bat at camp, close to the rear or sides of the truck bed, anywhere we can easily access them. We put the things we won’t need for a while, or may not even need at all, in the back and towards the center of the truck bed. That way, by the time we need them we’ve moved all of the other stuff out of the way.

It sounds simple, and it is. But let’s walk through an example of applying the FILO method to loading up our truck bed for a weekend trip. Let’s assume we have a truck bed with a topper or cover, so we can access it from the sides and from the tailgate and keep everything dry. We’ll assume that we have a normal complement of gear for two to four people car-camping; cooler, chairs, tent, dry-goods storage, kitchen box, maybe something large and bulky like mountain bikes or fishing rods. How should we go about packing this load?

Think about the process of setting up camp. How do we normally go about setting up camp? In the Biv household, we set up our camp chairs and tent first, then we move our kitchen box and stove to the picnic table, hang our latern on the lantern hook it it’s provded, and put the cooler by the chairs. If that’s our process, then we load the truck in this order: cooler, lantern, dry goods box, kitchen box, stove, camp chairs, tent. Done.

But, what if you plan to have a picnic lunch on the way to the camp site as I often do? Then we need to get to the cooler and the dry-goods boxes first, but we’re not taking them out first. What then? Simple - put them on the accessible sides. For me, I put the cooler on the passenger side to even out my weight, and the dry goods box on the driver’s side. I put them both forward towards the cab, and then I pack eveything behind them in FILO order. That way I can easily access my food and snacks on a gas stop or quick picnic, but eveything is in the right place when it comes time to unpack and set up.

A note on loading truck beds and trailers. You want to the heaviest objects as far forward in the vehicle as you can. This minimizes risk of fish tailing (when towing trailers) and prevents load shifting while minimizes center of gravity shifts rearward, which can introduce unstable handling characteristics in turns and at speed. Make sure you’re putting those heavy objects forward and closer to the centerline when FILO’ing the truck.

Packing up filo. it should be different.

When you are done camping and it’s time to pack it in, there’s another opportunity to save your future self from heartache. You should think about the process of putting away all of your camping gear at home, and load the truck to facilitate (while still keeping heavier objects towards the front). For example, in the Biv household, we unpack our clothes and start the laundry while we unload the coolers, drain them and give them a quick wash, air out the tent, hang the sleeping bag, and put away the chairs. So our FILO for packing the truck at the end of a car camping trip is this: cooler and dry-goods in the same spot (for the picnic on the way home), with tent and chairs between, backpacks and sleeping bags will be stowed towards the tailgate this time. When we get home, Mrs. Biv grab’s the soft goods while I unload the coolers and air out the tents (teamwork makes the dream work). Packing up is no more annoying than putting things in the proper place, and by the time it’s time to unfold the tent and air it out, everything is neatly put away and there’s plenty of room.

What do you think?

Do you use the FILO method for packing the truck? Do you have any packing tips or tricks you’d like to share with Uncle Biv? Let us know! Send your tips and pictures of your rig packed up and ready to rock here. The best ones may find themselves in the blog or on the newsletter.

Have a question about camping you need answered? Ask Uncle Biv.