[JohnFen]

> I don't really see another solution other than cheap and convenient pickup truck rentals.

In my city, you can rent a truck for the day for about $50 (including a decent amount of miles). I know because I do this regularly. I'd be surprised if such an option isn't available in your city as well.

[vostok]

Do you baby tips for finding cheap ones?

The cheap rentals in my city are at the airport and that makes it a pain to use them. They're not really cheap if I ascribe a sufficiently high value to my time. The ones close to me often have limited inventory and don't have a pickup truck right now.

Even at the airport, it looks like a pickup truck is $200 for the weekend. And honestly going to the airport is enough of a pain that I'm less likely to do things that require a truck as a result.

If I owned a pickup truck and kept it in a garage by my place then I would be far more likely to make last minute decisions to go camping or yard sale shopping or whatever.

[RijilV]

Sure, U-Haul. It's $19.95/day and $1.39/mile. Last time I rented one the automated "don't have to talk to anyone" app I couldn't figure out, but it took less than 120 seconds to navigate the in person exchange to get the key.

You don't need a pickup truck to go camping (they're actually not terribly useful for that) or yard sale shopping. Like seriously it's https://van.life not truck life.

[vostok]

The truck is nice for avoiding setting up camp in the rain because it's easier to hose out, but you kind of need your own truck with a cover and such.

That's a good call on vans though. A cargo van might be a good idea for legitimate well maintained campgrounds.

[beej71]

I have a Chevy Express we use for camping. And we take that thing all kinds of illegitimate places. :)

[JohnFen]

I use U-Haul. Pickup trucks are pretty popular, and they have some at every location around here. Many locations are cool with you leaving your car there for the day, too.

In my area, renting any vehicle at the airport is more expensive than the same vehicle at other locations.

[llampx]

> If I owned a pickup truck and kept it in a garage by my place then I would be far more likely to make last minute decisions to go camping or yard sale shopping or whatever.

You and every other SUV driver share this dream. We all know that last minute outdoorsy fantasy is not gonna happen. And are you buying the entire yard at the yard sale?