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  • Truck tents

    My first post, I just joined! Hello from Wadmalaw Island, S.C. !

    I haven't been camping in years and ready to get back into it. Especially now, my youngest son is old enough to do just fine. I always used a tent for camping and a air mattress for comfort.
    I have seen those truck tents in magazines and catalogs and thought they look great. It gets you off the ground and in theory one could pop it up wherever the truck ended up. They have them with a floor or no floor. My first thought was with floor, wouldn't have to worry about truck bed being spotless, but..... everything would have to come out to set it up then put back in basically. Other con, it would be good for a one nighter. If you wanted to drive somewhere the thing would have to be broke down and put up. However, I do have a tonneau cover so I would probably just drop it inside the bed and roll out the cover over it and not have to worry about anything blowing out or whatever. Also, it's a two person max tent, not really a family tent. It would only be good for a solo camping/fishing trip.
    So, does anyone have any experience with these or know someone with one?

  • #2
    Re: Truck tents

    First post for me too... hope we're welcome! This is the 4th year for our truck tent, 3rd on an '09 ext cab Silverado. DW and I have used this mainly to travel to distant Antique Tractor Shows. Our tent is the Adventure 1 with no floor (bought at Cabelas) and it works excellent for us. With a rubber bed mat, I built 2 bunks, each straddling an inner fender. We have 4" self inflating mattresses and sleeping bags on the bunks. You're correct that this works good for a one night stay, but the tent has to come down to venture out with the truck, not pleasant when returning late at night and having to set the tent up by flashlight! This year we're trying a regular ground tent for subsequent nights, planning to pull the bunks out of the truck for in that tent. We do have a tonneau cover and just drop the truck tent and install the cover when ready to travel. Bottom line: we'll continue to use this setup for some time to come. Hope this answers most of your questions.

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    • #3
      Re: Truck tents

      Welcomed with opened arms. Would be great if you could post-up some pics of your equipment! Chat a bit on what you had to do DIY to improve the situation! Mainly sleeping and living in a tent! Thanks for posting!

      Perhaps pickup some headlamps(LED) for pitching the tent in the dark, it frees up both hands. Just my $0.02.

      Just remember your first 6 posts are moderated then you're pretty-much golden after that. We are a healthy forum and this truck-camping genre is new territory for most, including yours truly! Thanks.
      Last edited by renodesertfox; 06-29-2011, 10:52 PM.
      Get campin', Renodesertfox A canvas campateer
      Campin' Here Between Campouts! Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult

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      • #4
        Re: Truck tents

        On sleeping and living with the tent, we do carry an ez-up 10x10 straight leg and set it up behind the truck for shade and cover. The tent has a full rain fly that rolls up above the windows for visibility and good ventilation, then down for rain. The bunks I mentioned above are simple 1/2" plywood shortened to the truck box length and the sheet split in two. A 2x2 framework with legs holds up the plywood so there is a narrow walkway up the middle of the truck bed and storage under the bunks. I'll try to add some pics soon. We plan to use the tent real soon and will try to report back on that trip.

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        • #5
          Re: Truck tents

          First post

          A little background on the wife and I. She had resisted camping for 20 years and then out of the blue decided she wanted to give it a try. I had retired for the Marines 9 years ago and at the same time gave up sleeping on the cold hard ground.

          I am the type that does much research before buying a large ticket item (Anything more than $150, 4 months of research before buying my truck) so I did the same for truck camping wanting to make this initial camping trip a major win for her.

          After looking at all the products out there I decided upon these two items for camping in my 2003 Ranger XLt with the 6' bed.

          http://www.truckairbedz.com/

          and

          http://www.rightlinegear.com/trucktents.html

          The Airbed covers the entire bed to include wings the cover the wheel wells. During our last two trips we found that an extra sleeping bag on either side to insulate you from the cold metal helps during cold nights (The mattress when inflated raise you up to just below the edge of the truck bed. Rolling over and touching that on a 30 deg night will get your attention.). We have been on two trips this month and the bed was very comfortable and fit perfectly to my truck bed.

          The tent was another good investment. It fit well with to the truck bed with a well designed interior and a oversized stuff sack.

          If you have mobility issues or bad knees etc, I would recommend a stepstool help enter and exit the tent.

          Total cost was under $400 and since Mrs Gunny has enjoyed our outings and wants to continue them, the price was not too painful.

          Our outings have been aboard the Marine Base at Quantico, VA and we found a very good space that allowed us to park the truck within our site. This spring, we will be looking for campsites that will allow us to pull in and setup.

          OFR Gunny Doug


          out

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          • #6
            Re: Truck tents

            I've been wanting to get a tent for my truck but I have a ranger step side. It could still sleep two but there is no tent made for the truck. I have a camper but I don't like driving with it on.

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            • #7
              Re: Truck tents

              OFR Gunny...great 1st post! Thanks for joining CF. Please be advised your first 4-6 posts or threads are moderated before they are posted. That's how the rules are. No harm, hope to hear more from you! Great bunch of campers here and there is always room for another!
              Get campin', Renodesertfox A canvas campateer
              Campin' Here Between Campouts! Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Truck tents

                If I had a F-150, I would have chosen this tent:

                http://kodiakcanvas.com/canvas-truck...rt-5-5-6-8-ft/

                OFR Gunny Doug


                out

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                • #9
                  Re: Truck tents

                  Originally posted by OFR Gunny View Post
                  If I had a F-150, I would have chosen this tent:

                  http://kodiakcanvas.com/canvas-truck...rt-5-5-6-8-ft/

                  out
                  And I don't think you would of been disappointed. I LOVE my kodiak canvas tent.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Truck tents

                    Hi, I have a Sportz III truck tent and I used it for camping. It has advantages and disadvantages over a conventional tent. It is true that once you are setup, it's not possible to drive the truck (except for short distances and slowly). But I generally do not drive off from my campsite once I'm settled. Also, it can take more time to set up and take down that a small one or two man tent.
                    It is nice and comfy, you can see that it has a lot more head room that your average two man tent, plus you don't need to hunt for a suitable place on the ground to pitch camp. You can set up your tent anywhere you can park the truck. I have since sold my F150, so I wont be using the tent anytime soon. I would actually like to sell it if someone is interested.



                    Last edited by silverz51; 11-24-2011, 10:13 PM. Reason: add photo

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