Sleeping in truck or tent

[MTGomer]

What are roof top tents for other than Instagram?
Really, what do they accomplish other than spending a few grand?

A topper and if you want to be fancy you can buy a ‘Decked’ system but a homemade wood one works too.

 

[TXLonghorn]

How about none of the above.

I did a trip through CO, MT, ID, and OR last year, 45 day hunting in all. I've got a 4dr Tundra. I took out the back seat and the passenger seat. Then I cut up a 14" memory foam mattress to fit where the seats used to be. Bought 4 memory foam pillows for extra padding where I might need it. If your going to do it, position the mattress to leave some room for your feet underneath the dash. Removing the back seat opens up more room to store stuff behind the drivers seat. During the day I stored equipment on the mattress, at night I moved it off onto drivers seat and floorboard. I also had a heater when I needed it. I had 6 extra gas cans in the back for when I wanted to be mobile for days without having to gas up. I'm 6'4" and I slept like a baby. Had a blast.

Bought the mattress of Facebook for $30 and the pillows from Craigslist for $10 each.

You got any photos? Id like to see what that looks like. I have the same truck if yours is four full doors.

 

[HighCountryCommando]

You got any photos? Id like to see what that looks like. I have the same truck if yours is four full doors.

Unfortunately I don’t have any photos. ...But it sure was comfortable.

 

[NM34R]

I sleep in mine about 15 days a year. Slept good down to 16 degrees so far. Works great for new areas where you may want to move often.

 

[mxracer317]

Looking for suggestions to complete my decision. Again, I love the idea of the decked drawers and the shell. The problem I’m up against is the yeti 210 cooler for elk hunting. I don’t know where to store it? The issue is the lid not being able to open all the way inside the low ceiling clearance of the shell once the decked system is put in.

My only thought is finding a heavy duty hitch rack, but the cooler is BIG and HEAVY. Especially with ice and elk meet. The hitch would need to be able to handle 500+ lbs.

 

[JLS]

Personally, I’d get a couple of smaller coolers. That 210 is huge and is going to always be a PITA.

 

[mxracer317]

Personally, I’d get a couple of smaller coolers. That 210 is huge and is going to always be a PITA.

Corey Jacobson sold me on the idea. Now I’m kicking myself. Haha

 

[Workingonit]

Are you planning to hunt in grizzly areas? If so, a topper gives you a LOT more lattitude with respect to food storage. I love mine, and it's nice to have for reasons other than truck camping anyway.

 

[rwc101]

I saw a video once on how quick and easy roof top tents are to pack up. Kinda tells you something when they speed the video up to 2x.

 

[nrpate05]

Corey Jacobson sold me on the idea. Now I’m kicking myself. Haha

Haha yea I remember that video and then remember asking myself how they carry it! You can't just get a Decked system for one side can you? That would give you more room (depth) on the other side for the cooler so you could open it. I did that with my homemade one for awhile and it seemed to work pretty well. Only having half the bed with a raised platform also gives you a place to sit up (albeit awkwardly), which can be nice. It would have been nice if Corey discussed how one moves a Yeti 210 crammed full of elk meat and ice!

 

[2rocky]

Last time I specifically set up a bed in my truck was with Tonya from Alpha Phi at WSU. Just took the twin mattress outta my rack and threw it in the bed of my 76 Silverado under the topper. Thank goodness for Potlatch open gates...


I've pulled into the trailhead after dark and sacked out a couple times before dawn, but I can set up and break down a tent pretty fast plus I can rig up a woodstove in it if needed. I like to be able to stand up or sit in a chair to dress too. I want my truck unencumbered for distant prospects, so rooftop tents don't appeal to me unless it is really snaky country....

 

[RyanSweeney]

My buddy has always slept in his truck bed with a topper on it. He put a cot on one side and keeps his gear on the other side. He ties a tarp to some nearby trees for some space outside of the topper. Very slick system. If I didn't have my camper, that's the way I would go.

 

[44hunter45]

I'm too old and too big to do anything in a back seat anymore. I have slept under the tonneau cover of my rig more than once. It's dry and out of the wind.

 

[NDG81]

Truck for sure, with topper, Decked system, and 4"foam mattress. Works great to get out of the weather and have room to cook if you need to.

