How Useful Is the 2021 Ford Bronco for Camping Anyway?

• We added a 2021 Ford Bronco First Edition to our long-term fleet early this year and dig it.
• Its off-road capabilities are no secret, but how useful is it as a base of operations?
• We took it camping for a weekend to find out if it's more than a good-looking gear hauler.

Nothing screams the American dream quite like taking a $62,605 SUV camping for the weekend. You know, to reconnect with nature. The 2021 Ford Bronco First Edition is well known for its off-road capability, but like many 4x4 owners, rock crawling and mud bogging weren't part of my itinerary for the weekend.

Instead, the Bronco would primarily serve as a gear hauler and base of operations for myself and my partner at a quiet campsite in the Temecula Valley. That's between Los Angeles and San Diego for those of you not up on your Southern California geography. While this activity comes nowhere near pushing the Bronco to its limits, it's also not far afield from how many will use their souped-up SUV, no doubt in between sprints between the mountains and ocean.

Hauling the mail

It was not a problem to stuff a tent, a pair of duffel bags, two coolers and everything else I could ever dream of into the back of the Bronco. This involved turning the Ford into a two-seater. Folding the seats down was a breeze and sliding cargo over the newly created flat floor made filling up the cargo area straightforward.

If you're traveling with four people, you're gonna need a bigger Bronco. Like a Tahoe, an Expedition … or maybe two Broncos? The trunk in the Bronco can hold 22.4 cubic feet, good enough for a couple of small gear bags (the Honda CR-V holds 39.3 cubic feet). But if the SUV is fully loaded with people, you might find yourself tight on space for all your stuff. That wasn't a problem on our trip, but keep in mind that you may need to get creative if you're taking more than two humans on your trip.

Base camp blues

Comparison is the thief of joy. We have a 2021 Ford F-150 hybrid in our long-term fleet, complete with the Pro Power Onboard electrical system. You know where a couple of that truck's party tricks would be welcome? That's right — the middle of nowhere.

The Bronco's household-style outlet, located behind the first row, delivers 110 volts — the same as you'll find in your kitchen. Unfortunately, that did not deliver a kitchen-like experience when we wanted to boil a pot of water using a small electric kettle. The Bronco was unable to deliver enough power for that task. That's far from a deal-breaker, but it's worth keeping in mind the Bronco's power limitations.

While the Bronco's lack of power was a disappointment, its hip-area load height proved extremely useful throughout the trip. We never removed either cooler from the back of the vehicle, instead using the Bronco as a walk-up refrigerator. That's something you won't be able to do with a lower vehicle like a sedan. The Bronco's rectangular shape also makes it well suited to sliding large, square bins in and out of the cargo area, which isn't necessarily the case with other SUVs.

Talk of the town

But it is a really good-looking gear hauler. We rarely went more than an hour without someone stopping by the campsite to ask us about the Bronco. How do we like it? What kind of package do we have on it? How long did we wait for it? How much did we pay for it? People, at the very least, are intrigued by Ford's challenger to the Jeep Wrangler. It's not a perfect vehicle, but it's an interesting one.

Edmunds says

Nobody is stopping by your campfire to ask about the great storage in your Honda CR-V. The Bronco is undoubtedly a major style upgrade, but it might not be the perfect companion for a mostly stationary trip to the great outdoors.