Snugtop Camping

Planning on putting either a Snugtop Hi-Liner or Rebel on my 16 Tacoma and wanted some opinion of more experienced bed campers on comfortability. That extra bit of height definitely seems worth it since the price is only about $150 different. How about camping in the cold? Did you add any insulation to the shell or to the bed at all? Very much looking forward to some truck camping this winter but was curious if this seemed necessary.

thanks a lot for the help!

 

Not sure what your idea of cold is? Fiberglass canopies get pretty cold. Hunting in E. Oregon in late November, I use a sleeping bag rated for 0, on top of a 3" thick pad. I still need to burn the heater every now and then. I'm not sure the temp, but there is always ice or snow in the morning. Personally wouldn't want to truck camp in anything colder, but thats just me.

 

Would definitely have plenty of warm sleeping stuff just wondering about ambient temps. I'm in Mendocino in Norcal so its probably on par with E. Oregon in November. can get down pretty low in the moutains

 

I'd say it's not a whole lot warmer inside, than it is outside. I recommend a small propane heater that is made to be used in tents, if you can fit it in your set up. The only problem is the longer you use it, the more moisture you create. BTW, used to live in N. Humboldt.

 

My experience is with LEER campers of which I’ve had several. I highly recommend them. Definitely get one that is a little above the cab.If you get one that is same height as the cab you’ll be uncomfortable, and it makes crawling around back there a hassle. I don’t know if you can get them insulated but in any event get one that has a liner. If you don’t the condensation will build up and drip on you all night.
I sleep in mine often while on hunting and fishing trips. It’s not the best setup for winter camping. It can be miserable in rainy muddy conditions. I sleep in mine sometimes when duck hunting and usually the weather is cold and crappy. One night at a time is about it for me in the winter. The rest of the year it’s quite pleasant in the camper, along with my lab who always accompanies my.
Do not get a propane heater for that small space. Carbon monoxide can build up very quickly and overcome you and you will die. Every year people die from propane heaters and carbon monoxide being used in small confined places.

 

Definitely get the taller shell if you plan to spend much time back there- doubly so if you plan to install drawers or some type of platform. I have tried several different types of drawer and raised platforms and just do not like them. I prefer to be able to sit up in the back, especially when waiting out bad weather and I want to read or mess with my laptop. It makes changing clothes easier as well as allowing two people to move around much easier. You can glue insulation in to a fiberglass shell but I can't recall ever seeing one come with it. The carpet lining helps with noise, ex. rain, but mainly with condensation as noted. It's pretty common for folks to glue foam board into commercial aluminum style shells. You're biggest losses are going to be though the large amount of heat sinks known as windows and the bed itself with all it's leaky areas (around the cubbies and the seams).

I've got plywood with carpet on it in the bed and I typically sleep on an insulated pad. There's a storage box built along the driver's side that's also carpeted and a piece of carpet tacked on the front of the bed too. In cold weather I add a large surplus wool blanket on top of the carpet and I typically pull it up in the front and on the passenger side (opposite the carpeted box) and clip it to the interior track to add some air gap between the plastic bed. I have reflectix panels cut to cover my windows and when it's really cold I have even draped another wool blanket, kids tent/fort style, over me by draping it over paracord that runs between the interior nuts from the Yakima tracks. A good sleeping bag and a good hat or balaclava is almost mandatory. You've got a truck, carry enough to be comfortable. I carry extra wool blankets with me; I had a down comforter that I really liked but one of my ex-girlfriends absconded with it.

I have a small butane heater I use in the back but I only use it to warm up the rear before bed and again in the morning. There's really not enough room for much of a heater and the area above even my small one heats up to the point I periodically check the carpet to make sure it's not melting. It gets hot back there quick even in cold weather. You give off lots of moisture just by breathing, a gas heater gives off a lot more so that becomes a concern if using it for more than a short period. While folks do use them overnight, I wouldn't, even with a CO detector. You have to provide adequate fresh air and that means more cold air coming in. Some folks like the Chinese diesel heaters that can be found on ebay and Amazon and there are several builds using them on ExPo for example. They draw fresh air in for combustion and vent it to the outside so in theory they are safe to use inside although I'd still keep a CO detector handy.

I posted up a bunch of random tips for keeping warm in another thread on here, it'll turn up in a search.

ETA- https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/camping-in-the-winter.639677/

 

Thanks for the replies. I'm definitely not about to use any kind of combustion heating device back there as I love living and dying via carbon monoxide poisoning or burning my truck does not sound like my idea of a good time nor an efficient way to continue living. I'll have two dogs with me which will definitely help to warm up the scene and I was going to run a vent from the front to just run the car's heater for a little bit just to warm up the space before bed and when i wake up. Covering the windows was something I thought about as well as securing some insulating panels to the inside of the camper and under the sleeping area.

thanks!

 

Not sure what you mean by running a vent from the front. I wouldnt try hassling with that. If you have a good warm sleeping bag and 2 dogs you are good to go.
Be sure when you get your camper shell to get one with a sliding front window. Also get an insulation donut that goes between the trunk and camper shell.

With that you can open both the truck rear window and the camper front window, turn the heater up full blast, direct the vents toward the back and you’ll get some heat coming into the back of the truck. In any event get the front sliding window.

 

Thanks for the tip. Very much appreciated!!

 

This guy https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWsADN_GsDnwgmumTPCPhMQ/videos has a bunch of videos of him camping out of his Tacoma out west; his channel used to be called Colorado Backcountry adventures. Anyways, I think he uses one of those window things and talk about heating up the back of his truck with the truck heater before going to bed. Not sure which video specifically but he's got a bunch talking about how he has the back of his short bed set up for him and his dog. Yep, the dog helps. At least one of the guys on here complained about his inflatable donut thing rubbing his paint so maybe use it when you're camping but remove it when you're not planning on needing it.

You're not going to die from warming up the back with a catalytic heater before going to bed, just shut it off before you go to sleep. People have been successfully using fire as a heat source for centuries now. My biggest issue is that even my small canister heater heats up the back to the point of being uncomfortable very quickly. I'll typically flip my sleeping bag open and flop my blankets out, run the heater for a few minutes while I brush my teeth then climb in the back and shut it off that way I'm not climbing into a cold bag (I hate that). Heck, a simple candle lantern will actually add a little heat. I've used my UCO on multiple occasions (yes, blow it out before going to sleep). Just as with tent camping, I always leave at least one window cracked all night no matter how cold it is as I want some ventilation.

All that said, toss a water bottle full of hot (not boiling) water in to the foot of your sleeping bag, wear appropriate clothing in an appropriately rated bag, carry extra blankets in case you need them and you'll be fine.