Truck Camping Sleeping Set Ups

[shane cavitt]

I am joining the ranks of those who do a little truck camping when they fish. I just purchased an ’08 Tundra Double Cab and have an ARE Z Series cap on order. I plan on putting it to its initial test on a trip to Colorado in about a month. My question for those of you who camp in their trucks is what do you use for a sleeping solution? Are you using an air mattress, self inflating air pad, foam or something else? I have done a little research and came across the Therma-a-Rest DreamTime and the Paco Pad. They look like nice options, but both are a little pricey. What do you use and are there any forums out there that focus on truck camping?

[Tim Angeli]

Shane,

I built an elevated platform out of plywood and 2x12s that fit in the back of my suburban.

[david simmons]

Therm a rests are a little pricey but well worth the investment. Although the cold ground won’t be an issue, if you ever find yourself tent camping you will find they insulate the cold ground better than anything on the market. They pack up nice and tight, plus you can buy an attachment for about $20 that turns them into a great camp chair.

[Adam McDowell]

I had a chevrolet truck with a camper shell and I put together a similar setup to what tim has described. 2×6’s across the wheelwells and a sheet of plywood over the top with cheap carpet and a thermorest. you just cant jump up in the middle of the night or you will get your bell rung! i made a plywood shelf underneath that i had my stuff in to give me easy access to gear. post pictures of what you wind up with

[dusty montgomery]

Shane,
You need to have a pow-wow w/ Drifter. He showed us his rig before you joined…and he did it very well. If I were you I would send him a pm. After I saw his rig I almost bought the same thing.
D.

[Cameron Mortenson]

Yes…get up with Drifter.

[Steve K.]

Dusty / Cameron,

Thx for the reference.

Shane….I use a foam camping mattress from Cabelas. It’s about 2 inches thick and costs about $75 if I remember right. Since I’ve had my cap on…I’ve slept in it 26 nights so far so it’s definitely been a worthwhile investment….and I’m only getting started.

[shane cavitt]

Thanks guys for the responses so far. I have read the thread on Steve’s “Trout Truck” and it is what gave me the inspiration to go this route. I am trying to get something close to what he has.

[Phil Brna]

I used to sleep in my truck a lot.

[Steve K.]

Shane,

If you build a platform….buy your plastic storage bins first. Then you can design the platform to fit with minimal space wasted.

[trigg]

Be sure to put some kind of curtains in the windows unless they are really dark.

[clark reid]

We are so bloody agricultural here in NZ… My old Mitsubishi and a sheet of tarpaulin was all we needed combined with a nearby tree…

Of course we haven;t got any dangerous animals here either…;

When I was scouting around remote salt water areas this was my set up…

You can judge a man by the size of things which annoy him.

[Tim Angeli]

Boxed wine?

[Zach Matthews]

The most elaborate of these systems I ever saw was Carter Simcoe’s.

[Chris Beech]

This was okay for a while, but I ended up buying a small tent instead!

Best Regards,

Beechy

[tyler gullick]

I’m getting ready to do a van that I acquired for basically free.

[Steve K.]

Tyler….don’t forget to allow for bug proof ventilation…..maybe a roof vent with screen. It might be nice if you could attach a large screen with velcro to the rear door area.

On a side note…..the nylon screening material you can get at Home Depot or Lowe’s is great for keeping the skeeters out….but don’t work at all for the tiny “no-seeums”. Don’t ask me how I know this.

[shane cavitt]

Many thanks guys. On somewhat of a related note, those of you who have caps on your trucks, what do you recommend for installation? Is it best to have the cap bolted on or clamped?

[dusty montgomery]

Thanks guys for the responses so far. I have read the thread on Steve’s “Trout Truck” and it is what gave me the inspiration to go this route. I am trying to get something close to what he has.

Shane,
Where are you at, geographically? DFW is a big place, and given that you are not on the south end, I might be able to come help you with any truck projects.
D.

[Steve K.]

Shane….the ARE dealer bolted my cap to the bed. It was very tastefully done. No unsightly clamps. I have an ’08 Tacoma so I would think the same would hold true for your Tundra.

Let’s see some photos of the finished product.

[Author]

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