Wildernest Camper Canopy?

Just used canopy tape and a round piece of foam for the front

 

Are you trying to get rid of your wildernest?

 

Haha...no sorry it's not for sale can't ever see myself selling it I bet you can find one in Craigslist maybe I highly recommend them if you can find one in good shape. Mine is mint and after painting it get complements all the time. I'm pretty positive that all of them are white. Try searching on the overland sites and eBay. They're great for hunting, fishing and car camping.

 

I just picked one up for free myself! Needs some minor fiberglass/frame work on one of the corners of the shell, then on to see the condition of the tent. The previous owner said it was fine, just could use some more waterproof spray coating on the tent. It's the wrong color so i'm thinking about painting it exactly as you did. I'm freakin stoked! Can't go wrong with free and a little bit of work! I may be coming to you for questions!

 

Sweet youll love it mines great the paint job is holding right just make sure you do a good prep job wash and rough it up then wipe with alcohol i mounted a small fire extinguisher at my back driver side also mount a bunch of picture frame drings to bungee up the tent guts looks mint and you can use the bungees as fishing poles axe and shovel holders

 

Do you have any pics showing how you mounted it? I had a 2001 tacoma with a cherry wildernest topper but my truck got totaled so I bought a 2009 and everyone says it won't fit but I am psyched to come across this thread!!!

 

Thanks man for all the help with setting up my Wildernest. I posted some pics on my build. Couldn't get my paint job to turn out as good as yours though. Going to clean up the tent part and go camping in it the first weekend of April.

 

Thanks again for the help bro.

 

Looks great dude

 

Mounts from far view

 

Leer Canopy Mount

 

Why are you using turnbuckles ?

Are you concerned about stresses to the cap by the tent ?

 

I used 4 leer mounts and 2 turnbuckle mounts. I added the turnbuckles to ensure the safety of those sleeping in the part of the tent that hangs to the side.

 

These tents are so cool. Never seen anything like these before. Always used a tent on the ground. Maybe a stupid question here, is there a reason people use these tents that are up in the air?

 

Super easy to set up. Theyre waterproof. You can sleep in any terrain. They're really comfy to sleep in. I've got the AirBedz mattress for the bed and a twin mattress for the penthouse. Your off the cold ground. Mine was free so i couldnt pass it up.

 

Im looking to do a similar build with a Wildernest on my 2nd gen Tacoma. I was wondering if you knew what truck your wildernest came off of? I have found a couple used Wildernest's for 1st gen Tacomas but not sure if they will fit like yours. Is this where you scored yours from?

 

Mine was off a first gen but was made in 1987 so it was made to fit earlier trucks than that. When you see one on a second gen it is clear that the dimensions are off but who cares they are sweet. Good luck with getting one.

 

Wilderness are great, had one on my 1987 Toyota 4x4. Sold with the truck back in '95, still wish we had it. It's too bad somebody doesn't come out with an upgraded design using the clamshell side opening idea. I think I may still have the original catalog and spec sheet. The made some different sizes for various bed sizes.

 

I had one on my previous truck, an '89 hilux (pickup) 4x4. (His name was Stinky Pete).




When you are standing in the truck bed, you can hardly reach the top of the tent. Really easy to move around, change clothes, whatever. Also, this picture shows the sh!t show that my truck was, and it was the first trip with the Wildernest, but the possibilities for making amenities like benches, counters, cabinets, etc are endless. Lots of room.

So I got mine for nearly free from a guy who hadn't used it for years and wanted it off his truck. I had it less than 4 months and sold it for triple what I paid. There really is demand for these.

Here's why I sold it:

1. Heavy as f--k. Putting it on or taking it off was a huge production. I rigged a lift in my garage, and when it wasn't on the truck it was hanging taking up 1/4 of the space. My truck was just a 22RE, and you really could notice the weight. I didn't want to just leave it on there all the time, because of the weight. And...
2. Really really a crappy and inconvenient shell. I like a pickup with a shell. I put bikes in there, dogs, stuff I'm bringing home from the lumber yard, etc. For most of us, we are out camping with our trucks at most 20 or so days out of the year. The rest of the time, that thing is either off the truck or it's "a shell". The opening is super low. I'm 6'1" and the open hatch hit me right in the face. When trying to do things in the back of the truck standing outside, it made my neck and back sore because I had to stoop over. (Note: my current super-swank Snugtop is only barely higher even though it's a high top shell). Inside, it's even lower. When folded up, the Wildernest tent, frame, poles, etc kind of hangs down. To crawl in there I had to push in under the canvas. Seriously, the ceiling is like 24 inches off the bed when it's folded up.
3. While it is a very comfortable and roomy bed, and a roomy area to operate in when not sleeping, it's still just a tent. In my experience, one of the key things that makes a camper worth the bother is a heater. You could maybe rig something, but it would be heating a very large air volume, and that tent is just sheer nylon. Canvas like a popup camper has is a little more insulating--heating the inside of a Wildernest would be pointless.

If I'd been hauling this thing around with a little more power, I might have kept it for longer. I had wanted one for years, but it really wound up being something that was more pain than pleasure for me. Put it on craigslist and I immediately had interested buyers. So I collected a nice stack of cash and went on about my business.

 

I saw you used rustoleum bed liner to spray the shell. Did you just use the rattle cans? You feel like it's holding up well? How textured does it look up close?

Thanks!