I'll have a 3rd Gen (89'-95' - leaning towards the 92'-95' years) Pickup sometime in the next few monthes. I want an extended cab 4x4 5 spd - I'd prefer the 22RE but I'll probably end up with a V6 because they are more numerous.

Anyways - was just curious how the "Sleep" was in your truck for those of you who have slept underneath a camper shell (or canopy - whatever you prefer to call it) in the bed? I'm 6'0" - the bed is around 6'0" right? I'm curious what you use to keep yourselves warm? Just a sleeping bag? I've heard some horror stories resulting in deathes from those who choose to use propane heaters - even the ones with carbon monoxide alarms (the little 1000 BTU plus ones). Usually what I want to do is drive up the night before to the local river to go steelhead fishing and sleep in the back, then wake up and I'm already at the fishing hole. What kinda things do you do to keep cosy and comfy?

 

if you have a dog, bring it along. your dog wont complain about the cool weather and will keep you warm at night! if you enjoy fishing, i would presume you like dogs also. just a thought.

lee

 

Runners aren't notoriously comfortable...if you search for sleeping camping one or two writeups should come up on mods like taking out one seat or someting like that....best advice is a tent and a good mummy bag

 

I've slept in the back of my pickup a few times. I don't have a camper shell. I just use a foam pad and an old army sleeping bag, It's comfortable enough for me. I'm about 5'8" or so, shorter than you, so you may end up with your feet hanging off the tailgate. You could always take along a cot and sleep beside the pickup. I'll bet its a lot more comfortable, and you can have a fire right next to you, which you couldn't do in a pickup bed (Well, I wouldn't want to anyway ). I think a propane heater would be pretty dangerous in a small area such as under a camper shell--you just couldn't ventilate it well enough.

 

Ooops pickup not runner...Yeah cot/tent/shell might help too with the comfortability factor. Sleeping pad or air mattress would be a must with the tailgate down maybe.

 

if I were you I'd try to find a longbed, you'll hardly have enough room with the shortbed.

 

i just got back from moab and my girlfriend and i slept in the back of my '89 4runner for 3 days. the '89 is really just like the pickup (even has the ridges in the back like the bed of the pickup), and it has no back seat either. it was pretty comfortable. it definately was better than sleeping in the tent. i just put a blanket down on the bed and my normal sleeping pad that i use when i go backpacking. my sleeping bag kept me warm enough in the cold desert night. if you keep the windows of the shell closed then it should hold heat as well as a tent holds heat, so couple that with a good sleeping bag (i always prefer down bags) and you'll be just fine. never use a propane (or any other fuel burning) heater, it's way too easy to get a toxic level of carbon monoxide.

 

Get a good sleeping bag (rated to -10 or so), wear a fleece hat when you sleep. As Mike D said don't bring a stove or fuel burning heater in the shell. Instead fill a camel bak or similar with hot water and put it in your sleeping bag it will keep you warm on really cold nights (I use that when snow/glacier camping on climbing trips)

 

