How to Enjoy Thanksgiving with Your Truck

With fall in full swing and winter approaching, everyone’s gearing up for the busy Holiday season. However, depending on your area, these may be the last few weeks of decent weather until spring, before the final red, orange, and yellow leaves drop from the trees in preparation for winter snow and rainfall. 

As we creep closer to November’s fourth Thursday (Thanksgiving Day), it’s time to enjoy the final days of fall, and there’s no better tool to implement than your pickup truck. From autumn camping trips to tailgates outside your home team’s stadium, we’re covering the best ways to incorporate your pickup into the holiday season.

The holidays are no cakewalk. While it is the happiest time of the year, that’s not to say the time from November to New Year's Day doesn’t bring about a great deal of stress. From hosting your family’s holiday gatherings to getting your time-off requests approved, making it through the end of the year can feel like a tremendous undertaking. 

To help mitigate some holiday stress, we recommend taking the truck out for a weekend adventure. But just how can you incorporate your pickup into the holiday season? 

A road trip is often the least stressful part of the holidays, and a modern pickup is built for it— comfortable seating, a roomy cab, and enough cargo room for a family's worth of luggage and gear.​

Whether you're driving to the mountains for a long weekend or heading back to your hometown, a truck gets you there with room to spare, as long as the bed is sealed up and secure.

Pull out the grill, pack the cooler, and find your spot. Football season peaks right alongside the holiday, and few well-planned accessories can make all the difference on a cold Sunday morning.​

RealTruck carries the gear that turns a parking space into a setup worth showing up early for, including awnings, coolers, bed steps, and storage. Browse our full Tailgating collection to build yours.

Late fall is one of the best times to be outside and one of the worst times to pitch a tent on wet ground. Your truck bed solves that. A truck bed tent keeps you off the mud, out of the weather, and on a flat surface.​

Pair truck bed tents, inflatable air mattresses, and an awning for a dry, self-contained camp that sets up in minutes. See the full camping collection for the complete lineup, or check out our truck camping setup guide if you’re building a kit from scratch.

From quick Thanksgiving gifts to big fall upgrades, these ideas will make your holiday season all the more enjoyable.

Luggage, gifts, and gear need a dry, locking place to ride. A truck bed cover is the single highest-impact upgrade for holiday travel, and it earns its keep the rest of the year.

The RealTruck® RetraxPro EZ-OFF™ FRC-4000 is the industry's first fully removable retractable truck bed cover. With an EZ-OFF canister, you can slap the handles on and remove the entire cover in minutes, with no tools.​

Why we love it:​

• Patent-pending removable canister lifts out in seconds to clear the bed for oversized cargo

• Full 100% bed access, roughly 21% more than a traditional retractable

• Double-walled aluminum slats with a matte black powder coat finish

• Key-lockable TraxLatch™ comfort handle for added theft resistance

• CoreTrax™ sealed stainless steel ball-bearing rollers for smooth, maintenance-free operation

• Stores on integrated feet in the garage, truck bed, or back seat

• Installs in under an hour with four quick-attaching clamps and no drilling

From $2,499.99. 

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The RealTruck BAKFlip® MX4 EZ-Lift is a hard-folding option at a lower price point. Featuring BAK’s innovative EZ-Lift tension control system, lifting the cover against the cab for full bed access is a breeze.​

Why we love it:​

• Hard-folding aluminum panels with a durable matte finish

• EZ-Lift operation for easier one-handed opening

• Folds flat to the cab for full truck bed access when you need it

• Same-day RapidShip on most fitments

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From $1,349.99. ​

Not sure which style fits how you use your truck? Start with our Bed Cover Finder or read through our Choosing a Truck Bed Cover guide.

If you're hauling enough to need enclosed, standing-height storage, or you want a camping platform that stays dry no matter the forecast, a cap is the move.

Modular, innovative, and ships directly to your door. If you’re caught between an overland-style bed rack and a color-matched hard-shell topper, the RealTruck Ascend Cap offers the best of both worlds.​

Why we love it:​

• 14-gauge steel frame supports up to 1,200 pounds for racks and rooftop gear

• Modular QuickMount™ panels remove in minutes for open-bed or rack-only use

• Waterjet-cut panels held to within .00004 inches of spec

• Optional Multi-Shield™ coating increases scratch-resistant durability

• At-home install in about an hour with two people, with no cutting or drilling

• 5-year limited warranty

From $4,799.99. 

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The RealTruck® APEX FGC-5000 doubles your usable cargo space and locks it down with one click of the tailgate. Loading it in a dark driveway at 5 a.m. is what matters in November. The hatch opens hands-free with the tailgate, and the interior lights come on automatically.​

Why we love it:​

• Hands-free InvisiLatch™ rear hatch opens in sync with the tailgate, and locks with it in a single step

• The industry's largest infinity side windows, wrapping over the bed rails  

• Carpeted interior and frameless sliding front window come standard on every application

• Two-toned, paint-matched finish with an integrated aerodynamic spoiler

• Downward roofline doubles as drainage, channeling water away from the truck bed

• Shatter-resistant glass hatch

• 2026 Red Dot Award winner for Vehicle Accessories Design

• Designed, engineered, and tested in the USA, and made in the USA with global materials

• Professional installation recommended

• Limited lifetime structural warranty, 3-year hardware warranty, and 5-year gas prop warranty

From $5,599.99. 

