Truck tent camping ideas needed??

Contractor canopy!! 23-36 inch wedge, insulate it and put in vent and you've got a light, strong camper for a fraction of the price!!

Lol at least hoping so! Mines on order, should have feedback in the next month or so

 

I use the 2 person coleman pop up tent for myself and my girlfriend, add a dog and the 4 person would work well. Super easy set up and break down.

Awsome not having to deal with tent poles

 

Do a hammock with an asymmetrical tensa stand anchored to your hitch reciever. Comfortable and cheap. Was my set up until I upgraded to my rtt, still pack the hammock just in case.

 

I have a Napier and love it. The part to me that made me choose a Napier style tent was the part were you can leave it in place, surfing and fishing it made that a lot easier for my choice. The 8400 I can put a table / kitchen area with cooler and fishing poles and a surfboard them your cabs free to sleep in if you have a camper that is.

 

There’s an awesome (loooong) thread on here somewhere about all kinds of different sleeping arrangements people have come up with. Tons of pics. Haven’t seen the thread active in awhile.

Anyone one have a link?

 

Buy a quality ground tent a 9x9 or a 10x10 that you may stand up in. Figure number of people times two to be comfortable (2 people plus dog = 5 or 6 man tent). Also bring a 10x10 tarp to set up a kitchen area in raining weather. Buy two quality inflatable insulated air mattresses (20"x 72"x 2-3"pads) and sleeping bags for conditions you are camping in. Bring blanket for dog to sleep on. Much better setup than breaking down camp when you need something that's 15 minutes away or when you want to hike a trailhead 5 miles away.

 

I have a truck tent, used it twice in 7 years. I have a family tent and we use it 2-3 times a year. The truck tent was bought right before I got married and had kids. It’s very cool if you go somewhere you know you won’t move the truck. I used it for dirt bike trips where I rode all day and camped at night. A regular tent is more practical.

 

$899.00 ? Holy shit might as well sell the truck and stay at the Hilton. The bad thing about this is it's typical now for the Overland Community. Everything is a Stack. I've got more days camping then most have in their socks. That tent cost $50 to make. That's a problem.
Zij

 

I prefer camping in a hammock.

 

I wonder if an awning that I could park the truck bed under with 4 cheap tarps for sides would be functional, private, and hillbilly enough for me.

 

I started out with a Napier bed tent before I got the RTT. My wife will no longer sleep on the ground. Bed tent was $75 off Craigslist, RTT was $1200.

 

One of my friends bought an ARB awning and Deluxe Awning Room like mine in the pic below and have it mounted on their Land Rover. Lots of space being 8ft x 8ft. Super flexible as an awning, screen room, or tent. They setup a big cot in there. We love our room, we usually set it up as a kitchen/living space. Setup and Breakdown is quicker than you'd expect, especially if you have two people.



To give an idea of the space inside, here's a pic of our kitchen setup. And remember, the room is a square.




EDIT: and together, these two are about $500 plus tax. You'd also need a way to mount them. But on the plus side, you'd still use them even if you later upgraded to a RTT.

 

My last setup was a family sized dome tent with Coleman queen cot and airbed topper. Tent, cot, chairs, and kitchen all broke down into three storage boxes.

Then I realized that setup/teardown of this circus was stupid and bought a trailer instead.

 

I really don't get the bed tent at all.

You have to move any gear out of the bed before using.
If you need to drive, you got to take it down (at least with a RTT, it's a quick easy setup/teardown)
It's basically just a ground tent with straps


Really might as well get a ground tent and not have those negatives.

 

Rightline vs Napier - the biggest difference I found during my research prior to buying my Napier is that the Napier has a full tent floor, the Rightline is open on the bottom.

Rightline pro - don't have to unload the bed in order to pitch the tent.

Napier pro - the tent floor isolates you from the dirty/dusty truck bed floor.

 

Echoing others sentiments a bed tent makes no sense. It is the worst of all worlds, combining all the negatives of a camper, shell, rtt, or ground tent. The only thing going for it is that it's not on the ground.

If you truly want to sleep in the bed of the truck and have the money, get a camper shell and build a sleeping platform. Softopper is around $900 I think. Roof top tents are even pricier. I'm personally not a fan but a lot of people enjoy them.

I use a softopper with sleeping platform. It works well for me and my wife. Practically no set up or tear down time.

Ground tent will be the cheapest and most practical option. The longer you stay somewhere the more a ground tent makes sense.

 

I have the Napier bed tent, and I wouldn't recommend it for the mere fact that you need to take everything out of the bed or it doesn't sit right. Next plan is to get a midrise cap and build some drawers. Possibly get the Topper Ezlift too.

The bed tent is a pain to get in and out of especially when your truck is lifted, because you're worried about tearing it and trying to be gentle. It is very roomy though for a tent. You have plenty of space to sit up. Maybe the rightline is better since someone said it doesn't have a bottom?

If you're going to go for a ground tent, which I would over a bed tent, make sure you get one you can stand up in. The ARB setup that @YF_Ryan has looks like a great option too, but I would be curious what the height is. The only downside is you'd have to put it back up to go anywhere, but it looks big enough to sleep in but rain/snow might be a problem. I went to Utah last year and setup in a dispersed camping area, but had to drive into the park for hiking so there is that to consider. The ground tent I used was a good way to mark that there was someone already camping there too so we didn't have to drive around looking for another spot when we got back.

If you're going to sleep outside though then go for hammocks. It's always great to have a hammock when camping anyway so why not just finish off the setup? My current dream is the topper setup and hammocks for good weather.

If your interested though I'll sell you my napier for the 6ft bed.

 

I agree with the Gazelle tent, extremely easy and fast to set up. I'm very satisfied with this tent. So many great reviews for it too

https://youtu.be/29NKFxIOMUo

 

Height is over 6 feet, but it can vary depending on how it's mounted to your rig.

And yeah, you'd have to take it down before going anywhere, just like a RTT. I figured since the OP wanted to try some cheaper option before a RTT this might be a good idea, but maybe the OP should make sure he's OK with tearing down everyday anytime he wants to drive somewhere. I normally camp in one place for multiple days, so it's fine for me. I'll also add that I've only ever staked down my awning once. And that was because I was not using the Awning room, which I've always got loaded down with stuff once I put it up. Definitely makes that easy depending on the terrain you are parked on.

And finally, snow and rain... Snow could absolutely be an issue. The roof is relatively flat on the Awning and I'm sure it could collapse from the weight. It could be slanted at a steeper angle, but then your room would be a bit oddly baggy. I don't camp in the snow, so not an issue for me. Rain, I haven't had an issue yet, but have also not been in any horrible rainstorms. The floor is a tub floor that should be water proof. I read a review once where someone had their campsite flood overnight and they had no idea until they opened the door in the morning. The floor stayed dry even with 4 inches of water all around the Awning Room. Obviously if you wore holes in the floor that would not be the case.

 

That sounds perfect! I'll want an awning anyway so might as well get one that could be converted to a room like that. Thanks for the info!