My wife used to own a '91 Toyota extra cab pickup 2x4. We spent MANY nights sleeping the back of it while on hiking/backpacking trips.
Probably the first thing to consider is a good shell. Get one that sits higher than the cab of the truck. Speaking as a 6' 1" Toyota sleeper, having the extra headroom while sitting in their makes a huge difference. The type I like has a small window on the top front of the shell. Kinda nice to have a little extra light coming in during the day and nice to see stars and moonlight at night.
Next, make sure it has a good door/lid. I personally don't like the Glasstite type tops that have a heavy rear lid that is made of fiberglass. The weight of them thrown in with vibration of driving on dirts roads winds up putting stress fractures in the shell itself at the hinges. A good sturdy metal framed lid with the piano hinge seems to hold up really well. After that, I suggest the type with two latches and not just the single handle in the middle. The double latch is much more secure and helps keep the lid in place better cutting down on dirt in the bed. A loose lid will suck in tons of dust and you'll wind up with all your gear covered in it.
Other design considerations, camper window and sliders with screens. It is really handy to be able to reach into the cab of the truck from the shell and use it like a closet when you are in the back of the truck so having both the truck and shell outfitted with camper windows is a big help. Don't go with the boot on the shell. It doesn't seal, you'll wind up with water, leaves and dirt in the back and it will slowly grind all the paint off the cab. Sliding windows on the sides make ventilation nice and the screens will keep the bugs out. Especially nice while sleeping beside a buggy river!
Make sure and use good weather sealing strip where the rim contacts the bed rails too as you can get leaking through there. I've woken up many times to find myself soaked while truck camping in the rain due to a bad seal somewhere.
I personally would never go with a stove of any kind. It isn't worth the risk. To stay warm and comfy get some pegboard and cover the bottom of the bed with it. Dust and just will filter through it, but it will provide support for you so you don't have to sleep on the bumpy bed. Plywood works too, just more expensive. Get a decent foam pad or go yardsaling and find an old futon mattress and stick it back there. Foam is easier to mess with, but an old futon might be warmer and more comfortable. Next, spend some money on a decent sleeping bag. If you are going to sleep by rivers you'll need it! The worst night of camping I ever had was by a river in the autumn when I was a kid. Talk about cold! The nimrod college people I was out with weren't smart enough to know to camp either up from or away from a river. I bet you can gain 10-20 degrees in 20-30yards either way. Anyway, to stop digressing, get a good sleeping bag if you don't already have one. Don't get something at Walmart. I would suggest a good combo bag that has a bag-in-bag setup. They are a pain to hike with (bulky) but great when you have space. Plus, you can sleep in either the low temp bag, the higher temp bag, or combine them for those really cold nights. Box foot or wide end bags are more comfortable then mummy bags too. Better yet, get bags like we have that zip together so you can share with a friend!
A suggested accessory, if it doesn't come with it already, a light mounted on the inside roof. For ours, I went to Autozone and bought a light from their rack, snuck into a sheetmetal shop I had access to and made a mounting/reflecting plate for it. Get a decent switch for it, run it to the battery (with a fuse) and have a light that you always know the location of. Finding a flashlight/headlamp fast doesn't always work. They like to hide when you need them most.
Ok, I've prattled on long enough, the rest you can figure out yourself after a few trips, fleece cold weather gear, good storage boxes with locking lids (keep the critters out), bungie cords, portable stove to use OUTSIDE for quick hot meals/drinks, heck even curtains if you feel like it...

Whoops, just one more bit of prattling. Get a good water container. Although this stolen pic isn't exactly what we have and prefer, a good squat container like this is much easier to deal with than other types.



It does have a bigger footprint than the tall narrow types, but it never falls over, doesn't have to be bungied for stability and is easy to handle and use sitting on the edge of the tailgate.

 

Man I slept in the back of my truck for 2 years. I used a rollabed, it`s just a covered pad about an 1-1/2" thick that you can roll and store. Weather didn`t bother me, it`s Hawaii man and I had ocean front property every night.

 

If you are 6' and the bed is 6', you will get more than 6' if you lay diagonally. I second bringing the dog.

 

I appreciate the many words of advice here from everyone - thank you very much - excellent common sense tips - a lot to digest too, and a lot of $$$ I need to spend to get things going but I'll be comfy taking your guy's advice! Wish I had a Dog - however I don't have the time or resources to properly take care of a dog right now.

Fahrenheit 451 - I especially appreciate the time you took to put down your words of advice! Sounds like you and wifey must have had many a comfy night in that truck...hehe...

I honestly didn't know there was a long bed and a short bed for Toyota extended cab 4x4 pickup's from 89'-95'? If there is - what are the different lengthes? I thought they had only one bed length available (around 6')??

 

if you have to blow a lot of $$ why not just get a tent instead of finding the proper shell and a long enough bed?

