I grew up in a mountainous region where we could encounter rockslides, mudslides, avalanches, blizzards, floods, hail, and other natural disasters, all while traversing mostly dirt and gravel roads. If you didn’t have a jeep, compact SUV, or pickup, you were stuck until your neighbor came and hooked you up to their pickup or SUV and pulled you out of whatever mess you’d gotten yourself into. People in mountainous areas understand this, and as a result, pickups are some of the most popular vehicles driven. They can haul and tow during the summer, pull a friend from the snowbank in the winter, and be utilized for fun activities in the spring.
If you feel like you’re in a rut with your pickup, however, that’s a familiar feeling. Often we relegate our pickups to workhorses, never thinking about how much fun it is to own a pickup. It’s a practical choice, for sure, but that doesn’t mean you have to forego the fun stuff. If you’re new to the pickup world, or you’ve just moved and realized you need one, you might have searched something like “Chevy dealer near me” and seen that there are plenty of new and used pickups available. What you may not have considered, though, is that when you get your pickup, you’ll have a world of new activities to explore.
Powerful Engines Can Play Too
The Chevy Silverado is known for having a variety of powerful engines to choose from. Whether you’re buying used or new, or are considering installing a newer engine, you’ll need to know if the Silverado can handle the job you want it to do. For newer Silverados, the following engines are available: the 2.7L Turbo I-4, the 3.0L Duramax Turbo Diesel I-6, and either the 5.3L or 6.2L Ecotec3 V8. All of these are powerful enough to tow and haul, but what about the fun stuff?
You might need a powerful engine for those fall hay rides––you can put a bunch of hay bales in the truck bed, turn on some country music, and offer to take your family and friends out for an afternoon or early evening hayride. Make sure you include some hot drinks like cider and cocoa, plus some blankets and maybe even some cookies. If your town or local farm offers fall activities, you might be able to join them and make some money while also having fun. Cornfields, back roads, and parking lots are all good places for hayrides as long as you’ve got permission to use them for such a purpose.
Think of all those fun memories you’ll be making––little kids squealing with laughter as the pickup goes over a bump, teenagers sitting close together taking photos, adults enjoying the sunset or the stars and sipping on mulled cider while some sing along to the playlist you made specifically for the season. You don’t have to work hard all the time. It’s ok to have a little fun too.
Utilize Space for Special Occasions
Though sports are played and watched throughout the year, the best time to watch games outside is in late spring or early autumn. People like to bring food, drinks, chairs, and music but don’t always have a place to cook, sit, or entertain. This is where your pickup bed comes into play.
Need a place to sit for a concert at the park? Grab some blankets and pillows, and you have a cozy nest in which to snuggle up with your spouse. Want to host a tailgate party? You can set up a screen, put a cooler full of beer and soda in the back, pop the grill on the tailgate, and cheer your favorite sports team toward a big win in comfort and style. What about a romantic date night where you set up a picnic in the truck bed, followed by stargazing? You can also utilize the space for holidays and special events in town, as pickups are often sought after as the base of a parade float.
These are just a few of the ways people have used pickups for special occasions, family events, friendly get-togethers, and neighborhood barbecues. There are plenty of other ways to put that pickup bed to good use, like filling it with candy and spooky statues for Halloween, getting a liner and turning it into a temporary pool, and giving tours of famous landmarks around town. With such a versatile vehicle, the only limit to what you can do is your imagination. The Silverado is configurable, which means you get to decide the truck bed length and how many passengers can fit inside the cabin, so keep that in mind what activities you want to participate in throughout the year and then choose your truck accordingly.
Explore the Outdoors
Many people who have a pickup already enjoy going off-roading, but did you know you can also use your pickup as a camper, an afternoon napping spot, or as a base for your hang-gliding activities? We’ve seen all sorts of packages, add-ons, tools, and toys for pickups, but with so many options, sometimes it’s just easier to ignore it all. However, there are a few things worth having if you truly enjoy the outdoors and want to spend more time adventuring.
You can get a hammock that is made to be set up in your truck bed. You can do some fishing, hunting, or foraging in the morning and then head back to the pickup for an afternoon nap. Take a light blanket and pillow to ensure you’re as comfortable as possible. Or, you could set up camp for the weekend and, if it’s warm enough, forego a tent for the hammock. You can sleep out in the open, look up at the stars, and watch the sunrise all from the comfort of your hammock.
Of course, if you prefer a tent, you can buy a truck tent, which does away with the need for larger, more complicated tents, spikes, a hammer, and all the other camping gear necessary to pitch your tent on the forest floor. Instead, you can just park your truck, set up the truck tent, and go do something fun right away. Whether you’re hiking, rock climbing, cave exploring, or kayaking, you’ll get more time to do what you love instead of having to detangle tent poles, scrounge around for extra spikes, or try to remember where you put that mallet. The Chevy Silverado is as rugged and tough as they come, which makes it the perfect pickup for those who like to explore on the weekends.
There’s also the possibility of turning your truck into a hang-gliding takeoff center. You’ll need a friend or family member to drive the truck, of course, but you can always take turns. All you’ll need to do is install a harness on the pickup, attach yourself and the hang glider to said harness, and let your driver know you’re ready to ride that long stretch of road until you reach the desired speed. Get ready, eject, and you’re on your way to a glorious hang gliding experience!
Get Out There and Have Some Fun!
If you’ve already got a pickup, what’s stopping you from having a little fun with it? If you’ve got your eye on a newer pickup, keep in mind that its size will determine what kind of fun you can have and how many people will fit. You don’t want to get a short bed and then volunteer to do hayrides if only four or five people can fit. You also don’t want the bed to be too long for the truck tent you might already have, and it might not hold your ATV or motorcycle you want it to. Think about what’s fun for you to do, and remember that when you’re shopping for your next pickup. It can be practical to have one, and you might need it for work, but make sure you also spend some time using it to make memories, enjoy nature, and indulge yourself in a hobby or two. You and your Silverado deserve it.
