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DAC tent review

Discussion in 'Outdoors' started by Shwaa, Nov 8, 2021.

  1. Nov 8, 2021 at 4:09 PM
    #1
    Shwaa

    Shwaa [OP] Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 7, 2014
    Member:
    #120129
    Messages:
    3,028
    Gender:
    Male
    Bay Area, CA
    Vehicle:
    '13 DC Prerunner TRD Off-Road
    I did a lot of research when I was looking to get a tent to get back into camping. I thought it might be cool to get something that attaches to the back of my short bed / camper shell that can extend it. I settled on DAC.


    It was confusing right off the bat though. They sell 2 sizes for trucks, Mid-Size and Full-Size. DAC themselves recommends if you have 1st Gen Tacoma get the mid-size, if you have 2nd Gen Tacoma get the full-size and it is written that way on the packaging as well. However when I was reading reviews it was very inconsistent, some ppl with 2nd Gen bought the mid-size and were perfectly happy, others said it didn't fit. Same exact thing with the full-size, some were happy and some said it was too baggy.

    Anyway I rolled the dice and went with the mid-size. I will say with my cab-high shell it does fit, but doesn't leave much room to spare. The problem is I think the full-size would be too baggy.

    My advice -if you have a 2nd Gen with cab high shell (and no cross bars in my case), you would be fine with the mid-size. If you have a taller shell, like the Leer 180, definitely go full-size.

    Here are a few pictures...

    IMG-8987.jpg IMG-8988.jpg
    IMG-8989.jpg
    IMG-8990.jpg



    Pros:

    Very easy to put up (less than 5 mins), and less than 1 min to take down

    No leaking, it rained hard 4 of 5 nights when I used it this week and it stayed dry inside. Just normal condensation inside the tent from the cold/wet like any tent would have.

    Makes my 5 foot bed usable, and I slept fine in the back. I am 6'1

    Cons:

    I really do think the 2nd Gen is right between sizes. At times the corners had a hard time staying up on the shell window, and tended to slide down a bit making the entrance a little lower (you can even see that in the 2nd/3rd picture). I used cut pieces of pool noodle on the corners to help with the abrasion (even though the corners of the tent are padded for this purpose). I would be afraid the full-size version would be too baggy though.

    Although it didn't leak, it does pool water right where the back window meets the top of the shell, so when you remove it you need to be careful.


    One constant issue I saw people post about was the gap the tent left on both sides of the tailgate, and how they would stuff t-shirts or towels there to seal it up. I went out and bought a set of block magnets instead. Very cheap and cinched them against the tailgate, sealed the gaps perfectly. No need for towels or t-shirts

    IMG-9058.jpg

    IMG-9059.jpg


    Overall can't complain too much, looking forward to using it again


    Hope this helps someone!
     
  2. Nov 10, 2021 at 2:09 PM
    #2
    Sprig

    Sprig Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2017
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    #231426
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    2,205
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    Male
    First Name:
    Ken
    N. Calif. The Twilight Zone
    Vehicle:
    Tacoma TRD double cab 4x4, Barcelona Red
    Nice write up and pics. I have a long bed with a camper shell and using that tent would give me even more room which would be nice.
     
    Shwaa[OP] likes this.
  3. Dec 6, 2021 at 8:00 PM
    #3
    Lumpy Waters

    Lumpy Waters Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 9, 2020
    Member:
    #315626
    Messages:
    60
    Gender:
    Male
    Vehicle:
    2015 TRD Off Road Prerunner
    I have the DAC tent that Softopper sells. I guess I got a bad one. Mine had severe wet-through on the topside tan colored fabric portion. The blue material was fine. This was not routine condensation, water was beading on the outside (not abnormal) and weeping through on the inside (abnormal), and showering down on my cot. The fabric was saturated, like a wet paper towel. These photos show in succession water beading on the outside, water beading on the inside, and the aftermath. With the Softopper, I don't have the luxury of a hard glass rear window to support the tent roof, hence the aluminum frame add-on that Softopper provides, so 18" of my cot was open to the shower sprinkling down through the porous tent fabric.

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  4. Dec 8, 2021 at 8:12 PM
    #4
    Shwaa

    Shwaa [OP] Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 7, 2014
    Member:
    #120129
    Messages:
    3,028
    Gender:
    Male
    Bay Area, CA
    Vehicle:
    '13 DC Prerunner TRD Off-Road
    Bummer, that's too bad. The only water that ended up inside the tented area was dragged in by my own shoes.
     

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