Bed tents and camping gear

Hi everyone,

I'm new to TW and just recently purchased my first Tacoma. Went from a 2007 Chevy Silverado 4.8L V8 to a 2016 quicksand double cab Tacoma....absolutely loving my decision after 2 months.

I am located in central PA and want to start camping more. I've seen a lot of pictures posted in some pretty breathtaking areas. I am looking to start buying some camping gear. Specifically, some bed tents and any other truck mods that have been uyuseful on weekend camping trips. I'm definitely not new to being outdoors, but I want to know how I can use my new Tacoma for some sick ass weekends.

Any suggestions are very much appreciated! Thanks everyone!

 

Whatever equipment or gear you decide on make sure it's easy to setup and not a chore to set camp. The more convenient it is to set camp, the more you will camp.

 

Absolutely. Just looking for some tents or other gear that people have used for 3rd gen beds. I guess it would be smart to mention I've got the 6' bed. I'm not looking to Supertramp it haha. Just some weekend trips here and there with my fiancé and 2 dogs.

Nice truck by the way.

 

I have a buddy that ordered a bed tent from sportsmans guide for ~$80 and said its worked like a charm. But that's for a RAM 2500. Just looking for what's worked best on the Tacoma third gens.

 

You should get some good replys on bed tents, I've seen some nice setups on here.

I also have an a frame camper that I use which is very easy to setup. There's a bunch of options out there. I like all types of camping , backpacking, truck camping or using the camper.

 

Yeah it would be real nice to get a pop up camper, but unfortunately it's not in the budget right now. I would like to get a tent for now. We are young and can sleep in the bed if needed. We would be spoiled with a tent anyways

Just looking for some alternatives. Long term, I definitely want one of those a frame pop ups. Thanks for the ideas so far. I am really eager to get out in my own little slice of the world away from all this crazy shit.

 

I wouldn't bother with a bed tent. You'd have to unpack everything all the time - headache.

Get a good stand-alone tent that's quick to set up. There are some tents that are ridiculously quick. I've got a 2-person Sierra Designs Zolo 2 tent that I've camped in probably close to a hundred times - takes 5 mins flat to set up, works great. A hardshell roof-top tent would be awesome - there are some that setup in a matter of seconds.

 

I agree, I use a Marmot Lime lite 3P, it's a good quality 3 person tent that is super quick to setup, if your truck camping go with a bigger tent , the extra space is nice for two people. I have several tents to fit the type of camping I'm doing.

 

I'm also interested in a bed tent. However it seems like most of you guys prefer a regular ground tent.. pros and cons of both?

 

Have you considered a hammock or hammocks?

 

I really like the idea of being able to sleep in my bed for a number of reasons, mostly to stay up out of the wet/snow in nasty weather. I bought a Rightline bed tent because the price was attractive and I wanted a tent that didn't have an internal skirt...I liked the idea of a bare bed surface and being able to use the wheel well bulges as little tables.

I'm probably going to be sending the tent back, though. The fitment across the tailgate and front flap is very poor, extremely tight to the point where I'm positive it's going to rip after a few uses. The front flap zippers are also not sealed in any way, and leak water when the rain gets heavy...also the overly tight fit that I mentioned causes the front flap area to deform and turn into sort of a "shelf", which then collects rain water in little pools that start to drip through the zips. During medium to heavy showers you have to constantly shake the front flap to keep water from pooling, which is both annoying and also makes me worry that I'm going to rip the stretched-tight front flap every time I go to shake it.

I'm looking at other full-bed tents, but honestly I'm not crazy about most of the other options. At this point I'm considering getting a bed cap. I didn't originally want to go that route, but I'm gonna test and measure to make sure I can still fit a motorcycle in the back with the cap on...if so, I may start shopping more seriously. It would be a better camping option, and it would allow me to store stuff in my bed overnight, which is a big plus especially during ski season.

 

Napier 5700 series. They hold the patent on putting a bottom inside the bed of the truck

 

Wrong... Description page off Sportsman's Guide truck tent.

 

That's called licensing. It's a part of capitalism

 

I highly doubt the Chinese company that produces the Sportsmans Guide tents have a licensing agreement with anyone.

 

A stand alone tent is generally easier, cheaper and more portable than a truck tent. You can set a base camp and then go exploring. I have a 4 different stand alone tents. A small Sierra Designs bivy for solo camping, a North Face Rock 30 for 2 persons, a Nemo Losi for a little more room and then a new Springbar family tent for hunting/long term camping.

A truck tent offers a 'sleep in the bed' experience, may offer a little more room than a small 2p tent (although not much), and may or may not be easier to set up.

I have a Bestop Supertop (soft top) on my truck. When I go bird hunting this fall I plan to use that as a 'tent'. It was $600 for the topper so I'm kinda in that wheelhouse anyway as far as price point. I just use a sleeping pad, my sleeping bag and my pack. I'll also carry the Springbar tent to use a base camp.

Springbar-


Nemo Losi-

 

Set up? What's that?

Park on a level spot, take a nap, cook or pop a beer.



SB

 

I got the truck tent because we can't leave tents alone in socal. It, along with all the stuff, will be gone when you get back. We always have to pack up each morning and being in the bed is better than being on the ground

 

Really? I'm from socal as well. I guess it just depends where you are