last summer i bought a 1st gen 4runner to camp in. it was awesome but i couldn't afford to keep two trucks so i ended up selling it. i'd love to have another but it's impossible (i need a pickup to haul my dirt bikes), so i want to get the truck sorted out for camping. i've been looking at tents that pitch in the bed of a truck. they seem good for keeping you up off the ground, and since you don't have to find a flat spot and put down a groundsheet and all, they seem way easier.

anyone have one of these? i need a tent, not a topper, cause i need to be able to have the bed free for the bikes when we're travelling. i was looking at the napier truck tent iii, and it looks pretty solid. i'm wondering a few things:

- when it rains, do you notice the fact that there's no ground sheet? (ie, does your floor get wet inside the tent)?

- are there any openings for the cab windows so you can run charger cables through, or access backpacks inside the cab, or whatever?

- do you use an air mattress? if you do, did you spring the $70 for a truck bed air mattress that has cutouts for the wheelwells? if not, is it still comfortable? i'm worried that the wheelwells will make the mattress sort of make a bowl that would make sleeping with someone uncomfortable as hell.

any opinions at all? they're selling on ebay with carrying bag for under two hundred bucks, so it sounds like a pretty sweet option for a quick camp setup... just think, roll into camp, unload the bikes + cooler, chain the bikes to the truck, pitch the tent, and be ready to ride or drink in 20 minutes

http://www.tentsontrucks.com/sportz-...tent-three.htm that's the tent i'm looking at.. i like the awning, and it looks like it'd be roomy as hell, too.

 

I do... but it's an older version without the extended awning at the entry.

You'll see that the floor section is a very waterproof material... almost a plastic. The floor runs up to the top of the bed rails. If you park with the front end of the vehicle slightly uphill, any water collected in the bed will run out. This will work better if you have a bedliner with ridges that funnel out the water and isolate the tent slightly from the bottom.

Mine had no such openings, but that may have changed. I am sure the tent could be modified however for charge lines... not sure about full access for backpacks. Have to keep those in the tent I think.

I found air mattresses to be very cold. They just don't retain any body heat and it's like sleeping on whatever the outside air temp is. I use the backpacking type pads which inflate only slightly. I think I had to go with a very skinny version of the full air mattress to miss the wheelwells. You will be sleeping in a bowl if not.

I have a used one... would sell it to you for $90. Not sure about what shipping to Canada would add. I have a 4Runner now and just don't use it.

Whether you go with mine or not, it is a good product that does make outdoor life easy. Especially great if the area you wish to camp has very rocky or uneven ground since the truck always has a level bed (depending on how well you park )

 

well i'll definitely have to think about that offer. do you have any pictures of it set up on your truck? the awning is pretty awesome, i gotta say

we wouldn't be buying this till spring, anyways, so we've got some time.

lemme know about the photos.

this tent will go well with my new arb and 3.4

 

Everything looks better with a 3.4.

I don't have any pics of the tent in use. I haven't used it for maybe 4 or 5 years.

Come spring, if I still have it... PM me and I'll take some pics of what I can.

 

is it the napier truck tent ii? i can find some photos of it online i assume.. if the price is right, i might be able to swing it sooner than possible

 

It's this tent: http://www.tentsontrucks.com/origianal.html

Actually, that tent is cheaper now than I realized. So, if you are interested in mine I'll sell it for $70 plus shipping.

 

thanks man. if you could get some photos of it and post 'em up, i'll let you know. i think it's gonna boil down to whether we want a new one (and warranty) or not. but, cheap is always better.. we'd have enough for a truck-shaped air mattress left over

 

I have one, I used it once. Works good as long as you are parked so the rain runs out. Now I have a canopy and am thinking about makink a platform