What does "Truck Culture" mean to you?

S

Saddle Tramp

Active member
If pickup trucks (and SUVs) are the tool, what is the job? Is it just work or is it something entirely different like having a unique ride for a Lemons race? It is a courier to and from the hardware store or is it a companion to that secret fishing hole?

For me, my truck culture seems to be around that use their pickups to do suburban homesteading with a little adventuring along the way. We can't afford ultrahigh end stuff or endless parades of contractors, so we DIY our problems and projects to make thing comfortable.

My younger friends, on the other hand, use their pickups mainly for youthful adventures. They travel off into the woods or farms lands with motorcycles, boats, or ATVs in the bed or on a trailer, hitting the two-track with wild enthusiasm. Scratches and dents are badges of honor, and their trucks usually sport over 150,000 miles.

What about you and your crew?
 
Mine is more or less the same as yours, utility and daily driver. I was a Jeep guy since my first CJ in High School and my first truck was just a "parts getter" in the 90s. Then I needed one to tow and be more comfortable on a daily basis than a stiff old CJ. I have no illusions that it's an off roader, unless you count dirt roads. My CJs and ATVs accomplish that much better.

I see the modern truck culture kind of like the old muscle car culture. It was a natural progression since muscle cars faded out and no one had anything to show their personality. Appearance and exhaust sound are bigger factors now than utility and mpg, just like muscle cars were back in the day. Even though the sound is piped in, or the exhaust tips are just for looks and not actually connected.
 
Primarily a daily driver, thats capable of dump runs, transporting my mountain bike, picking up a load of mulch, or a new tool cab from Harbor Freight. Long term plan is a post retirement Overland rig.

I try not to pass judgment on how someone else uses their truck, but draw the line with the Carolina Squat.
 
Over vacation, I sent a friend a picture of a truck I saw on the road with the caption, Friends don't let friends drive Donks." She laughed. As someone who lived through the Michael Jackson era of clothing, I understand the power of fads and try to be forgiving. (Plus it's something to laugh at later in life)
 
For me it's changed as I've gotten older. 43 now. As a teen and into my early 20's it meant heading off into the mountains with buddies on the weekends to climb the mountains around here and set up a bonfire. Playing around in the snow and towing people out. When my kids came along in my late 20's and through my 30's it shifted to tent camping and packing for day trips to the beach and still exploring forest service roads. Now it means towing my 29' travel trailer all over and hauling items to and from the house. Bark, dump runs, fencing material etc.

For me it's about self sufficiency, freedom to explore and enjoying the outdoors. I'm the person that shows up to work on the terrible snow/ice days because I love the adventure. I've aways found my truck to be synonomous with that, it's the tool that allows adventure seeking.

I wrote once about what happens when you shift into 4WD...

"When you throw the switch to 4WD your world changes. Mountains that once stood proud and snowy become small hills. Raging rivers that shape those mountains become brooks, creeks no more than ... that deep. Mud pits that have swallowed generations of trucks before you become a simple shallow mud puddle on the way to the hill. Woodland fairies, half naked, dressed in ferns, come pouring from the trees at the tops of the hill. They are drawn to you like a moth to a porch light. You'll grow 4 inches, your IQ will leap by 40 points. You'll buy a tow strap and chuckle as you tuck it away because you know ... you'll never need it.

My friend when you throw that switch, you'll never look back. Your wallet will empty, your fears will ooze out of you like the first piss on a morning after a few to many drinks.

What will happen?

Four wheel fucking drive will happen!"
 
I don’t have a pickup truck yet (we’re taking my youngest to her freshman year of college in a couple weeks, though, and the empty-nester urge to test drive is reaching fever pitch!), but my affinity for pickup trucks comes from…

They are kind of like baseball and apple pie, in their American-ness. I know there are pickups all over the world, but there’s just a uniquely American quality about them.

They are the only kind of vehicle I’d think wear and tear actually add to their charm, unlike garage queen sports cars.

They go well with dogs and country music.

They feel like a companion.

By default, trucks are the successor to yesterdays’ American highway cruiser sedans with V-8s rolling out power and smooth rides.

The minister of finance has already approved a truck purchase. She likely wouldn’t approve a muscle car.

Someday, I want a boat.
 
Like the rest, it is about adventuring, living free, doing work and having a tool that can do whatever I ask of it. I also like the cabin space for the family. I've been on a quasi-vacation this week and when I get home, I'll be driving a Rav4 with 3 of us back to Nebraska. Not looking forward to that drive. I'd much rather have a truck.
 
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