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Want to spec out a topper? Check out the RealTruck Cap Builder.

Camping, tailgating, and long drives all run on the same piece of gear. A quality cooler holds ice for days, and a 12V fridge skips ice entirely and plugs into the truck.​

Browse the full coolers category, offering everything from portable DC fridge and freezer units to traditional ice chests.

When you're feeding a crowd and nowhere near an outlet, go big. The Engel 123 is a rotomolded cooler built to hold ice through a long weekend and then double as a bench once the food is gone.​

Why we love it:​

• Durable and efficient rotomolded construction

• Interior dimensions: 35.25" x 13" x 13.5"

• Holds up to 100 12oz cans

• Built-in bottle opener

• Lockable to prevent intrusion by bears and other wildlife

From $519.99. 

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Browse the full coolers category for smaller rotomolded options and portable coolers. 

Fall weather doesn't negotiate. Shelter that deploys in minutes—tents and awnings—is worth more in November than it is in July.

Shade on a bright afternoon, cover when it starts raining on your tailgate spread. The RealTruck Overland Awning mounts to a bed rack and deploys in under a minute, tool-free.​

Why we love it:​

• 6.5-ft. x 8.5-ft. footprint covers a tailgate setup or a camp kitchen

• Ripstop polyester construction, fully water-repellent

• Universal T-slot channel mounting for fast, stable setup

• Telescoping aluminum support poles and stainless steel hardware

• Posts include a stake for soft ground and a rubber foot for pavement

• Pairs with the RealTruck® GoRack™ and RealTruck GoTent®

• Limited lifetime warranty

From $329.99. 

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Turn the bed into a sleeping platform. The Backroadz sets up in about 10 minutes and keeps you off cold, wet ground, which matters more in late November than it does mid-summer.​

Why we love it:​

• Sleeps two adults with 58 to 62 inches of center height

• Polyester taffeta body with a polyethylene floor

• Color-coded poles and sleeves for a 10-minute setup

• Napier plants a tree with every Backroadz purchase through its Trees for the Future partnership

From $199.99. 

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Icy roads and high cabs are a bad combination, especially when you're loading and unloading food, kids, and suitcases for the holiday weekend. Proper running boards make every trip in and out safer.

The RealTruck® AMP Research® PowerStep™ is the original patented powered running board, pairing convenience with sleek aesthetics.​

Why we love it:​

• Power-retractable boards extend when the door opens and tuck away when it closes

• 6-in. wide, cab-length step surface

• Clean, streamlined look with nothing hanging below the rocker when stowed

• Kit includes boards, motors, bracketry, wiring, and a vehicle-specific install guide

• 5-year limited warranty

From $1,249.99. 

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A fixed-position board with an extra-wide step surface and no moving parts to maintain through a salted winter. The RB20 also shields your rocker panels from road debris and salt spray on the drive to grandma's.​

Why we love it:​

• 16-gauge galvanized, zinc-coated steel construction resists corrosion

• Extra-wide step profile with bullet-stamped traction for wet and icy footing

• Choice of textured black powder coat or protective bedliner-style coating

• Adds rocker panel coverage against road debris and trail obstacles

• No-drill, bolt-on install with all bracketry, hardware, and instructions included

• Sold as a pair, backed by a limited lifetime structural warranty and a 5-year finish warranty

From $519.99. 

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A stainless steel hoop step for drivers who want drop-down access on a lifted truck. The tucked main tube keeps the step close to the body while the hoops drop right where you need them at each door.​

Why we love it:​

• Corrosion-resistant stainless steel construction built for long service life

• Matte black powder coat finish for added protection

• Louvered 4.75-in. wide step pads with raised slots to keep your foot planted

• Tightly-tucked main tube with tubular drop hoops at each door

• Quick, no-drill mounting on most applications

• 5-year warranty from HAVOC Offroad

From $449.99.

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Tools, recovery gear, and tailgating supplies shouldn't slide around the bed for the entirety of your fall road trip or holiday travels. Adequate storage, whether tool boxes or interior organizers, help to keep your belongings secure and easily accessible.  

A locking box that swings out to you instead of making you climb in after it. The RealTruck SwingCase mounts against the bedside and takes up almost no usable cargo space.​

Why we love it:​

• Swings out over the tailgate for easy access, then tucks against the bedside when closed

• Leaves the rest of the bed and most truck bed covers usable

• Lockable, weather-resistant construction

• Mounts on either side, and installs in minutes

From $219.99. 

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Q: What's the Best Truck Bed Cover for Holiday Travel?

A: Anything that locks and seals. Retractable covers like the FRC-4000 give you the most flexibility between secure storage and full bed access, while hard folding covers like the BAKFlip MX4 EZ-Lift cost less and still lock down tight.​

Q: Can I Sleep in my Truck Bed in Cold Weather?

A: Yes, with the right setup. A truck bed tent plus an insulated air mattress keeps you off the cold bed floor, and a cap or truck bed cover adds another layer between you and the weather.​

Q: Do I Need a Bed Rack to Run an Awning?

A: For the RealTruck Overland Awning, yes. It mounts to a universal T-slot channel, which the RealTruck GoRack provides.