Kodiak Canvas truck tent

I'm hoping this can provide better information than what I was able to find for people looking at bed tents.

I was in the market for a bed tent and after much researching I came to the conclusion that the Kodiak system was the better quality (I could be wrong I could be right). I had a few concerns, mainly that I had a hard time finding any detailed reviews, post, blogs or videos covering the tent on Tacomas and more specifically short beds. So I bit the bullet bought the tent that is designed for short beds with the intention that when I get a new Tacoma it'll be a 6ft bed anyway.

No issues with the purchase or delivery. The box was a bit beat up but that is on FedEx. I believe Kodiak ships from Salt Lake and I'm in the ST Louis area. Nonetheless nothing was damaged.

Setup is easy and straightforward, just follow the instructions and everything makes sense, save for one detail. The rail system used to mount the ribs is designed to be C-clamped to the bed rails. Well Tacomas don't really have a bed rail that can clamped onto. The Tacoma cleat rails can be used but you don't want to over tighten the clamps.

Overall I am happy with the system and if your are looking for a durable bed style tent I highly recommend this system. With that here was my experience.



Here is everything that comes with, minus the carrying bag I managed to leave out:
2 bed rails
3 sets of "rib" poles
2 awning poles
4 2inch C-clamps
Canvas tent
Tarp style bag
Instructions
Carrying bag *not pictured

Here is the rail system on the bed:


Here is what I ended up doing for the C-clamps. They don't have to be overly tight. The tent systems comes with 4 2inch C-clamps(the orange) but I found that 3inch work much better with the cleat rails.





The tent laid out on the bed:


Side views: *notice the side flaps of the awning don't work as designed on the short bed, I was trying and comparing which way I thought would be best. Neither really seem to offer an advantage unless you are in high winds, than I suppose closing them in the rear cab would work best.




Rear view:


Inside rear view:


Inside views: *didn't latch everything down tight for the first dry run




Lastly here we are in the Mark Twain National Forest for Memorial Day weekend:

 

Sweet setup

 

Looks awesome! Was this the full size or mid size tent? I've found a full size locally for a good price but I'm worried about the fitment on my 09 5ft bed.

 

This is a mid size. mid size is supposed to fit 5-6 ft beds.

 

Okay that's what I thought. Thanks!

 

Any updates on how this bed tent has worked out for you? I am also in the St. Louis area as well (Warrenton). I have a 2019 Double Cab with 5ft box and have been looking at tent options. Appreciated the pics and install info as those are helpful for reference.

 

The tent has worked out great. Certainly has it's pros and cons but in regards to construction and performance it has held up beautifully. Took it out on Labor Day weekend and got dumped on and other than waking up to a couple spots of condensation because we forgot to crack a window everything inside was dry. If I had to break it down to pros, cons and who its right for:

Pros:
Cheaper than roof top tents while still getting you off the ground.
Light weight (41lbs) compared to a roof top tent.
Better material than competitive bed tents.
If you stay with or near other campers you will stand out in a sea of roof top tents/ground tents/trailers. Every time have taken this out we get people coming by asking about it.

Cons:
Longer set up time than a roof top tent (10-15 mins once you get used to it).
Once you arrive to your destination you have to empty your bed before setup.

I considered making a platform for sleeping to get me and my wife above the wheel wells for added room but opted out. We used a 4x6 foam floor pad for shop/garage floors as a faux bed mat and than either a slightly deflated full sized air mattress (fully inflated wont fit between the wheel wells) or thick blankets to pad the bed. Both worked out well but the air mattress is better.

This tent or style of tent would probably be best suited for camping more than a couple days (unless you don't mind breaking down camp after a couple days). If you don't want to or can't climb up into a roof top tent or down to a ground tent as with this as long as you can sit on your tailgate your can pretty easily get in and out.

Any other questions feel free to post them here or PM me.

 

Curious...why do you have one of your rear wheels up on the yellow block?

 

@allen993 They are leveling blocks. That side of the truck was low. You can use rocks and logs or these blocks to level your truck out.

 

oh...makes sense...thanks.

 

How's the ventilation? Even at higher elevations in Az, nights can be warm.

 

The first time out was high 90s with high humidity in a NF so no wind as well. Needless to say it was a pretty sticky night. I would imagine the dryer air would make things more bearable. The advantage of the tent I would say is it's height. I think its something like 5ft or so if you don't have a platform, so the highest air will be up top. I have since moved to a RTT and to help with ventilation I use one of those 24v job site fans, which I can't praise enough if you camp in hot weather. https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-Hybrid-24-Volt-Max-Jobsite-Fan-Battery-Not-Included/1000822200 Having one would have made sleeping much better.

 

Wow that’s awesome and plenty of room.

 

Old post but if you're still on, about how long are the bed rails? I have a short bed with a tri fold tonneau. It looks like they would be too long to go on with the tonneau.

 

I don't have the tent any more but looking at the pictures they look a few inches shorter than the bed tracks. I'd guess maybe 4ft or so? Sorry I can't tell for sure.

 

That's what it looked like. Maybe I could jerry-rig something so it was flush with the tri-fold above the bed?

 

I've never had a trifold style myself but if there is a will there is a way right?