Do you need to have a pickup?

Technically, no.

The homesteader can make a great deal of use out of a pickup though.  Use it to carry building materials, produce, tools, stuff like generators and more.

What’s the best kind of pickup?  Your needs determine that.

My pickup isn’t meeting my needs right now.

It’s a great rig.  I have four doors, which is handy, because I have kids.  It also means I can keep groceries out of the elements when I’m driving home.  I also have a long bed.  Long beds don’t have “cool points”, but they’re really handy for those trips to the home improvement mart.  I even have a lumber rack so I can carry really long pieces of lumber.

There are two problems with it.

First, it’s a half-ton.  I have an addiction related to cars.  I’m always bringing a junker home.  My pickup sags with a trailer attached, even before I put on the car.  I’ve bought some overload springs but haven’t put them on yet.  I know that the ride will be really bad once I do.  I really need a 3/4 ton pickup.

The second problem is that I need four wheel drive.  I bought the pickup in a different environment, where the roads didn’t get inundated with snow.  I’m really tired of fishtailing my way up the driveway and other places.