Camping setup in a 5 footer

I have a 3rd gen Tacoma with a 5 foot bed. I want to get a tent and a mattress but I am having issues with the wheel wells as they connect directly to the rear of the cab and all the mattresses I find are cut for standard wheel wells.

I would like the mattress to be as long as the tailgate but have the wheel wells cutout and go all the way to the sides. Am I just going to have to build a wooden platform and put a regular air bed on that?

ANY links, help or suggestions are more than appreciated!!

 

There are 2 things you can do.

Get a mattress that fits between the wheel wells, and just use the space on either side as storage while your sleeping.
Build a platform and fit the mattress on that, then put things under it for storage.

All depends on how close you want to get to the other person sleeping in the back.


Regular air mattresses are alot cheaper than buying the special made truck ones. Not sure how durable they are compared though.
I have a 6 foot bed, but am still on the fence about either a platform, or a air bed on the bottom of the floor.

 

Look into Airbedz

 

https://truckairbedz.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=&product_id=110

 

Agree.
Here's something to think about though.
You build a platform but it is only 5', unless you travel with the tailgate down.
If you want to close the tailgate then you need a 2nd add-on short platform to extend that 5' base out to the end of the open tailgate.
Or perhaps you can do something with hinges that folds down upon the tailgate.
Looks like the Airbedz solution above with its tailgate extension mattress will solve this problem.
Or you can look at a cheap foam mattress that will fit between your wheelwells here for less than half the price of the Airbedz:

$120 Best Choice Products 4in Portable Full-Size Mattress, Tri-Fold Mattress for Camping, Guest, Toddler, Foam Plush w/Carry Case - Grey

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01INZBCJG?ie=UTF8&th=1

Btw here are your bed dimensions:
Short Bed
Length: 60.5 Inches
Total Width: 56.7 Inches
Width Between Wheelwells: 41.5 Inches
Depth: 19.1 Inches

 

I have a full sized air mattress purchased from Walllllmarttt and it fit nicely between the wheel wells. As I have a long bed, I had the space on both ends of the wheel wells. Should work for you, although it would be 6' long, so if that isn't a problem...
It isn't very thick, but it did the trick for us, and it was cheap (key requirement for this guy lol)

 

I have an intex twin air bed with a built in 110 pump that fits into the bed of my short bed Tacoma. I also have a softopper. I can pull in to a place and be ready to sleep in 5 minutes.

The bed
Intex Recreation Comfort Plush Mid Rise Dura-Beam Airbed with Built-in Electric Pump, Bed Height 13", Twin

$56 Intex Recreation 67765E Comfort Plush Mid Rise Dura-Beam Airbed with Built-in Electric Pump, Bed Height 13", Twin

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GIIA29M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_TP2XCbD0EHMHV

I'm 5'9 and am ok if I can sleep diagonal in the bed. I also didn't inflate the bed completely so I could put the tailgate up with it inflated. The full size might fit if it's only a few inches wider.

 

I made this platform in a weekend for less than $100 - it sits above the wheel wells and extends from 4’ to 6.5’ and has storage underneath as well as above. If you have a topper and paint the platform dark, it makes a great place to hide stuff underneath it too:


https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/build-a-shortbed-deck-that-extends-from-between-4’-to-a-6-5’-bed-in-a-weekend.539080/#post-17388634

 

I just put it the good old 2x4 and plywood platform and cut a pice of foam to fit as a sleeper. I’m 6ft and fit in my 5ftbed nicely at an angle

 

I got a 4" memory foam mattress topper and cut to fit between the wheel wells and length of the bed+tailgate. It's very comfortable and compresses and rolls up nicely.

 

I built a platform in the bed. I have a campershell. I used 2 1x4's on front wheel well for cross braces and 2 more on the back. I used a 2 short 4x4 pieces in the middle of the cross braces for vertical support. I then got a sheet of plywood and ripped it in half after I got the width cut. That way I could easily break everything down.
For padding, I use 4 of the interlocking padded floor pieces. They look like square puzzle pieces and made of soft rubber.
The mattress pad is one that I got cut to size from an upholstery shop. It's memory foam.
I bought under bed plastic storage bins with wheels to use as storage underneath the bed platform.
It was fairly simple to make. It's fully functional. I even used a scrap piece of the plywood and cut it to fit on the tailgate to make a counter. I made cutouts on the sides for the tailgate tension cables to keep the board in place.
I will post pics later. Just got back from camping this past weekend.

 

I'd like to see the pics. Sounds like a good and cheap setup!

 

See post #8?

 

How many bed fills do you get out of the Azbed air pump? Or can you recharge it from the bed outlet (300 - 500 W)?

 

I got 3 air ups and air downs with my built in pump, when it finally lost power I charged the battery while we were driving the trails during the day. I put the charger and battery in the little storage compartment next to the outlet with a bunch of plastic grocery bags so it wouldn't bounce around. Worked great for us.

 

You guys have anything covering the bed?

 

I went with a Pro Z Premium truck tent and mattress. Off the advice of someone on the forum, I went with the 6 foot tent and mattress, and they extend to the very end of the tailgate. Perfect fit. The mattress still flares out at the front, but I tuck them before inflating. No issues.

 

Sorry for the mess. Haven't finished cleaning it up from the weekend.

 

Underneath the platform on the right side

 

I just have a tacoma bed mat.