 

Roadtrip is right...A tent is usually warmer.

I'm 6' and the bed of my old 93 would have been tight, compressed the sleeping bag fill at the head and the foot and made for a miserable night. A couple of ways to handle it is to put a closed cell foam barrier between your head/feet and the metal bed. Other way is to leave the tailgate down and hang your sleeping pad, bag and feet out on the tail gate.

The pickup creaks and groans when you roll over at night, because of the leaf springs.

Personally...
If I was a young buck and didn't have to worry about hauling others around, I'd get a 2nd gen 4Runner (95 like I have) take the rear seat out, and make a platform that extends the flat surface up to the back of the front seats. You'll find that the surface will be about 6'6" long. Then put some closed cell foam across the tailgate, side walls and doors to keep from getting cold from rolling over against a wheel well, and compressing the fill. Then if you get cold, you can start the 4Runner without climbing very far out of the drivers seat.

The two most memorable nights I spent sleeping in the bed of my pickup, I was hauling a matress on top both times, both cloudless nights, pulled off to the side of a two track, climbed up on top, tossed out the bag on the mattress and watched the stars come out as the temp dropped. It got down to about 20F. I was warm (nuthin' like a down bag) cozy and the matress was heaven compared to a thermarest.

I've slept many times in my 93 pickup and my 95 4Runner. A good 3-4 season tent is warmer.

 

i recently returned from a weekend of camping in the back of my truck with my dog .. i have to say it was great ...... the dog is a must for many reasons compainship' heat and security ...( he was on high alert the first night lot's of deer ) ... on this excursion i outfitted the back of my rig with a full size mattress which on the plus side provides for mega comfort ... plus a mess o pillows ...on the negitive not alot of storage space. i highly recomend heavy blankets or sleeping bag i prefer the first because i tend to roll around a lot when i sleep . since coming back i have changed this by removing the mattess and building up a platform that sits just above the wheel wells fairly simple this know allows for extra storage underneath ... i still have a few more mods to make .. but i think this gives you an idea ... some thoghts on camping out although it is fairly easy to find places to bed down for the night ... give some thoughts to your area around you .. i tried all options on this trip ..... woods' campgrounds' and pulling over to a rest stop they all have there pros and cons ....good luck you will absolutley love the freedom you have .

 

hey,
i have an 89 pickup and i sleep in my box regularly, i have a canapy with it, i just use a thick foamy and some pillows and a sleeping bag and its perfect, just judge the weather and bring more blankets is needed or get and electrical heater that plugs into an inverter or you lighter
cody

 

I could see the reason for not using a tent in bad weather. Such as rain,snow or wind. I always thought those roof racks with a tent in them were cool though. I wondering if i ever take my 4runner out camping or let say got stuck in the snow or something in -20 or -30 below weather how would i survive? I think there's alot of good suggestions on here but let me add one there's a place call gebring clothing i believe that's what it's call that makes battery powered heated clothing. You might want to check into it. I did a google search to find it. If i knew how to post the link and could relocate I would post it. I'm still new to this computer thing.

 

A body in reasonable shape, a white gas stove (Peak 1 is good & cheap), layered clothing, plus food and fuel are always a good idea to carry with you. Out here in the desert, and since I usually 4wheel, backpack and camp alone, I carry emergency gear and 3 plus gallons of water on top of what is in my pack. The key is to always tell someone where you are going, and stay with the vehicle if something happens. It's a whole lot easier to see the vehicle from the air than a body.

 

You can get an addon tent that goes around the back of your truck and cap giving you more room and you're still off the ground for sleeping (I know thats important to me{too old for sleeping on the ground}) I think Bass pro shops carry them around $100

 

If you're gonna do that, you might as well get a stand-alone tent.

1. The fiberglass poles used will break in the first hard wind.
2. You have to set it up...like you would a regular tent.
3. You will still have conductive heat loss when you roll into the cold metal wheel wells.