A printer might sound like an excessive piece of car camping gear, but mine has traveled with me for four years. My Canon PIXMA TR150 Wireless Portable Printer helps me handle personal affairs, run my business, prepare for backcountry travel, and deal with paperwork that cannot wait until I reach a city.
Without it, one document could send me searching for a library, office supply store, shipping center, or hotel business center. That search often means extra miles, limited hours, and more stress than one sheet of paper should cause.
Four Years in the 4Runner
I keep the printer in a hard case behind the driver’s seat. It stays out of my main living space, but I can reach it without unloading the 4Runner. The case protects it while I travel over rough roads and move between different climates. After four years on the road, the printer still works great.
I can print wirelessly from my phone or laptop. It also uses very little electricity, so a routine printing job places little demand on my portable power system.
Paperwork Does Not Stop When I Travel
Living on the road does not remove paperwork from life. I still manage personal affairs, family responsibilities, business records, and documents that require an actual signature. A digital file works for many tasks, but it does not solve every problem. Certain forms still need to move from a screen to paper before I can complete and return them.
Carrying my own printer lets me handle the task at camp. I do not have to rearrange my route around a store or wait until I reach the next large town.
A Small Mobile Office for Other Campers
My printer has helped other campers who needed to complete important paperwork while traveling. They could print the document, fill it out, sign it, and prepare it for mailing without driving around looking for a printing service.
If they also needed a digital copy, a phone completed the process. We took clear photos of the finished pages and converted them into a PDF that they could upload or email.
The Canon PIXMA TR150 does not include a scanner, but I do not need to carry another machine. Between the printer and a phone, I can move a document from a digital file to paper and back to a digital format from camp.
Permits, Tickets, and Backcountry Information
The printer becomes even more useful when my route moves away from cities. I have used it for camping permits, state trust land permits, hiking permits, fishing permits, museum tickets, and event tickets.
Topographic maps and important local information also make their way through it. I keep digital copies when possible, but paper gives me a backup when cell service disappears, a battery dies, or bright sunlight makes a phone screen difficult to read.
Some public lands require campers to display a permit. Rangers or other officials may also ask for proof that someone can legally camp, hike, fish, or complete another activity in that location.
A printed copy keeps that information ready without relying on a connection. Backcountry travel already comes with enough variables, so I prefer not to make permit access one of them.
It Saves More Than the Price of a Printed Page
Finding a place to receive supplies has proven much easier than locating a printing service along many of my routes. I order ink through Amazon and have it delivered to an Amazon Locker or another convenient pickup location.
Paper does not require a specialty store either. I can usually pick up a package during a regular supply run.
A printing service may sit far outside my route. Even after I locate one, I still need to check its hours, upload the file, drive there, and hope its equipment works.
My printer removes that extra trip. The savings become much larger when the nearest option requires additional fuel and dozens of unnecessary miles.
I can usually find a mailbox faster than a place to print. That becomes especially helpful when I need to print, sign, and mail an important document within a limited amount of time.
It Has Printed More Than Paperwork
Not every page has involved permits or business. The printer has also produced photographs for family keepsakes. I used it to print photos for my uncle’s funeral. I never considered that purpose when I first added a printer to my car camping setup, but I felt grateful to have it when my family needed those pictures.
Over the years, it has printed other photos that family members could hold onto. Those pages gave the printer a more personal role than the maps, forms, and tickets I originally expected it to handle.
A Portable Printer Will Not Suit Every Car Camper
Someone who mainly car camps in cities may have easy access to libraries, office supply stores, and other public printing options. In that situation, carrying a printer may take up space without providing enough benefit.
Backcountry travel creates a different set of needs. Maps, land permits, fishing licenses, and proof of legal access can become difficult to print after leaving a populated area.
The printer also makes sense for someone who runs a business from the road or manages ongoing personal responsibilities. Four years later, mine continues to support every part of my life: travel, work, and family.
One Less Service to Find on the Road
My Canon PIXMA TR150 does not look like traditional camping equipment. It does, however, prevent small paperwork problems from turning into long drives.
I can print from my phone or laptop, use very little electricity, and store the entire setup behind the driver’s seat. When I need a permit, map, ticket, business document, or family photograph, I already have the equipment nearby.
Other campers have used it when important paperwork caught up with them on the road. That alone shows how quickly a printer can shift from an optional convenience to the one piece of equipment someone needs that day.
For the way I travel and work, carrying a portable printer saves miles, time, and unnecessary stress. It may not belong in every car camping setup, but it has worked well in mine for four years.
More Gear From My Car Camping Setup
My 4Runner setup has changed through years of car camping, long workdays, backcountry routes, and everyday camp life. See my Amazon to see more of the gear I have personally used and recommend.
Fueled by coffee, road miles, and Roy’s questionable assistance. Enjoyed the read? Help keep it rolling. Buy Me a Coffee →
