Sleeping in a shortbed ??

Howdy,

I've been lurking here for a while and enjoy the site. I've been waiting to find a double cab longbed, but a shortbed just came up on Clist that looks interesting.

Question for you shortbed owners: how is sleeping in the back of a shortbed? On graph paper, it looks like a person could sleep diagonally and have about 6 ft to stretch out. I'm 5' 9" and would like to be able to sleep in the bed if the occasion arises. Just wondering if I could stretch out. Thanks.

 

Same height. Feet touch the tailgate, but just. Pretty comfortable.

I just posted this in another thread:

 

Is yours a 1995?

I'm looking at a 2013 and the specs for that say the shortbed is 60.3" in length which is a hair over 5 ft.

 

I've got a 2011 shortbed and I've slept back there a handful of times. I'm just under 6'1" but if I go diagonally I can stretch out pretty decently. If you had someone else back there with you it'd be a little crowded but solo it's just fine.

 

I'm 5'9" and 3/4 (to be precise!) and I fit great diagonally in my 08 DC/SB. Especially cause I usually curl up a bit when I sleep. If its warm I drop the tailgate and leave the shell window shut. But I see you're in Alaska, so I'm guessing it won't be warm... Ever...

 

Thanks fellas. It's a cruel world up here, when it is warm the skeeters are out so the tailgate will NOT be open - ha!

 

For warm weather you could get a bedrock and drape mosquito net over it.

 

I'm 5'-11 1/2" and this is my camping setup.



The tailgate is designed to be down with this tent though. I'd never fit with the tailgate up. Truck is a DCSB.

 

Just a quick questions in regards to sleeping in a short bed, does anyone not use a bed tent or bed cap when camping? I will be doing some overlanding trips this summer and its much easier to just set up the camp cot and sleep in the bed with the tailgate down but no roof. Any others?

 

Mine is a 1995.5 Taco Regular Cab+Shortbed, I believe the interior bed length is 72".

Slept in truck beds with no camper shell on many times; I don't bother with a cot, just a pallet of blankets and such does the trick. I have an old army cot, if I want to use that, I typically set it up outside of the truck.

Bivy sac if I need protection from rain or snow while sleeping outside of the truck. I still have a couple tents lying around, but I just never use those, personally.

Anything less than 72" in the bed, I would be setting up a pallet in the back of the Double Cab; I think that would be a better solution for those folks.

 

Bugs

 

I have a dcsb and just camped this last weekend in the back. My girlfriend and I both fit pretty comfortably (she is 5'10) with the tailgate down.
I am looking into a Napier Sportz tent to keep bugs away in the morning and for shade (for now I put a couple mosquito candles on the roof.) Besides that, sleeping on a twin air mattress under the stars is the way to go. Between the wheel wells is 42 in and a twin air mattress is 39 so it's perfect. If you do decide on getting an air mattress, the cheap ones at Walmart work great when you plug it into the outlet in the back to inflate. It also will deflate when you turn a dial so folding it is a piece of cake.

 

if your 5'9 and alone you won't have any issue. If you can't sleep diagonally (maybe your not alone) then it might be a tight fit. I'm 6'4 and have a long bed. If I am alone I sleep fine diagonally, when my gf is there and I have to sleep straight its the worst night of sleep ever........

 

I'm 6'3" with a Double Cab Short Box. No chance in hell I'm sleeping back there.

Luckily for me, after four seasons of tree planting I can put up a 6-man tent by myself in about 8 minutes flat, and I've got all the gear for sleeping on the ground.

 

Sleeping on the ground in a tent has it's advantages. The big problem with the truck tent is, well, you have a tent in the back of your truck. If you want to use the truck for anything besides sleeping, you've gotta take the damn thing out, and it's kind of a pain.

 

I am 6" and with this on the back over the shell and tailgate I sleep very snug

 

^^tom your truck looks brand new

Technically that would be a long bed if you where talking about a 2nd gen double cab long bed or access cab. (73 in)
Older 1st gens had that same size bed until they made the double cabs

Since the OP ask about a short bed
Yea me being 6 ft tall I fit fine in my bed only because it's a long bed, Idk about a short bed probably ok with the tailgate down

 

See... if you guys all bought a dclb you wouldn't have this problem in the first place

 

That's because it was still new..that picture is a few years old now