How do you camp with a 5ft shortbed?

Hey guys I'm the new guy around here, but have been lurking for quite a while, love this site and appreciate all the DIY help everyone shares. In 2019 my company closed and I decided I would pack up my 16 DCSB with my motorcycle, mountain bike and camping gear and take a few months and go cross country, see some National Parks, visit friends, ride Moab, and see more of our beautiful country. I knew a large portion of my trip would be solo and thought it would be great to be able to solo sleep inside my truck, being that Im 6'1" I didn't know if it was possible, here's what I did and it worked well, oh... and the trip was epic.

 

I pulled the rear seat and storage cubbies and replaced it with a plywood platform, that was covered in all weather carpet from Home Depot, I then just removed the passenger seat and cut a piece of ply to span from the back deck to 5 inches from the front foot well. I supported it with 2 simple collapsibe folding steps that I cut down to height on my chop saw. Then just dropped my air mattress and sleeping bag on top . With the back platform in place, the front seat conversion process to sleep mode takes less than ten minutes once you've done it a few times.

 

Build your own camper and put a slide in the side (where the wolf) is.

 

With my Hennessey hammock...

 

This is a long bed but they make same for short bed. The tailgate will give you another 15-18 inches and cost is around $200. We camped in this last weekend.
I recently did a platform behind the seats using the Dewalt tool boxes for leveling and believe my 5'10" could sleep there in a pinch.

 

Congrats! Sounds like you had a blast. Have you re-enrolled in servitude or did you figure out a way to live free?

I've taken several month long work hiatus over the years and there's nothing like it!

 

I’m 5’10 and have to sleep in the bed of the truck diagonally. My dogs pretty big so he sleeps in the second row of the truck

 

Last week in the Ozarks

 

get your feet amputated and have detachable prosthetics made so you can walk but also still fit in the bed

 

Look up ''Dorf On Golf'' and emulate. You should have no issues.

 

I put together a two-part dirtbagging foot box so I could sleep with my legs straight. It’s probably $75 of parts, but I just used what was lying around plus some hinges and bolts from the hardware store. Final version will include shock cord to keep it from wiggling out when you kick it from inside and some small wood blocks on the inside of the top deck to keep it spread properly. Note the depression cut out of the deck so the glass window closes snug.

I tested it with a climbing buddy at the trailhead and it worked perfectly. Apparently I “snore like a bear.” Whatever.

 

I have slept in the bed, did a roof top tent and now I’m back to a tent that sets up in 90’s. It’s a Gazelle T4+ Overland. It fits snugly from the front of the bed to the tailgate but when setup I can fit a Queen and Twin size air mattress that have pumps but in. When I need to drive somewhere I don’t have to pack up and when it down pours for a day straight I am not in a coffin all day. https://youtu.be/l3cwQ-Z7ad4

 

How am I just seeing this? What's with the death threat - threesome? Glad to see that I lost the fuck marry kill game.

 

Ground tent always gang!

 

As a hammock guy for the last 10ish years, there is zero way I would ever try to sleep in that.

 

Wonder why? My daughter uses it when we go as a family. She loves it. I have used it as well with no issues.

 

You sleep at a diagonal in a hammock and remain pretty darned flat. To do so you have to have some tension on it and not look like a banana before you ever get into it. What you have pictured would absolutely destroy my back. My Warbonnet Blackbird is 11 feet long, your Hennesey I don't know the length but suspect it is similar. The supports you have pictured are way too close together.

I am a huge advocate of using a nice quality hammock, especially for those with back issues like myself. The main things with hammocks is sleeping at an angle to keep flat (no bananas) and the use of an underquilt. Without the underquilt, even in mild temperatures, you "will" get cold. I use an underquilt and superfly tarp in cold weather and have camped comfortably down into single digits. Uneven ground, lots of rocks, sticks, brush ect, not a problem. Flooded floors of tents due to runoff from heavy rain, not a problem. There are a lot of hammock manufacturers out there, but my experience is primarily with Warbonnet. I have absolutely nothing but good things to say about their products.

 

Did your dash give off any alarms now that you removed the passenger seat? Could you post dimensions of your setup?