 

[JakeInVegas]

I have an 8' bed with a truck topper. We built our own platform and put a Cal king mattress topper back there. We swapped out the old topper for an extra tall one and it makes a huge difference in comfort. It's nice to be able to sit all the way up when you are getting dressed. We installed a cheap diesel heater that runs off the main fuel tank. We also installed a house battery and a DC-DC charger that can run off a solar panel or charge off the trucks alternator. I would take my truck parked right at the trailhead over a campsite with other people any day of the week. Our whole camp is almost instantly portable and ready for adventure. The diesel heater allows us to camp comfortably in some pretty cold weather. Putting on dry warm boots in the morning is a beautiful thing. The first interior pictures are from before we swapped it out to the taller shell.

 

[Dwreckers]

I slept on the back of my truck for the first time this year and it was great! I slept in it when temps were below freezing probably mid twenties. I would like to build a slight raised bed that maybe sets on top of the bed rail so I can utilize more space underneath. I used my clothes bin also as my table

 

[mxracer317]

Got the decked drawers assembled today. Really happy with the outcome!

Does anyone know of a heavy-duty hitch rack that can support over 500lbs?

Yeti 210 EMPTY is 62lbs... plus ice... and hopefully, a big bull elk will be a lot of weight. I've also only shot cow elk before... so I'm not sure what the realistic weight of a bull would be?

Again, I'm wondering if Corey Jacobsen just keep his Yeti 210 in the bed at all times... but I want to use the truck topper idea and that seems like A LOT of weight to try and unload from a truck bed!

It would be awesome to have a hitch rack that could carry the weight of the cooler, ice and elk AND (dreaming) have the hitch swing out.

 

[MTGomer]

Haha yea I remember that video and then remember asking myself how they carry it! You can't just get a Decked system for one side can you? That would give you more room (depth) on the other side for the cooler so you could open it. I did that with my homemade one for awhile and it seemed to work pretty well. Only having half the bed with a raised platform also gives you a place to sit up (albeit awkwardly), which can be nice. It would have been nice if Corey discussed how one moves a Yeti 210 crammed full of elk meat and ice!

TruckVault makes something that takes up half the bed but their prices are obscene. Like $3200. I’ve never seen one in person but just can’t imagine how they could be worth that.

 

[MTGomer]

Got the decked drawers assembled today. Really happy with the outcome!

Does anyone know of a heavy-duty hitch rack that can support over 500lbs?

Yeti 210 EMPTY is 62lbs... plus ice... and hopefully, a big bull elk will be a lot of weight. I've also only shot cow elk before... so I'm not sure what the realistic weight of a bull would be?

Again, I'm wondering if Corey Jacobsen just keep his Yeti 210 in the bed at all times... but I want to use the truck topper idea and that seems like A LOT of weight to try and unload from a truck bed!

It would be awesome to have a hitch rack that could carry the weight of the cooler, ice and elk AND (dreaming) have the hitch swing out.

I don’t know the specs on these but they’re probably on the website. They are supposed to be quite tough compared to other products.

PAKMULE Cargo Carriers and Hitch Baskets

PAKMULE is a rugged, 100% Aluminum Cargo Carrier with a locking anti-wobble connection. Built for the adventure ahead and Made in America, because it matters.

pakmule.com

 

[mxracer317]

I don’t know the specs on these but they’re probably on the website. They are supposed to be quite tough compared to other products.

PAKMULE Cargo Carriers and Hitch Baskets

PAKMULE is a rugged, 100% Aluminum Cargo Carrier with a locking anti-wobble connection. Built for the adventure ahead and Made in America, because it matters.

pakmule.com

Yep! Saw those. The problem I'm up against is getting the cooler off the hitch carrier. Ideally, I would like to have a mount like this RIGd set up for tires, but have a hitch carrier mounted to it that I can swing open and access my tail gate drawers.

UltraSwing® Mega-Fit Spare Tire Hitch Mount | RiGd Supply

The UltraSwing™ Mega-Fit spare tire hitch mount is a swing-out carrier designed for full-size trucks, vans, and SUVs including F-150, Tundra, Silverado, RAM, Transit, Sprinter, Sequoia, and most any other full-size truck, van, or SUV with a 2” or 2.5” hitch and stock bumper.

www.rigdsupply.com